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Breed guide · Dogs
Tibetan monks kept Lhasas to raise the alarm. I get told about every courier.
Last updated 12 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
Tap a card to see what is going on.
At home
A bark at every footstep in the corridor, every ping of the lift and every courier.
What's going onLhasas were bred to raise the alarm at strangers, and they are doing the job. Thank them for the first bark, then call them away and reward the quiet.
At home
Polite with visitors at best, and slow to warm to anyone new.
What's going onThey were kept to watch for anyone who did not belong. Let visitors ignore them, and let them come over in their own time for a treat you have handed to the visitor. If they growl or snap at visitors or at their own family, tell your vet rather than trying to fix it yourself.
At home
They come when called, when it suits them.
What's going onPleasing you is not their first thought. Keep training short, rewarding and the same from everyone in the house, and they will meet you halfway. Harsh handling makes a Lhasa dig in.
At home
A long fringe falling over their eyes, and a dog who peers out from underneath it.
What's going onCorneal ulcers (a sore on the surface of the eye) and extra eyelashes that rub the eye are on their health record. Keep the hair on their face trimmed away from their eyes, and for a squint, contact your vet now.
At home
You find yourself filling the water bowl more often than you used to.
What's going onKidney trouble is on their record from about four. If you are filling their bowl far more often than usual, tell your vet.
At home
Knots behind the ears, and a dog who hides when the brush comes out.
What's going onTheir dense double coat was made for mountain cold and needs regular professional grooming here. Make handling a treat while they are small, so the groomer is easy for life.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their watch
Built for: Keeping watch inside a monastery.
In Dubai: A building where a stranger walks past the door every few minutes.
Their job
Built for: Barking at anyone who did not belong.
In Dubai: Lifts, couriers and neighbours.
Their coat
Built for: Mountain winters.
In Dubai: A Dubai summer.
The barking and the suspicion of visitors mostly come from that gap.
You cannot give them a monastery. You can give them a calm way to do their job, and the ten things below are how.
Your plan is built around their breed: the health risks for a Lhasa Apso at every age, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
They are devoted to their family. Time alone is easiest to learn as a puppy.
Every age, most of all as a puppy
Why
They are devoted to their family. Time alone is easiest to learn as a puppy.
What to do
From their first week, leave them in a safe room with a chew for a few minutes while you are home, then a little longer. Come and go without a fuss, and go back a step if they cry.
Separation distress is treatable, and home fixes can make it worse.
Any age, and new distress in an older dog matters most
Why
Separation distress is treatable, and home fixes can make it worse.
What to do
Film them for twenty minutes after you leave. If you see howling, pacing, scratching at the door or accidents, do not punish it, and skip the anti-bark collar: it adds fear to the worry. Show the film to your vet.
A lean body protects their knees, and their back is a risk from about four.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years and from 7 years
Why
A lean body protects their knees, and their back is a risk from about four.
What to do
Weigh their daily food on kitchen scales and take treats out of that amount. Reweigh after neutering. As a senior, move to the kidney-friendly diet your vet sets. A Body Condition Score (a check on whether they are the right weight) is in your plan from their puppy visits.
Patellar Luxation (a slipping kneecap) is on their record as a young dog, and Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD, a slipped disc in the back) as a prime adult.
Every age, most of all from 4 years
Why
Patellar Luxation (a slipping kneecap) is on their record as a young dog, and Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD, a slipped disc in the back) as a prime adult.
What to do
Give them ramps up to the sofa and bed, and put rugs down on marble. Lift them with one hand under the chest and one under the back end, keeping their back level. Once a week, run your hands along their back, and tell your vet if they flinch. An orthopaedic evaluation (a joint and bone exam) is in your plan every year from age two to four.
A harness spreads the pull across their chest instead of their neck and spine.
Every age, start as a puppy
Why
A harness spreads the pull across their chest instead of their neck and spine.
What to do
Clip their lead to a well-fitted harness and keep their collar for the ID tag. Check the coat under the straps for knots, and refit it as they grow.
Dental disease is on their health record from puppyhood, and in later years bad teeth add to kidney and heart trouble.
Every age, start as a puppy
Why
Dental disease is on their health record from puppyhood, and in later years bad teeth add to kidney and heart trouble.
What to do
Brush daily with a dog toothpaste and a small brush. Start with a few seconds and a reward, and build up. Watch for baby teeth that stay put. A professional dental clean every 6 to 12 months is in your plan from six months old.
Eye trouble leads their health record, ear infections are on it from puppyhood, and that long coat knots fast.
Every age, start as a puppy
Why
Eye trouble leads their health record, ear infections are on it from puppyhood, and that long coat knots fast.
What to do
Brush their coat several times a week. Every day, look at their eyes and wipe round them, with a reward. Keep the hair on their face trimmed away from their eyes. Clean their ears monthly with the solution your vet gives you, and book the groomer for the full groom. An ophthalmic evaluation (eye exam) is in your plan every year from six months, and monthly ear cleaning from age two to four.
They were bred to be suspicious of strangers, and forcing a meeting makes it worse.
Every age, most of all as a puppy
Why
They were bred to be suspicious of strangers, and forcing a meeting makes it worse.
What to do
Let them walk rather than carrying them, so they meet the world at their own height. Ask visitors to ignore them, and let them approach for a treat you have handed over. Reward calm, not bravery.
Their dense double coat was made for Tibet, and pavement heat reaches them before it reaches you.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
Their dense double coat was made for Tibet, and pavement heat reaches them before it reaches you.
What to do
From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark. Put the back of your hand on the pavement for five seconds: if you cannot keep it there, they cannot walk on it. Carry water.
Kidney trouble is on their health record from prime adulthood.
Every age, most of all from 4 years
Why
Kidney trouble is on their health record from prime adulthood.
What to do
Notice how often you fill their bowl, and tell your vet if it changes.
Five of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
One breed, one job
A small, sturdy dog from Tibet, kept in monasteries to raise the alarm. Expect a confident, devoted dog who is assertive for their size, loyal to the family and wary of strangers, under a coat that needs regular professional grooming.
Colours
Lhasas come in almost every shade, from gold, honey and cream to red, grey, brindle, solid black and solid white, and plenty wear two at once, like black and white or gold and white. No colour is better than another.
The first six months
Core vaccinations come first, with a microchip and Dubai Municipality registration and a baseline look at their eyes. Short spells alone from the first week, gentle handling of their face, paws and coat, and calm new people at a distance matter most now.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the home ready
Put ramps or steps up to the sofa and bed, and rugs on the marble, before they arrive. Set up a safe room or pen with something to chew, where they can learn short spells alone. Find a groomer early for short, easy visits.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Ask the breeder whether the parents' eyes have been looked at by a vet, and whether there is any kidney trouble in the family, because both sit high on the breed's health record. Then meet the mother. A calm, relaxed mother is a good sign, even one who is slow to say hello.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
They'll keep reporting every courier. If they ever growl at you, tell your vet.
Before they were yours.
For centuries
Lhasa Apsos were kept inside Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and noble houses, to raise the alarm at anyone who got past the large mastiffs guarding the outside.
What they still carryA small dog who watches the door and decides for themselves who is welcome.
Before the 1930s
In Tibet the dogs were given as tokens of goodwill, often by the Dalai Lama, rather than sold.
What they still carryA breed that left Tibet in very small numbers.
1933 to 1935
In 1933 the 13th Dalai Lama gave a pair to C. Suydam Cutting, and they founded the breed in America. The American Kennel Club registered the first Lhasa in 1935.
What they still carryThe same watchdog temperament, unchanged by the show ring.
Today
Today a Lhasa lives in a flat, not a monastery, and still keeps watch: devoted to their family, and taking their time with everyone else.
What they still carryA monastery sentinel in a building full of lifts, couriers and neighbours.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Lhasa suits you, so might these.
Shih TzuThe same kind of dog: a long-coated companion from ancient China, gentler and more playful, with a shorter face.
MalteseAnother small long-coated companion, lighter, in a silky white coat that needs a little more brushing.
Shiba InuThe same independent, watchful temperament and reserve with strangers, in a short-coated spitz from Japan.
CavapooA similar size and a coat that sheds little, in a softer, more sociable cross that needs regular grooming.
