by Alexa Steele

Created on: June 23, 2009   Last Updated: August 06, 2010

The Tibetan Mastiff is an ancient and noble breed of dog. Believed to have traveled with the likes of Genghis Khan and Attila the Hun, these canines have a rich and storied history as guardians and protectors.

-History

The exact ancestry of the Tibetan Mastiff has been lost to time but there is archaeological evidence of massive dogs in China dating all the way back to 1100 BC. In fact, the Tibetan may be the original large dog breed making it the grandfather of all modern Mastiffs.

For most of history the Tibetan Mastiff has remained largely isolated to the mountains and valleys of the Himalayan region. While it is believed that these dogs traveled with the armies of ancient civilizations including Persia, Assyria, Greece and the Rome; they were kept mainly as guard dogs of the Tibetan people. Tethered by day they would be loosed at night to protect villages, families, monasteries or nomadic camps.

It was not until 1847, when the Viceroy of India sent a large dog from Tibet to Queen Victoria that Westerners began to be exposed to these impressive dogs. England's official kennel club was formed in 1873 at which point the "large dog from Tibet" was first named "Tibetan Mastiff." From then on there was a trickle of imports of these dogs into England and Europe.

In the 1950s the Dalai Lama sent two Tibetan Mastiffs to President Eisenhower, but they are not heard of again in the United States until the 1970s when dogs began being imported from Nepal and India. The American Tibetan Mastiff Association was founded in 1974, but this breed did not gain American Kennel Club (AKC) recognition until 2005.

-Temperament

The Tibetan Mastiff's personality has been conditioned by his centuries of utility. As a guardian he was expected to be a protective and territorial animal. The AKC describes this breed as having "a disposition and temperament of controlled strength, initiative and fearlessness, tempered with patience, loyalty and gentleness." As such these dogs are wonderfully devoted pets to their owners but do not take well to strangers of any kind. If not properly socialized, this dog can become unmanageably territorial. He also has a tendency to bark at night which can be disruptive to a neighborhood.

The Tibetan Mastiff is highly intelligent and independent. He is used to making his own decisions is not as easily trained as other breeds. However, for all their difficulties Tibetan Mastiffs are gentle and sensitive family members. They are patient with children and generally

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