Is My Puppy Purebred? What's a PRapso?

Excerpts used with permission from Enchanted Mountain Shih Tzus.

Meet River! And yes, she IS a purebred Shih Tzu! 

Within a year of starting to breed Shih Tzu, I had a puppy show up that just looked "off" a little. I knew it was not a cross or mixed breed as I only had one male Shih Tzu. I started to compare a photo of the little puppy to other photos of Shih Tzu out on the internet. One day I spotted one that looked like mine! And I called the lady who had posted the photo to inquire about my puppy. Below is the information I received from her. Over the course of the last 13 years, we have had one show up here and there. Beautiful pets, but not to the standard of what a Shih Tzu is. 

"Occasionally in a litter of perfectly healthy and wonderful Shih Tzu puppies you will get a puppy that seems to be a little different as far as their hair growth goes.  You generally don’t notice this until the puppy is around 6 weeks old and sometimes later depending on whether you have a partial or a full Prapso puppy.  Most people have not heard of this condition and it used to be primarily thought of as a Lhasa Apso Condition, because that is where it was seen most often.  They called them “smooth haired” Lhasa’s.  The word “Prapso” started in Australia.  From the phrase “perhaps an Apso” This “condition” however is not limited to the Lhasa Apso.  It is periodically seen in the Shih Tzu as well as other Tibetan breeds.

So just what is a Prapso?  Prapso puppies are an interesting occurrence.  They are perfectly healthy little babies.  A Prapso puppy will mature faster than his litter mates, usually will open their eyes earlier than normal,  They will get a full set of teeth much earlier than their littler mates and in general they tend to have a more rambunctious personality.  They also for whatever reason are thought to be slightly smarter than other dogs of their breed.  What is most noticeable is their shorter than average hair for their breed.  In a full Prapso they will have shorter smooth hair, generally over their entire body however their muzzles and legs are generally shorter than their body, a Lhasa Apso looks almost identical to a Tibetan Spaniel if he/she is a full Prapso puppy.   You can also have a partial Prapso, which is what I have seen in the Shih Tzu. 

A partial Prapso will generally have longer hair on the body, but it may not grow to the ground like a flowing show coat.  There may be long hair on the face and head where your typical top knots can be done, but generally right around the muzzle will stay short and the legs will be shorter than the body,  They can grow longer than a “smooth hair” look, but generally will not grow as long as  typically seen on a Shih Tzu, but their hair will still have a straighter/smoother appearance with a slightly different texture than a typical Shih Tzu.  Prapso puppies/dogs make excellent pets. You get the loving, fun, playful and loyal personality of the Shih Tzu without all the hard work of the long coat and profuse hair.  If you keep your shih tzu in the shorter coat then the shorter hair is a non-issue. 
 
Prapso’s are not uncommon.  Some breeders are unaware of this condition and often do not recognize the signs.  Reputable breeders that are aware of this will simply sell the Prapso as a pet and educate potential buyers about how their puppy will be different if it is possible to tell before the puppy goes to his/her new home. However, some not so reputable breeders know exactly what a Prapso puppy is and choose not to tell buyers that the particular puppy they are interested in is a Prapso.  A buyer can and usually will be very confused and disappointed in their puppy if they are not educated about this condition.

Perhaps the buyer is looking for a show-quality Shih Tzu, the puppy or dog could then suffer from the results of a disappointed buyer and wind up in a shelter or worse homeless.   A loving pet owner could spend unnecessary time and money and mental anguish trying to figure out what is “wrong” with their puppy. The Prapso puppy makes an absolutely wonderful, smart, affectionate, playful, somewhat low maintenance alternative to their breed standard counterparts.  People that have owned Prapso’s are known to ask for another one as they realize what a joy they really are.  The Prapso puppy is nothing to be ashamed of. (Reilly's Reg'd states in their contract that we will take a puppy back, so it does NOT wind up in a homeless state)

On the breeder side of things, obviously, most breeders do not produce a Prapso puppy on purpose.  They can just “pop up” every once in a while and no one really knows why.  There are a lot of breeders that  have had a litter or more with a Prapso puppy. There are theories that the Tibetan spaniel was mixed into the Lhasa and Shih Tzu breed many many years ago in Tibet, and they are the result of this practice. 

Some people just believe it is a genetic mutation that for whatever reason results in this characteristic. Many breeders who have had one show up will often get requests for another as they are so delightful and easy to care for. However, anyone who would think to breed them is in for a disappointment, as females seem to only have litters of 1-2 puppies. In the end a Prapso puppy is a perfectly healthy pet that can bring you years of love and affection.
 
Signs you "might" own a Prapso? 
1. Less grooming! the hair on most does not grow much, often they have a single coat so way less matting. In fact the only places you seem to get matting is behind the ears. 
2. They generally have a thick "handlebar moustache" look to their pants on the back legs.
3. Little to no facial hair as we know it with a regular Shih Tzu.
4. Quick minds and learning tricks.
5. They shed more than a regular Shih Tzu. 
6. "whoville" foot hair, LOL, it just seems to grow so much faster. Check out River's feet above!

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