How to keep a Lhasa Apso

By Kodichukwu Okonkwo, DVM | March 19th, 2015




Lhasa Apso dog is a very gorgeous looking pet dog with plenty hair and funny looks. This dog has replaced toys for children and adults also. The long hairs of this breed are the most attractive attribute of the dog that make people want to have one. Ladies are the most famous owners of this dog. But let’s not forget that this is a dog, a living animal that demand from its owner other things for survival.

Basic care

When thinking of buying a Lhasa Apso dog I will first advice you to bear in mind the daily routine that has to be done on this dog.

Brushing and combing is the main routine of this breed. This breed shed hair a lot so constant removal of dead and fallen hair is very important and I recommend grooming with brush and comb a daily exercise to avoid tangled hair which will be rather difficult and painful to remove. Schedule time in the morning or evening when this exercise will be done and do it none stop.

Cleaning of the ear with disinfectant routinely about twice a week is recommended. Swipe the ear with soft cotton wool soaked in disinfectant and gently raise the ear and wipe the inner ear with it. Please don’t use ear buds used by people to do this.

Trim hairs overflowing into the eyes to stop irritation to the eyes by these hairs and use a sterile cotton wool to clean the edge of the eye close to the nose because just like the human eyes the Lhasa apso eyes remove tears that roll down through the edge of the eye to the hair showing a line that looks rather unattractive. If your dog has this line already use scissors to trim the stained hair and start to practice cleaning to avoid further occurrence.

Trim the hair between the claws and paw. These hairs make the dog very uncomfortable and needs to be trimmed routinely to free the dog.

You will equally need to take the dog to groomers for proper hair trimming into the Lhasa Apso dog hair style, do this once in a month or two.

Bathing this breed is better done once or twice a week by my own recommendation depending on how cleanly kept. This should be done using shampoos and hair conditioners to help soften the hair and make it easy to handle. Please read carefully the manufacturer’s directions on these products for effective outcome.

Feeding

Food rich in protein is a must for Lhasa apso due to the constant growth and shedding of hair. Beware of feeding the dog only one brand of food or commercial food because they get tired of one particular food if fed to it constantly so I will advise you vary the food. Serve both wet and dry food with different flavors. Lhasa apso is not a heavy eater so don’t overload the dog with food rather serve little food spread into several meals especially for puppies. Supplement their food with cod liver oil and other multivitamins but not too much.

Training

Lhasa Apso dog is very stubborn in nature and only like to do their own things but when you show him much love he tries to impress you by doing what you want and that makes it easy. Exercise the dog by taking him on a walk to help the dog feel alive and alert.

Housing

It is advisable to keep Lhasa Apso dog indoors not outside the house. If you cannot keep them indoors please do not buy a Lhasa Apso because you are going to punish that dog for life. Lhasa Apso love comfort and does well when comfortable.

House training

You have to train the Lhasa Apso puppy to poop outside the home. Naturally, dogs do not poop where they sleep or live but at puppy stage the dog is yet to learn this so it’s your duty to take the dog outside the house after feeding, stay there until he poops there then you bring him into the house. When you do this for a while the puppy will always want to go outside when pressed.

Things to bear

Lhasa Apso dogs hair might always be found inside your house constantly due to their presence and this might get worse when the dog is shedding heavily.

3 Comments
  1. Jane April 10th, 2015
    • Kodichukwu April 10th, 2015
  2. Dumi October 7th, 2017

Leave a Reply

Kodichukwu Okonkwo, DVM

Founder of Fairvet Animal Clinic Ltd since 2011, studied at the University of Nigeria Nsukka. He is well experienced in small animal, large animal & poultry medicine, and also skilled at zoo medicine. He loves animals and builds both professional and personal relationship with pet owners in order to sustain a good interaction with pet and animal owners, coupled with His great skills in programming; he brought about www.fairvet.com which he personally built from scratch.



View our Contributors

Popular Articles