Tibetan Mastiff

The Tibetan Mastiff In China

The magnificent Tibetan Mastiff has caught the eye of all who love large breeds, boosted by the breed's recent Group recognition at Westminster Kennel Club in Feb. of this year.  The enormous but stately dog who received the Working Group placement set a new record for newly AKC recognized "rare breeds", one which will be hard to top.  We present Part 1 of a three part pictorial series direct from China.  Lana Tsan is a member of our Science and Advisory Board, lives in China, and travels all over the world seeking and sharing information on dogs. 

Lana Tsan © TheDogPlace June 29, 2009 - This is a dog that has unique type, elegance and nobility and is a working dog. This dog captured my heart many years ago and I would like to pull open the silk curtain on the Tibetan mastiff and share with you.  Most of you may not have a chance to see this breed in China.  I also regularly have Chinese breed breeders in groups who would come over to see this dogs and dog shows in China.

The following is the group that came over in March, 2005. Because of the Olympics in 2008, the China tour group was cancelled because it is impossible to book hotels for reasonable price for the Olympics and dogs are not allowed to travel and people could not gather for shows in the Olympic cities and surrounding area. All police security is concentrated to Olympic cities. The first show is the first stop in Imperial Capital Stadium, a stadium reserved for dog show event only in Beijing but has since been taken down to be replace by Bus station for Olympics.

The second stop is Quanzhou with a tour of the Southern China Agricultural University and a visit to their DNA lab plus seminar on dog disease and genetics by their professors, then a Sharpei specialty show plus Tibetan mastiff specialty in Dialet ( the village where sharpei is historically originated). The last stop is Hong Kong in my Chinese breed kennel with a lecture by Eric Omura before going back to place of origin for all visitors. (see First Shar-Pei Open Show in U.K.)

Visitors included Belgium, England, South Africa, Canada and all over USA.

Spokesman Mr. Philip Wong went to Qinhai in search of the breed in its natural environments in October 2004. After a period of over 20 years. His last visit was in 1980’s.

In Qinhai there is a museum of fossils of many dinosaur with also dog skulls fossils for over 10,000 years and the size is from Chihuahua size skull to skull bigger than Mr Wong’s torso.

You can imagine the size of the dog….

This museum is not in any usual tourist route and is about a day by car from Lanzhou, the place we just visited in May for dog show and also visiting Tibetan mastiff kennels there.

One of the skull fossil cases on display in the museum.  But not the smallest.

These are two of the rock fossils on display.  They are the biggest skulls.

     Old ornament of a dog that looks like the Tibetan mastiff along with an old painting.

Here is a photo (man in dark jacket) of the president of the China Tibetan Mastiff Club, Qinhai section (the place of origin).

Mr. Wong is the guy in the yellow jacket and his family plus their Tibetan mastiff sitting in the background.

The Head Llama of the monastery in Qinhai, Teak Muk Chore (in red robe) with Mr. Wong and the President. (above right)

In 2006 in the Kumming show the same show that Jane Roppolo judged.  On right, we have Skip the other judge in Tibetan costume judging the breed.

The thing on his shoulder is real leopard skin.

FYI: This was First China Dog Show.