Tibetan Mastiff Training

For centuries Tibetans have believed that one breed of dog, the Tibetan Mastiff, is sacred. Tibetan Mastiffs have large heads and long hair.. Their large bodies give them the appearance of a lion. The Tibetan Mastiff is the most dangerous and aggressive dog in the world.

The Tibetan people were nomadic for centuries, and dogs play an important part in nomadic societies. Dogs guard the animal herds and guard private property, and also predict earthquakes and avalanches. Tibetans also believe that the Mastiff carried Buddha to reincarnation.

The Tibetan Mastiff is known for its loyalty, large body, and aggressive personality. But the Mastiff was not born aggressive. When baby Mastiffs are born, they are cute and sweet like other puppies. When Tibetan Mastiff’s are weaned, they are placed outside in a rectangular ditch made by stone. The ditch is deep enough that the Mastiff will never be able to jump out. The painful weather coupled with the torture of hunger torture these dogs. The Mastiff will be fed only a small piece of raw meat. The only pleasure is that the ditch is big enough for them to walk around. However, the ditch becomes smaller and smaller for the Mastiff as their body grows bigger and bigger. Their character becomes more and more aggressive. The Mastiff’s paws become stronger as they scratch the stone ground in frustration and anger toward their bitter environment.

Finally, the owner will take them out of the stone ditch. The Mastiff by then has become very grumpy. Then the owner.brings the Mastiff to the mountains and leaves it in a small well. At this time, the owner does not need to protect them from wolves and other wild animal. The owners feed the Mastiffs several small pieces of meat everyday. Sometimes wolves will howl and stand at the top of the well and try to take the Mastiff’s food. In the beginning, the Mastiff buries his head under his paws and tries to hide from the wolves. Finally, it will begin to bark at the wolves to protect itself and food. The Mastiff will scratch the stone ground very hard and try to get out of the well to attack the wolves. Its personality becomes very aggressive and cruel because of the bitter environment. The Mastiff begins to have the will to attack and conquer. When the Mastiff is released from the stone well, the owner will release it to a group of other dogs. The foreign look and character of the Mastiff alienates it from other dogs. They attack the mastiff. The mastiff uses its strong pawns from digging in the stone well and their sharp teeth to fight back. By now the Mastiff’s character is much closer to a wolf. The owner feeds the Mastiff some wolf meat when it is really hungry. Wolves are the biggest enemy of the herding animals in Tibet. By feeding training the Mastiff to be angry and feeding it wolf meat the Mastiff treats wolves as the natural enemy in the wild. The Mastiff becomes a fierce guard-dog who will protect the herd.

The pure breed of mastiff becomes scarce today. There are only about 20 pure breed Mastiffs in the states and 10 in Taiwan today. Mastiffs are very loyal to their owners. They can be dangerous to strangers. In Tibet, a lot of mixed breeds Mastiffs live in temples or even on the street. They are not as aggressive as trained, pure breed Mastiffs. The training process of Tibetan Mastiffs is very unique and philosophical.

Hank Zhang is the owner of Hinky Import.
The store offers Tibetan
Singing Bowls, Tibetan
jewelry, Batik
Paintings, and Chinese gifts.
He has traveled to Tibet form many times.