History

A country of huge mountains, deep valleys, extremely cold winters and warm summers, the Tibetan Plateau is perhaps one the harshest inhabited areas of the world. Small wonder, that these factors have exerted their influence on all the creatures that live there, who are truly unique and hardy products of their inhospitable environment.

This is the land of origin of all the Tibetan breeds: the Do Khyi, the Tibetan Terrier, the Lhasa Apso, and the Tibetan Spaniel.

It is known from Tibet’s history, that the Tibetan people lived in close relationship with their dogs, that had an important religious significance in Lamaism. The Tibetan lion-dog was revered in the home and as a companion to the Lamas. Being of Buddhist faith, on spiritual grounds Tibetans came to compare their lion-dogs to the spirit-lions of Buddha. To this day, the visitor encounters the spirit-lion’s symbol in pictures, figurines, and statues.

These animals were never sold but were considered harbingers of good luck and as such were sent in tribute to dignitaries or presented as gifts to a special person.

Since Marco Polo travelled throughout Asia, bizarre reports of the Do Khyi’s strength and size reached Europe creating veritable legends with regard to the mighty mountain dog from this remote and unknown land of Tibet. The Tibetans never practised selective breeding as we understand it, this is why in Tibet the Do Khyis appear to be very different in type and size. These differences evolved through the life these dogs were living: roaming the country with nomadic tribes, who depended on their dogs to hunt with and to guard their camps and flocks; or living as watchdogs in the houses or monasteries. Their marked protective instinct, their strength, toughness, and tenacity made the Do Khyi the ideal dog for many different tasks.

The Tibetan Terriers were mostly held inside the homes. They were excellent watchdogs, sitting on the flat roofs of the houses giving warning of any intruder. Thus they woke the Do Khyis, the largest Tibetan watchdog, from their sound naps. Frequently, however, the Tibetan Terriers followed their nomadic tribes into higher mountainous regions where they drove the goats onto the summer range. This is probably one of the reasons why Tibetan Terriers to this day are excellent climbers and display enormous takeoff-power that amazes people time and time again.

Beyond the Himalayas, on the high plateaus of Tibet, is the home of the Lhasa Apso. Here they were bred for over 2,000 years in Tibetan monasteries, in the houses of the wealthy families, or in the residences of the Dalai Lama. Having been bred for centuries as a special indoor sentinel, the Lhasa Apso has never lost his characteristic of keen watchfulness. In ancient Tibet this hardy little dog was revered as a good-luck-charm and was never sold but on special occasions given as a gift to people of high standing.

The smallest of the four Tibetan breeds is the Tibetan Spaniel, having been bred in the monasteries as a little guardian sentinel. From his outlook on the walls of the monastery, nothing eluded him and his barking duly announced any forthcoming stranger. The smallest of them also served the monks as a kind of a heating device while sitting in the folds of their garments.

Only very few prominent visitors to Tibet were successful in obtaining and introducing these rare breeds into the Western World.