Tibetan Mastiff

Even if he is very attached to his family, the Tibetan Mastiff is a dog with a rather tough character: ‘nonchalant’ and independent, he rarely displays his feelings.

His reserved personality does not make this Tibetan ‘lion-dog’ the best playtime companion, even if, when still a pup, he can enjoy playful and educational game sessions.

Even if this giant molossian only reaches maturity at 3 or 4 years of age, he remains a very calm and still dog who enjoys his peace and who can react very temperamentally if some unsolicited thing or person happens to interrupt his nap time.

If you believe that the measure of a dog’s intelligence is his capacity to obey, then the Tibetan Mastiff is not the smartest of his species. Yet, in truth, it is usually those dogs that are good at strategizing their way out of a command that are the sharpest! 

It is, in fact, sooner through his capacities to observe, analyse and protect that this molossoid is truly brilliant.

Not a hunter in the least, the Tibetan Mastiff is exclusively a watchdog. The only ‘prey’ he might come to ‘hunt’ are unwelcome intruders encroaching on his turf.

The Tibetan Mastiff is extremely wary of strangers and can even resort to biting. He needs to be very well socialised in order not to become too aggressive or bite: this means that he needs to be exposed to many humans, and be in constant interaction with members of his family, in order to soften his naturally hard character.

This Tibetan dog is very attached to his territory and social group but he only ever rarely shows affection. He is very independent, which renders communication rather challenging if he is not accepted for what he is, and if you expect him to morph into the average companion dog.

This dog likes his alone time, and enjoys above all else being entrusted with a task to complete. As a result, he can stay at home or in the garden without a problem, devoting himself to his usual ‘mission’ of choice: guarding. 

He proudly takes up position where he can best oversee his property, and is capable of not leaving his post for hours on end.

It is not easy to train the Tibetan Mastiff, on account of his ample independence and his very assertive character. The training process must be precocious, firm and coherent. 

Resorting to any kind of coercion will quickly end in failure with this powerful dog, who will not tolerate any brutality. What’s more, it would in fact be dangerous to apply coercive methods to this Tibetan ‘lion dog’, as it would only serve to tease his aggression out. 

His strong character must be softened from his youngest years, through a quality habituation towards various environments, persons, and animals. 

You must brace yourself and be patient, as this dog attains full maturity only very late. 

Last but not least, you shouldn’t place your bets on making this dog ‘a champion of obedience’- he is indeed capable of learning and respecting certain rules of conduct and disciplinary basics, but remains an independent and unpredictable dog.

His barking is akin to a lion’s roar! It is very imposing and an effective deterrent, and the mastiff does not hesitate to use it to chase intruders away.

The Tibetan Mastiff is much more of a guardian than a predator or hunter, and his territorial instinct is very pronounced. He indeed prefers to stay in his familiar environment to keep a watchful eye over potential intrusions.