The Tibetan Terrier isn’t a Terrier, but unfortunately, the first written mention of the breed back in 1895 was taken literally: The author wrote that at first glance, it could be taken to be “neither more nor less than a rough terrier.”

While several breeds went through name changes in America to reflect accuracy (the Brittany having had the word “spaniel” dropped from its name comes to mind) the Tibetan Terrier never did. That isn’t to say it wasn’t known by other names elsewhere. Bhutanese Dog, Dhokhi Apso, Bhuteer Dog,  and Lhasa Terrier were just a few of its monikers. That last name, Lhasa Terrier, was another instance of “getting it wrong.” At the start of the 20th century, some sources reported that references to the magical powers of the Lhasa Terrier were, in fact, accounts of smaller Lhasa Apsos.

“Litter Mates” by Pat Saunders-White
http://www.patsaunderswhite.com