Bichon frise/shih tzu or lhasa apso?

[Jj2431]

If you had/have one of these breeds tell me all the pros and cons and which one is better for a family? Ty

Bichon Frisé owner here…

Pro - really bloody cute, con - needs bathing after most walks in the winter as white curly coats and mud don’t mix well.

Not really a pro or con but just a consideration that she also needs grooming every 4 weeks or so.

Pro - super smart (much smarter than I’d anticipated!) and so really easy to train and enjoys learning (we’ve even done a bit of agility with her), con - super smart and so good at plotting the best way to secure extra treats/cuddles/belly rubs

Pro - very family orientated so we’ve never had a problem with recall as generally she wants to be near us, con - they are prone to separation anxiety and so we’ve had to build up time alone slowly (she can be left for up to to about 4 hours now @ 2 years old)

Pro - heaps and heaps of personality, con - she can be stubborn and bossy when she wants to be

All in all they are fantastic little dogs, funny, playful, affectionate yet robust. As long as you are happy with the coat maintenance and don’t mind being outsmarted every now and again then they are a great option for family pets.

Lhasa Apso owner

6 month old female.

Pro - loving and gentle, likes to walk but doesn't need massive walks. Easy to train but needed a chunk of devoted time to repeat training as they are stubborn. Sleeps lots. Fabulous around children but has been around them since birth. Super cute. Loves to be stuck to you when she can. Velcro dog we call her.

Also have a massively allergic to animal hair partner and he has not sneezed once.

Cons - not up for miles of walking and will down tools if she doesn't want to walk but as they are quite small she can be tucked under an arm, fussy fussy fussy fussy eater. Grooming costs every 6 weeks.

The word Lhasatude could be used as they certainly have plenty of personality and sass.

She's our little angel.

Both sound great so far. Thank you

These would definitely be worth a read if you're looking for pros/cons www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/reviews/bichonfrise.html www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/reviews/lhasaapsos.html - nice short bullet points if you scroll down which are elaborated on :)

I've grown up with two shihtzus, two Bichons and I had a Lhasa Apso who died earlier this year (he was 15 😪).

I love them all to be honest. I haven't met a shihtzu yet that hasn't been a lovely little thing. Our two had very different personalities though. They do need a lot of grooming and are prone to ear and eye problems.

Bichons again, lovely dogs with great personalities we had two but unfortunately they didn't live massively long lives either of them I felt went before their time (one at 6 and the other at 9). I don't know whether this is usual though. They also need a lot of grooming.

Lhasa Apso's are similar to shihtzus in that they are quite high maintenance grooming wise and are prone to ear and eye problems (mine had terrible eyes all his life). Mine also had a chronic skin condition that meant I had to bathe him weekly in a special shampoo and coconut oil him. It was a major undertaking to be honest but I had no choice as there was no cure for it. I loved that dog with all my heart but he could be quite grumpy. I wouldn't trust him not to nip. I certainly wouldn't have let any strangers pet him for fear that he would nip. I don't think all Lhasa apsos are like this though!

I now have a Border Terrier puppy and he's a bloody nightmare, I wouldn't recommend one of them at the minute, he's an absolute dickhead! 😂

One of my close friends has bichons and personally I don’t really like them. Stubborn, hard to train, can be quite yappy, need regular professional grooming despite keeping their coats short
Ive never met a Shih Tzu I didn’t like

We rescued a Bichon she was a lovely dog but very itchy, constantly biting her feet and her tail even when she was having anti histamines every day.

I have a shihtzu crossed with a Maltese and he is absolutely delightful. He does have traits of bith, but looks a little more shihtzu than Maltese.

Pros: very very cuddly and friendly - a true lapdog.
Good with other dogs (unless they are big and boisterous - then he can be a bit fearful).
Good with kids
Doesn’t shed at all

Cons:
He was a nightmare to toilet train
He does like to bark a lot (I think most of the breeds mentioned do to be fair).
Is a bit needy - I don’t mind this but not everyone wants to be followed everywhere
Grooming is high maintenance- he must go every seven to eight weeks or he will mat.

I have 4 Shih tzu’s and a Shih tzu x Lhasa (plus a husky mix and dobermann). I’ve also fostered a lot of shihs and bichons. Honestly I can’t recommend shih tzus enough, absolutely lovely dogs. They are so quirky with fun personalities and very loving. They can be stubborn but not overly so. I’d say they can be noisy if they hear something outside as they were originally bred to alert for noise but they don’t go on and on with barking. My Lhasa x has a real deep bark and sounds like a much bigger dog whereas the full shihs don’t. Grooming is easy by having them regularly clipped if you want to keep them short, I love a long coat so really enjoy brushing mine. I keep some long and some short. All mine are friendly, love to stick together and get on well with other dogs. There isn’t much I don’t know about them so feel free to ask any questions, I’ve owned a couple more who have since passed and they were fantastic too.

Relative has a Bichon Frise x Lhasa Apso -- it's huge! I mean, it's small spaniel size when she wanted a handbag dog. I think he's easy, just a little shy, but other family say he takes up all her time, he's very doted on food wise. Never barks at all. Cuddley, curious, sociable.

ps: I walk an elderly Lhasa Apso (14yo) -- he's ok. Eats other Dog poo but nice fellow otherwise. Scraggly coat but that could be his mature years. No particular trouble.

The word Lhasatude could be used as they certainly have plenty of personality and sass.

My brother has a lhasa and I agree with the above statement. They call her a mountain goat, because she will climb to the highest point in the room. Be that the back of the sofa and even putting her paws on the top of my head to get higher. I don't know if this is common in the breed or just her though.

Thanks everyone

@Blackbutler86 I might take you up on that offer as shih tzus are what we've wanted for a long time. We live on a quiet street where no cars go up or down and no one can go directly past our house so fingers crossed we wouldn't have the barking issue other than the mail

We have a rescue Lhasa Apso.
Pros She's well behaved, she is devoted to her family, she likes a walk, she doesn't shed (but she does need to visit the groomers every six weeks).
Cons She won't ever sit on the floor or sofa if there is a lap available. She guards the house so barks every time she sees or hears something move on the cul de sac. She's small so needs rinsing off after every walk if it is damp or muddy.

@Hairyfriend Yes our Lhasa is the same she starts on your lap and ends up on your shoulder if you let her. She likes a good view of anything that might be happening. She is incredibly nosy so every walk involves her sticking her nose under gates or standing on two legs to look over walls.

Lhasa - 7 - female - definitely a velcro dog, likes to be next to me all the time, doesn't shed, groomer visit every 10 weeks, full of sass, incredibly affectionate, cautious of strangers/new people initially and then warms up on second meeting, mine enjoys lots of exercise - longest walk was 11 miles and she loved it! Stubborn - understands recall etc. 99% of the time, but on the occasional day will choose not to listen to any commands if there's a dog she REALLY wants to greet out on a walk. I love her so much.

I have a 4 year old Bichon. Had since he was a pup. He is neutered. He toilet trained easily, he loves his walks, he thinks he’s a Labrador (loves mud, won’t wear a coat, walks miles whenever I have time). He’s good with other dogs, ok with kids. He can be left in the house alone for a few hours but I wfh so it’s not often. He sleeps on my bed but isn’t particularly cuddly. He gets bathed a brushed now and then and groomed every 4 weeks and he puts up with it.

He is an arsehole. I love him to bits but he has a kind of his own. If he wants to do the woods walk then god help you if you want to do the river. He can listen but not if he is chasing and if it moves he chases! He won’t swim but he loves water. He will wood to get me to do something only so he can then steal my warm spot on the sofa. He understands what I say, I’m bloody sure of it. He fakes injury to get a carry if he fancies it (months it took me to realise he was having me on).

Basically he is very clever and sometimes that is a nuisance. He is also prone to anxiety and loud bangs are a big issue.

The photo is him refusing to walk home because he wanted to stay at nannies. I had to carry the little guy home. As I said… I totally love him

@Hairyfriend

The word Lhasatude could be used as they certainly have plenty of personality and sass.

My brother has a lhasa and I agree with the above statement. They call her a mountain goat, because she will climb to the highest point in the room. Be that the back of the sofa and even putting her paws on the top of my head to get higher. I don't know if this is common in the breed or just her though.

I used to call mine the "Lhasa Raptor" 😂🙈

We have a Lhasa rescue.

Cons
Very stubborn
Selective recall/hearing
Not a lap dog at all
Eye & tummy problems

Pros
Great guard dog
Nosy & alert
Loves a long walk
Completely dedicated to her family
Friendly

We love her soo ok much.