Iin the Tibetan language, “apso” means “bearded,” and is a word that Tibetans use to describe any dog with a long coat. The Lhasa Apso comes immediately to mind, but to prove the point that the word has to do with coat and not size, consider the Kyi Apso, a flock guardian breed and close relative of the Tibetan Mastiff, but a dog that confounds people seeing it for the first time. Is it a Long Haired Tibetan Mastiff? A big Tibetan Terrier?

No, and no. The Tibetan Kyi Apso (pronounced Kee-Op-So) is a breed unto itself. The “apso” in the breed’s name is the reveal: A double coated shaggy dog. Not for nothing is the Tibetan Kyi Apso also called the Tibetan Bearded Dog.

Kyi Apso image found on Pinterest and happily credited upon receipt of information