Ww have been offered a 1 1/2 year old male Llahso Apso. This dog has never been in a home always in a kennel. The kennel is going out of business due to other interest and therefore you can get her babies as she calls them for a good price. This will be our first dog that we will be traveling with. We go to Florida in fifht wheel in the winter. Those of you that have this kind of dog can you tell me what to except the good with the bad.
Thank you,
Judy
We have two Lhasas, both are rescues, one was a former puppy mill breeder dog who was held prisoner in a filthy cage for the first two years of his life. I have also fostered a half dozen Lhasas. I am not an expert on the breed but have dealt with just about behavior problem there can be, mostly due in large part from a lack of training.
First off, Lhasas are very intelligent dogs, they are head strong, loyal to a fault, and can be extremely loving. I adore them! I say this with some trepidation since the breed I love best can also be difficult to train, stubborn, and if not properly socialized from a young age they can also take a LONG time to trust and recognize humans as their alpha.
When you said this
Quote: This dog has never been in a home always in a kennel.
You give me a good idea of what you might be facing. The dog I mentioned above that came from a puppy mill is our beloved Pistol Pete (Petey). He never knew a kind touch until rescued from that awful place. He was afraid of EVERYTHING in his strange new world when he came to live with us a foster dog. He, of course wasn't housetrained since his existence had consisted of rows of cages around him and overhead where the other dogs would rain down fecal matter & urine on each other. For the first few months after he came to live with us had it not been for our other dogs he likely would have never understood that the large two legged creatures meant him no harm by touching him. Our dogs taught him more about being a pet during that time then we ever could..... I saw firsthand how it is VERY important to have other dogs in the home when you are thinking of taking in a dog from such circumstances. It took quite a while to begin to see signs of Petey's transformation and without our other dogs it would have been impossible. He bonded to an elderly female mixed breed we had at the time and she mothered him through his first several months. As a matter of fact every shelter and rescue group I have volunteered with over the years requires the home to have at least one dog in it before they will agree to place a liberated breeder dog in the home. Petey is a permanent member of our family and seven years later I would not trade him for anything... but he was most certainly a challenge and frankly not the right dog for a novice dog owner, that's one of the many reasons we kept him. I am not saying every dog liberated from a breeder situation would be as challenging but from my experience at shelters, I know they all have their issues. Who wouldn't after being so poorly treated?
I applaud you for wanting to take in such a dog..... but PLEASE know that Lhasas are hard to train coming from the "best" of circumstances. If you are a novice owner to begin with and have no other dogs in your home, I honestly would hesitate to recommend you taking in this dog....
I do know several breed specific rescue groups that might be able to place this Lhasa with someone who has experience with the breed and in fostering dogs coming from a life in a cage. Being a part of the transformation takes lots of time, even more patience, plenty of love (which I have no doubt you have), and at least one dog in the home to help the newcomer adjust to it's new life.
I am always glad to hear of a successful rescue, especially of my favorite breed.... I am also being completely honest about my experiences with similar dogs, including our Petey who we describe as "some dogs have issues, Petey has subscriptions"... but we love him completely.
Please PM me if you have any questions, I will be glad to answer them.
Cat
(Jim just reads the forum once in a while)
Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some sort of battle.... Live simply, love wholly, give generously, care deeply, speak kindly.
Lhasos are great dogs - I assume he is not neutered so that is the FIRST thing you need to do. He probably is not housetrained - depending upon what size kennel he was kept in, he might have trained himself to go in a different area than he lives in but if it was just a crate, maybe not. You can do this but just be prepared for the likihood. Are you acquainted with these people? CAn you visit the dog to see if he is socialized? A dog that has not been handled except to breed may be wary of people. This can usually be overcome, too, but it is something to consider. I am not trying to be negative - I'd love to see a dog rescued from this situation - just a few thoughts to consider.
We had a LLahso Apso, she lived to 18 years old. As she got older she lost her sight and her hearing but she was a wonderfu dog. She loved to travel in the Motor Home. I would not hesitate for one moment to get another. Buffy was a little head strong as most Llahso are. But as I said we loved her and enjoyed her for many years.
2004 Gulf Stream 36 ft Sun Voyager triple slide
Workhorse W22 8.1
2004 Saturn VUE w/stowmaster towbar
Two Ole Pharts & One Little Shin Tzu named Isabel
Our little Libby is a LhasaPoo mix and she is an exceptional furkid.
As she is a mix, my advice has nothing to do with the breed but more about the circumstances the dog you are looking at is coming from. If you get this dog, be prepared to have a LOT of patience and get a lot of help with socialization and training. Cat gave wonderful advice. If you aren't prepared for these potential issues, you could be setting yourself and the dog up for failure.
Let us know what you decide!
Shannen (and hubby Rick)
2 sons, ages 15 and 19
2 dogs, "Duncan" (mini schnauzer) and "Libby" (lhasapoo)
1996 GMC Yukon
1986 Kit Road Ranger 234
1965 Chevrolet Bel Air
1948 Plymouth 2-door sedan
2005 Honda Foreman 500
What Cat said!! Dogs that have been "institutionalized" often have behavior issues that require special care and handling. If you go into this with that knowledge and the ability and the desire to deal with the potential problems, this could be a good situation. Lots of qualifications and ifs.
Doug, DVM
Doug & Sandy
Megan (14 yr old Golden)
2008 Southwind
2001 Honda CRV
Whatever advice you take, or actions you do, don't give up. It's going to take time, and especially patience. If you have both, you'll succeed, but it may not be easy for sure!
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