Young adult Lhasas still act like puppies, but they have a bit more sense. They are used to going in and out of the house, and have their favorite places to run and play. For many, a puppy between six months and a year old is a good investment.

While 10 week old puppies are cute, and they are fun to watch grow up, they also get into mischief. Left to themselves, they will find something to entertain them. If there are two or more of them, they entertain each other, sometimes in bite bite games.

The older puppy is more willing to please it's humans. They often look for affection and approval. If you want to train your new Lhasa to do tricks, an older puppy is much better than a young puppy. What you do and say matters to them.

The older puppy also likes to be with his/her human more. While each Lhasa personality is different, it is common to have the older puppy at your feet when you are watching television or doing a project. He/she is watching for his turn to get into the action, but the important thing is that the Lhasa has learned to wait.

Interestingly, the dogs purchased for police work are never still in the puppy stage. They are often between two and three years of age and have gone through extensive training. Then the police get them, and continue to train them according to their needs and specifications.

A Lhasa is not a police dog - he is a house dog. While the new owner's goal may be to simply train their new pet where to go to the bathroom, their Lhasa is capable of much more. Tradition has it that Lhasa's in Tibet were "castle watchdogs". They were not attack dogs, that went to the Mastiff, but they were the sentinel to sound the alarm. They were trained to sound the alarm, and then respond to their master's commands to be quiet. The six month old puppy is capable of understanding and obeying the commands to sit, stay, lay, quiet - while the 10 week old puppy is still months away from these goals

We have young lhasas because we are downsizing our kennel. We are getting older, and we will not be showing dogs as much. These young dogs are lead trained, and have been trained as to where we want them to go to their potty area. They know their names and are attentive and loving. They all get their turn to be the king and queen of the house - although not all at once. Having more than three in the house at a time makes it difficult to monitor their behavior to make sure it is acceptable.

We see their different personalities. While different breeds have different breed personalities, there is wide variation of personalities within each breed. For example, Luna is our character - and she loves to tease her humans. She likes to sit on a lap - for a few minutes - and then she is off to do her thing again.

Bilbo, on the other hand, is our staid gentleman. He is the dominant dog in the kennel, and that means he doesn't fight or argue. He has the confidence to be unchallenged and to be somewhat arrogant. He will sit or lay with proprietary ownership on a lap, or at our feet.

Frodo is still different than the other two. He is a one family dog who exhibits the Lhasa characteristic of being "charry of strangers"(from the ALAC Lhasa Standard). Once he has established that the visitor is accepted by us (a matter of moments) he then proceeds to ignore the visitors. It works for him, and it works for us.

The point is, you can't predict accurately from a puppy what they will grow into as an adult. By six months the Lhasa has developed enough of his personality that it will likely hold through its lifetime. As breeders and Lhasa fanciers we know our dogs, and that makes it easier for us to match the personality of the dog with the family (or individual) it will be going to.

Lhasas are good family pets, although they will generally ignore young children. It has been our experience that they like most adults and teens. Of course, they return the love which is given to them. Dogs can tell who cares the most about them. Our Lhasas are bred not only for health and conformation to the breed standard, but also to be friendly and happy pets.

Some enjoy being groomed more than others. Merrie will accept grooming standing, but at this time doesn't like to be groomed while she lays on her side. Both Jack and April make grooming easy by laying on their side (as we direct).

These Lhasas like to play, but not be teased.

Merrie

Merrie is a young female whelped on July 4, 2009. She is spayed and ready for a loving home.

We love her personality and overall happy attitude. She seems to read our needs very well. When we want to sit and knit, watch television, or read, she is very content to sit on our lap or by our side for long periods of time.

Merrie has a toy box, and it doesn't take her long to drag out her favorites to throw in the air, or to bring to us for us to throw so she can go get it. She is lead trained and enjoys a walk around the neighborhood. Most importantly, she comes when we call her name. In preparation to go to her new home she has already been spayed, and she is up to date on all shots, including Rabies.

Jack is two years old this July (2010). He is playful and loves to be around his humans as well as his dog playmates. As you can see, he is still in full coat, and we plan to leave him in his full glory until he is placed with a loving family.

He is small - just over ten inches at the shoulder and weighs about 13 pounds. We would normally show Jack to his AKC Championship, but he doesn't particularly like the show ring. Not every dog does. He does fine on a lead and seems to enjoy a walk.

Jack is a lap dog, but doesn't have to be on someone's lap to be happy. He just likes to be around his humans. He likes squeeky toys, and will sometimes play catch with himself. He also retrieves a toy to be thrown again.

April is also two years old (April 1, 2010). She is very good on a lead and enjoys walking and seeing the sites of the neighborhood. She has been in the show ring and is used to people strange to her handling her and making noise.

April is 10.5 inches tall and weighs about 14 pounds. We will keep her in coat until the right home for her becomes available.