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DO-KHYI
(Tibetan
Mastiff)
ORIGIN : Tibet.
PATRONAGE :
FCI.
DATE
OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 24.03.2004.
UTILIZATION :
A companion, watch and guard dog.
CLASSIFICATION
F.C.I. :
Group 2 Pinscher
and Schnauzer- Molossoid breeds- Swiss Mountain and
Cattle Dogs and other breeds.
Section
2.2 Molossoid breeds, Mountain type.
Without
working trial.
BRIEF
HISTORICAL SUMMARY :
The Tibetan Mastiff (Do Khyi) is an ancient working
breed of the nomad herders of the Himalaya and a
traditional guardian of the Tibetan monasteries. It
has been surrounded by great myth since its first
discovery in antiquity. From the mentioning
by Aristoteles (384-322 b.C.) to the famous writings
of Marco Polo, who went to Asia in 1271, all historical
reports praise the natural strength and impressiveness
of the Tibetan Mastiff- both physically and mentally. Even
its bark has been described as a unique and highly
treasured feature of the breed. Leading European
cynologists of the past, like Martin and Youatt,
Megnin, Beckmann, Siber as well as Strebel and Bylandt
have intensively covered the Tibetan Mastiff, as
they had been fascinated by its origin and function
in the Tibetan culture. Some even considered
the breed to be the very forefather of all large
mountain and mastiff breeds. One of the first
known Tibetan Mastiffs to reach Western shores was
a male sent to Queen Victoria by Lord Hardinge (then
Viceroy of India) in 1847. Later in the 1880s,
Edward VII (then Prince of Wales) took two dogs back
to England. An early recorded litter of Tibetan
Mastiffs was born in 1898 in the Berlin Zoo.
GENERAL
APPEARANCE :
Powerful, heavy, well built, with good bone. Impressive;
of solemn and earnest appearance. Combines
majestic strength, robustness and endurance; fit
to work in all climate conditions. Slow to
mature, only reaching its best at 2-3 years in females
and at least 4 years in males.
IMPORTANT
PROPORTIONS :
- Skull
measured from occiput to stop equal to muzzle from
stop to end of nose but muzzle may be a little shorter.
- Body
slightly longer than height at withers.
BEHAVIOUR
/ TEMPERAMENT :
Independent. Protective. Commands
respect. Most
loyal to his family and territory.
HEAD :
Broad, heavy and strong. In adults a wrinkle may
extend from above the eyes down to the corner of mouth.
CRANIAL
REGION :
Skull :
Large, very slightly rounded, with strongly pronounced
occiput.
Stop : Well
defined.
FACIAL
REGION :
Nose :
Broad, as dark as possible depending on coat colour,
well opened nostrils.
Muzzle : Fairly
broad, well filled and deep. End of muzzle square. Lips :
Well developed and covering the underjaw.
Jaws/Teeth : Jaws
strong with perfect, regular and complete scissor bite,
i.e. upper incisors closely overlapping the lower incisors
and set square to the jaws. Level bite acceptable. Dentition
fits tightly.
Eyes :
Medium size, any shade of brown and in accordance with
coat colour, the darker the better. Set well apart,
oval and slightly slanting. Eyelids tightly fitting the
eyeball. Expression of dignity.
Ears :
Medium size, triangular, pendant, set between the level
of the skull and the eye, dropping forward and hanging
close to head; carried forward when alert. Ear
leathers covered with soft, short hair.
NECK :
Strong, well muscled, arched. Not too much dewlap. Covered by
thick upstanding mane, not so pronounced in bitches.
BODY :
Strong.
Back :
Straight, muscular.
Croup :
Broad and rather flat.
Chest :
Rather deep, of moderate breadth, with good spring of
rib, to give heart-shaped ribcage. Brisket reaching
to below elbows.
TAIL :
Medium length. Set high on line with top of back,
carried high, loosely curled over back, when dog alert
or in motion; well feathered.
LIMBS
FOREQUARTERS :
Straight, well angulated, well covered all over with
strong hair.
Shoulders : Well
laid, muscular.
Elbows :
Neither turned in nor out.
Forearms :
Straight. Strong bone.
Metacarpus
(Pasterns) :
Strong, slightly sloping.
HINDQUARTERS :
Powerful, muscular, with good angulation. Seen
from behind, hindlegs parallel.
Upper
thigh :
Rather long; strong, with good hard muscles, but not
bulging.
Stifle :
Well bent
Hock :
Strong, low set.
Dewclaws :
Optional.
FEET :
Fairly large, strong, round and compact, with good feathering
between well-arched toes.
GAIT
/ MOVEMENT :
Powerful, but always light and elastic: with good
reach and drive. When speed increases tends
to single track. When walking appears very
deliberate. Capable of functioning over a varied
terrain with stamina and suppleness.
COAT
HAIR :
Quality of greater importance than quantity. Coat
harsh, thick, top coat not too long, with dense and rather
wolly undercoat in cold weather which becomes rather
sparse in warmer months. Males carry noticeably more
coat than females. Hair fine but harsh, straight and
off-standing. Never silky, curly or wavy. Neck
and shoulders heavily coated, giving mane-like appearance. Tail
bushy and well feathered; hindlegs well feathered on
upper rear parts.
COLOUR :
Rich black, with or without tan marking; blue, with or
without tan markings; gold, from rich fawn to deep red. All
colours to be as pure as possible. Tan ranges from
a rich chestnut to a lighter colour. White star on breast
permissible. Minimal white markings on feet acceptable.
Tan markings appear above eyes, on lower part of legs
and underside of tail. Tan markings on muzzle;
spectacle markings tolerated around eyes.
SIZE :
Height
at the withers : Dogs : 66
cm (26 ins) minimum,.
Bitches : 61
cm (24 ins) minimum..
FAULTS :
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered
a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should
be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.
SEVERE
FAULTS :
- Lacking
physical condition and fitness.
- Head
light or heavily wrinkled.
- Pendulous
flews.
- Pronounced
dewlap.
- Large
and/or low set ears.
- Light
eyes or staring expression.
- Weak
pigmentation, particularly of nose.
- Barrelled
ribs.
- Tightly
curled tail over hips.
- Over
angulated or straight hindquarters.
- Heavy
constrained movement.
- Under
minimum height, tolerance 2 cm.
ELIMINATING
FAULTS :
- Aggressive
or overly shy.
- Undershot
or overshot mouth.
- All
other colours than above mentioned e.g. white, cream,
grey, brown (liver), lilac, brindle, particolours.
Any
dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities
shall be disqualified.
N.B. :
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles
fully descended into the scrotum.
This
amended breed standard will become effective from September
2004. |
The Tibetan Mastiff
Information on the highly-prized Mastiff breed from the Himalayas. A primitive and rare breed from the Himalayas, the Tibetan Mastiff is a large, hardy and highly intelligent dog of legendary courage and sharp territorial instinct that was developed over the centuries for the purpose of...
A primitive and rare breed from the Himalayas, the Tibetan Mastiff is a large, hardy and highly intelligent dog of legendary courage and sharp territorial instinct that was developed over the centuries for the purpose of guarding homes, villages, monasteries, nomadic camps and livestock herds from thieves, wolves, leopards, and other predators.
The ancestors of the breed were probably in existence since the Bronze Age and traces of bones from 1000 B.C. have certainly been unearthed in China. These dogs are known to have been prized by the ancient Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Huns, and Mongols, accompanying them on war expeditions. The European Mastiff breeds probably developed from these animals. The pure Tibetan Mastiff, however, remained confined to the Tibetan Himalayan Valleys and Plains, and was not seen in the West until 1847 when the then Viceroy of India, Lord Hardinge, presented one to Queen Victoria. Later, in 1874, the Prince of Wales (King Edward VII) evinced an interest in the breed and the dogs began to develop a following in Europe. The Tibetan Breeds Association was established in England in 1931 by the efforts of Mrs. Bailey, the wife of a former Political Officer who had been stationed in Sikkim, Nepal, and Tibet. Despite some fluctuations in its popularity, the Breed has now been recognized by Kennel Clubs in India, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, U.S. and most other parts of the world.
The Tibetan Mastiff, since it is a primitive breed, has certain unique characteristics like a single estrus per year, usually in the Fall, for the bitches. Tibetan Mastiffs are clean, easily house-trained dogs, lacking the usual canine smell, and are known to be hypoallergenic. They have a long, thick double-coat with a fine, somewhat woolly texture that is denser in the males than in the females; the coat is shed once or twice a year, and the shedding generally lasts about four weeks. The thick coat gives the neck and shoulders a mane-like appearance, while the bushy tail is curled over the back to one side, and the upper parts of the hindlegs are well feathered. The colour varies – black, brown, grey, ochre, blue, yellow, black and tan, and with some white markings. The minimum height at the withers for the male dogs is 26 inches and for bitches it is 24 inches. The general appearance is powerful and muscular. The head is broad, somewhat wrinkled in mature animals, with strong jaws, wide-set, slanting and very expressive eyes, and forward dropping pendant ears. The dog moves with a powerful, deliberate gait. Healthwise, being bred for surviving the severe climate and treacherous terrain of Tibet, the Tibetan Mastiff normally has few problems. The few that occasionally occur are entropian (an inward turning of the lower eyelid), hypothyroidism (a glandular deficiency), and otitus (an infection of the ear canal). Previously a hereditary peripheral nerve disorder called CIDN (Canine Inherited Demyelinative Neuropathy), which destroyed the nerve covering (myelin) and caused a paralysis of the limbs, was seen in puppies descending from one blood-line, however, controlled and selective breeding has all but eliminated this problem and no affected CIDN puppies have been reported anywhere in the world in recent years.
The Tibetan Mastiff is not a breed for everyone. Aside from the fact that it is a large dog that requires a lot of space and exercise, it is personality-wise a very strong-willed, independent animal capable of making its own judgments and, unless properly socialized and trained, it can become hard to handle. The best way to socialize a new puppy or dog is to take it along everywhere as much as possible and let it become accustomed to new experiences, places, people and other animals. Although a quick learner, the Tibetan Mastiff can sometimes be very stubborn and cannot be trusted to walk off the leash and return when called. Its highly territorial and protective instincts, which will not allow visitors to walk about the house at will, can also put a spanner in any active social life. And, while it is generally good with children, it requires to be watched as it is apt to take normal boisterous behavior for aggression and will react accordingly to protect ‘its’ children from their friends. Unless properly introduced it is also likely to be dominating around other dogs, especially of the same sex. The Tibetan Mastiff also takes a long time to mature – 3 or 4 years for females and 4 or 5 years for males - and can be incredibly destructive in its growing period. Its powerful jaws can chew through doors, furniture, fences, concrete and much else. This trait can become particularly pronounced if the dog is left for most part to itself and doesn’t have anything to engage its attention. Persistent digging and night-time barking are other habits that, unless checked, could cause problems, especially with the neighbors. While only supervision can deter the digging, the barking issue can be resolved by letting the dog sleep indoors. Also, unless the dog is regularly groomed during the yearly coat-shedding, the sheer amount of discarded hair can become a source of real tribulation. Despite its independence, the Tibetan Mastiff is a very sensitive breed, easily upset by an upbraiding, and some of the dogs can be finicky about their meals. The dogs, unless fenced in, can develop a bent for wandering around the neighborhood. With the dog’s penchant for digging under or climbing over fences it can prove difficult to be confined.
However, once all these aspects have been taken into consideration and time taken to involve the dog in the family activities, no other animal can be a more patient, loyal and gentle companion.
By Sonal Panse
Published: 2/23/2004
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