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Showing posts with label mastiff. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mastiff. Show all posts
Tibetan Mastiff
COUNTRY: Tibet (China)
WEIGHT: 100lb (45kg) to 160lb (72kg)
HEIGHT: 25 to 28 inch (61 to 72 cm)
COAT: Thick, medium length, double
COLOR: Gold and black/tan most common; also black, grizzle, sable, brown, blue/tan and others
REGISTRY: FCI, TKC
GROUP: Mastiff
It is highly possible that the Tibetan Mastiff is the missing link between the flock guard and the mastiff breeds. He is from the area which gave us the stem of the original mastiff; yet he has a longer coat than most, and a tail curled over the back. It is possible that the Tibetans crossed the original archetype with other dogs to obtain today's breed. While the answer is lost in the mystery of Tibet, the breed, thankfully, has survived. It has been around since recorded history—or before—and is just now gaining some acceptance in the West, primarily in the US and Europe, The Tibetan Mastiff certainly is the forebear of several modern breeds.
Two types of mastiffs originally aided the lamas and villagers of Tibet: the Bhotia, an agile livestock guardian, and the Tsang Kyi, a larger territorial sentinel. The latter dog has for centuries protected nobility and religious orders. A pup was kept tied from two months of age to make him fierce; in fact, the Tibetans' name for their mastiff is the Do-kyi, dog you can tie up. Chaining or tying intensifies aggression, and these dogs bear the reputation of guarding an entire village. Like the bandogs of England, he was secured during the day and set free at night. Because of this habit, the breed tends to be sociable with other dogs and livestock, though he will defend himself if challenged.
The Tibetans say that a white spot on the chest is a good sign, signifying a brave heart. A white tail tip, however, is cut off as it denotes weakness. Tibetan natives make their dogs a protective woolly collar from the finest stiff hairs of a yak's tail. The hair is dyed red, and when a TM is wearing the collar, he appears even larger and more threatening.
Tibetan dogs traveled with Alexander the Great from "the roof of the world" to European countries, where they planted the seed for so many of today's mastiff and flock-guarding breeds.
The modern Tibetan Mastiff has been known outside Tibet for more than a century. The Prince of Wales owned at least one specimen in the 1880s, and a British standard for the breed was in existence in the 1930s. President Eisenhower received two as gifts from the Dalai Lama. Yet others reached America in the early 1970s through drug smugglers who placed packets of illegal substances under false bottoms in dog crates. These dealers then shipped the largest and toughest Tibetan Mastiffs to the States, where no customs inspector dared to inspect their crates!
A positive aspect of this crime is that many specimens escaped Communist China and reached the hands of concerned breeders. Others were brought in by more conventional routes. The TM is now recognized in many European and Asian countries, and there are national organizations for the breed in both North America and Europe. In the US they have been used as guard and sled dogs, as well as family companions.
The American Tibetan Mastiff Association recommends mating only genetically sound animals. Besides physical soundness, breeders are advised to choose stock with proper guardian tendencies and a stable family-oriented temperament. Bitches cycle only once a year.
The breed has incorporated many of the giant attributes of "impressive stature, formidable appearance and great strength." A controlled environment with moderate weight gain and adequate exercise is recommended by breeders to forestall many of the problems that often plague large breeds. The eight-week-old fluffy clown, often described as a teddy bear, will grow into a large, aloof adult with a strong sense of territory and an instinct to defend it. Socialization, discipline and routine grooming should begin early.
Despite their tough, protective instincts, they are gentle with their own families. In their homeland, they are controlled by even the smallest child, who can handle them and call them off intruders with ease. The Tibetan Mastiffs were bred to withstand the extreme temperatures of their native mountain land and are still capable of playing in a snowdrift in below zero temperatures or of performing an obedience routine at 90 degrees.
Mastiff
COUNTRY: Great Britain
WEIGHT: 175-190 pounds
HEIGHT: Minimum 27!/2-30 inches
COAT: Short, smooth
COLOR: Apricot, fawn or fawn-brindle, all with black mask
OTHER NAMES: Old English Mastiff
GROUP: Mastif
Early cynologists disagree just where the Mastiff originated, but they concur it is an ancient type. These dogs were depicted in bas reliefs as early as the Babylonian era, about 2200 BC, with their roots most likely leading back to the ancient Tibetan Mastiff. When the Romans arrived in England, the Mastiff had already preceded them, likely brought by ancient dog-traders. The English dogs' courage and power so impressed the Romans that they took examples of the breed back to Rome to fight in the arenas. These English powerhouses often defeated the homebred variety of molossus.
It was the Mastiffs' use as bandogs that brought them to prominence. Mastiffs, a derivative of the Latin mastinus meaning house-dog, roamed the grounds of estates and guarded castles, as well as lowly huts. Peasants were compelled to keep at least one Masnff for every two serfs to ward off savage beasts and villains. The Legh family of Lyme Hall, Cheshire, is recorded to have kept Mastiffs since 1415. English kings showed their pride in the dogs and displayed generosity by gifting Spanish royalty with the breed. Henry VIII sent Charles V a battalion of 400 Mastiffs as war dogs. The mastiff type was so common in England at the time of the Norman invasion that the French word dogue, meaning mastiff, was incorporated into the English language to describe all of the canine species!
Mastiffs served time in the pits facing large, tough opponents during the Elizabethan era. Following the decline of the forbidden matches, these dogs entered a downward trend. During the mid-19th century, the breed was revitalized and believed to have been crossed with the Al-pine Mastiff (St. Bernard). It was during this period that Mastiff fanciers "laid down the law" against the original longer head, now unfashionable. The wide use of one stud, with short, blocky head—but otherwise very faulty—created almost insurmountable problems.
Interest waned. From 63 Mastiffs at an 1871 English show, the entry dropped to zero just a few years later. The war years of the next century took further tolls on the breed. In 1945, only eight Mastiffs of breeding age were left in all of Britain! But a pair of fine pups, donated by a top Canadian kennel, helped restore the breed in its homeland, where it now is firmly entrenched.
In 1941, it was recognized in America and, currently, the Mastiff holds steady mid-way in AKC registrations. Throughout the years, Mastiffs have traveled the usual hills and valleys of popularity: large dog vs. small dog; hairy vs. smooth; tough vs. mellow.
Despite his giant size and forbidding appearance, the Mastiff is a good family pet, with those same qualities making him a worthy watchdog. He is a creature of habit and does not transplant easily, meaning that buyers who choose the Mastiff should plan to keep him for life. Tragically, like so many of the giants, he is not long-lived.
WEIGHT: 175-190 pounds
HEIGHT: Minimum 27!/2-30 inches
COAT: Short, smooth
COLOR: Apricot, fawn or fawn-brindle, all with black mask
OTHER NAMES: Old English Mastiff
GROUP: Mastif
Early cynologists disagree just where the Mastiff originated, but they concur it is an ancient type. These dogs were depicted in bas reliefs as early as the Babylonian era, about 2200 BC, with their roots most likely leading back to the ancient Tibetan Mastiff. When the Romans arrived in England, the Mastiff had already preceded them, likely brought by ancient dog-traders. The English dogs' courage and power so impressed the Romans that they took examples of the breed back to Rome to fight in the arenas. These English powerhouses often defeated the homebred variety of molossus.
It was the Mastiffs' use as bandogs that brought them to prominence. Mastiffs, a derivative of the Latin mastinus meaning house-dog, roamed the grounds of estates and guarded castles, as well as lowly huts. Peasants were compelled to keep at least one Masnff for every two serfs to ward off savage beasts and villains. The Legh family of Lyme Hall, Cheshire, is recorded to have kept Mastiffs since 1415. English kings showed their pride in the dogs and displayed generosity by gifting Spanish royalty with the breed. Henry VIII sent Charles V a battalion of 400 Mastiffs as war dogs. The mastiff type was so common in England at the time of the Norman invasion that the French word dogue, meaning mastiff, was incorporated into the English language to describe all of the canine species!
Mastiffs served time in the pits facing large, tough opponents during the Elizabethan era. Following the decline of the forbidden matches, these dogs entered a downward trend. During the mid-19th century, the breed was revitalized and believed to have been crossed with the Al-pine Mastiff (St. Bernard). It was during this period that Mastiff fanciers "laid down the law" against the original longer head, now unfashionable. The wide use of one stud, with short, blocky head—but otherwise very faulty—created almost insurmountable problems.
Interest waned. From 63 Mastiffs at an 1871 English show, the entry dropped to zero just a few years later. The war years of the next century took further tolls on the breed. In 1945, only eight Mastiffs of breeding age were left in all of Britain! But a pair of fine pups, donated by a top Canadian kennel, helped restore the breed in its homeland, where it now is firmly entrenched.
In 1941, it was recognized in America and, currently, the Mastiff holds steady mid-way in AKC registrations. Throughout the years, Mastiffs have traveled the usual hills and valleys of popularity: large dog vs. small dog; hairy vs. smooth; tough vs. mellow.
Despite his giant size and forbidding appearance, the Mastiff is a good family pet, with those same qualities making him a worthy watchdog. He is a creature of habit and does not transplant easily, meaning that buyers who choose the Mastiff should plan to keep him for life. Tragically, like so many of the giants, he is not long-lived.
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