Are you a Lhasa Apso person?

The Lhasa Apso is a very special character himself, with a rather unique temperament and personality, so if you, too, are somewhat unique, you are probably just the sort that will give him a perfect home.

He won't mind what your lifestyle is, as he can be highly adaptable, but if you are the right kind of owner for the Apso, you will have to be understanding and introduce him to things slowly, allowing him to accept new people and situations when he is good and ready. Not before!

He probably won't mind if you have children or not, although it is best if he is brought up from puppyhood with a family that has children, and all the noise that can go with them, if he is to accept children readily. Otherwise, he would probably prefer to live with just one owner or a couple. However, if you have a fairly active household, your Lhasa Apso will probably be happy to join in with most things, but you must allow him to decide how much he wants to be involved. If he prefers to be left out of whatever activity is going on, that should be his prerogative. And if you are a worthy owner, you will certainly let your Apso live in the house with you, rather than in a kennel situation.

If there are children in your life, you must always bear in mind that they must be taught to respect dogs. If you have a child with tiny fingers that are likely to pull at the long, luxurious coat, causing pain, you must put your parental skills to good use and teach absolute gentleness. No dogs patience should ever be tested to the limits.

If you are an excessively noisy person who likes to bang pots and pans and play loud rock music, your Apso may take exception at first, but then again, given time, he will probably come to accept your musical preferences. Should you prefer a relaxed evening listening to classical music, ideally Lang Lang and his piano, then you will undoubtedly have no problem. But of course your Apso might also appreciate a little bit of Tibetan Buddhist meditation music from time to time, in keeping with his heritage and origins.

Only if you are someone with patience, someone who will enjoy grooming a long coat that sometimes has knots and tangles that have to be teased out carefully, are you an Apso person. Even if you decide to keep your Lhasa Apso in short coat or pet trim, you will still need to devote time and attention to this aspect of canine care. There will also be muddy feet on the rainy days. Dirty bottoms will occasionally have to be dealt with, too; matter can get stuck in the long coat, necessitating cleaning. For such tasks, you will need to keep a smiling face, for a Lhasa Apso does not appreciate being spoken to harshly. After all, these are the little mishaps that are just part and parcel of owning a long-coated breed.

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