Lhasa Apso
Lhasa Apso
Temperament: Confident, Smart, Comical
Group: Non-Sporting Group
Height: 25.4–27.9 in
Weight: 5.4–8.2 lb
Life Expectancy: 12.0–15.0 yrs
Energy Level: Regular Exercise
Trainability: Independent
Shedding: Infrequent
Grooming Frequency: 2-3 Times a Week Brushing
Standing less than a foot high at the shoulder, Lhasas are small but hardy dogs of aristocratic bearing. They’re famous for a floor-length, flat-hanging coat, parted in the middle and draping each side of the body. A feathery tail curls over the back in the distinct manner of Tibetan breeds. The breed’s fans say the dark, oval-shaped eyes—peeping through lavish facial hair—are the windows of a Lhasa’s merry soul. The complete picture is unmistakably Asian: exotic, elegant, and serenely well balanced. The lavishly coated Lhasa Apso is a thousand-year-old breed who served as sentinels at palaces and monasteries isolated high in the Himalayas. Smart, confident, and complex, Lhasas are family comedians but regally aloof with strangers.