Comparison: Lhasa Apso and Shih Tzu

Lhasa Apso and Shih Tzu are marked as similar in our database. The table compares only the data we have on the breeds.

	Lhasa Apso	Shih Tzu
FCI group	9. Companion and Toy Dogs	9. Companion and Toy Dogs
Country of origin	China	China
Category	Small	Small
Height at withers	25–28 cm	20–28 cm
Weight	6–8 kg	4–7.5 kg
Life span	12–15 years	12–16 years
Recognition features	Long, straight, heavy coat Bearded face and drop ears Tail carried over the back	Long, flowing silky coat Flat face with a beard and a ´chrysanthemum´ head Tail carried over the back, short legs
Coat	Long, heavy, straight, hard coat.	Long dense coat with an undercoat.
Purpose	A Tibetan monastery breed that guarded houses and temples; dogs were given as gifts by lamas.	A Chinese companion dog bred at the imperial court in Beijing; the ´lion dog´.

Breed page: Lhasa Apso · Breed page: Shih Tzu

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The information is indicative. Texts are based on available sources and may contain inaccuracies; for binding details (e.g. for breeding or shows) use the official breed standard.