Top dog breeders gathered on December 13th at the 25th annual AKC National Championship, presented by Royal Canin, to crown the 2025 AKC Breeder of the Year. One breeding program represents each of the seven breed groups, and out of those, one honoree is awarded breeder of the year. Susan Giles, of Ta Sen Lhasa Apsos, was awarded 2025 AKC Breeder of the Year.
Honoring the Breeding Program
For more than 50 years, Giles has dedicated her life to preserving, bettering, and enriching her beloved breed: the Lhasa Apso, a small but hardy dog hailing from the Himalayas.
“There were a lot of good breeders with good programs that were nominated, so to be the one that got the top award was just very special,” she says. “It’s just really cool to have been chosen.”
“We are proud to honor Susan S. Giles with the 2025 AKC Breeder of the Year award,” said Gina M. DiNardo, the AKC’s President and CEO during the ceremony. “Ta Sen has been associated with top quality, healthy Lhasa Apsos in the United States and [Giles] impact on the breed will be seen for many more years to come.”
Giles’ Love of Lhasa Apsos Spans Decades
Giles love of Lhasa Apsos started in over 50 years ago. She met one, liked the breed’s personality, and the in 1975, purchased a puppy herself. What happened next, however, would take her from being a casual lover of Apsos to one of the most influential American breeders.
“[My puppy] had kennel cough the first week I had it, so I took it to the vet’s, and the reception at the vet’s had a professional handler showing their Shih Tzu,” recalls Giles. “She told me that they were having a match that weekend and I should bring my puppy. He was too sick to go, but I went, I looked around, and I said, ‘I could do this,’ and that’s how it got started.”
Fast-forward a few decades, and dogs from Giles’ kennel have won countless awards, including (but not limited to) Best in Show, National Specialty Best of Breed, and even Farm and Trick Dog titles. While Giles has many guiding principles that empower her to uphold and maintain the Lhasa Apso breed standard, one that shines through is her love of these dogs.
The Key to Breeding Healthy, Well-Tempered Puppies
Giles says prospective breeders should begin by outlining their goals. She recalls that years ago, the average Lhasa Apso was too tall to meet the breed standard. A male, for example, would have stood taller than the suggested 10 to 11 inches at the withers. So, she focused on breeding Apsos that were shorter and conformed closer to the standard.
Giles also emphasizes breeding well-mannered, even-tempered dogs who can readily adjust to home life.
“I have made it a real personal campaign to make sure that I only breed dogs that have good temperaments,” she says. “These are very smart dogs. If you have a dog that’s a sharp-tempered dog, and he may figure out that by growling and biting, he can take control. If you send a well-tempered dog into a home, it easily figures how to wrap you around its paw by being cute and sweet. They accomplish the same thing, just in two different ways.”
For Giles, the breed standard is most important, no matter what dog you’re looking to breed. “First you need to learn structure, then you need to learn your breed standard,” she says. “There are a lot of people that breed and don’t even know what the breed standards say. Those two things are very important. You have to know what the skeletal structure is, [and] you have to know what you’re aspiring to.”
Commemorating One of Her Top Dogs
As part of being recognized as the 2025 Breeder of the Year, Giles will have the honor of having her name inscribed on a trophy displayed at the AKC’s headquarters in New York City. There’s another honor: a commissioned portrait memorializing a prominent dog from Ta Sen Lhasa Apsos, Giles’ kennel in Manakin-Sabot, Virginia.
Giles has an idea of who she will choose to commemorate.
“It should be JJ (“GCHP CH Ta Sen Westgate Jingle Juice”) since he’s done the most winning with 26 Best in Shows and 27 runner-up Best in Shows and three National Specialties,” she says. “This has been an extraordinarily successful year for JJ and a bitch that I co-bred that is the number two Non-Sporting dog. He’s number one Non-Sporting, she’s number two Non-Sporting. It’s very, very cool. Between the two of them, they have 61 Best in Shows.”
Like the inscribed trophy, JJ’s portrait will also be hung at the AKC’s headquarters in NYC. Currently, this accomplished dog is ranked the All-Time Top Winning Lhasa male in the AKC’s history with 294 GCH points.
Seeing the “Absolute Truth”
Giles acknowledges that none of her dogs are perfect, but in a way, that’s a good thing.
“My guiding principle is to produce, healthy, well-tempered dogs,” she says. “That’s probably the most important goal. Nobody is going to get the perfect dog. If they do, then I have to retire because I went kennel blind. Kennel blind generally means that you think all your dogs are perfect, so basically, it’s saying that you are no longer able to see the absolute truth.”
A discerning, objective eye is what Giles says empowers her to produce quality litters. But it doesn’t take a lifelong breeder to see Giles’ genuine love and connection to Lhasa Apsos.
“I love that they’re a little independent, a little bit stubborn,” she says. “They’re very regal, but they can be a clown — they’re not going to make themselves look foolish. Just you.”
The AKC National Championship, presented by Royal Canin, has crowned its 2025 Best in Show! Learn more about conformation and follow your favorite breeds at dog shows throughout the year.