Lhasa Apso Lhasa Apso is also known as the “exorcism of the Holy Dog”, the shape of the appearance of the lion, the coat is long and rich, especially the head, ears, tail coat is the most abundant, can be dragged to the ground. 20 centuries ago, in addition to the origin of the Tibet, rarely seen this breed of dog. Now it is the ideal family dog.

[History]

Lhasa Apso has a history of 2000 years, but about the historical origin of the Lhasa Apso there are two ways of saying: one is from Lhasa, Tibet, Tibetan Apso is “barking guard dog” meaning; the second is the Tibetan apso, because the dog’s coat like steel wire as long and hard.

　　Tibet has numerous temples, lamas, Lhasa Apso’s initial use was the companion and guard dog of these monks, the dog was also regarded as a sacred thing by the monks, it is believed that after the death of the breeder, the soul is attached to the dog’s body, which can bring good luck to the breeder. So it is unlikely to buy this breed at that time, but in history the Dalai Lama also Lhasa Apso as a gift, tribute to the court and neighboring countries, to make friends with dignitaries, because of its gorgeous appearance and widely spread around the world.

[Body type

Lhasa Apso’s typically weigh 6-7 kilograms; they are 25-28 centimeters tall and have an average lifespan of about 12-13 years.

[Personality]

　　The Lhasa Apso has a joyful and confident nature, but is wary of strangers a hundred times over. The main points of identification are the shape and appearance of a lion, the coat is long and abundant, especially the head, ears, tail coat is the most abundant, can be dragged to the ground. It has a good beard and long sideburns, and its tail is upturned in the shape of a daisy. The coat color is golden yellow, which is the most desirable.

[Head]

Heavy head-trimmed hairs, falling in front of the eyes, with copious whiskers and moustache; head narrow, distinctly sunken behind the eyes, not quite flat, but not arched or apple-shaped either; straight foreface of sufficient length; snout-glasses black, and the distance from the snout-glasses to the eyes about 1/3 of the distance from the snout-glasses to the back of the head; eyes dark-brown, neither too large and plump nor too small and sunken; ears pendulous, with copious feathery ornamental hairs; the bite is a pincer bite or a slight protruding mandibular bite, and the muzzle is of moderate length.

[Body]

Distance from shoulder joint to hip slightly greater than shoulder height, well supported ribs, strong loin, very well developed hindquarters and thighs.

[Limb].

The forelegs are straight and heavily covered with hair on both the front and hind legs. Foot paws have numerous feathery ornamental hairs, round, cat-like feet with thick pads. Tail has a large amount of feathery trimmed hairs, spiraled and curled behind the back, which may be tangled at the end.

[Coat]

The coat of the Lhasa Apso is heavy, straight, stiff, not woolly or silky, of sufficient length, and very dense.

[Hair color]

Any color is acceptable, ears and whiskers with or without dark endings.