Talk:Lhasa Apso

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Contents 1 Cleanup requests 1.1 References on history 2 Lhasa Apso's Health. 3 Tone of article 4 "Ancient breed" = "excellent health" ?? 5 Favoritism and anti-Shi tzu

[edit] Cleanup requests

[edit] References on history

The lhasa apso is the smartest dog in the dog family.The Lhasa Apso article opens by stating that Lhasas have been guarding monastaries for 2000 years but in the "History" section it states that the breed originated in Lhasa about 800 years ago. It also states that they are the 14th most ancient breed. Some clarification might be in order especially for the math discrepancy.

Actually, the reference is on linked article.

It's also an excellent guard dog

All the images depict male Lhasa Apso.

86.4.196.30 20:56, 16 December 2006 (UTC) The point made above regarding a mathematical discrepancy is incorrect. The article states that these dogs have been guarding monasteries in tibet for 1200 years, not 2000 as misquoted above. It also states that the breed originated in Lhasa in 800BC, which is nearer 2,800 years ago and not 800 years ago. There is therefore no discrepancy. 86.4.196.30 20:56, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Wow, why was this all taken out? It seems like this article has been drastically excised from what it was before. I'm thinking there's a lot of notable information that could be added to this. Valuebundle79 (talk) 03:08, 22 February 2008 (UTC)

I think a History section should be put back in. Somebody let me know if they don't agree. Valuebundle79 (talk) 03:20, 22 February 2008 (UTC)

I like this from the akc.org source: "a huge Mastiff was chained to a post beside the outer door to prevent intruders from entering, while Lhasa Apsos were kept as special guards inside the dwellings. For this work, the little dogs were peculiarly adapted by their intelligence, quick hearing, and finely developed instinct for distinguishing intimates from strangers." Looks pretty encyclopedic, no weasel words, etc. etc. Of course someone might disagree. Valuebundle79 (talk) 03:24, 22 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Lhasa Apso's Health.

I am commenting on the section where it says that Lhasa Apso's need a lot of exercise. This is in fact incorrect. They are ideal dogs for someone who owns a flat. The ideal amount of exercise for a Lhasa can be a minimum of only ten minutes per day. They are also not equipped to jump on furniture or run up stairs regularly as they are prone to suffer back problems such as slipped discs in the spines. They also have a tendancy to have hernias later in life or even from birth. They need regular grooming every day. The hair around Lhasa Apsos mouth, nose and eyes need to be constantly short as this can cause problems for their sight also. Their eyes need to be cleaned every morning to avoid a build up of sleep which can cause pain if not kkept on top off. Other than the above they are extremely healthy dogs and live a long life. Anything up to 20 years of age!!

[edit] Tone of article

The tone in this article is not at all encyclopedic and should be revised. Lines like "Lhasa Apsos should not be taken lightly" and "Just don't expect them to listen to you every time!" do not belong in an encyclopedia article. Emtilt 01:39, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

I've added "citation needed" where cites are lacking (ie, throughout the whole article) and removed the really non-NPOV unsourced parts. PLEASE ADD SOURCES if you have them, or this article is going to get a serious trimming down shortly. Alvis 05:08, 10 May 2007 (UTC)

this thing is a pice of crap never ever get thing dog!!! you went a bit nuts of citations though

[edit] "Ancient breed" = "excellent health" ??

"As one of the fourteen ancient dog breeds, Lhasas have excellent health." -- Added the clarifyme tag. I'm not aware of any connection between being one of the "fourteen ancient dog breeds" and good or bad health. Please clarify and cite. -- 201.19.125.166 13:47, 8 November 2007 (UTC)

"Ancient dog breeds" are the ones that are most closely related to wolves (as determined though DNA analysis), which implies that they were recently (hundreds to thousands of years) domesticated. Since humans tend to repeatedly breed animals together to maximize desirable traits, animals that have been domesticated for a long time will have inbred genetic shortcomings. Breeds that lived in the wild until recently ought to have more robust genetics. Still, I wouldn't say to put that in until it's confirmed somewhere. 69.159.75.193 (talk) 04:53, 18 November 2007 (UTC)

Actually I think "Ancient dog breeds" points to a particular breed having been around longer than other breeds. I could be wrong, but since it means having the fewest DNA differences from wolves, that would mean they were some of the first domesticated breeds. Remember, every new breed is branched off other older breeds, and becomes even further removed genetically from wolves. Valuebundle79 (talk) 03:14, 22 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Favoritism and anti-Shi tzu

I took out the favoritism wording in that article and the anti-Shi Tzu wording. That should take care of the weasel words and peacock terms. Words like "great family pet" does not belong in an encyclopedia.--Hitsuji Kinno (talk) 01:07, 16 December 2007 (UTC)

Actually I've seen words like that in tomes as weaselly as the "Encyclopedia Brittanica" (I think that's an encyclopedia). Valuebundle79 (talk) 03:26, 22 February 2008 (UTC)

Hi , I would like to comment on our Lhaso Apso and also ask a question.I agree my Lhaso is quite wiery of children , and stands to be a great gaurd dog.One little noise in the house at night and she,s off to the races,lol.It can be quite annoying ,but we love her all the same.I have managed to make clear to her my dominance over her,but there is no way in hell we can get her to urinate or take her bowel movement outside.She will come in from outside ,even after several hours and pee on the house floor,lol. I don,t get it.I have tried rubbing her nose in it , light spank on the rear end ,yelling and so forth,but to no avail.She knows when she is in trouble , she can be quite the butt kisser when in trouble , really it,s kinda cute.So, this brings me to my question,Does anyone have any ideas how I can get her to do her business outside?Signed ,,,,,,,Smelly carpets,lol. j_brokenshire@yahoo.com —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.210.195.217 (talk) 00:49, 3 January 2008 (UTC)

Do we have anything that can tell a lhasa apso from a shih tzu? I looked at the two articles side by side and saw nothing differentiating them in appearance, life span, health, etc. If there is a way to differentiate them, would someone be so kind as to include it? Clevomon 13:49, 17 Febuary 2008 (UTC)

It's usually their overall size. With a few exceptions, I think Lhasa Apsos are generally bigger. I've also read in some publications that the Shih-Tzu are related to the Lhasa Apsos (which could very well be true), but I'd need to find them and cross-reference the information in that book (don't have time for it right now, but it was a "Lhasa Apso care guide"). LanceHeart (talk) 23:31, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

Also the Shih-Tzu's are more pug-nosed. Maybe someone can find a good source giving a good distinction between their appearances. Valuebundle79 (talk) 00:41, 28 February 2008 (UTC)