The Tibetan Mastiff also known as Do-khyi , reflects its use as a guardian of herds, flocks, tents, villages, monasteries, and palaces, much as the old English ban-dog (also meaning tied dog) was a dog tied outside the home as a guardian. However, in nomad camps and in villages, the Do-khyi is traditionally allowed to run loose at night and woe be unto the stranger who walks abroad after dark.
'Bhote Kukur' in Nepali means Tibetan Dog. In Mandarin Chinese, the name is 藏獒 (Zang'Ao), which literally means Tibetan Mastiff or Tibetan "big ferocious dog". In Mongolia it is called "bankhar", meaning "guard dog". The molosser type with which the modern Tibetan Mastiff breed is purportedly linked was known across the Ancient world by many names.
This is an ancient breed. It has been theorized that an early Tibetan dog is the ancestor to all Molossuses breeds. A study at Nanjing Agricultural University's Laboratory of Animal Reproductive Genetics and Molecular Evolution in Nanjing, China, found that while most common dog breeds genetically diverged from the wolf approximately 42,000 years ago, the Tibetan Mastiff genetically diverged from the wolf approximately 58,000 years ago.
Many Tibetan Mastiff breeders and owners (and their web sites) claim that Marco Polo encountered the large Tibetan dogs in his travels and described them as "tall as a donkey with a voice as powerful as that of a lion." However, reading of Polo's works does not support this. In fact, other travels told Marco Polo about these enormous dogs - and about unicorns and other exotic creatures.
In the early 19th century, King George IV owned a pair of TMs, and there were enough of the breed in England in 1906 to be shown at the 1906 Crystal Palace show. However, during the war years, the breed lost favor and focus and nearly died out in England.
After 1980, the breed began to gain in popularity worldwide. Although the breed is still considered somewhat uncommon, as various registries and show organizations (FCI, AKC) began to recognize the breed, more and more active breeders have arisen. Initially the breed suffered because of the limited gene pool from the original stock, but today's reputable breeders work hard at reducing the genetic problems through selective breeding and the international exchange of new bloodlines.
In 2008, the Tibetan Mastiff competed for the first time in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
In recent years, more wealthy Chinese are buying Tibetan Mastiff as a means to show off their status. It was reported in Sep 2009[4] that a rich Chinese woman spent more than USD 600,000 or 4 million yuan to buy an 18 month old purebred male Tibetan Mastiff, which she named Yangtze No. 2. This is - purportedly - the most ever paid for a dog.
Currently, some breeders differentiate between two "types" of Tibetan Mastiff: The Do-khyi and the "Tsang-khyi". The "Tsang-khyi" (which, to a Tibetan, means only "dog from Tsang") is also referred to as the "monastery type", described as generally taller, heavier, more heavily boned, with more facial wrinkling and haw than the "Do-khyi" or "nomad type". Both "types" are often produced in the same litter.
Males can reach heights up to 31+ inches (80+cm) at the withers, although the standard for the breed is typically in the 25 to 28 inch (61 to 72 cm) range. The heaviest TM on record may be one weighing over 130 kg[citation needed] but dogs bred in the West are more typically between 140 lb (64 kg) to 180 lb (82 kg) - especially if they are in good condition and not overweight. Certainly, the enormous dogs being produced in some Western and some Chinese kennels would have "cost" too much to keep fed to have been useful to nomads; and their questionable structure would have made them well-nigh useless as livestock guardians.
The Tibetan Mastiff is considered a primitive breed. It typically retains the instincts which would be required for it to survive in Tibet, including canine pack behavior. In addition, it is one of the few primitive dog breeds that retains a single oestrus per year instead of two, even at much lower altitudes and in much more temperate climates than its native climate. This characteristic is also found in wild canids such as the wolf. Since their oestrus usually takes place during late fall, most Tibetan Mastiff puppies are born between December and January.
Its double coat is long, subject to climate, and found in a wide variety of colors including solid black, black & tan, various shades of gold, blue/gray, chocolate brown, the rarest of all the colors being solid white.
The coat of a TM lacks the unpleasant "big dog smell" that affects many large breeds. The coat - whatever its length or color(s) - should shed dirt and odors. Although the dogs shed somewhat throughout the year, there is generally one impressive "molt" in late winter or early spring and sometimes another, lesser molt in the late summer or early fall. (Sterilization of the dog or bitch may dramatically affect the coat as to texture, density, and shedding pattern.)
Tibetan Mastiffs are shown under one standard in the West, but separated by the Indian breed standard into two varieties[citation needed] - Lion Head (smaller in size, exceptionally long hair from forehead to withers, creating a ruff or mane) and Tiger Head (larger in size, shorter hair)
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