The Tibetan mastiff is a breed of dogs that captivates with its strength, grandeur and charm. Its representatives have innate devotion, excellent guard and shepherd qualities, and are also good companions. This is the largest of the Tibetan breeds. Dog handlers consider it one of the oldest in the world. In the Himalayan region, these dogs were bred to protect homes and livestock. They were often tied at the entrance to a dwelling or near another property as a guard against intruders.
The first British researchers in the Himalayas described a gigantic breed with magnificent, dense-growing fur. Several individuals were brought to England, and in 1828, King George IV presented a Tibetan mastiff dog presented to him at a London zoo. After the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950, a forced slaughter of these animals followed, after which the few that lived in remote areas survived. It was this group that became the basis of the modern breed.
Tibetan "lion"
In their places of origin, these dogs were considered a very valuable acquisition. They were bred at temples, guarding the territory and property of monasteries. To get such a dog as a personal guard or a guard for property and livestock could only wealthy families. The image of these animals is shrouded in local legends, in which, under different circumstances, dogs save not only their owners, but also random travelers.
A special place in oral folklore is given to the white Tibetan mastiff, who is considered the spirit of a mountain dog and is called the snow lion. This is due to the fact that pure white color is extremely rare in this breed, and such individuals were presented as a valuable gift to high-ranking nobles. According to legend, such dogs accompanied women and children of the highest families. In fairy tales, the white spirit of a mountain dog appeared from a blizzard, saving travelers from the attack of robbers, leading lost on familiar paths or to houses and did other things.
Some believed that to see this creature was a sign of imminent death, others claimed that it thus manifests its protection. Outside of China, today it is extremely rare to meet the purest snow color of the breed, but everyone can enjoy the white Tibetan mastiff in the photo. Such images can be seen in the article.
Origin
This breed is very ancient, possibly appearing in the northern region of the Himalayas centuries BC. Tibetan mountain dogs belong to the group of Molossians, descended from older ancestors. The British Museum has a marble sculpture of the 2nd century depicting a Molossian dog, with very short hair over a strong muscular body and a longer coat, like a mane, on the head and neck.
The Romans raised these dogs to participate in the fighting of their army, as well as as a guard. But even earlier, in the mid-300s BC, the mother of Alexander the Great began to breed them, so these frightening huge dogs accompanied her son on military campaigns. The descendants of the Molossians became the ancestors of European mastiffs, Rottweilers, dog-like, some shepherd and fighting breeds.
Those specimens of Molossian dogs that fell into the harsh conditions of the Tibetan highlands laid the foundation for a special breed - the Tibetan mastiff, which is extremely resistant to frost and covered with dense, hard coat with copious undercoat. These dogs are adapted to sleep, burrowing in snow, in the open air even at very low temperatures. They valued devotion, protective and shepherd instincts, but fighting qualities never developed.
External effect
A vivid impression is made even by a photo of the Tibetan mastiff. A dog with a well-developed skeleton and a gross type of powerful build combines tremendous stamina and strength. With such a massive complexion, its movements always remain springy, light, with a good push of the paws, which gives them a kind of grace. This is especially noticeable when running: among Tibetans, with an increase in their speed, a single track is gradually traced. But, moving at a step, they look imposing and unhurried. Whatever the Tibetan mastiff does, he is always full of dignity and greatness.
Character and habits
The first and main quality in the characterization of the Tibetan mastiff is its extraordinary loyalty to the masters and the territory. This is his instinctive property. The Tibetan is devoted to all members of the family. He will become their reliable protector and patron, but he will prefer a single leader, perceiving the rest as his charges. The territory subordinate to him and any household property will be selflessly guarded by the dog.
The second point in the characterization of the Tibetan mastiff should be noted its extremely independent disposition, requiring respect. Tibetan carrot and carrot training is not acceptable. The dog can react to inconsistent and rude manifestations of the owner’s character by isolation and by ignoring the commands. Correcting the situation and making contact with such a dog will be too difficult. On the other hand, the Tibetan mastiff will implicitly obey only the leader. It is necessary to earn the respect of the dog and its recognition in the owner of the leader. Therefore, a pet of this breed is recommended for experienced dog breeders. Or you should resort to the services of a trainer.
Tibetan mastiffs are smart and easy to train when they understand what is required of them. If contact and understanding are established with them, they will willingly carry out commands. These are calm dogs with a stable psyche, but not phlegmatic. They are friendly, but their protective instincts make everyone who does not belong to family members wary. They are not aggressive, but will not accept familiarity from the outsider. This can be understood even simply by looking at a photo of a Tibetan mastiff: a dog with all his appearance embodies self-esteem and nobility, therefore, relations with him should be built on appropriate qualities. But these pets need discipline and consistent training.
Puppies
Looking at calm and restrained parents, one should not think that their cubs will correspond to these properties. Like all puppies, Tibetan mastiffs are fussy, temperamental and mobile. They are curious about all the surrounding objects, nibble and turn them into toys, require a lot of space for their fun. It should be taken into account in advance that these babies weigh about 15 kg at three months, and about 28 kg at six months. In one-year-old puppies of the Tibetan mastiff, the weight reaches 42 kg, however, they are still far from fully growing up. Their psychological and physical maturation takes a long time, and up to two years their behavior remains adolescent, with puppy habits. To full maturity, females grow in the interval from two to three years, and males mature in four years. By this time, animals weigh in the range of 53-59 kg.
Breed standards
There is a certain standard of breed cleanliness, approved by the International Cynological Federation (FCI, FCI). It unites 91 countries, each of which is subject to one particular breed of dog. Its standard is prepared by the national organization of dog handlers of the ICF member country and submitted for approval by the commission of the international organization.
The Tibetan mastiff belongs to the association of cynological clubs in China, the signs of purity of its breed are determined by the FCI standard under No. 230 dated April 2, 2004. From this document you can learn not only the characteristics of the Tibetan mastiff, sizes and proportions, its anatomical and psychological features, the standard of quality and color of woolly coat. The standard also indicates which properties relate to flaws and defects that impede the cleanliness of the breed. Individuals with disqualifying characteristics are not allowed for breeding.
Head
These dogs have a large skull with a pronounced occipital protuberance. The head is massive, heavy and wide, with a well-marked transition in place between the muzzle and forehead, called the stop. If you measure the length from this point to the lower part of the back of the head, it will be equal to the length from the tip of the nose to the stop or a little shorter. Dangling drifts, as well as a strongly wrinkled muzzle, are significant disadvantages of the breed.
The jaws of the Tibetan mastiff are massive, with tightly spaced teeth. The ideal bite standard is scissor bite, but straight is also possible, but undershot and overshot, which are considered disqualifying defects, are unacceptable.
Oval, medium sized eyes are wide and set slightly obliquely. They must certainly be very dark in color. The eyelids close to the eyeball create a special expression of equanimity and self-worth inherent in these dogs.
The nose is large, the nostrils are well open. The darkest color of the eyes and nose is standard. Weak pigmentation of the nose and light eyes are among the unacceptable signs in the characteristics of the breed of the Tibetan mastiff.
The ears are hanging, triangular, medium sized, covered with soft, short hair and pressed tightly to the head. They should be planted between the conditionally drawn eye and forehead lines. Low ears or too large are a significant drawback.
Torso
The neck of the Tibetan mastiff, like the entire body, is massive and muscular. Throughout its length and diameter, thick luxurious wool forms a mane, which is noticeably larger in males than in females. The suspension (sagging skin on the throat of dogs) should not be very large, otherwise it will be considered a significant disadvantage of the breed.
The height at the withers is considered to be minimum 66 cm for males and 61 cm for females, but a limit of two centimeters lower is allowed for the growth of the Tibetan mastiff. The length of the body exceeds the height at the withers. A chest of moderate breadth, the depth of which reaches below the level of the elbows, is a standard indicator. The ribs are well bent, but they should not be barrel-shaped, which is considered a defect for the breed. The dog must have a straight back without sagging, a wide, almost horizontal croup and muscular oblique shoulders.
The weight of the Tibetan mastiff is not included in the standard. By 4.5 years, dogs on average gain about 50 kg. As a rule, the weight of adult females ranges from 34 to 54 kg, males weigh between 45-54 kg.
Tail and limbs
Thick short hair abundantly covers the straight forelimbs with elbows strictly directed backwards. Massive metacarpals, places between forearms and paws slightly inclined. On the hind limbs angles are well marked. The muscles on rather long, tow-rich hips should be strong and strong, but not tuberous. Metatarsus, lower sections of hind legs between paw and lower leg, short and strong. Rounded paws are massive and large. According to the breed characterization standard, dewclaws are allowed in the Tibetan mastiff. The tail is of medium length, set along the spine, is well developed and beautifully decorated with thick fluffy hair. It is twisted high above the back when the dog is moving or alert.
Color standard
This is one of the most important factors in breeding dogs. The standard of Tibetan mastiffs, like other breeds, defines acceptable and disqualifying colors. Even if a certain color of woolly coat, as, for example, in the white Tibetan mastiff, makes the animal especially attractive and rare. Nevertheless, this color can be considered unacceptable and relate to the defects of the breed.
The standard of the Tibetan mastiff are the varieties of color:
- saturated black, pure or with "tan" markings;
- blue, also clean or with tan markings;
- golden red, with variations from intense beige to dark brick red;
- white color is allowed as a single spot on the chest, as well as minimum marks on the ends of the paws.
Marks "tan" (from the English tan - tan) are tan marks, that is, spots from beige to saturated brick color, making up a characteristic pattern. In the Tibetan mastiff, they are located above the eyes, on the inside of the limbs and tail, and can be found on the lips and around the eyes, cheeks, neck, chest.
Other color options, such as spotted, black, brindle, gray and, unfortunately, white, are considered a disqualifying defect in the Tibetan mastiff.
Cost
In an interview for the press, one of the Chinese breeders Zhang Gengyun said: "Like our Chinese pandas, purebred Tibetan mastiffs are rare, so the prices are so high." Perhaps this judgment does not apply to all representatives of the breed, but some of the Tibetans topped the list of the most expensive dogs on the planet. The most magnificent specimens are most often bought by the Chinese rich, who consider the acquisition of such an animal a symbol of prestige.
In March 2011, at the annual Chinese fair in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, a red Tibetan mastiff puppy was sold for nearly two million dollars to a “coal baron” from northern China. A photo of a large Tibetan mastiff, which has become the most expensive dog in history, was published by Getty Images, an American photo agency. For this photo, an unknown Chinese man showed off two 11-month-old puppies, the second of which sold for one million dollars. The event was also celebrated by local media and the French agency France Presse.
As for the white Tibetan mastiff, by 2010 there were only two individuals of this rare color living outside of China. One of the puppies was purchased for $ 1.2 million.
Many similar reports have been published about the sales of Tibetans at astronomical prices. However, most of them were attempts by breeders to increase the sale value of their dogs. The photographs shown on websites often exaggerate the color intensity, size and powerful addition of animals. By 2015, excessive and not always responsible breeding of puppies by the breeders caused flaws and multiple violations of the breed standard. The unnaturally increased body size and mane of animals led to such a curious case: in 2013, the Chinese zoo in Luha tried to pass off the Tibetan mastiff as an African lion.
Due to the fact that these dogs are too difficult to maintain in an urban environment, prices in China for the best representatives of the breed fell to about $ 2,000. Today, the low quality and production of crosses of the Tibetan mastiff is practically stopped.