Even though they are called a Tibetan Spaniel, this dog is not like a "true" spaniel. Spaniels are gun dogs, for hunting. Tibetan Spaniels are companion dogs, and are not useful for hunting. No one is sure how they got the name "spaniel" if they are not gun dogs, but it may be because Tibetan Spaniels look very similar to the small, "lapdog" versions of the hunting spaniels, such as the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.