Are Tibetan Mastiffs easy to raise? How much is one? Tibetan Mastiffs are large dogs originally from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau area. They are especially loyal to their owners and thus very affectionate, but extremely fierce towards strangers. Because they are large dogs with rather aggressive temperaments, don’t raise a Tibetan Mastiff just because you think it looks impressive. In recent years, there have been daily news reports nationwide about Tibetan Mastiffs biting people to death. Therefore, this breed is not very suitable for city living, especially in houses without yards.

       Actually, the biting is not entirely the Tibetan Mastiff's fault; it is classified as a large and fierce dog. On the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, it was used by herders to deal with wolves as their guardian dog and considered their protector. Being a protector means that a Tibetan Mastiff biting a person to death is as easy as a Husky (detailed introduction) biting a chick to death. Moreover, Tibetan Mastiffs have another major problem: they belong to a low intelligence group among dogs. Low intelligence has pros and cons; the benefit is the Tibetan Mastiff’s absolute loyalty, unlike Huskies who follow whoever feeds them the most meat. The downside is that all humans except their owner are potential "enemies" to a Tibetan Mastiff, and when faced with situations beyond its intelligence, then it’s...

        It is said that true Tibetan Mastiffs cannot live in inland areas because their physiological organs are not suitable for the inland climate; dry and cold environments are the Tibetan Mastiff’s true habitat. The Tibetan Mastiffs we often see and hear about are just long-term bred dogs adjusted to fit our aesthetic preferences and are not genuine Tibetan Mastiffs. The true Tibetan Mastiff population is extremely rare, and its value is incalculable.

　　Tibetan Mastiff height: male Tibetan Mastiffs’ shoulder height25.2-26.8 inches (64.0-68.0 cm) female Tibetan Mastiffs’ shoulder height22.9-24.8 inches (58.0-63.0 cm)

　　Tibetan Mastiff weight range: male Tibetan Mastiffs’ weight141.1-176.4 lbs (64.0-80.0 kg) female Tibetan Mastiffs’ weight121.3-138.9 lbs (55.0-63.0 kg)

　　Head: broad face, large skull, distinct occiput and forehead, the ratio from occiput to upper forehead and from upper forehead to nose tip is equal, though the nose length can be shorter. The muzzle is wide. The facial muscles are broad and large, appearing very full and three-dimensional from various angles. The ratio from occiput to stop and stop to nose tip is basically equal.Eyes: bright, shining in darkness, medium-sized, varying shades of brown.Ears: large, triangular, naturally drooping, closely attached to the face and oriented forward. When alert, naturally raised. The ear is covered with soft, shorter fur than the body.Jaw/Teeth: upper and lower front teeth aligned, upper and lower jaws in scissor bite(pincer bite), teeth tightly connected to form a square jaw and maintain the rectangular shape of the muzzle. Acceptable to have level bite. Teeth are long, strong, and tight. This maintains muscle smoothness.

　　Neck: thick, muscular, very little loose skin, curved, covered with erect mane hair.Back: straight, muscular.Chest: deep, appropriately wide. Ribs expand well forming a heart-shaped chest cavity. Chest extends below the elbow.

　　Tibetan Mastiff limbs(forequarters, shoulders, upper limbs, carpal joints, carpus, paws, hindquarters, thighs, hocks, joints and hock nails)

　　Shoulders: smooth, well-muscled bones.Forequarters: shoulders smoothly sloped, strong bone muscles. Front legs straight and robust, slightly inclined inward when standing.Body: sturdy, back straight and broad, muscular, slightly crouched overall. Chest droops below upper elbow. Body length slightly longer than height.Forefeet: cat feet, relatively large, strong and firm, hair between toes. Nails may be black or white. Single dewclaw may appear on forefeet.Hindquarters: strong, muscular, all parts angular. Viewed from behind, hind legs and knees are parallel. Hock joints strong and naturally drooping(about 1/3 of leg length) and perpendicular to feet.Feet: one or two dewclaws(wolf claws) may appear on hind feet, can be optionally removed after birth. Pads are large, symmetrical, with hair between toes like feline claws.

　　Tail: medium length, not exceeding the hock joint, aligned with back in a straight line, naturally curled. When alert, the tail is raised or directed to either side.

　　The gait of the Tibetan Mastiff is light and elastic, natural and powerful. Viewed from the side, the start and stop show the strongest and most extended dynamics, and during movement the sound and power are more important than speed.

　　Faults: any deviation from the above points is considered a fault; any dog with obvious physical or behavioral abnormalities is disqualified.

Living habits of Tibetan Mastiffs

   Tibetan Mastiffs are said to be the world’s oldest and rarest surviving dog breed. In ancient Eastern legends, the Tibetan Mastiff’s miraculous stories are mythologized as embodiments of bravery and loyalty. Their loyal protective nature made them the best protection dogs for nomads and were also recognized as the best guard dogs for kings and tribal chiefs. Tibetan Mastiffs are tall, sturdy, tough, powerful, and retain their wild nature, intimidating to others. However, their bite and attacking power are obviously insufficient to threaten lions or tigers, so the title "King of Dogs" is purely commercial hype.

How to identify purebred Tibetan Mastiffs

   This is very hard to say. I only know that the thicker and wider the meat hocks on the sides of the head, the better; strong limbs are preferred. For coat colors, black with reddish-brown is called "Iron Wrapped Gold," white is called "Snow Mastiff," and yellow is called "Golden Mastiff."

Actually, judging by bone structure, size,mouth, and coat, you can tell. To be more precise, look at the physique. Generally, Tibetan Mastiffs live in thin air plateau areas, so they have very large lungs. When you observe premium Tibetan Mastiffs, you will notice a large forechest but a small belly; this is a physiological characteristic. Losing this feature means it’s not a true Tibetan Mastiff. In fact, many dogs on Tibetan Mastiff trading websites are ordinary mongrels disguised as Tibetan Mastiffs, like German Shepherd mixes that are basically indistinguishable in appearance and sold as so-called Tiger Head Tibetan Mastiffs.

   A purebred dog has specific characteristics, not many different ones, otherwise it can’t be considered purebred. Except for different coat colors, the other standards should be the same. But within Tibetan Mastiffs, there are Lion Head Mastiffs, Tiger Head Mastiffs, Wolf Mastiffs, and many different types of dogs — but frankly, these are all just Tibetan dogs. If you call Tibetan dogs Tibetan Mastiffs, then all Chinese mongrels would be Tibetan Mastiffs.

Tibetan Mastiff Price

   Many factors affect the price of Tibetan Mastiffs. Prices differ between puppies and adults, and between males and females. Additionally, the amount of fur, color, bone density, and pedigree also impact the price. Generally, Tibetan Mastiffs are divided into pet grade, pedigree grade, and show grade. Purebreds and non-purebreds have obvious differences in temperament and appearance. Currently, pet-grade Tibetan Mastiff puppies cost between 5,000-15,000 RMB, pedigree-grade puppies 15,000-20,000 RMB, and show-grade puppies over 20,000 RMB.