The Lhasa Apso is a small breed of dog Original from Tibet. They were used as watchdogs inside Tibetan monasteries for over 1200 years, for which they are uniquely suited with keen intelligence, acute hearing, and instincts for identifying friends from strangers.

Lhasas are about 25-28 centimeters at the withers. Bitches are slightly smaller. The breed standard requires dark brown eyes, with black pigmentation on eye rims and a black nose. Texture of the coat is hard, straight, dense, not woolly or silky. It is often referred to as moppyt. It is of good length, and comes in a variety of colors. All colors are equally acceptable, with or without black tippings. The tail should be carried in a tight screw over the back.

Having been bred to be sentinel or watch dogs, Lhasa Apsos tend to be alert and have a keen sense of hearing with a rich, sonorous bark that belies their size (some are known as singers).

Most Lhasas will often bark when something is out of the ordinary, such as if someone is at the door. Lhasa Apsos should not be assumed to be your typical household lap-dog, for problems have arisen when potential owners choose to care for this particular breed without fully understanding the depth of their personality. Lhasa Apsos, although small, can exhibit brief periods of explosive energy. Excited Lhasa Apsos have been known to be troublesome for some novice owners that underestimate this particular breed's character. Unique personality characteristics of Lhaso Apsos have gained them a reputation in some circles as being a very emotive breed that in some cases prove themselves to be completely fearless.

 The Lhasa Apso is a low-shedding breed. While not completely hypo-allergenic, it comes very close. It is cleanest if regularly groomed. If properly raised it will come to appreciate bathing, hair combing and cutting. The Lhasa Apso is a long-lived breed, with some living in good health into their early 20s. It is believed that the breed originated from Lhasa, the capital of Tibet (hence the name) around 800 BC. These dogs were raised by the aristocratic part of the Tibetan society and by Tibetan monks in the monasteries where they were used as interior sentinels. They were very valuable both spiritually and materialistically. To be presented with a Lhasa Apso was to be blessed with good fortune.

 The heavy coat of Lhasas can also be explained by the geographical features of Tibet: the temperature frequently drops below freezing thus making it hard for a dog to survive without sufficient insulation. Lhasas were rarely groomed by their owners thus allowing the breed to adapt to the harsh weather. In 1901 Mrs. A. McLaren Morrison brought the Lhasa Apso to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland where it was registered as an official breed in The Kennel Club in 1902. World War had a devastating effect on the breed. It has been reported that as few as 30 Lhasa Apsos may have existed outside Tibet at that time.

The original American pair was a gift from Thubten Gyatso, 13th Dalai Lama to C. Suydam Cutting, arriving in the United States in the early 1930s. The American Kennel Club officially accepted the breed in 1935 in the Terrier group, and in 1959 transferred the breed to the Non-Sporting Group.

 Recently, DNA Analysis has identified the Lhasa Apso as one of the 14 most ancient dog breeds. Some monks believe that Lhasas are reincarnated dalais and as such hold them in high esteem. Golden Lhasas are said to house the souls of the Dalai Lamas. Lhasas tend to have a very long lifespan of 15-18 years. The oldest living dog in history was a Lhasa, documented 29 years of age in 1939.

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