The biggest Tibetan mastiffs

The legends about the huge Molossian dogs living in the lands of Central Asia have been known since ancient times. In the Middle Ages, the famous traveler Marco Polo in his notes mentioned the lion-like animals living in the monasteries of the Tibetan highlands. However, Europeans could only see these giants with their own eyes in the 19th century. At home in China, mastiffs won the fame of sacred dogs, which are highly valued for their beauty, strength and fidelity.

Tibetan mastiffs are considered one of the oldest dog breeds in the world, which was bred to protect Buddhist monasteries. Legends about this amazing breed have been around since ancient times - for example, Aristotle and many other authors who visited Asian countries in ancient times spoke with great enthusiasm about these magnificent majors, who were endowed with incredible strength and friendly disposition.

Cynologists have devoted considerable time to studying the history of the origin of the breed and the place that these dogs occupied in the culture of Tibet, but their origin has remained a mystery. All that is known is that in Europe, Queen Victoria became the first owner of huge dogs in 1847, and shortly after the animals appeared in England. In 1898, a couple of Tibetans acquired the Berlin Zoo, where they gave their first offspring.

Like all other dogs, at puppy age, the mastiffs are restless and active Škoda, however, as they grow up, this dog gains wisdom and, in adulthood, is already a rather intelligent, balanced dog.

This giant is ready for days and nights to be close to his master, at the same time he does not require constant affection - if suddenly the mastif wants to get a little attention, he will definitely let him know about it. This is a very responsible guard, who in case of danger will protect his territory and family members for a life and death.

Despite the impressive size, The dog is very friendly to kids and can be a good companion for games for children of all ages. Even when these dogs become big, they still would not mind fooling around with the guys, allowing the master children to do whatever they want with them.

Tibetan Mastiff is calm and restrained, but he always responds to aggression with aggression. It is desirable that its owners were strict and strong personalities, otherwise the animal can grow unpredictable and even dangerous.

The hair of these dogs is long and rather thick, the undercoat is very massive and forms a kind of lion's mane - so the dog can live on the street all year round, and he doesn't even have to build an aviary - he won't run around the yard, sweeping away everything that will on his way. Animals have a strong build, thanks to which dogs are able to cover huge distances even over rocky terrain.

But to keep such a dog in an apartment will be quite problematic, and the reason for this will not be the dimensions of the dog, but the same wool - Mastiffs molt all year round, so breeders will have to clean the apartment every day with a vacuum cleaner.

The most expensive Tibetan mastiff in the world is a dog. named Hong Dong - in our country it is impossible to see him, a multimillionaire from China became the owner of the dog - a coal tycoon who bought a dog for $ 1.5 million (10 million yuan).

Record dog was sold at auction at the age of 11 months. At that time, his height at the withers was 80 cm, and his body weight reached 90 kg, and the animal was still in the stage of active growth. By the age of three, the dog reached 113 kg - it was then that Hong Dong was recognized as the largest dog in the world.

It should be noted that the dignity of the animal does not end there - he has an excellent pedigree, and in addition, he has a fiery-red color, but we all know that it is the orange color that is considered the color of the Buddha. This color to a large extent influenced the cost of the dog, since the number of red mastiffs in the world is negligible.

It should be noted that the owner Hong Dong made a good investment - The desire of dog breeders to tie their pets to the eminent giant is so great that they are willing to pay 15-20 thousand dollars for this.

By the way, Tibetan mastiffs in China are treated in a special way. This is one of the oldest working breeds. It was they who guarded the monasteries of Tibet, and also helped the nomads in the Himalayas. According to legend, Gentikhan and even Buddha also had mastiffs.

In addition to Hong Dong, there are several other record holders with more impressive dimensions than the rest of their fellows. So, Tibetan Mastiff named Chif gained fame in 2012 when it was presented at an exhibition in China and sold for $ 1.2 million. At that time, the dog was 2 years old, and the height of the animal at the withers was 80 cm, and the body length was 1.5 m. On its exterior, this dog resembled a black bear with a small amount of black tan.

According to the dog's owner, Chif has a truly unique ability - he can open any locks. Using only lips and forepaws, this giant will open any door in 10 minutes - they even say that in this way the dog once released all the inhabitants of the kennel, and then people had to spend a lot of time to return all the “households” to their places.

There is an opinion that in the past century there lived a Tibetan mastiff named Lio Chang, and its dimensions were even more impressive than those of Hong Dong. According to historical background, the body weight of this animal exceeded 120 kg. Very little is known about this dog, because at that time the Guinness Book of Records has not yet received much distribution, the only thing that indicates the impressive size of this dog is the record holder's photos stored in the Main Archive of China.

In Russia, such large dogs are not widely spread, however, there are kennels that breed these magnificent giants. The cost of a dog in our country averages 100 thousand rubles, while the representatives of the Chinese pedigree differ in their maximum value - they are characterized by red or black wool of tan color.

Although connoisseurs of the Chinese breed need to be careful - Recently, experts began to notice a large number of "fakes" offered on the market.

If there is no opportunity to buy a dog in his homeland, then it is best to turn to Moscow kennels, among them the most trusted are Almon Tibet, Lovely from Bordo, Grand Beas and Límar. The cost of puppies there starts from 70 thousand rubles.

However, in Russia there are other nurseries offering mastiffs at lower prices than Moscow. For example, in the nursery "Zatveretsky Posad" in Tver, a puppy can be bought even for 30 thousand rubles, the choice in other cities will be extremely scarce, but budget. On average, in non-capital regions of the Tibetan mastiff you can buy for 20-50 thousand rubles.

Fame got nurseries "The heirs of Tibet", Liontari Asteri, "Avesta", BESTMASTIF, "Pharaoh's Dream", as well as many others. However, in most cases they specialize in breeding several breeds of large dogs, and not just Tibetan mastiffs.

In Tibet, there is a very interesting legend about the origin of mastiffs.

It is believed that the Buddha himself once traveled through the Tibetan plains and watched how hard the life of the local people was. It was difficult for people in these lands - long cold winters, constant blizzards, heavy rains, barren land and wild animals attacking cattle and people. All this made the existence of the population so exhausting that the locals believed that even evil spirits had rebelled against them.

Then the Buddha decided to give the person a faithful helper: he took the courage and strength of a lion, the wisdom of the wolf, the sensitivity of the bird and the heart of a naive child - and gave it to a big dog. That is how the Tibetan Mastiff came into being, which has become an indispensable assistant for farmers and pastoralists, traders and travelers. This dog became a protector of Buddhist monks and hermits. There is no doubt that the people of Tibet simply could not survive in such harsh conditions without the help of this huge and courageous dog.

This beautiful legend emphasizes all the qualities that made the dog so necessary and important for thousands of Tibetan residents in the past, and today one of the most popular in the world.

Tibetan mastiffs are powerful dogs that possess tremendous strength and physical endurance. At the same time, they are cat-like clever and very cautious, in Tibet they even say that the dogs of this breed take two steps back in order to then make one forward - and then to conquer or die.

Nicholas Roerich in his memoirs mentioned a case when one day an old Tibetan mastiff named Tumbala was tied to a strong chain in the garden so as not to frighten guests. The secular reception dragged on, the mastiff got bored and simply broke the chain in one motion, after which with a slow walk he entered the master's house. It must be said that this made a crushing impression on the judge and the policeman who were staying in the house — the first jumped on the table, and the second was forced to retire galloping.

Mastiffs from Tibet are very independent dogs, and not a stupid puppy independence, but one that is caused by the need make quick independent decisions in a situation where the owner of the house is not, and you need to protect his house or a protected herd.

According to one of the most famous mastiff trainers, Liu Jun Peng, the temper of these dogs is similar to that of a wolf; In the wild, such mastiff fights can sometimes end in a serious injury - in this case, the dog simply goes to the mountains to die alone.

About the sensitivity of the Tibetan giant, perhaps, more legends are composed than of all its other qualities. For example, the people of Tibet are sincerely convinced that this dog never sleeps, and the marks under his eyes it's just another pair of eyes with which the mastiff sees not only people, but also evil spirits, thanks to which it never misses the danger.

It should be noted that these dogs really have an incredible ability to respond to any smell and sound that people don’t see. These dogs never sleep and devoutly protect the territory entrusted to them.

The heart is the only thing that is completely defenseless in the Tibetan mastiff. This dog sincerely binds to his master, serves him faithfully and is ready to give his life, and if he is confronted with betrayal, he experiences it so hard that he may even die from anguish.

For a more detailed review of the Tibetan mastiff, see the following video.