My 4th Child - Our Tibetan Terrier!
We are a family of five with two cats and a very sweet TT. The kids were 1, 12 and 14 yo when we got our TT. She is currently 21 months, and we are all in love with her. (BTW, I grew up with 2 cats, a Bassett Hound and an Alaskan Malamute. We also had a Black Lab for a few years before the Malamute.)
Lucy, our TT, has a very sweet disposition. She's extremely easy going and friendly. Very well socialized with other dogs and people. Very charming with other dogs...she never fails to engage even the most reluctant dogs in a game of chase. Charming with people, too!
As online sources say, they really adapt to their owners and/or whatever you're doing. She's fun and can be feisty outdoors, loves to run and play soccer, etc. At 25 lbs., she has the stamina to keep up with the kids. When indoors, she settles in w/o complaint. She likes to go with me on errands and waits in the car w/o any problems. She's also okay when left at home for a few hours. (I haven't left her alone longer than 3 hours.)
We visit out of state family several times a year, and she's always been terrific in the car. In a two-week period last year, we traveled to see family (8 hours each way) twice. While we were at our destination, she slept in new locations, incl. a hotel room, w/o one problem. She also had to wait in the car while we were in restaurants and while someone in the hospital, etc., etc. We could not have asked for her to be any better behaved. Obviously we took her for walks and potty breaks, but she was absolutely amazing.
We all pick her up and cary her around all the time. She's very compliant. She'll stay in your lap for a while on her own and w/o a complaint if you gently restrain her. Eventually she'll go sit in one of her favorite spots. She does grumble/growl a little if the kids try to pick her up when she's sleeping, and it's getting later in the evening. I usually tell her that I'm going to pick her up and tell her "no growling". This works beautifully.
She is a bit independent and will ignore me sometimes until she realizes it's in her best interests, i.e., I have a treat for her. She's not terribly independent, though. She'll sit, leave it, drop it, stay, "go upstairs to bed", lay down, get down...can't think what else. She does not always like to 'come' on command. We're still working on it.
She needs a lot of combing, but I enjoy doing it. I try to do some every day for 20 minutes or so. She got a puppy cut this summer, and it was easier to give her a bath, but I didn't like the look as well as I do when her hair is long. She is incredibly good when being groomed. She might not always be enjoying it, but I can appease her w/ promises of a treat and restraining her.
Hope this helps!