These days, I have a Lhasa Apso.
If you like big, working dogs, you might not think much of lapdogs.
But consider this: small oriental dogs have been bred to be nice
companions for centuries, even millennia. One major drawback to
this breed is the grooming. I've solved that problem by cutting
my dog's coat short. It might not look as pretty as the fancy show
dogs, but it's far more practical.
The Lhasa Apso was kept in monasteries and the
homes of wealthy Tibetans, as pets, as guard dogs and as good luck
charrns. Usually, the Lhasa Apso would sound the alarm, then the
huge and fierce Tibetan Mastiff would attack the intruder. With
its long coat, the apso would help warm its mistress from the cold.
My
first apso was, if possible, even cuter and sweeter than the one
I have now. She used to get on my knee when I was crying, and sniff
my wet face inquiringly and thoughtfully. That made it pretty much
impossible to continue crying.
She wasn't at all good at performing tricks or searching for candy,
but she was quite good at walking on her hind legs and she was incredibly
smart. If I'd refilled her food dish and put it down on the floor
before she entered the room, she'd rush up to me. Then I'd tell
her no, it's over there and I told her where it was, pointing my
finger in that direction. She understood me right away and ran all
the way past the furniture. There wasn't any chance at all that
she'd seen the dish already.
Unfortunately, I didn't get to keep her for very long. She wasn't
even three years old when I lost her. It seems she had some sort
of congenital heart defect.
Once we went to a fenced in park area for dogs.
Unfortunately, two Belgian Shepherds showed up. They took my sister's
cairn terrier for prey and prepared to attack her. Seconds before
they attacked, she turned around and faced them. The look in her
eyes seemed to have sawed off their legs. They fell to the ground
and grovelling, they apologogized to her. I'm not kidding.
But they didn't see my apso. She was walking around,
sniffing the ground all by herself, right next to the other dogs.
She didn't even notice anything wrong. It was as if she was a little
angel even while she was still alive.
I took my second apso to a puppy show once. She
did well, and could have done even better, if she hadn't been caught
at an unfortunate time. Worse, she had an indiscreet male behind
her. That was her litter brother, who now lives with us too. Even
if it hadn't been for that minor problem, both she and I were totally
exhausted afterwards. We decided not to go to any more shows. But
she's such a pretty little apso, and as far as I can tell, she's
quite close to the ideal.
I just love it when she walks up to me and starts pounding me with
her paws. She wants to get up on my lap. And if I don't react immediately,
she'll keep on pounding on me until I obey. When I leave her alone
for a moment, sometimes she will howl. At times she also barks.
Then she sounds like a very tiny lap dog. But if she hears some
noise from outside, when she's on my lap, suddenly she sounds like
a much bigger dog. Having mom right underneath her paws must make
her feel safe.
Apsos are really cute and very affectionate and
loyal. However, they're also tiny, and I'm quite nervous something
horrible is going to happen to her. Do I spoil her? Of course I
do. And pamper her and make a big fuss about everything. Why not?
She's my baby, and unlike human babies, she's not going to grow
up and become a troublemaker in the future.
Tibetan spaniels are very intelligent dogs
who originally came from Tibet. They used to be kept in the monasteries,
where they were highly valued by the monks. The dogs were used to
sound the alarm whenever an intruder or visitor approached. These
characteristics are still present in today's dog.

The Tibetan monks never sold their dogs. They would only give them
away as highly treasured gifts. Just like they used to keep an eye
on the surroundings from the walls around the monasteries, even
today the dogs like to climb onto tables or chairs, to get a good
view.
The breed makes an excellent family dog. They're
very affectionate towards their moms or dads, but they can be a
bit shy around strangers.
They're very inquisitive and want to know everything that goes on
around their home. They don't like to be left alone, and prefer
to be with mom or dad all the time.
They're very cheerful and smart dogs, with a strong streak of invidualism
and will only cooperate when they want to. This is a dog you can't
dominate, and you acn never expect instant obedience. A Tibbie has
a very high opinion about itself, and shows great dignity.
The breed is long-lived and healthy. They can often stay active
and fit until they're 15-16 years old.
Despite
his name, this ancient Tibetan is not a terrier, but a true herding
dog. The spunky little animal developed through ancient breeds,
the North KunLun Mountain Dog and the Inner Mongolian Dog, which
resembled a Poodle and stemmed back to the owtcharkas. Others believe
this breed to be one of the prototypes of the herding family.
One talent specifically mentioned by Margar-eta Sundqvist is the
Tibetan Terrier's ability to assist the shepherds on their journeys
down from the mountains, by leaping to the backs of the sheep and
down again in narrow passages.
They also served as alarm dogs in remote Tibetan
villages, alerting the Tibetan Mastiffs of intruders. Tibetans that
were too small for such a rigorous life were given to the lamas
and utilized and bred by the Tibetan monks for many centuries, developing
into Lhasa Apsos.
Brought into Europe by the Magyars, the TT is a likely contributor
to the Puli's makeup, being similar in size, shape, tail carriage
and working traits. Other modern breeds acquired some of his qualities
as he made his way through Europe.
The triad of shepherd, flock guard and herding
dog has worked as a partnership throughout the world and over the
centuries. None thrives alone in its sheep tending, so each has
learned to rely on the other. Ancient Tibetan natives conceived
this workable arrangement, with their Tibetan Mastiff doing the
guarding and the Tibetan Terrier taking care of the actual herding.
As the barbarians of the East invaded Europe, their families and
flocks came with them, along with their two types of dogs. These
Mastiffs and herders were left in all countries which absorbed these
migrations, where they became individualized for the local region.
An English physician, Dr. H.R. Grieg, saved a Tibetan citizen's
life and was honored with one of these shaggy Tibetan herding dogs.
She later obtained another and brought them back to England; although
she was not successful in breeding them, her dogs did serve to introduce
the breed to the Western World.
While the Tibetan Terrier of past centuries was
tousled and shaggy-coated, today's show dog is adorned by an elegant
coat necessitating hours of skillful grooming. Their long, elegant
tails wrap protectively around themselves while sleeping. Another
charming characteristic is that of using their paws in a catlike
manner, holding, grasping and batting at balls. They can be stubborn
if pushed into compliance. The Tibetan makes a merry household pet,
small enough for apartments and sturdy enough for children's roughhousing.
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