FAQ

SOME QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Hopefully, this section may help to answer some questions you may have concerning our breed. However, please bear in mind that the guideline answers are mostly in relation to my own experiences and dogs.

*What first attracted you to the Tibetan Mastiff?

I was primarily looking for a breed which would guard my property and my family, yet integrate easily with my existing border collies, and readily accept friends and family. Having spent a small fortune on dog books and encyclopaedias, I short listed around 5 or 6 breeds, including Anatolian, Leonberger, Alaskan Malamute, Estrela Mountain Dogs, and one or two others. I was looking for a breed which was quite rare, and medium to long haired (as they would be living in outdoor kennels). I spent many, many months reading up and ringing round various breed clubs, but I always seemed to return to the pages on Tibetan Mastiffs. My eye was drawn to the description and picture of a TM, in a quite small inexpensive book called "Guide to selecting a Large Breed" by Joan Palmer. I also purchased Ann Rohrer's book, "The Tibetan Mastiff, Legendary Guardian of the Himalayas", and "The Venerable Tibetan Mastiff", by Max Siber and Cathy Flamholz.

*Where did you see your first TM 'in the flesh' ?

We visited Ann Lander in Leeds, and met her bitch "Tannis". Janet and I then headed off on a cold snowy winters morning for the mountains of the Peak District, Derbyshire, to be introduced to "Ka-Le" and "Bom-po". The deep barking coming from the farmyard told us not to exit the car, until Greta told us it was safe. However, these two 'beasts' soon accepted us and were greeting us with sloppy tongues. We fell in love immediately, and decided our search for the breed we wanted was over; all we had to do now was wait for some litters to be born.

*How soon did you manage to obtain your first TM?

Actually, we were very lucky, and managed to obtain "Chuba" from Richard Gardiner within a few months. Although we did want a pair, this was not possible, so we obtained our PMD/GSD cross "Tanya" as her companion, in 1997

*Did your first TM show up any vices or nasty surprises which you had not expected?

No, not really. Firstly, "Chuba", apart from a liking for chewing wood and plastic as a puppy, was almost the perfect dog. After the age of six months, she made it obvious that these are not the most biddable of breeds. If you want a dog which will come to every single command, walk to heel off lead without investigating other dogs and people, then I would say FORGET IT, go buy a Retriever. However, I would stress that I had read everything I could about the breed, done lots of research, and spoken to other owners. I would say that this is most important when obtaining ANY breed, do your homework FIRST. This might not be the breed to suit everyone's lifestyle. Far too many animals (not many Tibetan Mastiffs, I hasten to add) end up in rescue, simply because their first owners went out and took on a fluffy little bundle of fur, which soon grew into a dog which just was not suitable for them.

*I have heard that TM's can often be very vocal, especially at night. Can you confirm this?

I too, have read about this. However, my own experience cannot justify this statement. My own dogs will bark at strangers entering the property, but soon come to realise they are not a threat. I have never had a problem with night barking, and my dogs live in outdoor kennels. Occasionally, the howl of a cat or the vixen fox calling for her mate in December may cause them to sound off at night, but they soon settle down again. Whenever this has happened, I would generally get dressed and go out to investigate, as almost certainly there would have been someone on the property who should not have been there. I do know of two owners who say that their own TM's bark at night, and these are both indoor dogs. I think perhaps that they are bored, and need some extra stimulation during the day. My pack tend to entertain themselves anyway, and are generally eager to settle down to sleep after dusk.

*Is this a good guard dog, and are they vicious?

They have certainly been bred as watchdogs and guardian dogs, for many, many centuries in their native land. However, although I would (secretly) hope that they would guard my family in the event of some lunatic becoming a threat, I really do not know; I have never seen any of my dogs on the verge of an attack. Their tendency is to look the part, bark and hopefully warn off/deter any potential threat merely with their size and incredibly deep bark, and that is how I like it. I would not want to own a dog which I thought was either vicious or unstable. My fourteen inch terrier is more likely to bite than any of the Tibetans.

*That coat looks like you must spend hours each week grooming. Do you have to bath regularly?

Actually, quite the contrary. These dogs have the most manageable coats I have ever come across. They have a double coat, with a thick woolly undercoat to protect them from the harsh weather, and to a degree, I guess protect them from hot sun. Just a quick ten minute brush once or twice a week is all I need to do, especially behind the ears and breeches to prevent matting. Bath?; no, I NEVER take a bath, but I do have a shower every morning! Oh, the dogs. Well, my own dogs go to the K9 parlour only once a year, just before Crufts. However, this is not essential, and I know many owners never bath their TM. A TM can be covered in mud, but after a quick towel dry will brush up "like new" in no time. 

*Some dogs have a very strong doggy odour, which never leaves the house or the car. This can be very noticeable to visitors. Do TM's?

The TM is almost odour free, probably due to the lack of oils in the coat like some breeds. The very slight odour which they do produce, is a very sweet quite pleasant smell. (Well, I think it is).

*My last dog used to leave hairs everywhere; does the TM moult very heavily?

The TM only comes into summer moult once per year, and my own dogs generally shed their woolly undercoat very heavily for about to six to eight weeks. Once the "full blow" is finished, the rest of the year is generally free of ANY moult. The moult can vary depending on your location, but for mine this usually starts around April to July. With the onset of Autumn, the thick winter coat starts to grow in, and they develop a beautiful heavy mane around the neck. Tibetan Mastiffs certainly do look their best in Winter, especially for showing. When they are out of coat, they can often look like they have shed pounds; however, the weight will probably be the same.

*Most bitches will come into season twice per year, does the TM?

Generally, most bitches do every six months or so. I had a terrier which did this, a border collie bitch who came round every nine months without fail, and my PMD/GSD "Tanya" had three seasons in eleven months (until she was spayed). The TM seems to retain some very primitive traits, very much like wolves. Generally, bitches only come on heat just once per year, and this tends to start any time between September and December. My own girls have always come into season from early November to early December, although owners in various parts of the World tell of cycles at other times of the year. TM's in the Northern Hemisphere will usually be triggered to start in season by the onset of shorter daylight hours, whereas I have heard of bitches in warmer sunnier climes not being affected by the change in daylight hours. I suppose the nearer you are to the Equator, the hours of daylight are more constant, both winter and summer. My bitches are usually past their season by around 21 days, though I have heard of bitches becoming pregnant on their 45th day!

*I would love to own a TM, but I am not sure if I could really spend two or three hours walking and exercising each day. Should I forget about the breed?

The TM does not need to be walked for ten miles every day. In fact, as young dogs, this would be really harmful, and could damage their joints for life, as with many large heavy breeds. My own dogs have a large pen and paddock to find their own level of exercise, so I do not force them out on long walks.However, I would suggest that they do get at least 2 walks of at least 45 minutes per day as a minimum. Apart from the excercise, this does replicate the "pack leader" theory as so often referred to by Cesar Milan (The Dog Whisperer). The walk is also important to socialise the dogs with other dogs, people, traffic, trucks, motorcycles and general everyday encounters. 

*My back garden does not have a very secure fence. Do I need to improve it?

YES YOU DO.

Most TM's, although laid back, are content to snooze around and guard, but given the opportunity, will go out to investigate the outside World. 

*I bet they cost a small fortune to feed. How much food do they eat, and what should they be fed on?

I personally do not think these are greedy dogs, they tend to eat until satisfied, then stop, unlike some four legged garbage disposal units I have come across. You can feed them once or twice per day, dry food or meat, whatever suits you best. We do not, however, recommend a high protein diet (less than 20/22% if possible) which could cause health problems. Back in their native land, they would have only been fed on a mainly rice diet, and any scraps they would have been given or scavenged.

As for my own dogs, I did start them on a mainly dry complete food with a half tin of canned meat, just to add interest/flavour. However, I went down the natural route in 2000, and now feed them on a diet which is primarily fresh meat, with additional added pure tripe biscuits. Typically, the protein content of the meat is between 12% and 15%. I feed once per day, around 5PM, and each dog is given about 500 grammes (1.1 LBS). They enjoy their food, and all bowls are empty within two or three minutes, with NO waste.

They also have natural 100% pure complete tripe biscuits, but I do not leave these down for free feeding now, as I used to. I found some of my bitches were getting rather "porky", and the cereal biscuit was the cause, not the meat. I also give them Natures Menu, a blend of minced tripe, chicken and vegetables to make up approx 40-50% of their diet. The stools tend to be firmer since switching to this form of feeding, and I myself feel more self satisfied that they are being given a good wholesome healthy diet. What you see is what you get: PURE MEAT. My order is delivered frozen, and I keep a large freezer in the kennels which holds up to two months supply. I use ANGLIAN MEAT PRODUCTS

COST? Well, I would say around 40 to 50 pence per dog per day on averageDon't forget to allow for extra costs, such as veterinary bills and insurance, incurred in owning a dog.

*Are these dogs good travellers in the car?

YES; my own dogs LOVE going out in the car, truck, van whatever. It never ceases to amaze me how long they will travel before stopping for a "dog" break. I have been known to drive for up to 8 hours (stuck in a horrendous jam on the motorway) without stopping to let them out, although I do try to give them a walk every 3 or 4 hours or so. My-Hannah does have a tendency to drool in the vehicle. Occasionally, she will suffer car sickness, which can be a little messy, but she will settle down after a couple of hours. All the others 'passenger' without any problems. Start them as young as possible. they should soon adapt to it. Commence with short trips to the shops and school runs, gradually building up to longer journeys.

 *We currently have a wonderful 5 year old Newfoundland but are looking for a suitable friend for him. We also have a cat and two children the youngest being 9. Do you think one of your pups would be suitable?

Tibetan Mastiffs are generally EXCELLENT with children, (provided, of coarse, that your children have been trained to respect animals properly). They will readily accept other animals, including dogs, cats, rabbits, parrots etc, when brought up in these surroundings from being a puppy. The only exception may be very small animals, mice, hamsters etc, although I do not have any recent experience of these myself.  

*I have read all about them, and think this may be the breed for me. What should I do now?

Well, firstly I would suggest speaking to other TM owners, and asking the same questions. Then go out and see the dogs in their home environment, or visit a dog show where you know there will be some TM's present. Please bear in mind though, you may have to travel some distance to see the breed, as you will almost certainly not find a Tibetan Mastiff right on your doorstep. We are located here in West Yorkshire, and always welcome visitors to meet our K9 family by prior arrangement. Then, if you are still determined to obtain a TM, I can take your details and contact you when a litter is born. (Normally, this would be around December/January). We would, of coarse, have to be satisfied that you too are also suited to the breed.

Please do not hesitate to ask us any other questions you may have about the breed, even if you think that your question may sound a little stupid. It is the only way to find out more. Over time, I hope to add to this FAQ page, but your questions will always remain anonymous. Thank you for taking the time and trouble to visit our site.

VIDEOS