What is the difference between a Lhasa Apso and a Shih Tzu?

Question

i know the tail is a main characteristic of these breeds, but i have recently adopted what i was told was a shih tsu but i believe it looks more like a lhasa due to the size and face.

Answer 1

you may be right,a shih-tzu has a more pushed in face and is much smaller than a lhasa,whatever it is they are both wonderful little dogs love it for what it is,feel good that you gave a dog who needed adopting a good home don't worry about the breed,unless you have papers you won't be able to prove what it is,so call it what you want

Answer 2

I was looking up this the other day & it seems really quite hard to tell the difference ... unless of course they are show dogs when the Lhasa Apso wears its hair down over its face & the Shih Tzu has its hair tied back.

I did wonder if there was a different pattern to the way that the hair grew on the head but though I searched for ages I couldn't find anything to confirm this thought.

Shih Tzus should have large round eyes, a slight underbite (lower teeth are farther forward than top teeth), be between 8 & 11 inches tall & weigh between 9 & 16 pounds.

Lhasa Apsos eyes are more almond shaped & they should be between 10" & 11" tall at the shoulders - possibly not quite as chunky under all that coat as the Shih Tzu.

Lhasa Apsos are meant to be more aloof with strangers - so if your dog is more reserved & wary then this could be an indication of what it is.

If there are any dog shows near you, why not go along & have a look at both kinds - it's probably much easier to see what the difference is when you have both sorts in front of you. Having a chat with the exhibitors may also help ... I'm sure that (as long as they are not just about to go into the show ring) that they'd love to chat with you about their dogs.

Answer 3

You know they're DOGS, not birds, right?
Read about the characteristics of the two breeds here

http://www.akc.org/breeds/breeds_a.cfm