Need info on Lhasa Apso. if you have one please reply

[PooohBear]

I am looking to buy one(hoping to get for moms day) and want info.
Are they easy to train?
Do they get along with Cats?
Are they playful?
Are they bad?
How big do they get?
Are they hard to maintane (grooming)?
Are they good with kids?
Any health problems in this breed?
Do people have allergys to this breed?
any other info you can give me.

I have one, he's 6 now and I have had him since he was a pup !

He was easy enough to train but doesn't like to go out in the rain or snow, he's a sissy and hates to get his paws wet, so we have to go with him

Mine gets along with my cat, granted he just stays away from her, but he has never bothered her ! we also have another dog (a boxer) whom he loves to pieces, always plays with him and lays by him, they are pretty much inseperable

He is playful, but only when he's in the mood

Size wise, they really don't get very big, i'm not good with sizes, but he's only a little bigger than my cat (my cat is kind of big though)

Grooming, they don't shed, but if you don't keep their hair very short (I get mine the kennel cut) then the hair will tend to mat unless you groom them almost daily !~

I really can't comment on the allergy thing

No health problems with mine (knock on wood!)

As for kids.... and this is important ! my kids are older and our dog is VERY loyal and loving to them ! but since my dog was never really around little kids, he is very tempermental around small kids ! when my Nephews come over (they are 3 & 5) I have to lock him up, he has growled and snapped at each of them at different times

 

[gypsydoodlebug]

Hello! We have one, Doodlebug. She's six and we got her when she was 8 weeks old.

Are they easy to train? Doodles was a little slow on the potty-training, but that was partly our fault. I didn't really know how to do it. She's much better now and paws our leg when she has to go out (even in the middle of the night. It's like having a baby).
Do they get along with Cats? Yep. At least ours does. We had two (one died this year) and she loves them both. Actually, she THINKS she's a cat herself -- she lays on the back of the sofa and the arms of the chairs in the great room.
Are they playful? Very, also though Doodles DOES NOT LIKE SMALL CHILDREN, even our own DD. She has never bitten, but she gets very nervous and growls when DD pins her against the sofa.
Are they bad? Doodles has never run off, although she'll go after an occasional kid on a bike or runner (She's not remotely scary. Most in the neighborhood just laugh at her).
How big do they get? Doodles weighed 13 lbs. at her last check-up.
Are they hard to maintane (grooming)? We take her to a local groomer every 6-8 weeks and keep her coat cut short. She does have the tear duct runs, but since she's black, you can't see the stains like you can with some of the light-colored ones.
Are they good with kids? Ours isn't, but I don't think this is indicative of the breed. She's fine with other dogs, too, except ones that come into our yard. She's very protective of her people and her yard, which IS indicative of their breed.
Any health problems in this breed? Doodles has had some issues with her hips. We have a very high bed and she sleeps with us, so jumping up and down is hard on her. She also had a staph infection that was caused by the groomer. Easily taken care of with some meds and the vet said it was common for many dogs.
Do people have allergies to this breed? I'm allergic to dogs. Well, I'm allergic to just about everything, but she doesn't seem to bother me too bad, especially since we keep her groomed pretty well. And I stay drugged most of the time to control my allergies anyway.

Doodles also seems to be MY dog, and when we travel, which is frequent, she stays at my parents. She follows my mom around in my wake, causing me to think she's prefers females. But she LOVES attention, any attention, and frequently attempts to get the cat to play with her. Let me know if you have any other questions!

ETA: Here's a picture of Doodles. She doesn't have an underbite like some do...

 

[DestinationDisney]

Here are some pictures of Coco, I miss him so much and I just had to share.

These are pictures from him at age 17 so he wasn't exactly at puppy age!

This one was taken with my camera phone, so please don't mind the poor quality, but notice the underbite...we said he smiled all the time!


Such a little love bug! We had to gate him in the kitchen (while we were at work) when he got old because he was having accidents, but before that he had the house all to himself all day!


He loved attention, which was good because I loved to kiss him up!!




He was always great in the car, and if there was a passenger in the car, he liked to sit on their lap (like he's on mine in this picture)


I'm sure people will have something to say about this, but yes, he did sleep in the bed with me and my boyfriend!

 

[Pineapple Princess]

This is making me miss mine. She died when she was 16. *sniff*
I got her when I was 10.
Are they easy to train? Mine was. I was in charge of everything with her. Not only did she paper train, and then go outside easy, she also was trained to heal and do other tricks.
Do they get along with Cats? She got along with other dogs(though big ones kinda scared her) and cats. The cats on the other hand were not too thrilled with her,
Are they playful? She was quite playful up till about age 12 or so.
Are they bad? Mine was wonderful!
How big do they get? I would say she was 10-12 lbs
Are they good with kids? Mine was wonderful to me. I even would put her in my basket on my bike and she would just ride around with me. And yes, I even painted her nails. Can you believe the patience that pup had??
Any health problems in this breed? Mine was allergic to...are you ready for this??? GRASS! We had allergy meds we had to give her. When she got older she also had thryoid issues.
Do people have allergies to this breed? I don't know, but they don't shed so I would think that would help keep the allergies down.

We also kept her hair long. I brushed her at least once a day, and did her bangs up in cute barrettes. Mine also was a very good traveler and traveled all over the country with us.

 

[Amlee]

I have a Lhasa/Pekingese mix. He just turned 6 and thanks to my parents he is spoiled rotton!!

Are they easy to train? Baylee was very easy to train, but just like any kid you sometime have to tell him things more than once.

Do they get along with Cats? Baylee will chase cats, but if he has never been fast enough to catch one. I'm not sure what he would do if he did.

Are they playful? Almost TOO playful.

Are they bad? Oh yeah he can be. He has a BAD habbit of peeing in the middle of the bed if he gets upset with me. Nothing a cheap baby gate didn't fix.

How big do they get? His is 23lbs

Are they hard to maintane (grooming)? I take him to the groomer every 3 weeks. My choice, but I've found that longer than that he starts smelling like a dog and I can't have him thinking he is something other than a human.

Are they good with kids? Baylee isn't. But that is in part due to my almost 6 year old nephew, who from the time he could crawl has commited to making Baylee's life a living hell. My parents have Baylee's brother and he is much better with kids. Champion LOVES babies!!

Any health problems in this breed? I'm not sure if it's the Lhasa or the Pic, but both pups seem to have back hip problems and are prone to sinus infections. Baylee is allerigc to grass also.

Do people have allergys to this breed? It's the reason I have one. I can't handle being around most pups or cats. But I haven't had any problems with this breed.

 

[almacdonald]

DestinationDisney:
I love the picture of your dog sleeping with his tongue sticking out! What a cutie he was!

 

[DestinationDisney]

DestinationDisney:
I love the picture of your dog sleeping with his tongue sticking out! What a cutie he was!

Awww thanks so much, that means a lot!! He was very loved!

 

[AnnetteF]

I used to have a Lhasa Apso. I got him when I was 19. He was just the cutest dog in the pet shop and he seemed to be smiling at me and I fell in love! I was still living at home with my parents at the time I got him and I got married when he was about 7 and he stayed with me and he lived to be 14. I will always miss him. You've heard the expression "the love of my life"? I always say he was the dog of my life! I know I will never have another one like him. I'm thinking about him and crying as I type this.
However, that being said, this is a breed that can have a very volatile personality and can be very quirky and aggressive. They do have a stubborn mind of their own and are only responsive to kindness. Yelling or punishing them only seems to make the situation worse and I truly believe they will never back down. I read in a dog book about the breed that it was not unheard of for two males to fight and bite onto eachother and neither one would let go of the other first.
Mine was a male (Fred) and he actually did become agressive however this did not surface until he was around age 2. I did get him from a pet store and poor breeding was often blamed for his problems. When he did become agressive, it was as if something in him snapped and he would bite, seemingly not even realizing it. It was very quick and then it would seem like he didn't realize what he had done. At some time we were all bit by him, never very seriously, but enough to draw blood, and I actually have a small scar on my hand to this day that was caused by him. By the time these behavior problems surfaced, we were all already in love with him, and because we were a household of adults, we were able to deal with his quirks. We knew the things that would set him off. Usually, it was situations where he was caught off guard. For example, if he was sleeping and you accidentally hit him with your foot, he would jump up in a flash and bite your foot. As soon as he realized what he was doing, it was as if he would snap out of it and stop, but by then you would have been bitten. Actually he hated feet and we all learned to watch what we did with our feet. I remember one time when my boyfriend, who later became my husband, was at our house and all of a sudden the lights went out. The first thing my mother did was to yell "nobody move". This puzzled my boyfriend for a moment but I quickly explained that, not knowing where the dog was, you might step on him in the dark and get bit. He could also get very possessive of his toys.
Yet, at the same time, I could go and move his food dish while he was eating and he was always unphased by that. And I wouldn't want you to think that these snapping incidents were a constant occurence but we had to learn what not to do in order to make it work. I know that many people thought we were crazy for keeping him. In speaking to our vet about his behavior, he told us that our dog's behavior was something that is not uncommon in this breed. He told us ours was actually not as bad as some he had seen. He told me of another of his Lhasa patients (and to this day, I remember the dog's name was Bambi) who went crazy every time the phone rang and would bite the nearest person. He said the whole family would jump up on furniture whenever the phone rang. Imagine living with that. Our vet did suggest that these types of behaviors might be more prevalent in the Lhasa's that were bred by puppy mills instead of reputable breeders. Also, they do say that the females are much calmer than the males. My aunt also had one and hers was a doll. She also came from a breeder.
Lhasa's become very close to a small circle of people familiar to them but they hate most strangers. They were originally bred in Tibet for use as watchdogs. They have a very loud alarm sounding bark ("woo woo woo woo woo" is how I would describe it) and will do this when anyone approaches. Mine was very much a watchdog and would sit on the sill of a picture window in our living room from morning till night and do that bark whenever anyone approached our house or was even out in the street.
Ours was never allowed around children, which, when he saw them from a distance, seemed to like them, but we could never take a chance like that with him. I know this sounds crazy but even with all his problems, I had many animals before him and never had a connection to them like I did with this one. It was like he knew all my thoughts and feelings and actually empathized if something was bothering me.
I would never trade a minute of the time I had with him because I loved him dearly and accepted him the way he was. But I must be honest and say that I would have serious reservations about getting another one even if it were just me. In my case now, I have a 2 1/2 year old DD, who was born long after he passed on, and when we decide to get a dog for her, I can tell you that it won't be a Lhasa. I hate saying this and I'm sorry to be discouraging you, and I know that many have had good luck with the breed. If you think it could work for your situation and if you do decide to get one , I would say definitely get a female and get the dog from a reputable breeder. If you get a good one, it will probably be the best dog in the world and you won't be sorry.

Jasminesmommy: When I first saw this, I didn't realize how old your original post was. Just curious if you did actually get a Lhasa and if so, how is it going?