Appearance

The Tibetan Mastiff is a heavy, powerful dog. They are generally longer than they are tall. They have a broad head and broad nose, their face is heavily wrinkled, and they have a square muzzle. The eyes are brown in color and are slanted. The lips are moderately pendulous, and they have droopy ears. This breed has a long double coat, which includes a dense undercoat to protect them from cold weathers, and a hard, straight top coat. They are usually in the shades of solid black, black and tan, gold, blue/gray, chocolate brown, and a rare, solid white. They have a long tail that curls over the back.

History

This is an ancient breed. It has been theorized that an early Tibetan dog is the ancestor to all Molossus breeds, although this is disputed by some experts. 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.[4] They share many characteristics of many Mountain dog breeds. The Tibetan Mastiff is an ancient dog breed originating from Central Asia. One DNA study conducted by a university in China theorizes that, although dogs in general are derived from wolves, this breed has genetically diverged from the wolf around 58,000 years ago. They share many characteristics of the Mountain dog breeds. Historical records show King George IV of England own a couple of TMs in the 19th century. Their popularity soared when they were shown for the first time in 1906 at the Crystal Palace show. The popularity and the breed itself declined during the war years. It wasn’t until late 1980s their popularity slowly gained traction. In 2009, it was reported that a dog enthusiast from China purchased a purebred male TM for 4 million yuan (around 630, 000 USD).