Breeders with a lot of experience have been known to say that if a breeder has never encountered a surprise in a litter, they just haven’t been breeding long enough, but even a first time Lhasa Apso (or Shih Tzu) breeder can find that they’ve bred a “prapso.”
A what?
A prapso.
It is a short coated puppy in a Lhasa Apso or Shih Tzu litter (both long coated breeds). Sometimes, such a pup is called a “smooth haired” Lhasa or Shih Tuz, and it isn’t generally noticed until a puppy is around six weeks old – maybe even a little later. These puppies are healthy, though it’s been noticed that they can mature faster than their littermates: They open their eyes earlier, they get their teeth earlier, and, some breeders say that not only do they seem to be smarter and cheekier than their siblings, but that invariably, they are the alpha dogs in the litter.
What they don’t get is as much hair as their siblings. A prapso puppy will have shorter and smoother hair, especially on his or her muzzle and legs, and in the Lhasa Apso, a prapso pup will look more like a Tibetan Spaniel. There is also a “partial” prapso which will have longer hair, but not as long as his or her littermates, and certainly not a coat that will reach the ground.
The word “Prapso” was first heard in Australia, probably from the phrase “perhaps an Apso.” As far as we know, it was also the Australians who tried to find the cause. Test matings ruled out straight dominant or recessive genes and data was shared with a non-profit organization in the UK which researched animal abnormalities. They reported that this type of inheritance resulted from the interaction of a large number of genes affecting each other in varying degrees.
Some would say that a prapso is a genetically defective Shih Tzu or Lhasa Apso, but we defer to breed experts on this point until we find more research data. We have read that a prapso shouldn’t be bred, but they make marvelous pets, particularly with owners who rather prefer not being a slave to grooming.
We don’t have permission to share photos of a prapso (if you have one you’d be willing to let us post, we’ll happily give you full credit), but a Google image search on “prapso” will bring up pages of results.
Image: Lhasa Apso/Deposit
I am admittedly no expert but as a breeder of Tibetan Spaniels for 10 years I heard a bit about Prapsos. I was told by old-time breeders that the belief was that Tibbies were the older breed behind the Lhasas and later the Shih Tzus. A litter of Prapsos was a throwback to the original breed in the line.
I don’t know if this makes sense genetically but I believed it at the time. I actually ran into a Lhasa breeder who sold entire Prapso litters as Tibetan Spaniels. She had them regularly from her breeding pair and bragged that she put her daughters through college selling the “Tibbies” with papers!!
A fascinating comment, Sally, and you’re right, we came across a similar suggestion in our “homework” on the Prapso. We’re hoping someone will donate a photo!
Hola, yo tengo un prapso al parecer, es por ello que estoy investigando a cerca de la raza, ya que la dueña de sus papás me informó que sus perros son shitzu y lucas mi perro salió prapso, les dejo una foto, tiene 1 año
She’s very cute, Greys! Thank you for sharing her photo with us.
My dog Gizzy is a Prapso
Love the little white chin!
I got Tinkerbell from my aunt when she was 3months old, she’s now 3. She swore they got her from a breeder and she was full breed imperial shih tzu. We bred shih tzu’s growing up and I never saw one like her. I finally discovered the prapso when researching the breed. She’s the smartest pup I’ve ever known, she’s dominate, she’s fearless, and she’s very possessive of attention from me. She’s tiny only 6lbs but full of spunk! I will purposely seek prapso pups out to adopt! They are the coolest pups!
Tatsu is prapso. The only one in his litter out of 6. He is smart at 3 months he knows all his tricks roll over , sit , down , up and shake . He was 99% potty trained to go outside at 7 weeks. He only barks for your food or if he wants up on your lap. He doesn’t bark at other dogs or knocks at the door .
so mine is a PRAPSO? she just turned 3months
Aaaww so cute! She is, and so beautiful!!! She looks like one of the Prapso’s from my shhtzu’s litter. The one from the picture I post.
You still want a pic of a prapso??
Sure!
My Lhasa’s had 1 Prapso from her first litter of 4 pups,,, I will send you pictures. The pups are 5 months old DOB: October 26, 2020. If you want more pictures please text me as I rarely read my emails. 914-815-1108
Kind Regards,
Monica
Thanks, Monica!!
This is Leo Bramblesview Wings of Gold to give you his full Pedigree name. He is 10 years old and is just the most gentle boy and much loved member of our family.
We bought him from a Kennel club registered breeder and we saw both his standard Shih Tzu parents. My daughters picked him out of the litter because he was different, I was unsure as I wanted a ‘proper’ Shih Tzu but they feel in love with him and I’m so glad they did. He always gets admiring glances as he has such a beautiful coat and bushy tail but we do get funny looks when we say he is a Shih Tzu though. I wouldn’t want him to look any different.
He’s wonderful, Laura
My 5-month old Shorkie. But a Prapso. So I don’t know if that means none of the Yorkshire Terrier came through?! He is SUPER smart! He retrieves already. If I say ‘get me your ball’, he does. If I say ‘get me your toy’, he knows to bring a tug toy!
I’ll donate a photo of my puppy that I believe is a prapso
I think I have a Prapso, I’ve seen both her parents and the y are pure shih tzu.
My Olive is a Prapso. We love her.
My prapso, BlueCajun Beaux ‘Brain’, came from two Imperial Shih Tzu. He was the breeder’s 1st prapso (and she’s been a breeder for many years). He is, indeed, much smarter than my other full-breed Shih Tzu and hit his milestones faster than normal. His 1st night with us, he was curious but shy – he recoiled from the other animals. By the second night, he was nipping at the other animals when they got near him; he was also busy exploring his surroundings – shyness gone. He was already fully house trained when we brought him home and never had any ‘accidents’ as long as there was a puppy pad near. Within a week of being here, he’d taught himself how to climb the doggy stairs to our bed, simply by watching our other 2 dogs do it, and without any hesitation or prompting from us; he simply looked up the stairs and bolted up and onto the bed. We call him the Munchkin Gremlin, Tiny Terrorist, and The Brain (our bulldog is Pinky lol) from the cartoon “Pinky & The Brain”. He has completely taken over the house! He terrorizes the other animals by launching himself like a little missile towards them, then bites and chews on them until they’re screaming. Our poor English bulldog has PTSD from Beaux constantly attacking him from out of nowhere; Beaux also uses the bully as his ‘muscle’ to attack the other animals. He’s the tiniest fur baby in the home (3 dogs, 7 cats/kittens) but has the heart of a lion! Health wise, there have been no issues, other than the vet having to remove his remaining baby teeth when he was being neutered. With his humans, though, Beaux is sweet and loving, and loves smothering us with kisses. He totally controls this home!
We got a Shih-Tzu puppy that is a prapso. And the breeder told us that she seemed to set the tone for the litter and was a little bossy. LOL. She adapted very easily once we brought her home. She was mostly poddy trained. The only issue is that she had never seen rain and does not like to walk in wet grass. So she went outside to poddy and went on the patio. I’m ok with that. She also taught herself how to get in and out the doggy door. She is very sweet and smart and obedient. Love her to death. We didn’t know why she wasn’t getting furry like the others. So we did the research and here we are. She is a joy!!!
Tina, she’s quite adorable, and the temperament you describe sounds very typical of Prapso pups!
BlueCajun Beaux Brain a/k/a Tiny Terrorist, a/k/a Munchkin Gremlin, a/k/a The Brain, harassing poor Romy.
Beaux harassing poor Romy.
This is appa with his golden retriever brother murat, definitely is alpha, stubborn and beautiful.
Great picture, Juan, thanks for sharing it!
My prapso lahasa apso.
Her name is Luna rose. She is one year old and controls the house and terrorizes my six-year-old Lahasa mix.
She definitely looks like a Tibetan spaniel she comes from champion bloodline the breeder has been breeding for years and very surprised.
She is very healthy and when she was spayed they had to remove two baby teeth.
Other than that very healthy.
She loves to cuddle but is very jealous my other dog.
Thanks for writing, Elizabeth. Luna Rose is a cutie, and your description of her fits what we’ve read about prapsos.
Meu Théo tbm nasceu diferente dos irmãos
Depois de muito pesquisar descobrir que se tratava de um prapso♥️🥰
I got what I thought was a pure breed Shih tzu pup, brought her home Oct 5, 2019. She was 8 weeks old. I named her Scarlett, known as baby Scar Scar. I already had a 3 year old Tzu named Sookie. I quickly realized she looked nothing like my other girl and contacted the breeder asking if she was possibly a mix if some kind. I assumed a Pomeranian because of the coat color and the was her legs and feet looked. He assured me she was all Shih tzu. I was not convinced so I did a breed DNA test, results came back all Tzu. By accident and social media I discovered the description of a prapso Shih tzu. She is exactly as described in these blogs. I’m very happy and feel very lucky to have her.
What a journey you’ve had to discovering the Prapso, Tamara, thanks for sharing your story and Scarlet’s photographs!
Today I learned that my Ringo is one!
I have a prapso named him Toblerone 🙂 He is very smart and friendly. When he was brought home, I am fascinated that he knows how to open our screen door. He is a fast learner and very friendly.
His parents are pure breed Shih tzu, he looks very different from his siblings but he is the smartest and most adorable.. He also snores very loud LOL. <3 love him!
You have a cutie there, Corrine, and your experience confirms what we’re read about these little chaps: quick learners and wicked smart. Thank you for sharing Toblerone’s picture. Now we have a sudden hankering for chocolate!
Our little boys look like they could be brothers!!
some breeders are embarrassed to share pictures of prapso shih tzu for fear people will say their line is MIXED …as a shih tzu breeder myself (32 years) when i had my first one i spent a mint trying to make sure i didn’t mest up my line somehow….it’s really nice to have people share the prapso shih tzu !!!
I bought a shitz tsu. Saw the litter of 4. Met the parents and grandparents of my pick of the litter. Brought him home and next thing I know he was different. The breeder assured me he was a full bread shitz tsu. Even the vet said “That is not a Shitz tsu”. Well he is a Prapso! So glad I found this site.Wouldn’t trade him for gold!
Sheila, we’re so glad your story has a happy ending. It’s possible that even the breeder and vet weren’t aware of Prapso!
Haha dit lijkt mijn verhaal wel .. hier hetzelfde verhaal een wollig bolletje mee van de fokker maar binnen enkele weken een gladde hond in huis met piek krul haartjes alleen nog bij de oortjes ik dacht ik ben bedonderd ..
Maar na lang zoeken kwam ik hier terecht en wat een opluchting .. en ook ik zou hem voor geen goud willen missen .. eigenwijze draak ..
Coco IG @cocoresnick is 9.5 years old. Came from a breeder with long pedigree but is definitely is a prapso shihtzu. She is very smart (understands everything though prefers to do things she wants to do) and affectionate. Has all the best of a shihtzu less the work – no need for regular grooming, doesn’t get dirty and no hair getting into her eyes or bowl. The best dog ever!
AND, Anna, she’s pretty in pink. A real cutie!
I have two shih tzu’s from the same litter. The male one Buddy is a orange/red prapso, we couldn’t work out at first why he was so different looking. His coat is thinner and shorter. He is very cleaver and likes to be the boss. Wants attention, barks a lot (at every noise) and walks round with a teddy constantly hanging out his mouth. He was quickly house trained but can be a bit snappy with small children or people he don’t know. His sister is the complete opposite. She is very laid back and gentle and sleeps all day.
This made me laugh because our Louis sounds just like Buddy. Louis has a dog and an alligator that he carries around to play with and lay his head on. He’s protective of us, so anytime someone comes into the house he doesn’t know he stands at their feet barking at them but never nips. Not a fan of other dogs, our family thinks that the doesn’t know he’s a dog.
Some dogs never got the message that they are dogs, lol, and not human. Louis is adorable, and his “gator” is precious. Thank you for sharing his photo, he even looks smart from here!
Check out Prapso Shih Tzu on facebook
Juri’s 5 years old, she was given to me by a woman who had a full litter of supposed shih tzu puppies (I never saw the others) with Juri being the only girl. She was super cute at 2 months but she did look different. I raised my doubts regarding her breed at first glance and the woman assured me both her parents are tzus, showing me pictures of only the dad, who was a black & white Tzu.
Time passed and her fur never grew out so I just assumed I got finessed. I wrote a friendly letter to the breeder again addressing doubts, with pictures of my dog who was then 1 year old included. She replied to me by email and sent me a picture of Juri’s supposed mom who was a white shih tzu. After that I thought I just needed to wait more for her fur to grow out but yea that never happened, I just lived with the belief that she lied to me and that Juri was a mix of chihuahua or something that’s common in Puerto Rico.
I did wonder if maybe she was a pure bred with a mutation of some sort in some instances and that’s what brought me to this discovery 😊
I just discovered the Prapso breed being a real thing and I couldn’t be happier about it, makes me love her even more for her uniqueness.
Los Prapsos con mas activos que los sht zu normales. son geniales y tienen una vitalidad asombrosa. no sabia hasta encontrar que tipo era este cachorro de Shitzu
Using Google translate, we THINK this says, “Prapsos with more active than normal sht zu. They are great and have amazing vitality. I didn’t know until I found out what type this Shitzu puppy was”
We acquired Brinxlee from a breeder that has been breeding registered shih tzus for years. This is our 4th puppy from her. My husband picked her out as a surprise. I argued with him for the past month that she was not full blooded. The breeder said be patient her hair will grow. A month later no growth..lol Obviously she is unaware of the prapso. Im thankful for this article now im informed. Also, very excited to see how she turns out when older.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Michelle, it will be helpful to other people facing the same situation. Our research suggests that Brinxlee will be a remarkable little companion, and we hope you stay in touch to let us know how she matures and what her character is like as she gets older.
Wat ben ik blij dat ik u foto zie .. wij zijn al weken aan het zoeken .. waarom onze shih tzu pup geen “echte” shi is .
Mensen hebben onze Bodhi al voor alles uitgemaakt chiwawaha, Spaniel enz enz .
Je weet niet hoe blij we zijn met deze blog.
In het begin leek onze pup op een wollige shi zoals we er al een hebben dat is een kruising. Ik zal foto’s toevoegen. Weet niet of meerdere lukken dan kan je zien dat de pup zo anders was als nu
Hier een kleine prapso .. toen we nog niet wisten dat deze shih tzu soort bestond ☺️ hier nog wollig maar nu helemaal glad op de oortjes na.
Hello,
This is my 1 year old (14 months to be exact) Shih Tzu in the rain. He is an amazing dog that learns fast. House breaking was extremely easy. He is very loving, extremely patient, and acts very mature. I have been questioning his pedigree since around 6 months due to his hair. I have been patiently waiting and expecting his hair to grow. Even to this day I am expecting sudden hair growth to start. I’ve seen his mother and father which are definitely full blooded Shih Tzu. I have also seen their registration papers. Prior to today, I would google search short hair Shih Tzu, but that would get me no where. It wasn’t until today that I realized he only has 1 coat of hair. So, I began to look up single coat Shih Tzu and finally came across the terminology “Prapso.” Finally I have an explanation. I was beginning to think that it was because of another issue. The issue is that his testicles have not descended yet. He requires surgery to remove the testicles from his stomach (or wherever they are). I had been researching this issue as well and saw that it can cause hair loss. The problem is that my dog doesn’t have hair loss, just less hair. He does shed more than I expected for a Shih Tzu though. This was also a surprise because I chose a Shih Tzu due to the supposed lack of shedding. Another issue is his nostrils are a little small, so he snores (like sleep apnea), struggles to breath through his nose at time (especially in certain positions), and sneezes a lot. This includes spraying snot frequently. These are all congenital conditions. I am convinced now that “Prapso” definitely is a genetic disorder and may possibly have a higher chance of accompany other genetic and/or congenital disorders. Regardless, I love my Shih Tzu and couldn’t imagine not having him in our family. I’ve just been concerned about him, and also disappointed in the breeder. I’m not disappointed about the “Prapso” part, but someone was an irresponsible breeder at some point and proceeded to breed a dog with congenital defects. I say this because testicles not descending and stenosed nostrils are highly hereditary. Undescended testicles can lead to a host of other major issues if not treated (neutered). I went out of my way to find a purebred Shih Tzu and paid a lot of money. Ultimately we have an amazing dog, but I wonder what other internal issues he may have and how they will impact him in the future. Plus, we put our trust in that breeder. If you believe your dog has this condition, please make your vet aware and have your vet keep a closer eye on your dog. I will talk with my vet now and see if their is a test that can confirm a genetic disorder. If a genetic disorder is revealed, we will discuss a plan to better support my dog’ future with us. But again, other that the congenital/genetic issues, he is a great dog, fabulous with kids, and a joy. His temperament is amazing (with very little training from me). He absolutely adores people and just loves to meet new people. He is a blessing, as he has helped my mental state tremendously (I’m in the military and have deployed several times). Thank you all for sharing.
My Shapao is also a prapso❤️
Follow his ig: @shapao.baby
I have a prapso and he’s verte smart
José, your little boy is adorable
Here is my baby❤ prapso Oreo Patootie🤍
“Oreo Patootie,” is pretty darn cute, Ibie!
Thanks, I am going to pass this onto the breeder here in Spain as Oscar we could see he was different but why? Breeder never have it happen before, do they always malt?
Makes Oscar more unique, xxx
Fernando is also a Prapso. The breeder reassured me he came from 2 Lhasa’s. At 4 months he lost his puppy fluff. Our dog groomer found this link & told us about it.
Fernando is full of personality & smart as a whip! It’s a challenge to keep him mentally stimulated. Now 5 months old, he will only eat from forging toys & loves stimulating games.
Your description of Fernando falls in line with what we’ve read about Prapsos, Chantalle: Delightful and wicked smart. Enjoy!
Gidget is 3 now. She had the even rarer gene that turned her ears up. Apparently original Tibetans had ears up. I went through the whole pregnancy with the breeder who had both full bred Shih tzus. Saw her right as she was born so 8 know she is pure bred. Her two siblings grew into the most gorgeous Shih thus. At 7 weeks she turned from the Shih Tzu she was born as into the Prapso. Until then she was exactly like her brothers. She turned dramatically. She was the smartest, first to open eyes, first to eat, first to train, etc just like a Prapso does. She is very loving and a great lap dog. I’ve read it takes over 100 genes to mutate to make a Prapso. She is a full Prapso but there are also partial Prapsos.
Hello guys! I don’t know… Is she a Praspo? Both parents are Shih-tzu. Thank you!
Prapso people, what say you?
Seriously I had never heard about prapso puppies or dogs. When I bought a month old Shih Tzu puppy he looked exactly it. But later on he changed completely nothing made him show that he’s a Shih Tzu breed. Called the breeder and he said it’s Shih Tzu only. Later researching assumed it it Tibetan Spaniel. But now it’s confirmed my boy is a prapso Puppy. Thanks a lot for all the above information. My doubts cleared.
Happy we could help, KumKum!
If he is he’s a beautiful one!
Both her parents are fuzzy Shih Tzu. I think Lexie is a Propso Shih Tzu.
Your Prapso is almost identical to mine! Look at the similarities in the face! Figaro is still a puppy – 5months!
I’ve been wondering for 8 months why my cute Shih Tzu Yoko is different from other Shih Tzu dogs and I finally have an answer! Thank you! Yoko is a very smart girl, she always plays with her toys and makes all of our family laugh. I love her so much!
Happy we could help if only unwittingly, Andrea. Yoko is adorable.
This is my 18 week old Shih Tzu! He is pure breed but was runt of his litter. We only wanted a pet and fell in love with him when we went to see him! I quickly realised he wasn’t like your average Shih Tzu – my vet thought he was a Tibetan Spaniel! Anyway took to the internet to do my research and as soon as I read about the Prapso Shih Tzu I absolutely knew that’s what our little boy was! He is so intelligent, loving and definitely the spitting image of other Prapso’s. He toilet trained so easy, and just walked out on his lead the first time! Loves his toys too! It makes him all the more special that he is so unique!
I am a lover of Lhaso Apsos. Have 2 15 year olds and 2 years ago got 2 new Lhasa puppies. I noticed as she got older that she was “different.” Not just how she looked with her hair and nose. She is definately the smartest one and is has high energy. Even though she was tiny, she was immeidately the alpha. She is not laid back or chill like her sisters. I trust the breeder and this was her first prapso and had never seen one before. I Love my prapso Pixie to pieces. Here is a photos of Pixie with her litter mate Jazzy and you can see the difference.
A marvelous “show and tell” photo, Michelle, this is so helpful. Thank you for sharing you insights about Prapsos.
Meu Théo tbm nasceu diferente dos irmãos
Depois de muito pesquisar descobrir que se tratava de um prapso♥️🥰
Hello! Four months ago we were blessed with 3 puppies. Two male and one female. Males are b&w and girl is honey brown and white. Until they were 3 months old I haven’t noticed anything strange or different besides, that the youngest one (male) was progressing in development much faster. But, two of them started to get fuller hair and curly tail but the third at that point stay’d with short hair and tail that doesn’t curl that much. We started to call him mini Bernandine dog 🙂 He is really from the beginning very smart, for example, he started to pee on diapers, he understood commands quicker than other two. He is already 5kg as his tree year old mother.
Anyway we love him an we are happy with all of our four dogs (one male is at my sisters home living happily with a cat 🙂 )
I just found out about Prapsos. I have a 12 year old Maltese/Shih Tzu mix and was just informed by someone that my Hana may be a Prapso. I’ve looked it up and it appears to be pure breed Shih Tzus or Lhasa Apsos but have you heard of any Maltese/Shih Tzu mixes or a Shih Tzu mix being a Prapso? I got Hana just over 12 years ago from a friend who said that she was a Maltese/Shih Tzu mix. Hana’s facial hair does not grow and my friend and I have always wondered about that as both her siblings (male and female) seemed to take on more of a Shih Tzu face. Hana’s hair is straight and does not mat, so she is very easy to care for. I’ve attached a photo of Hana (center) with her mom (left) and dad (right) which was taken at her 5th birthday party. I brought Hana home at 9 weeks old and she was already housetrained to do her business in a litter box. I switched from a litter box to a pee pad a few months later and Hana had no trouble adjusting. Hana also loved to play fetch, a trait that her mother did not have. I think that Hana is super smart as she pretty much breezed through her obedience classes and picks up on things very quickly. She was the runt of her litter, had a birth weight of 3.3 oz and is currently only 4.4 lbs. So, do you think she might be a Prapso?
I just found this website going down the rabbit hole of figuring out why my “Maltese” puppies have a short smooth coat instead of the fuzzy coat of the Maltese. I actually did the Embark DNA testing. I was convinced my pups were mixed with chihuahua, but it came back 85% Maltese and 15% Shih Tzu. They had one great-grandparent that was a Shih Tzu. This article helped me solve the mystery of their coat! And not only that, now I’ve learned they’re very unique puppies. They’re from the same litter so that coincidence is also quite unusual. They’re very smart, easily trainable. So sweet and cuddly as well as hilarious like all puppies are. Maisy is definitely “cheeky” like the article says. She was also the first in the litter of four to open her eyes.
Lisa – your baby looks Prapso to me. My Maisy is likely to be a tiny girl like Hana. Benji is currently about 4.5 lbs at 4 months old.
I wonder if our Kobe is a shih tzu or a mix breed? The one with harness is the longest that his hair would grow. The other picture is when I groomed him with lion cut style, using a razor and scissors.
After trimming. Is he a mixed breed or pure shih tzu? Maybe somebody could help me out.
It’s tough to tell from a photograph, Reggie, but perhaps one of our Shih Tzu owners? Anyone?
Hi, we will share the parents and the siblings along our parpso. With was the 1st litter of 3 male and 3 Female.
Above is the Parent.
Bellow is the 1st male, we identified to be a prapso shih Tzu.
Thank, you, priya, they’re wonderful!
We have 2 Shih Tzus puppies, brother & sister. We knew something was different about our male pup, Rocky. His ears do not lay flat, his nose is longer, and his hair is straight & smooth. The photo shows the difference between Rocky & his sister Lucy after they have had their first grooming. We asked the groomer not to cut the unruly hair on top of his head or ears….we think it is cute! What a difference in appearance & also personality!
Photo of faces: Rocky on left, Lucy on right.
It is indeed adorable, Teresa!
My 8month old Prapso Shih Tzu, Figaro!
My 4 month old, pretty sure is a Prapso
So glad to find this website. Very informative. Have a four month old purebred ShihTzu. Knew he was different as I’ve had a ShihTzu before for 14 years. Waited four years to get another. Got the last pick of the litter, never saw the three other siblings. Wondered why his hair was so straight. Now I know. Pretty sure he is a Prapso or a Partial Prapso. He is adorable!
He’s a cutie, Michele, and we’re glad you found us, too! Welcome to the family.
Forgot photo of my little puppy
Mi Fifi acabo de descubrir q es un prapso, la elegí porque era la mas lista de la camada, mientras todos dormian ella jugaba y perseguía todo, es muy inteligente, era una motita hermosa hasta q a los 3 meses quedó sin pelo, pensaba q era cruce pequinez, sin embargo no encontraba perrito como ella, la amamos con locura.
This is Bella. I got her at 16 weeks. Was told she was pure shih tzu. No one could believe it so I had a Wisdom Panel DNA test on her. Came back 100% shih tzu. Still had doubts and not waiting for Embark DNA results to come back. Now I found out from searching she is a Prapso shih tzu! It ah makes sense. She’s smart, sassy and a sweetheart.
I have waited ten years to get my dream shihtzu lol I am a dog groomer so I was excited when I found my little tanjiro ! After a few weeks I noticed he wasn’t growing hair on his face and wasnt as fluffy as a normal shih tzu puppy … I found out recently he is a prapso . Lol he is spunky and he is 12 weeks old and he plays along great with my 2 year old pomchi . I wouldn’t trade him for anything ! Even if I can’t put his hair in a top knot lol
He’s adorable, Julia, and top knots? Hair extensions (grin)
I got this puppy from my friend who breeds lhasa apsos. She is pure bred. Her mother has a different textured coat. But not quite as different as Mildred’s. People think she is an 8 weeks old black lab. In reality, she is a 16 week old lhasa prapso. She does not shed, her posture is good. Tail is curly. She flops when she sleeps. Has the most lhasa-tude i have ever seen.
We bought Teddy who was from a liter of 4, his sister had much curlier hair but we chose him because he looked like a bear but never grown a mustache or beard and his hair was straight .. my wife swore we were ripped off , many said he was mixed .. did some read watch and came across single hair shih tzu and that in pure bred liter the ancestor of shih tzu that no longer exist pop up from time to time! Very smart little dude and is a lover for sure!
We hear that prapsos are remarkable little characters, and your note underscores how smart they are!
Thanks for sharing, I live in Denmark and a Shih tzu prapso is not well know.
Hi! My husband and I love our lhasa prapso. His name is Toffee. He is very sweet, very smart and very obedient. However, he does not like being with other dogs. He is not shy but he does not prefer to be with them. He is also a picky eater. We left him to my parents house with other dogs just help him learn how to mingle with other dogs and help him with his eating problems. One thing I also observe that he is always healthy. Most of my dogs when I was young, they get sick easily, but for Toffee we only bring him to the vet once a year.
We were also told that he is genetically defective since he does not look like one of his siblings. And we learned online that it was not suggested to breed him. We felt so sad because we wanted them to be accepted in dogs community. I want the people to know that they are reliable and they very easy to be with. But I read one of the comments here in the comments section and I am amazed to learn that they are not genetically defective and is just their lineage.
He is gino, my first prapso.😊
Bella and Luigi from the same litter. Prapso Luigi is now 4-1/2, weighs 23lbs and acts silly to make me laugh. He is definitely the boss but my 14lb girl is definitely the bright one. They are a shitzu and lhasa mix.
This is Raisa, she is a prapso mix. She is very easy going, playfull and so sweet. Her mommy is a prapso and her dad a chihuahua.
I don’t know if I can post my Malshi (Maltese-Shih Tzu mix) but I don’t have any other way to explain their coat.
These two are my super precious babies that I thought were Maltese, Maisy Daisy and Benji Bear. Their fur has been a serious mystery for me. Their fur was fuzzy as a baby like their siblings. It was just slightly shorter. At about 10 weeks it was clear their fur wasn’t growing in like their two siblings from the same litter who looked like regular fuzzy Maltese. They were also shedding. Not extensively, but definitely shedding. At first I worried I wasn’t feeding them appropriately since both of them had similar fur. But all signs pointed to healthy puppies. I started suspecting they were mixed with chihuahua. I was convinced based on the shape of Maisy’s face and the tan markings that were becoming more pronounced.
I decided to do the Embark DNA test. The results came back as 85% Maltese and 15% Shih Tzu! I did not see that one coming! A great grandparent on one side was a Shih Tzu. I was so puzzled. Shih Tzu puppies are fuzzy babies just like Maltese babies. I searched Malshi mixes looking for perhaps some kind of clue about their coat. I found markings on some mixes that started explaining Maisy’s markings, but the shortness of their coat and the slight shedding was still puzzling.
I kept googling and trying different questions and finally “Shih Tzu short smooth coat” led me to this article on Prapsos. And looking through google searches and all the pictures on this thread, I’m convinced both of my puppies (a boy and girl from the same litter, which is highly unusual) are Prapsos. Maisy opened her eyes first of the litter. She’s busy, bossy, feisty, fearless, and mischievous. Benji is sweet, sensitive, and cautious. They’re very in tune to me and cuddle way more than my first puppy who was way too busy with puppy work to cuddle. They learn quickly and are very smart. They’re also pretty tiny right now and I don’t expect them to get much bigger. They’ll be 4 months next week and Benji is 4.5 lbs and Maisy 3.4 lbs.
We see more information, not less, as helpful, Jenn. Thank you for sharing your dogs’ photo with us!
This is Bella my Prapso. I got her at 8 weeks, she was all black with white paw tips and forehead. Her color changed serval times ending up golden brown with black highlights.
She’s as smart as a whip, definitely a ‘Velcro’ dog, she’s always next to me or within my sight line. She is very calm, doesn’t like to be around more energetic dogs, and loves cats!
Her fur does reach the ground which after doing quite a bit of research I understand that is not too common with prapsos. I live in the desert so I keep it trimmed just off the ground as she’s like a dust/dirt magnet.
My Prapso Bella is just over 4 years old. I thought I was getting a traditional fluffy black Shih Tzu. But over the course of a couple of months I ended up with cutest golden brown, smart loving companion.
She defies the short haired side and her coat if I left it go untrimmed would dust the ground. Not ideal for living in the dusty desert, son I keep it just off.
Bella is adorable, Jodi, thank you for sharing her picture with us!
This is Prince, my 8 month old prapso puppy. He is super affectionate, smart and full of personality. Also, he tends to be a very trainable dog and is very admirable in comparison to the siblings of his litter.
Thanks to you guys I finally understand why he has the kind of fur he has an had a different structure in comparison to his brothers and sister. His mother is a shih tzu/shih poo I think and his dad is a straight hair poodle type dog.
(Location – Jamaica)
This is Reiko Berlin and she is 4 years old. I got her from a registered shih tzu breeder. She is quite the sassy miss but she really is such a sweet girl!
Meet Ralph born from two Lhasa Apsos.
We knew he was special early on, cheeky bugger.
Two photos just coz.
Just an update my baby is 8 months old now ❤️
This is Junebug. She’s a spottier version of Figaro above! ☝️ We think she’s pretty smart. She toilet trained herself, played fetch from the get go, loves puzzles, people watching and collecting things on walks. We love her that we can see her cute little face.
By discovering this page I realize we have a propso!! I thought we were duped, by shih tzu breeders or just recessive genetics, looks like Tibetan spaniel. Our family loves Charlie with all of our heart, he is the best companion!! Smart, funny, loveable, and so handsome!!! I couldn’t be happier that he is a propso, I will seek them out in the future!!!
Thanks for this great info. My sis doggo was one. We thought it has gene abnormalities as the father mated with the daughter and resulted to like that. He’s so cute though. Favorable and much better a short hair as we live in tropical place.
Otto, our 12 week old prapso.
Was absolutely convinced the breeder had lied to us until I spoke to another shih tzu breeder who said he looked like a prapso. I will be doing a dna test just to check. But he’s absolutely amazing, toilet trained outside from the day he came home. So smart and just adorable.
Charlie is a 7 month old full prapso 🥰
What a cutie!
I’m suspicious my new rescue is a Prapso. She is a Shih Tzu. But her coat is much more smooth. But it’s not growing (yay?). She’s only 9 months but very mature very smart. She has all the characteristics in the article which makes her different than the other Shih Tzu I have had. She will be spayed in a few months. Was hoping to let her mature a bit more
She’s a cutie, Linda!
I recently got my baby from a friend who no longer could care for her. I already have a shih tzu named and she told me she was full shih tzu as well but she looks different from my boy, do you guys think she is prapso, her hair doesn’t grow fast at all, everything I’ve read on prapso seem likes her but I’m not positive!
This is my Tito. He is 8 months old born February ,2023.. I received him from my grandmother who is a breeder of shih tzus for over 30 years. He just seemed so different and unique. Everybody that comes in contact with him just loves him the pieces. They love his old man beard. And his legs with the little fur on them and then his little fur on his chest.