Tibetan Mastiff Did You Know?

• The Tibetan Mastiff is AKC's 155th breed.
• At the April 2006 Board Meeting the Tibetan Mastiff became eligible for AKC registration on September 1, 2006 and was eligible to compete in the Working Group at shows held on and after January 1, 2007. There will be an open registry for the breed until August 31, 2009.
• At the August 2004 Board Meeting the Tibetan Mastiff was approved to compete in the Miscellaneous Class this became effective January 1, 2005.
• In December 2003 the AKC Board approved the eligibility of some Foundation Stock breeds, which meet certain criteria, for competition in AKC Companion Events (Obedience, Tracking, and Agility), effective January 1, 2004. The breeds must have a minimum of 150 dogs with three generation pedigrees recorded in the FSS®, a national breed club with members in at least 20 states, and an AKC approved breed standard. The Tibetan Mastiff was one of 20 breeds who met the requirements. Requests by breed clubs to have their breeds compete in the various Performance Events would be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• The Tibetan Mastiff was recorded in the AKC Foundation Stock Service in 1996.
• Tibetan Mastiffs don't shed - they blow their coat once a year.
• Tibetan Mastiff bitches have a single oestrus per year, generally in the late fall and that most Tibetan Mastiff puppies are born in December and January.
• Tibetans believe that Tibetan Mastiffs have the souls of monks and nuns who were not good enough to be reincarnated into people or into Shambhala (the heavenly realm).
• In Tibet, Tibetan Mastiffs are called "Do-khyi" or "tied dog" and are kept chained to the gates and let loose at night.
• In Tibet, Tibetan Mastiffs are traditionally kept with Lhasa Apsos, who alert them to the appearance of any stranger.
• Did you know that Tibetan Mastiffs have exceptionally strong jaws and teeth, and this, combined with remarkably high intelligence (that lends to boredom) and their legendary fondness for wood, can result in amazingly destructive acts to your house?