Lhasa Apso
The Lhasa Apso was a sentinel dog in the monasteries and noble houses of Tibet, bred to sound the alarm from inside the walls while the mastiffs guarded the gate, and it kept that…
About the Lhasa Apso
The Lhasa Apso was a sentinel dog in the monasteries and noble houses of Tibet, bred to sound the alarm from inside the walls while the mastiffs guarded the gate, and it kept that watchful, self-possessed character when it came west in the twentieth century. It is not a lap dog in temperament, whatever its size suggests.
Dogs stand about 25 cm, with a long, heavy, straight coat in gold, sandy, honey, grizzle, slate or particolour, that needs serious grooming or a pet trim. The breed is hardy and long-lived and can be stubborn; a stud with an assured, steady temperament that is not sharp with strangers is the one to look for. The Lhasa should have a moderate muzzle and a level or reverse-scissor bite.
Ask a Lhasa Apso stud owner for a current eye certificate, since progressive retinal atrophy occurs in the breed and a DNA test now exists for the Lhasa form; a stud owner who has used it is being thorough. Patella examination and hip scores are worth asking for, and so is a question about renal dysplasia and about skin allergies in the line.
Health & breeding
We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Breed Right’s summary — under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard
Health tests for the Lhasa Apso
This panel is Breed Right’s summary of the testing that matters for the breed under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard. The Health Standard is the Royal Kennel Club’s guidance for breeders, not a registration rule. It describes tests to ask about — it is not a report on any individual dog. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Good Practice — the Royal Kennel Club’s minimum before breeding
The tests the Royal Kennel Club says breeders should, at a minimum, complete before breeding.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| DNA test — PRA4 (Progressive Retinal Atrophy 4) | DNA test | Laboratory | The result printed on the laboratory certificate. |
Best Practice — further tests it recommends
Completing these as well as the Good Practice tests is what the Royal Kennel Club calls Best Practice.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eye testing (BVA/KC/ISDS) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC/ISDS | Result printed on the eye certificate. |
Breed hip median
Too few dogs of this breed have been scored (BVA Hip Dysplasia Scheme breed statistics 2025 — 15 years: 2 dogs) to give a meaningful breed median. Source · How hip scores work
At stud now
Lhasa Apso stud dogs
No Lhasa Apso studs are listed right now
When a Lhasa Apso on the Royal Kennel Club Breed Register is listed at stud, it will appear here.
Also available
Lhasa Apso litters
No Lhasa Apso litters are listed right now
Litters appear here as breeders list them. Check back soon, or browse other breeds.
