Tibetan Mastiff | Tibetan Mastiff Puppies | Tibetan Mastiffs

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The Tibetan Mastiff  is a very ancient breed and type of domestic dog originating with nomadic cultures of Central Asia.

The Tibetan Mastiff also known as Do-khyi meaning ‘home guard’, reflects its use as a home guard, much as the old English ban-dog also meaning tied dog was a dog tied outside the home as a guardian. However, the Do-khyi is traditionally allowed to run loose at night. ‘Bhote Kukur’ in Nepali means Tibetan Dog. In Mandarin Chinese, the name is Zang’Ao, which literally means Tibetan Mastiff or Tibetan “big ferocious dog”. In Mongolia it is called “bankhar”, meaning “guard dog”. The molosser type with which the modern Tibetan Mastiff breed is purportedly linked was known across the ancient world by many names.

This is an ancient breed, descended from very early large Tibetan dogs. It is alleged that this early Tibetan dog is the ancestor to all Molossuses breeds but there is no proof of this and this theory is falling out of favor. The first known record of a Tibetan mastiff was in 1121 BC, when a dog trained for hunting was given to a Chinese emperor.Marco Polo encountered the large Tibetan dogs in his travels and described them as “tall as a donkey with a voice as powerful as that of a lion.” They were used as guard dogs outside the sacred city of Lhasa.

In 2008, the Tibetan Mastiff competed for the first time in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

In recent years, more wealthy Chinese are buying Tibetan Mastiff as a means to show off their status. It was reported in Sep 2009[4] that a rich Chinese woman spent more than USD 600,000 or 4 million yuan to buy an 18 month old purebred female Tibetan Mastiff which has not been spayed, which she named Yangtze No. 2. This is - purportedly - the most ever paid for a dog. (Wiki)