NGESONG Lhasa Puppy Guide

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A Puppy Story
I am a puppy, this means that my intelligence and capacity for learning are the same as an 8-month-old child,
I will chew everything I can get my teeth on. This is how I explore and learn about the world, it is up to you
to guide me to what is mine and what is not.
I am a puppy so don’t expect me to hold my bladder for longer than 1-2 hours. I cannot feel that I need to go
till it is happening. I cannot tell you I want to go, I cannot pull faces, I just don’t have bladder control till I’m
a bit older around 8-9 months old. Please don’t punish me if you haven’t let me out to my area for a while.
If I make a mess of your carpet or tiles with a tinkle or poop,
IT IS YOUR FAULT NOT MINE,
remember I’m only a baby puppy and you love me or you wouldn’t want me in your and my new home. As a
puppy I need to go to the potty after I play, eat, drink and sleep every 2-3 hours. My mum use to helped me
now I need your help for a while please. I will sleep most of the night but to help, me give somewhere to
sleep like the travel cage I came to you or some other place that I will feel comfortable in, if I need to hide
when I get scared and you are not around a lovely corner with a blanket will do. This will help me so you will
not get mad at me, I am trying but still learning.
I am a puppy so I love to play in short periods of time, I will chase imaginary monsters, have puppy dreams
where I growl, attack your toes for fun. I need guidance in what I am allowed to play with so please put away
those expensive Nikes or socks and underwear, they all smell nice to me. You won’t smack a small child so
please don’t hit me. I am delicate and very impressionable. You treat me harshly and I will grow up fearing
you and be wanting a new home. I am after all a puppy with feelings and drives, I am not perfect and I know
you are not either, I will love you anyway so please teach me with love and patience.
All My Love
Your New Puppy © Copyright
Congratulations on your choice of a Lhasa Apso
The Lhasa Apso is still classed as a relatively rare dog in Australia
All NGESONG Lhasa Apso Dogs are Pedigree Pure Breed. This means their Pedigree Linage can be traced
back many generations, here in Australia and overseas. Your puppy will be registered in Queensland with the
CCCQ (Dogs Qld) the state of their birth and will be also listed with the Australian National Kennel Club
(ANKC) in the Pedigree register.
You now have a wonderful little Lhasa Apso puppy to raise. If you properly train and socialize it as a puppy,
it will grow up to be an asset to your life. If we could put ourselves in the place of a Lhasa Apso, we would
find our little self in the world of giants. Never let it be said that a Lhasa considers itself small, for it does not!
Your new Lhasa has come into very strange surroundings. It has left its Mother and all of its brothers and
sisters and is now on its own. Therefore, it needs time for adjusting and you will as well.
Now, if you are like the rest of us, you want to show off your beautiful new companion. It would be wise
however, to limit company at least during the first week, so that your new Lhasa can become used to its new
surroundings and its new family.
Your Lhasa puppy needs a sense of security in its new home. One method, and a good one, to provide this
security is to use the air crate in which a puppy arrives so it may sleep or to which it may go to escape. Put a
blanket or towel in the crate, all ours that go to their forever home are sent with a small blanket that has the
family smell on it, so as to give some comfort.
Do not isolate your puppy. Block off a corner of the kitchen or family room and place the crate in that area
so as they can escape to when they feel frightened, if it hides under the couch do not worry (be very careful if
you have recliners, my advice is to not use them again for quite a while unless the dog is in your arms), but
DO NOT forget to give your new precious pup all the cuddles you can. Be sure that the area chosen is one
from which the puppy can observe the family and in which the family can observe and interact to the puppy.
You may want to make a small pen, or you can purchase a wire pen. Put plenty of papers on the floor with
water dish, toys, and chew bones in the area. Prop the door of the air crate open, or even remove it while the

This means you get to teach your puppy how to behave properly right from the beginning. It is sometimes
easier to do things right or according to the house rules, if the individual does not already have a history of
behaving in a certain way. A great example is the acts of the puppy jumping up to greet people.
Training your dog to obey you can be accomplished by frequent; five to ten-minute sessions. These sessions
should be repeated two to three times each day. It is best to schedule these before you feed your dog. He will
be more attentive to what you are asking of him, and he will associate these sessions with a meal reward.
Before giving a word command to your dog, speak its name to get its attention, then speak a one-word
command, sit, stay, heal. I use a finger to help enforce a command, your pup will soon learn by the raising of
a finger the word NO. Remember to praise your dog when he/she gets it right; this will encourage the dog to
perform correctly the next time. Be patient, it will take many training sessions before your dog responds the
way you want, but soon will associate the word with its meaning or finger signal.
Puppies training tip: -
If you can structure the environment in such a way that the puppy is never rewarded for jumping and make
sure the puppy is consistently rewarded for sitting instead, you will have an adult Lhasa that doesn’t jump
when greeting people. In fact, an adult Lhasa with this type of history will impress your friends by sitting
when it greets guests.
Walking on a Leash
Your puppy should be taught to walk freely on a leash and have good manners. Start first with a soft nylon
collar and switch later to a light weight choke collar. Leave the collar on for short periods only, then when
the pup is accustomed to wearing a collar, attach a leash that can be dragged behind. Next, pick up the leash
and begin to lead the puppy with occasional firm tugs, interspersed with a lot of pats and “good boy or girl.”
Accustom your puppy to walk on the left side, to move out smartly and stay abreast-neither lunging nor
lagging. As the exercise progresses, exert a little more force with each tug.
A slip (choke) collar should be removed after an exercise. A dog alone wearing a slip collar is in danger.
The dog’s foot could become caught between the collar and the neck, or the collar could become snagged in a
fence. If you tie your dog outside, put a nylon collar on him/her that buckles. This is much safer for your dog.
How do you house train a Lhasa Apso?
Training and House / Toilet Training has commenced here with Gayle and I. You will still have small
mishaps from time to time so be patient. Do not yell at her / him as you will frighten and confuse them. There
are other great instances of this principal, such as getting your new puppy accustomed to toileting on a
particular kind of surface. Gently show them where they can toilet. Please do not RUB their nose it the mess,
you can and will do damage to their breathing.
We start off on teaching them on newspaper first and slowly move it to the door. When we think they have
gotten use to the idea we move them outside with our older Lhasa’s and encourage them to follow their lead.
A good deal of this resistance to change can be explained by the phenomena of imprinting. If you have carpet
train them not to toilet there. We have tiles and they prefer to use the outside grass, but if anxious or
frightened they will relieve themselves where they are.
There are certain times when a puppy’s brain is developing in a way that enables life experiences and
successful behaviour to become permanently wired connections. By training at this age, you are actually
building your puppy’s brain and its future behaviour.
Your new loved one will house train faster if you put them on a regular schedule and kept in a confined area,
but still large enough to romp around, when unsupervised. By six weeks old, you should be helping puppies
choose an appropriate spot, if you have an adult Lhasa use them to help. At eight weeks, most puppies should
be holding themselves overnight; if not till at least it starts getting daylight (we usually get up to them about
5am).
During puppy training you need to remember, puppies don’t have the endurance of an adolescent or adult
Lhasa. Puppies can be very active for short amounts of time and then they need to rest and sleep. Some
believe this rest helps the puppy build those important brain connections, as well as the muscle and bones of a
developing body.
# Never lose your temper when you are teaching a puppy always be friendly!
When a puppy is first brought home, take it outdoors to a selected spot and praise the puppy for sniffing
there. Every time the puppy is taken outside, bring it to the same spot and reward with treats and praise
profusely when it eliminates there. Do not play with the puppy outside until he goes to his spot and at least

sniffs around. Also, keep the spot cleaned up. Inside the house, the new puppy should be let out to play no
longer than 20 minutes at a time before either being taken outside to its spot or being returned to the pen or
crate. As the puppy gets older and its muscles develop, they will become more reliable and the free time can
be gradually lengthened.
Puppy kindergarten and / or basic obedience training, always using positive training techniques, is
recommended for all youngsters. Lhasa’s require firmness, fairness, and consistency in training. Positive
rewards work far better than harsh discipline.
In fact, the breed should never be disciplined harshly, as a Lhasa may show resentment if it deems the
punishment unfair. Instead, the rather independent and wilful nature of Lhasa Apsos requires patient
understanding combined with gentle correction. Most Lhasa’s will do just about anything for food treats. But,
because they are smart, they are easily bored with repetitive and persistence obedience work. Training
sessions should be kept short and exercises varied to maintain the Lhasa’s attention. Above all, have fun,
enjoy and keep your sense of humour. Don’t be afraid to roll around on the floor with them, get down to their
level they enjoy this interaction, I have as much fun as they do rolling around on the deck.
We also encourage you to join your state governing bodies, there are other activities available other than the
show conformation ring which we do. You have Dancing with Dogs, Agility, tracking just to name a few.
Any questions, worries please contact us, we are here to help anytime and no question is too small or silly
Gayle & Kim Johansen
Kim 0419 229 553
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Food warnings:
As much as they are innocent to us ---- Chocolate, Onions, Nuts are POISIONOUS to Dogs even small
amounts.
Caring For Your Puppies
Coat Clipping
This is simple: If you are not going to groom your Lhasa regularly, then by all means have his / her coat
clipped. Both you and your dog will be happier.
But if you like to keep the Dog in a show coat Please read the following: -
### Warning it takes a lot and I mean a lot of extra work to do this.###
Tools
You can load up on all kinds of grooming paraphernalia, but the following basics are all you really need:
• a pin brush and an extra-gentle slicker brush
• a metal comb with both wide and narrow teeth
• a toenail clipper
• a spray bottle containing an anti-static de-tangler or crème rinse diluted in water
• scissors
• latex elastic bands (like the kind you get for your child’s braces)
• a hair dryer
Grooming
Please never use Human Hair Products on your Lhasa Apso these have an adverse effect on your beloved
puppy, from skin rashes to loss of hair.
Accustom the puppy to lying on his/her back and/or side whilst being groomed, when he/she is young. The
best time to train is when he is tired and willing to lie quietly or rest. Even though a young Lhasa puppy does
not require a lot of grooming, you need to train him when he is young, before his coat starts getting mats and
tangles, so he will accept the grooming that will become a necessary part of his life. If he gets used to it at an
early age, he will be more cooperative during grooming sessions, and you will both be happier.
Brush your Lhasa’s coat in layers. Lay the dog on his back or side, push the coat the wrong way and, starting
with the undercoat, brush down one layer at a time as you work your way to the top. Use an anti-static spray, a
detangling agent, or some crème rinse mixed with water and lightly mist each layer before you brush it. Begin
with the stomach; move to the insides of the front legs, the insides of the back legs, then the outsides of

Removing Mats
To remove a mat, spray it lightly to lubricate the hair. If the mat you’re removing is large and packed solid,
you may have to spray it with a detangling agent or, better yet, a coat conditioning oil until it is saturated.
You and your Lhasa will both need a lot of patience. Pull the mat apart as much as possible with your fingers;
then use the end tooth of the comb to loosen the individual hairs. Work on the mat from whichever side
allows you the best access.
Don’t cut the mat out unless you want a big hole in your dog’s coat and only cut through the mat as a last
resort, if it is so solidly packed that you have no other choice.
To loosen the mat, you may have to use more oil or a detangling agent as you progress, and you may have to
allow it to soak for a while before it does its job. Alternate between separating the mat with your fingers and
separating it with the end tooth of your comb. Never try to pull the entire mat out at once with the comb or
brush. It HURTS! And your Lhasa will let you know he doesn’t appreciate what you’re doing to him.
To reduce the number and severity of the mats your Lhasa gets, brush him regularly (at least weekly, more
often if needed). When you do find a mat, remove it gently.
Dreaded Coat Change
The owner of a Lhasa puppy should be prepared for the puppy’s coat change when the puppy is anywhere
between the ages of 9 to 14 months. A Lhasa does not shed as most other breeds do. What happens during the
coat change is that the softer puppy coat is being replaced by the harsher-textured adult coat. At this time,
your puppy may need daily grooming to remove the soft, “dead” puppy coat. The coat change is a natural part
of a Lhasa’s development, and when it is over, your Lhasa’s softer puppy coat should have given way to the
harder-textured adult coat, which is usually a lot easier to take care of.
When the coat change does begin, don’t get discouraged. It usually lasts less than a month. Set aside time
each day to groom your Lhasa. If you don’t have time to brush him completely each day, then at least do
some spot grooming in the troublesome areas (neck, insides of legs, behind the ears) on a daily basis. Don’t
go longer than two days without a complete brushing, though. Those mats surprise you! A puppy may not
look matted, but his undercoat may be a real mess.
The best advice is to be aware of what will happen, be prepared to do some heavy-duty grooming for about 3
weeks, train your puppy early to accept being groomed, watch for and take care of tangles and mats as they
appear, and do not put off grooming thinking the mats will disappear by themselves (they don’t!). Sometimes
it seems as if you just finish taking all the mats out of one end of the dog when it’s time to start over on the
other end again!
Finally, don’t be discouraged; hang in there. Make time for grooming and take the time to do a good job. If
you have trained your puppy for grooming when he was little, you’ll have a much easier time getting him to
cooperate.
Bathing
Gayle and I brush our Lhasa's before bathing them to remove any mats or tangles that might get worse when
they are wet. Not everyone agrees with this approach.
There’s a technique to bathing a Lhasa that is easy and does not cause the coat to tangle. After you’ve wet the
Lhasa completely, apply the shampoo by squeezing it through the coat in a downward motion. Do not
massage it into the coat in a circular motion as you might do when you wash your own hair. Applying
shampoo in a circular motion only tends to tangle the coat. Continue working the shampoo through the coat
using the downward motion. You’ll still get a nice sudsy lather. When the bath is finished, squeeze all the
excess water from the ears, legs, and tail before removing the dog from the tub. When towel drying your
Lhasa, squeeze or blot the coat with the towel to remove as much moisture as possible. Don’t rub the coat
with the towel. Finally, dry your Lhasa with a hair dryer. They are nice and cheap. Set the dryer at a
comfortable temperature and speed, lay the dog on his side while you brush his coat in layers as they dry. Be
sure to completely dry the insides of the legs and behind the ears.
Eye fall
Lhasa owners use all sorts of methods to keep the eye fall out of their Lhasas’ eyes. Here are some
suggestions for keeping the eye fall pulled back. You’ll have to experiment until you come up with a suitable

If your Lhasa does not have a thick eye fall and if she will wear barrettes, you can either brush the eye fall
back and secure it with one barrette or make a part down the middle of your Lhasa’s head and fasten a
barrette in either side.
If barrettes are out of the question, either because you have a male and feel funny putting barrettes in his hair,
or because your dog’s eye fall is very thick and a barrette simply will not hold the hair, or because your dog
prefers chewing barrettes to wearing them, you can use small latex bands to secure the hair. Brush the eye fall
straight back and put a single topknot on the head (modified Shih-Tzu style) or part the hair down the middle
of the head and put “pig tails” on each side. The latex bands come in a variety of colours from black to
electric pink.
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If you would like to try braiding your Lhasa’s eye fall, follow these steps:
1. Part the hair exactly in the middle of your Lhasa’s head.
2. Next you will need to section the hair that will be braided. The thickness of the section will depend on the
thickness of your Lhasa’s eye fall, but usually the section will begin somewhere between the middle and
outside corner of the eye and go back about two inches or so. You just have to experiment until you find an
amount of hair that is comfortable to work with and looks right for the shape of your dog’s head and eyes.
3. Divide the large section of hair into three equal smaller sections. Mist lightly with water, coat oil, or coat
conditioner to make it easier to work with. Coat oil or conditioner helps prevent matting and tangling.
4. Begin braiding by crossing the section closest to the eye over the middle section. Keep the braid close to
the Lhasa’s head and continue braiding until you run out of hair.
5. Fasten the bottom of the braid with a small latex band. The braids should lie close to the head. If they stick
out, you have done one of these: braided too tightly, tried to put too much hair into the braid, or started at a
right angle to the dog’s head. In any case, you will have to start over.
That’s basically it! The braids will have to be brushed out and re-braided every few days. Never leave them in
for more than a week without brushing through them, just in case tangles are developing.
Ears
Hair grows quite thick inside a Lhasa’s ears and must be removed to help keep the ear healthy and
infection-free. You can take your Lhasa to the vet to have the hair inside the ears removed; however, it’s a
grooming task that is easily done at home.
Apply ear powder to the inside of each ear, making certain the hair is thoroughly covered, especially at the
base. Wait a few minutes to allow the powder to dry the hair. It is surprising how much easier the hair is to
pluck once the powder has dried it and how much less your Lhasa will mind the plucking if the powder is
used.
Pluck only a few hairs at a time, since this is less irritating for the dog. You can use your fingers to pull out
the majority of the hair; however, if you prefer, you may also use a tweezers or haemostat. Ears should be
checked and cleaned often to deter infections and to keep them healthy.
Parting
Stack the Lhasa on a table and stand directly behind him. (Make sure the dog is standing straight so his spine
is straight.) Using the end tooth of a metal comb or a knitting needle and beginning at the base of the dog’s
neck, run the tooth of the comb straight down the spine, allowing the coat to fall to either side.
Once the basic part is in, sight down the dogs back from both front and rear to make sure the part runs
straight. If the part is basically straight except for a place or two, work with those spots a few hairs at a time
until it is straight.
Now spray the coat along the part with coat conditioner (not oil) and lightly mist the coat along the part to
keep it in place. “Setting” the part this way is necessary because, as anyone who has ever parted a Lhasa can
tell you, the first thing the Lhasa will do after he is groomed is shake.
Once the back’s part is set, work on the head and neck. Part the hair evenly on the muzzle; then run the end

tooth of the comb from that part, between the eyes, over the head, and down the neck to meet the part that’s in
the dog’s back. You may have to re-do a spot here and there to get the part perfectly straight.
Feet
The hair between the pads of a Lhasa’s feet grows quite long — and quite fast. If ignored, it tends to mat. Left
alone, the mats increase in size and can spread the pads further apart.
Keeping the pads neatly trimmed is an easy task. With the dog on his side or back, hold a leg steady at an
angle that is easy for you to work with. The hand that holds the leg will have to do double duty because you’ll
need to spread the pads slightly apart so you can trim down between them. Some groomers use a clipper for
this task, others a small scissors.
Shaggy feet make even the most neatly groomed Lhasa look “unfinished.” The unkempt appearance of those
feet can be improved simply by trimming and rounding the coat around the feet. Push the hair up and away
from the foot itself and hold it there. Brush or comb a layer of hair over the foot and trim it all the way around
fairly close to the foot. Then brush a second layer over the foot, this time trimming it so it’s slightly longer
than the first layer. Depending on how heavily coated your dog’s foot is, repeat this until the foot has a neat,
rounded appearance. Do all four feet in the same way.
If your Lhasa doesn’t have heavily-coated feet, you may be able to get by with just combing all the hair over
the foot and cutting it.
Oh, don’t forget to cut those toenails!
Food Glorious Food,
What to feed your puppy.
All puppies need both wet and dry food to sustain their growth. Gayle and I are currently feeding the pups
Purina Puppy Biscuits with the Lactose Free Carton Milk and 1 tablespoon of Natural Yogurt blended in.
Along with this they are receiving Turkey or Chicken Mince at the same time. Your pup will need at least 3
meals a day for the first few months then by the time they are semi grown up down to one meal per day.
Please be careful on what treats you give your dog and over fat Lhasa looks horrible plus you will shorten
their life span of 15-20 years of age. I give them a treat of a liver or beef strip in the morning to my show
dogs, a chew ear or some other sort of plaque reducer is great. It is ok to give a handful of biscuits to them in
the morning as well. We do not encourage graze feeding.
I must warn you please do not give SMACKOS, I know they advertise them that dogs go silly for Smackos,
there is an additive that is not in my and many others opinion healthy for the dogs. Something like what MSG
does for humans.
Our adult dogs receive chicken necks and wings (all RAW), meatballs (Four Legs Varity), Sardines and Rice
mixed with vegetables. Straight Can food is easy to give but NOT VERY HEALTHY and will cost more in
the long run. Bones are fine when they are older except if you want to grow out their coat, then it becomes
very greasy hence ours do not receive these.
Put the dog’s food out and remove it once they leave the bowl even if not finished as they have had enough.
BEWARE there are poisonous foods to dogs, Onions, Chocolate Nuts DO not give even in small amounts.
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