About tibetan mastiff dog history, temperament and training tibetan mastiff puppies

The Tibetan Mastiff is an Indian dog which is very ancient and finds its origin in the Himalayan region of the subcontinent.



The Tibetan Mastiff has come to portray the nomadic cultures prevalent in ancient central Asia. The mastiff was bred as a guard dog and its vernacular name literally means ‘tied-dog', as in a dog that is tied outside the house to protect it.

There are typically two breeds of this dog. The more well known Tibetan Mastiff is moderately sized and is ferocious enough to keep a stranger out of the house.



However, not many take fancy to the extremely ferocious and large sized Tibetan Mastiff Lion. This dog has a massive growth of hair around its neck, which appears mane-like and makes the dog look much larger than it really is.

The Tibetan Mastiff has recorded a phenomenal weight of 110 Kg. However, such large dogs are more likely to be found in the wilderness of the Himalayas rather than the home of a loving family.



The average weigh of a pet Tibetan Mastiff ranges from 35 to 75 kg.

The Tibetan Mastiff is known to be a primitive breed and when in its native climates, it is able to retain a single estrus cycle per year instead of the normal two. This is a lot like the wolves. Due to this tendency of the Tibetan Mastiff, the puppies are born in either December or January.

Since its native climate is extremely cold, the Tibetan Mastiff dog has a long double coat. There are various colors of the coat including brown, golden, tan, black, blue-gray and sometimes white. The coat is thick and hypoallergenic, making these dogs suitable for asthmatics and those with allergies. They tend to shed their coat only once per year.

The Tibetan Mastiffs which are purebred in the west are very different in temperament than those that are still in the Himalayan region. Those in the Himalayas are extremely fierce. They are not easy to train and are extremely unpredictable and therefore are not preferred as pets. However, training those Tibetan mastiffs who are bred in the west is much simpler. These are obedient dogs that are extremely attached to their masters. They can be trained to act as both guard and companion dogs, making them rather valuable.

While in the west, the Tibetan Mastiff continue to be bred aiming to tone down their temperament, there are large scale efforts being made in Central Asia to preserve the fast disappearing Tibetan variety.