Commonly Confused Breeds
The Lhasa Apso vs. The Shih Tzu
The Shih Tzu vs. The Lhasa Apso: Can you tell the difference?
The Shih Tzu is one of the most popular toy dogs of all time, and with good reason—this merry charmer is renowned as one of the most affectionate, family-friendly breeds. But what about the Shih Tzu’s lesser known cousin, the Lhasa Apso?
With their long hair and small stature—under twenty pounds and standing less than 12 inches high at the shoulder—Lhasa Apsos and Shih Tzus can look very similar, particularly when they have similar haircuts and colouring. Of the two, the Lhasa Apso is slightly bigger (12 to 18 pounds versus nine to 16), though both are surprisingly solid for their size and come in an array of colours.
Both dogs have aristocratic lineage. The Lhasa Apso is a thousand-year-old breed that served as sentinels at palaces and Buddhist monasteries in the Himalayan Mountains. Shih Tzus (meaning “lion dog”) were bred as lap dogs by Chinese royalty.
The two breeds look similar for good reason—Imperial breeders in the palace of the Chinese emperor developed the Shih Tzu centuries ago from Tibetan breeding stock, mostly likely the product of two even older Sino-Tibetan breeds—the Lhasa Apso and the Pekingese, notes the AKC.
Playful, outgoing, and charming, the Shih Tzu is known to be especially affectionate with children. Lhasa Apsos tend to be more reserved around unfamiliar people. Smart, confident, and complex, Lhasas are known by their families to be comical, but are aristocratically aloof with strangers.