Come to visit Conner, and you might want to scoop up the adorable Lhasa Apso in your arms for a cuddle, but don't try it. Like a typical Lhasa, he prefers a wait-and-see approach. He doesn't mind when strangers come to visit, but he doesn't want anybody reaching down to touch him until he's ready, says owner Joyce Johanson of Macomb, Ill., vice president of the American Lhasa Apso Club. He watches, waits, gets closer, waits, gets a little bit closer, then eventually puts a paw on a knee when he's ready for attention. He has to check the person out to make sure they are worthy of petting him.

Split personality

Mysterious and proud behind that thick curtain of hair, the Lhasa Apso foils every attempt to pin him down to a stereotype. Catlike and independent, but also adoring and frisky, Lhasas need the training and socialization of larger dogs with the companionship small dogs require, too.

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