The biggest Tibetan mastiffs

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 mentioned in his notes about lion-like animals living in the monasteries of the Tibetan Highlands. However, Europeans could see these giants with their own eyes only in the 19th century. At home in China, mastiffs have won the glory of sacred dogs, which are highly valued for their beauty, strength, and loyalty.

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 went back to ancient times - for example, Aristotle and many other authors who visited Asian countries in ancient times spoke with great enthusiasm about these magnificent giants who were endowed with incredible strength and a friendly disposition.

Dog handlers devoted a lot of 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 remained a mystery. It is only known that in Europe Queen Victoria became the first owner of huge dogs in 1847, and a little later animals appeared in England. In 1898, a couple of Tibetans acquired the Berlin Zoo, where they gave the first offspring.

Like all other dogs, in puppyhood, mastiffs are restless and active Skodes, but as they grow older this dog gains wisdom and in adulthood is already a pretty smart, balanced dog.

This giant is ready to be with his master for days and nights, at the same time he does not require constant caress - if suddenly the mastiff wants to get a little attention, he will certainly let you know about it. This is a very responsible watchman who, in case of danger, will protect his territory and family members not for life, but to death.

Despite its impressive size, The dog is very friendly to the kids and can become a good companion in games for children of all ages. Even when these dogs become large, they still would not mind fooling around with the guys, allowing the owner's children to do anything with themselves.

The Tibetan mastiff is calm and restrained, but he always answers aggression with aggression. It is desirable that its owners be strict and strong personalities, otherwise the animal can grow unpredictable and even dangerous.

The coat of these dogs is long and rather thick, the undercoat is very massive and forms a kind of lion's mane - therefore, the dog can live all year round, and he does not even need to build an aviary - he will not run around the yard, sweeping away everything that turns out to be on his way. The animals have a strong physique, thanks to which dogs are able to overcome great distances, even on rocky terrain.

But keeping such a dog in the apartment will be quite problematic, and the fault is not the size of the dog, but the same coat - Mastiffs molt all year round, so breeders will be forced to vacuum the apartment every day.

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

The 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 advantages of the animal do not end there - he has an excellent pedigree, and in addition, he has a fiery red color, and after all, everyone knows that it is the orange color that is considered the color of the Buddha. Such coloring to a large extent influenced the value of the dog, since the number of red mastiffs in the world is negligible.

It should be noted that the owner of Hong Dong made a good investment - the desire of dog breeders to tie their pets with 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. They guarded the monasteries of Tibet, and also helped the nomads in the Himalayas. According to the legend, Genghis Khan and even Buddha had mastiffs.

In addition to Hong Dong, there are several other champions that are more impressive in size than their other brothers. So, Tibetan mastiff named Chief 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 growth of the animal at the withers was 80 cm, and the body length was 1.5 m. By its exterior, this dog resembled a black bear with a small amount of black tan.

According to the owner of the dog, the Chief has a truly unique ability - he can open any locks. Using only his 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 dog’s kennel, after which people had to spend a lot of time to return all the “household” to their places.

It is believed that a Tibetan mastiff named Lio Chang lived in the last century, and its dimensions were even more impressive than that of Hong Dong. According to historical information, the body weight of this animal exceeded 120 kg. Very little is known about this dog, since at that time the Guinness Book of Records was not yet widely distributed, 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 widespread, nevertheless there are kennels that breed these magnificent giants. The cost of a dog in our country on average is 100 thousand rubles, while the representatives of the Chinese pedigree differ in the maximum cost - they are characterized by red or black tan coat 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 nurseries, among them the most trusted are Almon Tibet, Lovely from Bordo, Grand Bis and Limar. The cost of puppies there starts from 70 thousand rubles.

However, in Russia there are other nurseries offering mastiffs at lower prices in comparison with Moscow. For example, in the nursery “Zatveretsky Posad” in Tver, you can even buy a puppy for 30 thousand rubles, the choice in other cities will be extremely meager, but at the same time low-cost. On average, in non-capital regions of the Tibetan mastiff, you can buy for 20-50 thousand rubles.

Nurseries gained fame “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 once the Buddha himself wandered through the Tibetan plains and watched how hard the life of local residents. In these lands people had a hard time - prolonged cold winters, constant snowstorms, 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 rebelled against them.

Then the Buddha decided to give the man a faithful helper: he took the courage and strength of a lion, the wisdom of a wolf, the sensitivity of a bird and the heart of a naive child - and gave it to a big dog. That is how the Tibetan mastiff was born, which became an indispensable tool for farmers and pastoralists, traders and travelers. This dog became the 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 bold dog.

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

Tibetan mastiffs are powerful dogs that have tremendous strength and physical endurance. At the same time, they are catlike dexterous and very cautious, in Tibet they even say that dogs of this breed take two steps back in order to then take one forward - and then win or die.

Nicholas Roerich in his memoirs mentioned the case when once an old Tibetan mastiff nicknamed Tumbal was tied in a garden on a strong chain so as not to frighten the guests. Secular reception was delayed, the mastiff got bored and simply broke the chain in one motion, after which he walked slowly to the master's house. I must say that this made a crushing impression on the judge and the policeman, who were staying in the house - the first jumped onto the table, and the second was forced to jump back.

Mastiffs from Tibet - very independent dogs, and not stupid puppy independence, but that which is caused by the need make quick independent decisions in a situation when the owner is not at home, and you need to protect his house or protected herd.

According to one of the most famous mastiff trainers, Liu Jun Peng, the temperament of these dogs is similar to that of a wolf, they are not afraid of even a much stronger enemy and retreat only in order to rush into the attack again. In the wild, such battles for a mastiff can sometimes result in a serious injury - in this case, the dog simply goes into the mountains to die alone.

Perhaps, more legends are composed about the sensitivity of the Tibetan giant than about all its other qualities. For example, Tibetans sincerely believe 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 danger.

It should be noted that these dogs really have an incredible ability to respond to any smell and sound indistinguishable by people. These dogs never sleep and vehemently guard the territory entrusted to them.

The heart is the only thing that is completely defenseless in Tibetan mastiff. This dog sincerely becomes attached to its owner, serves him faithfully, is ready to give his life, and if he encounters betrayal, he experiences it so hard that it can even die from longing.

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