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Whilst there are claims that the Lhasa Apso has been in existence since 800BC we must bear in mind that the earliest written records of Tibet did not come into being until around AD 639. Thus it is very difficult to substantiate such claims, although it is highly likely that the Lhasa Apso did indeed exist prior to the birth of Christ.
The breed possibly descended originally from European and Asiatic herding dogs such as the Puli and the Pumi; undoubtedly the Lhasa Apso has lived, relatively unchanged, in the monasteries and homes of Tibetan nobles for many centuries. Clearly, though it was not kept exclusively in monasteries as has sometimes been stated.
These little shaggy coated Tibetan dogs were, however, considered a talisman and were not sold but given as gifts. From the beginning of the Manchu Dynasty in 1583 untill 1908, the end of the Dowager Empress Tsu Hsi's reign, the Dali Lama had a custom of presenting these dogs to imperial families of China as bringers of good fortune.
The history of the breed is veiled in a certain haze but it seems that some, at least, were bred and selected with care, being jealously guarded by Buddhist monks. It is perhaps a little know fact that when the 14th Dalai Lama was young he had a black Lhasa Apso of which he was very fond.
We know too, that the breed has always been held in high esteem, although there is no firm evidence to suggest that it holds any religious significance. It is interesting to note that even recent travellers to Tibet make mention of little dogs peeping out from the folds of the Tibetan Buddhists robes. One of the reasons it has been so difficult to establish the breed outside Tibet is that the majority of typical specimens were confined to the monasteries or owned by nobles who, like the Lamaist monks, were seldom willing to part with them.
