An ancient and imposing guardian breed with massive size, noble bearing, and dense double coat. Known for its independent nature, impressive presence, and deep, powerful bark.
Ancient guardian breed developed in the isolated Himalayas, used by Tibetan nomads and monasteries to protect livestock, villages, and property. Considered a progenitor of many modern mastiff breeds.
Males typically weigh 45-73 kg and stand 66-74 cm at the shoulder; females 34-54 kg and 61-69 cm.
“Independent. Protective”
Quoted from FCI standard n°230. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
FCI standard · Tibetan Mastiff
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording, tagged permissible.
Quality of greater importance than quantity.
Coat harsh, thick, top coat not too long, with dense and rather wolly undercoat in cold weather which becomes rather sparse in warmer months.
Males carry noticeably more coat than females.
Hair fine but harsh, straight and off-standing.
Never silky, curly or wavy.
Neck and shoulders heavily coated, giving mane-like appearance.
Tail bushy and well feathered
hindlegs well feathered on upper rear parts
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Base colour
Rich black, with or without tan marking
Shortened from FCI standard n°230 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
Quoted from FCI standard n°230. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
What a judge marks the Tibetan Mastiff down for, and what puts one out of the ring, in the registry’s own words. This describes the breed standard — it is not a checklist for the animal in front of you, and a pet with a disqualifying fault is an unshowable dog rather than an unhealthy one.
Marked heavily against a specimen in the ring.
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Tibetan Mastiff in general; any individual animal can differ.
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Tibetan Mastiff on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
This is where Tibetan Mastiff owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
No Tibetan Mastiff breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.
