Are Lhasa Apsos a “nasty breed”?

Do some people think the Lhasa Apso is a “nasty” breed? Definitely not in my experience. So where does reputation come from? I have some theories…

When the breed became popular in the 1970s and 1980s, puppy mill breeders quickly jumped on the bandwagon, buying and breeding Lhasas for the sole purpose of producing puppies, selling them quickly, and making money. There were no thoughtful considerations regarding build, health, or temperament prior to breeding. The flood of cute fluffy puppies in pet stores, bought by people attracted by their appearance with little knowledge (because, to be honest, very little information about the Lhasa had been published “back then”) about the breed itself, of fact resulted in Lhasas with rather unpleasant dispositions. The breed’s reputation has been suffering ever since.

People buying a Lhasa puppy should know that Lhasas are intelligent, independent (some might say “stubborn”), dignified, and easy to offend. His sense of correct and fair play requires an approach to training that avoids shouting and physical punishment. By that I don’t just mean “don’t hit”; obviously you shouldn’t hit any dog. I also mean things like shaking the dog or pulling the dog’s leash. Lhasas think highly of themselves and most are eager to please their people. They respond well to treats, praise, and training games that are fun, playful, and intellectually stimulating.

Grooming is part of life for a Lhasa, so a large part of early training involves training the dog to groom itself. Although many people prefer to keep their Lhasas shaved or in a puppy clip of some sort, early training is still needed because those Lhasas will be visiting the groomer and need to know how to behave in order to make them welcome at the grooming shop. Honestly, I think one of the reasons the adjective “nasty” became attached to the Lhasa is the fault of owners who “routinely” take their matted Lhasa down to the skin to the groomer maybe twice a year. Those dogs are not well behaved because they have not been trained to groom themselves. The poor hairdresser has to face a dirty, matted and scared dog who associates being in the hairdresser with getting hurt. Grunting and clicking noises occur. I blame owners for ignoring the dogs’ needs and putting them in a situation they are not prepared to deal with.

And, yes, there are Lhasas who are just nasty to the core, just like there are nasty individuals of any other race, and just like there are nasty people of all ages, from all walks of life, and from all ethnic groups. . In my opinion, we shouldn’t label an entire group bad because some of its members are rotten. That goes for dogs as well as people!

Please note: Permission is granted to reproduce and/or distribute the information in this article. However, the article must be released in its entirety and credit must be given to Joyce Johanson, Lhasa Apsos of Joyslyn. Thank you!