Lhasa Apso wani tsohon nau'in kare ne da aka haifa a Tibet daga Tibet Terrier da irin karnukan Tibet. Zuwan addinin Buddah na Tibet a karni na 7 AD ya sanya Lhasa Apso ya zama nau'i na ƙarshe. An ce Buddha yana da iko akan zakuna, kuma Lhasa Apso mai dogon gashinsa, gashi a kai, da launin zaki ana kiransa "karen zaki".
Dalai Lamas ba wai kawai sun kiyaye Lhasa Apso a matsayin dabbobi ba amma kuma sun yi amfani da su azaman kyauta ga baƙi na girmamawa. An yi amfani da Lhasa Apso, wanda aka aika zuwa China, a cikin kiwo na Shih Tzu da Pekingese. Lhasa Apso ba kawai ta yi aiki a matsayin dabbar gida da abokiyar zamanta ba har ma a matsayin kare gadi saboda taka tsantsan da tsangwama.