22d • Breed of the Week
TIbetan Mastiff
Let’s get out of Germany for once and venture into China, Tibet to be exact, and talk about the Tibetan Mastiff. These dogs are big (90-150lbs for the males and 70-120lbs for the females), bred to be excellent guardians and thrive in harsh conditions. The Tibetan Mastiff is another one that is considered one of the oldest breeds with historical references dating back as early as 1100 B.C. Early records on the Tibetan Mastiff were not kept and Tibet was very isolated from Europeans and other Westerners until the 1800s.
Tibetan Mastiffs are known as Do-Kyi in Tibet which means “tied dog” according to one source. This reflects them being tethered near the entrances of homes, temples and encampments which they would guard. The breed’s style of guarding is more intimidating presence versus pursuit and their wariness of strangers is a feature not a bug. Due to the breed being isolated this likely kept the qualities minimally adultered from outside influence.
It is said that Tibetan Mastiffs were bred by Tibetan nomads and those entrusted with guarding monasteries, livestock and property. The importance of the Tibetan Mastiffs duty did not stop there as Buddhists of this area believed that the breed also carried the souls of monks and nuns who did not reach their heavenly paradise Shambhala.
Tibetan Mastiffs found themselves outside of their homeland when Lord Hardinge, the Viceroy of India, sent “a large dog from Tibet” to Queen Victoria in 1847. In 1859 England had its first dog show and in 1873 the England Kennel Club was formed with their first stud book where they had a whopping 4027 pedigrees of dogs. This is when the “large dog from Tibet” was officially named the Tibetan Mastiff for the first time. In 1874 two more Tibetan Mastiffs were brought to England by the Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VII and the next year they were shown at the Alexandra Palace Show.
It is unknown when Tibetan Mastiffs arrived in the United States of America but it was documented that in 1958 Nepal’s foreign ministry gifted a pair to President Dwight D. Eisenhower who was apparently was expecting two Tibetan Terriers. The result of this confusion is the dogs were relocated to a farm somewhere in the Midwest and lived a life out of the spotlight.
Today Tibetan Mastiffs are not a very common breed outside of Tibet and the surrounding areas but there are some breeders. It is said that some of these breeders are irresponsible and partake in inbreeding which can lead to a number of health issues as we know.
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TIbetan Mastiff
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