Tibetan Mastiff Size: What You Need To Know If You Plan on Getting one

One of the biggest breeds of dogs is the Tibetan mastiff.

This breed originated from the nomadic cultures of places like Tibet, India, Nepal, and China. Also, this breed has a vernacular reference name as 'Drog-Khyi' which being translated roughly means, 'a dog that may be tied'.

The meaning of this breed name also denotes its usage as this dog is used for protecting the cattle from wild animals like bears, wolves, tigers, etc.

Tibetan mastiff size is big, and it has a powerful body, watchful nature, and soft temperament which shifts quickly into a fierce protector if their family gets threatened, and act like 'gentle giants'. Also, this dog breed is among the largest and heaviest breeds in the world.

At a younger age as in their puppy forms, these dogs are very much adorable and fuzzy.

This large dog breed is also found in the Tibetan Plateau and is very popular from long ago in the western cultures being unconditionally loyal and protective towards their family. This Tibetan western-bred mastiff makes a great family pet being generic of having an easy-going character than those found in the plateaus.

A Tibetan mastiff breed can be considered a very good family pet. But it is only when they are treated in a correct manner.

They love to stay in a place where there is a large garden or yard. A Tibetan mastiff dog is a very social animal and thus is a better breed for a domesticated dog.

They face difficulty when they stay in an apartment as they are unable to move around in nature. They get along with the family of the owner but do not like any strangers at their place.

The Tibetan mastiffs are the best guard dogs as they are magnificent, vigilant, and even frightening. They are very protective of the family and are highly devoted to them. They particularly try to protect the children of the house. These dogs have a strong will, are independent, and are smart and intelligent.

After reading all about the Tibetan mastiff breed and the care a Tibetan mastiff requires, also read about the oldest dog breed and matted dog hair.

Tibetan Mastiff Size And Weight

Tibetan mastiffs are easily distinguishable due to their appearances. They have a mane like a lion and have a massive height. The male Tibetan mastiff is of greater size than the female.

The female Tibetan mastiff grows up to a height of 27 in (69 cm) whereas the male Tibetan mastiff grows up to 29 in (74 cm). The females weigh about 70-120 lb (31.8-54.4 kg) and the male Tibetan mastiffs weigh about 90-150 lb (40.8-68.0 kg).

They have a thick double coat which has a coarse texture outside and a soft layer similar to wool inside and they are of various colors like black, brown, blue-gray, red, or gold. In order to maintain the coats, This giant breed needs grooming.

You can also see markings of silver or mahogany color around the eyes, or the throat, tail, and even legs.

Their tail is also feathered and is arched over the back like a curl. The eyes of the Tibetan mastiff seem serious and watchful and are colored in hues of brown.

The Tibetan mastiffs are one of the best-suited dogs for patient owners having dog training experience. The Tibetan mastiff breed is described as tempered, independent, willful, and very intelligent.

Unlike being smart and obedient this breed likes to be independent as in they do what they feel like and this streak of being independent makes them behave ignorant towards the commands of their owners sometimes.

Although this dog breed has a loving, caring, understanding nature which makes them gentle with lots of patience and plays a very sophisticated nature in their ways of understanding the people. Being a protector towards their family this breed performs also as a perfect guard dog.

The Tibetan mastiff can be the quietest of all but is not an affectionate one while being an over-the-top attention seeker.

Can a Tibetan Mastiff be trained?

As the Tibetan mastiffs were used as guard dogs, thus they have a tendency to think for themselves more. So for any beginner, it becomes very difficult to train a mastiff. These dogs are large in size and powerful, thus the owner should be persistent and patient enough to train them.

These dogs are very stubborn and if they find that they cannot have faith in you or cannot be a strong leader for them, then they will disobey you and will take over your position. A person who has the qualities of being a strong leader is perfect for these dogs.

They are not obedient and are not used in any sort of dog sports either.

The Tibetan mastiffs are strong-willed and are very capable of learning in a short period of time. To train them properly you need to keep their training sessions fun and short so that they do not get bored.

You can train your mastiff with a strap attached. For the first few days, they will chew that and will get irritated. You need to increase the timing daily and after a few days, you'll find it gets used to the strap. This will help you to take them outdoors without causing any trouble.

You can also give them rewards for their good behavior. This will enhance them to behave properly. You should train them to be sociable. They should be given training in slots.

Short sessions of about 10-15 minutes are good. They should be given these several times a day. These creatures are very stubborn, so make sure they don't get frightened or hurt, or else you won't be able to move them an inch.

What are Tibetan Mastiffs used for?

The Tibetan mastiff was one of the oldest breeds of dogs which has the highest stamina as they used to survive in the high altitudes and extremely cold climates in the Tibetan Plateau. The nomadic version of this dog referred to as the Drog-Khyi, used to roam around in order to protect the herds.

Another version, the monastery type called the Tsang-Khyi, was used to guard the monasteries and the monks present there. These two types were born from the same mother.

The large-sized pups from the litter were selected and placed for doing some stationary jobs like in or around the monasteries. The pups with well-grown muscles were used for doing all kinds of active work like guarding the herds, monks, etc.

The breed of Tibetan mastiff originated from Tibet. We all are aware of different historical aspects of different breeds, likewise, this breed too has a documentary little history that ages back from before the late 19th century.

Hence, as believed this breed has been around for many centuries now. Perhaps, the evidence from the DNA shows or tells that this mastiff type of breed was present around 5,000 years back from which the Tibetan mastiff became its descendants.

This breed has two different forms of the development process, as the first one is the Do-Khyi which are nomadic shepherds or a flock guardian functionally while traveling and living in villages and the second one is Tsang-Khyi, being given to the lamaseries, who serves as a guardian to the Tibetan Buddhist Monks or lamas living there.

Way back in 1847, one dog was imported from Tibet to England, was the first dog as a gift for Queen Victoria by the Viceroy of India, Lord Hardinge.

Well, after that this primitive breed with a historical title for being a large transported from Tibet was left behind as in 1873, the Tibetan Mastiff got entered officially in the Stud Book by the formation of England's Kennel Club.

This same history was being repeated in the US in 1950 when two Tibetan Mastiffs were given to the President of the US.

This dog breed was then sent away as it vanished from being scrutinized in the public.

Until this scrutiny was done, in 1970 more members of this dog breed were imported and had become the foundation dog of the US lines.

Perhaps, in 1974 the Tibetan mastiff Club of America as well as the American Tibetan Mastiff Association were founded where the first National Specialty Match was held in October 1979. In this match, the Tibetan Mastiff appeared for the first time.

As the recent reports, it shows that the recognition of this breed was done by the Working Group's member of the American Kennel Club, in 2007. While nowadays in Tibet, a purebred Tibetan Mastiff is occasionally seen or found which travels with caravans or traders and guards the livestock and homes of the people living there.

Why do Tibetan Mastiffs grow so big?

The Tibetan mastiff is usually of large size and this dog size is caused due to the genetic effect. They are descendants of large dog breeds of the molossus.

This type of dog is bred in order to guard the livestock against predators. The herds are usually attacked by wolves and bears thus these dogs of large sizes help to protect them.

A Tibetan Mastiff puppy grows about 2-8 oz (0.1-0.2 kg) daily in the first week of birth. Then later the growth rate changes to 1-3 lb (0.5-1.4 kg) per week.

Though the growth rate differs from one Tibetan mastiff puppy to another. Their growth depends on various factors like how big the litter is, how much milk the pups take from their mothers who breastfeed them.

The Tibetan Mastiffs grow typically fast when they are younger, during the early months. They grow in height during that period. After reaching one year of age they reach adolescence and start gaining weight. You may notice the change. You'll find the muscles start appearing prominently.

There are distinctive diet charts made for puppies of different breeds that should be followed accordingly. Likewise, according to the preference of the quality animal sources, the puppies of the breed of the Tibetan Mastiff require a diet of about 22.5% protein and 8.5% fat, at least.

Awareness should be made and followed that the puppies might inject allergic reactions from the grains which would develop a requirement of food that are grain-free.

The Tibetan Mastiff puppies require an expected consumption of about six to ten cups of dry food, every day. Although if the daily diet is chosen is for raw intakes, the Mastiffs should be given meat according to their requirements i.e., 2.5-7 lb (1.1-3.2 kg) of muscle meat, organ meat, and bones.

Food intakes differ according to their gender and age as the growing puppies along with their nursing mothers need a higher amount of intakes than the adults.

Many people get tense when they are around these Tibetan mastiffs. These dogs are densely-coated and have an intimidating nature.

But are actually these dogs dangerous and aggressive or do people have the misconception? The Tibetan mastiffs are aggressive when they lack proper socialization. These dogs are very stubborn and sometimes become very dangerous and want a trainer who has leadership capabilities.

They change their aggressive attitude after they are trained and allowed to meet with other people and pets on a regular basis. This reduces the threat that they would become a danger for others who are around them.

Tibetan mastiffs are a very smart dog breed. They have the nature of always being independent and are loyal ones.

They can be easily trained in the house as they are quick learners. They are very gentle with the family members and they have a strong protective nature towards their family and property. The Tibetan Mastiffs do not like strangers at their homes, they sometimes get aggressive by seeing them.

These dogs get upset when they find their family members quarreling. If the Mastiffs are properly socialized and introduced to other pets, they can cope up very easily.

Tibetan mastiffs get along with children when they are brought up together with them in their presence. But sometimes this dog gets confused when it finds children yelling or screaming, and it automatically reacts aggressively.

The dog does not like other kids who don't belong to their house. So it is better not to pet a Mastiff if there's any child present in the house.

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