The biggest Tibetan mastiffs

Legends about 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 that live in the monasteries of the Tibetan plateau. However, Europeans could see these giants with their own eyes only in the 19th century. At home in China, mastiffs have won the fame 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 have been circulating since ancient times - for example, Aristotle and many other authors who visited Asian countries in ancient times spoke with great enthusiasm about these majestic giants who were endowed with incredible strength and friendly disposition.

Cynologists have 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 has remained a mystery. It is only known that Queen Victoria became the first owner of huge dogs in Europe in 1847, and a little later animals appeared in England. In 1898, a couple of Tibetans were acquired by the Berlin Zoo, where they gave birth to their first offspring.

Like all other dogs at puppyhood, mastiffs are restless and active Skodas, however, as they grow older, this dog gains wisdom and in adulthood is already a rather intelligent, balanced dog.

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

Despite the impressive size, The dog is very toddler friendly and can be a good play companion for children of all ages. Even when these dogs grow big, they still do not mind fooling around with the guys, allowing the owner's children to do whatever they want with them.

The Tibetan Mastiff is calm and restrained, but he always responds to aggression with aggression. It is desirable that its owners be strict and strong personalities, otherwise the animal may grow up 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 - so the dog can live on the street 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 constitution, thanks to which dogs are able to overcome great distances, even on rocky terrain.

But keeping such a dog in an apartment will be quite problematic, and it will not be the size of the dog that is to blame, but the same wool - 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 the dog named Hong Dong - It is impossible to see him in our country, the owner of the dog was a multimillionaire from China - a coal tycoon who bought the dog for $ 1.5 million (10 million yuan).

The record dog was auctioned 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 animal's dignity does not end there - it has an excellent pedigree, and in addition, it has a fiery red color, but everyone knows that it is the orange color that is considered the color of Buddha. This coloration greatly 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 of capital - the desire of dog breeders to mate their pets with the eminent giant is so great that they are ready to pay 15-20 thousand dollars for it.

By the way, the 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, Genghis Khan and even Buddha had mastiffs.

In addition to Hong Dong, there are several more record holders who are more impressive in size than the rest of their brethren. 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 height 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 markings.

According to the owner of the dog, the Chief has a truly unique ability - he knows how to open any locks. Using only lips and front paws, 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 kennel, after which people had to spend a lot of time trying to return all the “household members” to their places.

It is believed that in the last century there lived a Tibetan mastiff named Lio Chang, and his size was 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 had not yet received wide distribution, the only thing that indicates the impressive size of this dog is the record holder's photographs stored in the Main Archives of China.

In Russia, such large dogs are not widespread, nevertheless, there are kennels that are engaged in breeding these magnificent giants. The cost of a dog in our country on average is 100 thousand rubles, while representatives of Chinese ancestry differ in the maximum cost - they are characterized by red or black wool of a tan color.

Although connoisseurs of the Chinese breed need to be careful - lately, experts have begun 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 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 kennel "Zatveretsky Posad" in Tver you can buy a puppy even for 30 thousand rubles, the choice in other cities will be extremely scarce, but budgetary. On average, in non-capital regions of the Tibetan mastiff can be bought for 20-50 thousand rubles.

Nurseries gained fame Heirs of Tibet, Liontari Asteri, Avesta, BESTMASTIF, Pharaoh's Dream, and many others. However, in most cases they specialize in breeding several large dog breeds, not just Tibetan Mastiffs.

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

It is believed that once the Buddha himself wandered through the Tibetan plains and watched how hard the life of the local people was. In these lands, people had a hard time - long cold winters, constant blizzards, downpours, barren land and wild animals attacking livestock 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 a man a faithful helper: he took the courage and strength of a lion, the intelligence of a wolf, the sensitivity of a bird and the heart of a naive child - and gave it to a big dog. This is how the Tibetan Mastiff was born, which has become an indispensable assistant for farmers and herders, merchants and travelers. This dog became the protector of Buddhist monks and hermits. You can even be sure that the people of Tibet simply could not have survived in such harsh conditions without the help of this huge and brave dog.

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

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

Nicholas Roerich in his memoirs mentioned a case when once an old Tibetan mastiff named Tumbala was tied in a garden on a strong chain so as not to frighten the guests. The secular reception dragged on, the mastiff got bored and simply broke the chain in one movement, 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 guests in the house - the first jumped onto the table, and the second was forced to retreat at a gallop.

Mastiffs from Tibet are very independent dogs, and not stupid puppy independence, but the one that is caused by the need make quick independent decisions in a situation when the owner is not at home, but 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, they are not afraid even of an opponent who is in many ways superior in strength and retreat only in order to then again rush into the attack. In the wild, such fights for a mastiff can sometimes result in a serious injury - in this case, the dog simply goes into the mountains to die alone.

There are probably more legends about the sensitivity of the Tibetan giant than about all his other qualities. For example, the inhabitants of Tibet are sincerely sure that this dog never sleeps, and the marks under his eyes - this is just another pair of eyes with which the mastiff sees not only people, but also evil spirits, thanks to which he never misses danger.

It should be noted that these dogs really have an incredible ability to react to any smell and sound that people cannot distinguish. These dogs never sleep and earnestly guard the territory entrusted to them.

The heart is the only thing that is completely defenseless in the Tibetan Mastiff. This dog is sincerely attached to its owner, serves him with faith and truth, is ready to give his life, and if he encounters betrayal, he experiences it so hard that he may even die of melancholy.

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