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Tibetan Terrier

Tibetan Terrier Dog Breed

Aliases: Tsang Apso

Life Span: 15 to 17 years
Litter Size: 5 to 8 puppies
Group: Herding, AKC Non-Sporting
Recognized By: CKC, FCI, AKC, ANKC, NKC, NZKC, APRI, ACR
Color: Wide variety. Black/White, Tricolor, Silver, Gray, Cream, Golden, Black. Any color but chocolate or liver is acceptable for Tibetan Terriers.
Hair Length: Long
Size: Medium
Shedding: Lite Shed
Male Height: 14-16 in (35-40 cm)
Male Weight: 18-30 lbs (8-14 kg), 20-25 lbs preferred (9.5-11 kg)
Female Height: tend to be slightly smaller, but 14-16 inches is an acceptable range
Female Weight: 18-30 lbs (8-14 kg), 20-25 lbs preferred (9.5-11 kg)
 General info courtesy of terrificpets.com. Additional information about this breed can be found on their website.

Thyroid Disease - High Risk

The Tibetan Terrier ranks #7 among all breeds for autoimmune thyroiditis prevalence. There is a high risk of obtaining a dog that will develop thyroid disease. For this reason you should make sure you, or your breeder, are testing all dogs before breeding.  It may even be a good idea to test dogs that you don't plan on breeding so that any instance of disease can be traced back to breeding pairs and eliminated.

 Rank Among Breeds  Number of Dogs Tested  Percent of Dogs With Disease
 #7  294  17.7%

You can download the full report (on all breeds) by the Michigan State University Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health. Here

Other Health Problems

The Tibetan Terrier has lived and thrived for centuries--if not millennia--virtually unchanged. This speaks well for their overall health, of course, but a few possible hereditary problems are known to exist in the breed:

  • Hip dysplasia
  • Progressive Retinal Atrophy 
  • Lens luxation
Because of this genetic propensity for eye ailments, anyone who intends to breed or show his or her Tibetan Terrier should make sure to have the dog\'s eyes checked early and often for signs of potential genetic disorders. Show dogs also usually need to be registered with the Canine Eye Registration Foundation and the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals before they can compete.