WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN AND CHINESE TYPES OF TIBETAN MASTIFFS?

The question is often asked, what is the difference between the European type and the Chinese in Tibetan mastiffs? I can’t answer in a nutshell, so I decided to write this article.

So, what is the difference? Let’s dig a little deeper into the history of the breed. Scientists claim that the Tibetan MASTIFFS breed is more than 5,000 years old. Until the 20th century, these dogs were very rare outside of Tibet. After China’s occupation of Tibet, Tibetan MASTIFFS appeared in Europe and the USA. They were brought from Nepal and Bhutan. No one can guarantee that there was no metisation, and true Tibetan MASTIFFS got to us. Since the second half of the XX century, breeders of Europe and America have been engaged in the breed. As a result, we now see the so-called “European type”. In the 90s of the last century , we learned about such a type as CHINESE Tibetan MASTIFFS . Dogs from Taiwan and China began to be brought to Europe . Dogs were very different from the European type in hair, bone structure, color, constitution. The first dogs from Taiwan and China contributed to the breed. They added backbone, brutality, wool to the Europeans, bright colors appeared. A boom in Tibetan mastiffs has begun in China. The Chinese government has listed the breed in the Red Book. It was possible to take out no more than one dog and strictly with the permission of the authorities. The Tibetan MASTIFF has become a luxury in China. Tibetan mastiffs were bought in Tibet for a lot of money – 200 or more thousand dollars. The NURSERY of Tibetan MASTIFFS began to appear as mushrooms. Huge puppy factories. A lot of unscrupulous businessmen poured into the breed. Many of them wanted to get everything quickly and with the least investment. Therefore, other breeds were injected, knitted on very close inbreeding, etc. Now we can often see a disabled dog that doesn’t look much like TM. There are many beautiful photos on the Internet. But we must understand that 80% is Photoshop or the ability to photograph dogs from the right angle. I have been to China many times, participated in seminars of Chinese breeders, visited hundreds of nurseries all over the country. I saw different things: both good and bad, but more bad, unfortunately. There are few breeders who really love TM, who are devoted to the breed and who support it, but they are in China. Most nurseries are factories in the worst case. In these factories, some freaks were created that did not resemble the Tibetan mastiff at all. A flood of Chinese Tibetan mastiffs poured into Europe and Russia. Many carried dogs of disgusting quality, with a bad mentality, small stature with poor bones and a small head, just for the sake of color and wool, mane. All this was put into breeding. They knitted these dogs with each other, or with the European type. Many breeders removed European-type dogs from kennels and began breeding Chinese, often of poor quality, Tibetan mastiffs. It brought in more money. There are few nurseries left who have preserved and improved the European type. We can see all of them at the largest exhibitions in the World, Europe and Eurasia. We went our own way. And they did not abandon the European type of TM. In the nursery “Heritage of Tibet” Chinese, European type and mix. I believe that the Chinese type should improve the European and vice versa. Therefore, the breeding work of the nursery is scheduled for many years. We got gorgeous dogs of Chinese, European types and mixes – Champions of many countries, the World, Europe and Eurasia. Kennels all over the world work on dogs of our breeding. I always say that it doesn’t matter to me what type of dog. It is important to me what quality it is and what it can give to its offspring. Therefore, I brought dogs of the same type from China. All of them are high-born, meet the standard and have many titles. All my dogs participate in the largest exhibitions in the world. I think that dogs for breeding should be shown, and not just get a divorce assessment and let them breed. A breeding dog should be seen by experts and evaluated, as breeders often do not see the shortcomings of their dogs. Therefore, exhibitions provide an opportunity to objectively assess the breeding value of a particular dog.

Let’s return to the differences between the Chinese type and the European one. In general, even the name of the types is very incorrect. As is the division itself. There are hundreds of types in China, much more than in Europe. But what is a type? Types are divided into :

1) Geographical (by habitat)

2) Historical

3) Local (each nursery has its own type)

Now the division is based on geographical type. This is fundamentally wrong. It is necessary to take into account the history, purpose and breeding of nurseries. Many people who want to buy a Chinese Tibetan mastiff do not understand what they want and what is its difference from another type. They see beautiful photos and want the same dog. And what is hidden behind the wool they do not see and do not understand. As a result, they get problems – dogs of very poor quality, sick, with unstable mentality. I always try to show people the dogs, I insist on visiting the kennel. And often people’s opinions change. Those who wanted a European TM fall in love with Chinese dogs and vice versa. Beautiful dogs of any type are always in demand and always impress visitors to the kennel. Someone likes very woolly dogs, heavy, someone prefers less wool and lighter. But everyone wants big, with a beautiful pedigree head and mane of dogs.

The lion dog!!!! Here are the true Tibetan mastiffs