Lhasa Apso

[Posh Princess]

Happy Easter everyone !

This is my first post so be gentle with me !

After losing my beloved dog over 6 weeks ago I am now starting to consider another one as I miss having one so badly.

My husband can be slightly allergic to dogs and we need a small dog to match our house & garden, so we have narrowed it down to a lhasa apso or a Maltese.

I have googled them both and have researched as much as possible but just wondered if anyone had any other recommendations or could share any experiences they have with either of these breeds.

I have actually been to view a litter lof Lhasa's last weekend and thought they were beautiful as were their parents but just didn't want to rush.

Thank you for reading.

[Murphy]

I don't know much about each breed as I haven't ever had one of either breed but I have been around both many times as my neighbor has a Maltese and my best friend has a Lhasa. Neither breed is really good with kids I don't know if that is of concern to you. The shih tzu's are very similar to Lhasa's but they aren't as crazy lol and they aren't as bitey. I have a male shih tzu and he is a great lap dog. He will be 2 June 26th. They are also a little bigger and sturdier. Be sure to research the breeder and see the room they are being kept in. Ask for references etc. If they have a problem giving you any information there is usually a reason for it in my opinion. The Maltese can be very high strung from what I have observed.

Good luck!

~Jenn

[Leo]

Well of those 2 breeds, I would choose the Maltese as far as the allergies go.

Another good less allergy inducing breed would be a Bichon Frise Bichon Frise Information, American Kennel Club - Bichon Frise.. they are small and every single one I have met was easily trained, well behaved and got along great with young children. All qualities that are really hard to find in a little dog.

Some great places you can look for a dog/puppy are:
Petfinder.com and American Kennel Club - Breed Rescues generally these are animals that lost their home through no fault of their own, they are usually re-trained and then adopted out to a pre-screened household that will become their forever home.
My In-Laws adopted their 10 month old purebred Yellow Lab, Lucky through Petfinder after I introduced them to the site... Lucky lost his home because his previous owners son was allergic to him, my in-laws adopted him at 6 months old for only $85 and that included all his shots, his neuter and he was already housebroken and crate trained. There was no "FLAW" in Lucky's behavior that made his owners get rid of him (it was really due to allergies, my MIL has talked to the previous owners), he is a well behaved 10 month old puppy. Please consider adoption as one of your options for adding a new member to your family .

[Posh Princess]

Thanks for both your replies.

I still haven't quite made my mind up as to whether to get a dog or not - I am such an animal lover and miss my dog that died so much and really feel like I want another one - yet I am concerned that if my job changes (As I can bring my dog to work with me) and the dog needs to be at home for about 6 hours a day Mon-Fri then it just isn't fair. Yet my plan is to work from home eventuallyI plan to work from home so then it would be okay I guess. Its just the not knowing what the future holds is what puts me off - do you think I am over-analysing ?

I have no problem getting a rescue dog and would honetsly prefer to get one yet when we have been to our local rescue centres they tend be full of really large dogs such as boxers, staffs, dobermans, german shepherds, whippets - which are just not suitable for our house or situation.

[Murphy]

Quote: Originally Posted by Posh Princess Thanks for both your replies. I still haven't quite made my mind up as to whether to get a dog or not - I am such an animal lover and miss my dog that died so much and really feel like I want another one - yet I am concerned that if my job changes (As I can bring my dog to work with me) and the dog needs to be at home for about 6 hours a day Mon-Fri then it just isn't fair. Yet my plan is to work from home eventuallyI plan to work from home so then it would be okay I guess. Its just the not knowing what the future holds is what puts me off - do you think I am over-analysing ? I have no problem getting a rescue dog and would honetsly prefer to get one yet when we have been to our local rescue centres they tend be full of really large dogs such as boxers, staffs, dobermans, german shepherds, whippets - which are just not suitable for our house or situation.

No I don't think you are over analysing at all. These are all things that you need to think of when bringing an animal in to the house. Some dogs do better when left for a few hours a day than others do. I am a stay at home mom so I don't have to worry about leaving the animals alone unless I have to go somewhere for an extended period of time.

As far as rescues there are rescue organizations for every breed just about so if you want to go that route you can google one. They do home checks and want vet references and they are very good at trying to match the right person with the right dog. They will even take the animal back if there is any reason that the adoption doesn't work out. Don't limit yourself to what is at the local shelter. Usually the rescue will have a complete history of the animal (shelters don't) and may even give you the phone number of the prior owners.. sometimes they will take your phone number and give it to the prior owners and they will contact you.

If you do have to leave for an extended period of time it is always best to confine the dog to a room or a crate. I had one of those Rugrat type playyards for my westie when I would go out when he was young. I set up a little area in there with a weewee pad so he had somewhere to go. The small breeds don't usually have a problem training that way for daytime.

My advice is don't drive yourself crazy with the what ifs. If you feel safe with the job that you have for now go for it. The truth is that we never do know what tomorrow will bring.

Good luck!

~Jenn

[Posh Princess]

Thanks Jenn!

I am driving myself insane through the fact that i want another dog more than anything but am unsure as to which dog is right for my situation.
We have been to 5 different rescue places over the weekend and the only dog that might have bene suitable was a poor old wreck of a dog with what seemed like wart type lumps all her her tiny body - at a first glance she looked like she need a good bath and clip but on closer inspection she looked poorly and I couldn't go through another heartache so soon.

I think I might start another thread away from the Lhaso Apso idea.

Thanks again !