FCI-Standard N° 230  / 02. 04. 2004  / GB                     
                                                                                                                                                                                                  

                                                                                                                DO-KHYI                                            
                                                                                                           (Tibetan Mastiff)  
   

                                                                              

ORIGIN :  Tibet.                                                                                                                                                    
 

PATRONAGE : FCI.
 

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD :  24.03.2004.

 UTILIZATION : A companion, watch and guard dog.
 

CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. :   Group   2      Pinscher and Schnauzer- Molossoid breeds- Swiss Mountain and Cattle Dogs and other breeds.

                                               Section 2.2   Molossoid breeds, Mountain type.

                                               Without working trial.

 

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY : The Tibetan Mastiff (Do Khyi) is an ancient working breed of the nomad herders of the Himalaya and a traditional guardian of the Tibetan monasteries.  It has been surrounded by great myth since its first discovery in antiquity.  From the mentioning by Aristoteles (384-322 b.C.) to the famous writings of Marco Polo, who went to Asia in 1271, all historical reports praise the natural strength and impressiveness of the Tibetan Mastiff- both physically and mentally.  Even its bark has been described as a unique and highly treasured feature of the breed.  Leading European cynologists of the past, like Martin and Youatt, Megnin, Beckmann, Siber as well as Strebel and Bylandt have intensively covered the Tibetan Mastiff, as they had been fascinated by its origin and function in the Tibetan culture.  Some even considered the breed to be the very forefather of all large mountain and mastiff breeds.  One of the first known Tibetan Mastiffs to reach Western shores was a male sent to Queen Victoria by Lord Hardinge (then Viceroy of India) in 1847.  Later in the 1880s, Edward VII (then Prince of Wales) took two dogs back to England.  An early recorded litter of Tibetan Mastiffs was born in 1898 in the Berlin Zoo.

 

GENERAL APPEARANCE : Powerful, heavy, well built, with good bone.  Impressive; of solemn and earnest appearance.  Combines majestic strength, robustness and endurance; fit to work in all climate conditions.  Slow to mature, only reaching its best at 2-3 years in females and at least 4 years in males.

 

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS :

    * Skull measured from occiput to stop equal to muzzle from stop to end of nose but muzzle may be a little shorter.
    *  Body slightly longer than height at withers.

 BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : Independent.  Protective.  Commands respect.  Most loyal to his family and territory.

 HEAD  : Broad, heavy and strong.  In adults a wrinkle may extend from above the eyes down to the corner of mouth.

 CRANIAL REGION :

Skull : Large, very slightly rounded, with strongly pronounced occiput.

Stop :  Well defined.

 FACIAL REGION :

Nose : Broad, as dark as possible depending on coat colour, well opened nostrils.

Muzzle :  Fairly broad, well filled and deep.  End of muzzle square. Lips : Well developed and covering the underjaw.                   

Jaws/Teeth :  Jaws strong with perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper incisors closely overlapping the lower incisors and set square to the jaws.  Level bite acceptable.  Dentition fits tightly.

Eyes : Medium size, any shade of brown and in accordance with coat colour, the darker the better.  Set well apart, oval and slightly slanting. Eyelids tightly fitting the eyeball.  Expression of dignity.

Ears : Medium size, triangular, pendant, set between the level of the skull and the eye, dropping forward and hanging close to head; carried forward when alert.  Ear leathers covered with soft, short hair.

 NECK : Strong, well muscled, arched.  Not too much dewlap.  Covered  by thick upstanding mane, not so pronounced in bitches.

 BODY : Strong.

Back : Straight, muscular.

Croup : Broad and rather flat.

Chest : Rather deep, of moderate breadth, with good spring of rib, to give heart-shaped ribcage.  Brisket reaching to below elbows.

 TAIL : Medium length.  Set high on line with top of back, carried high, loosely curled over back, when dog alert or in motion; well feathered.

 

LIMBS

 FOREQUARTERS : Straight, well angulated, well covered all over with strong hair.

Shoulders :  Well laid, muscular.

Elbows : Neither turned in nor out.

Forearms : Straight.  Strong bone.

Metacarpus (Pasterns) : Strong, slightly sloping.

 HINDQUARTERS : Powerful, muscular, with good angulation.  Seen from behind, hindlegs parallel.

Upper thigh : Rather long; strong, with good hard muscles, but not bulging.

Stifle : Well bent

Hock : Strong, low set.

Dewclaws : Optional.

 

FEET : Fairly large, strong, round and compact, with good feathering between well-arched toes.

  GAIT / MOVEMENT  : Powerful, but always light and elastic: with good reach and drive.  When speed increases tends to single track.  When walking appears very deliberate.  Capable of functioning over a varied terrain with stamina and suppleness.

 

COAT

 

HAIR : 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.

 

COLOUR : Rich black, with or without tan marking; blue, with or without tan markings; gold, from rich fawn to deep red.  All colours to be as pure as possible.  Tan ranges from a rich chestnut to a lighter colour. White star on breast permissible.  Minimal white markings on feet acceptable. Tan markings appear above eyes, on lower part of legs and underside of tail.  Tan markings on muzzle; spectacle markings tolerated around eyes.

 

SIZE  :

Height at the withers :   Dogs      :    66 cm (26 ins) minimum,.

                                    Bitches   :    61 cm (24 ins) minimum..               

 

FAULTS : Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

 

SEVERE FAULTS :

    * Lacking physical condition and fitness.
    * Head light or heavily wrinkled.
    * Pendulous flews.
    * Pronounced dewlap.
    * Large and/or low set ears.
    * Light eyes or staring expression.
    * Weak pigmentation, particularly of nose.
    * Barrelled ribs.
    * Tightly curled tail over hips.
    * Over angulated or straight hindquarters.
    * Heavy constrained movement.
    * Under minimum height, tolerance 2 cm.

 

ELIMINATING FAULTS :

    * Aggressive or overly shy.
    * Undershot or overshot mouth.
    * All other colours than above mentioned e.g. white, cream, grey, brown (liver), lilac, brindle, particolours.

 

Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.

 

N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

 

This amended breed standard will become effective from September 2004.


Thanks to the Dutch Tibetan Mastiff Club for permission to use this Breed Standard info .
Have a look at their site  :Tibetaanse Mastiff Club Nederland
                                                                                                                       
 

                    ATMA    Breed standard  

TIBETAN MASTIFF BREED STANDARD
Copyright © American Tibetan Mastiff Association

I. GENERAL APPEARANCE.

Noble and impressive: a large, powerful, heavy, well built dog, well muscled, with much substance and bone, and of solemn but kindly appearance. The Tibetan Mastiff stands well up on the pasterns, with strong, tight, cat feet, giving an alert appearance. The body is slightly longer than tall. The head is broad and impressive, with massive back skull, the eyes deep-set and almond shaped, slightly slanted, the muzzle broad and well-padded, giving a square appearance. The typical expression of the breed is one of watchfulness. The tail is well feathered and carried over the back in a single curl falling over the loin, balancing the head. The coat and heavy mane is thick, with coarse guard hair and a wooly undercoat. The tail and britches are well feathered.
The Tibetan Mastiff has been used primarily as a family and property guardian for many millennia, and is aloof and watchful of strangers, and highly protective of its people and property.

II. SIZE, PROPORTION, SUBSTANCE.

Size: Dogs - minimum of 26 inches at the withers
Bitches - minimum of 24 inches at the withers
Dogs and bitches that are more than one inch below the minimum heights to be severely faulted.

Proportion: Slightly longer than tall (9-10), (i.e.,the height to length, measured from sternum to ischium should be slightly greater than the distance from withers to ground).

Substance: The Tibetan Mastiff should have impressive substance, both in bone and structure, as well as strength. When dogs are judged equal in type, proportion and movement, the more substantial dog, in terms of substance and bone, not merely height, is to be given preference.

III. HEAD.

Broad, heavy and strong. Some wrinkling in maturity, extending from above eyes down to corner of mouth. A correct head and expression is essential to the breed.

Expression: Noble, intelligent, watchful and aloof.

Eyes: Very expressive, medium size, any shade of brown. Rims to be black except in blue/grey, blue/grey and tan dogs and brown dogs, the darkest possible shade of grey or brown. Eyes deep-set, well apart, almond-shaped, and slightly slanting. Any other color or shape to be severely faulted since it detracts from the typical expression.

Ears: Medium size, V-shaped, pendant, set-on high , dropping forward and hanging close to head. Raised when alert, on level with the top of the skull. The ear leather is thick, covered with soft short hair, and when measured, should reach the inner corner of the eye.

Skull: Broad and large, with strongly defined occiput. Broad back skull.

Stop: Deep and well defined.

Muzzle: Broad, well filled and square when viewed from all sides.

Proportions: Measurement from occiput to stop and stop to end of nose, equal or slightly shorter.

Nose: Broad, well pigmented, with open nostrils. Black, except with blue/grey or blue/grey and tan dogs, the darkest shade of grey and brown dogs, the darkest shade of brown. Any other color to be severely faulted.

Lips: Well developed, thick, with moderate flews and slightly pendulous lower lips.

Bite: Complete scissor bite. Level bite acceptable. Essential that dentition fits tightly, to maintain square form of muzzle.
Teeth: Canine teeth large, strong, broken teeth not to be faulted.
Faults: Missing teeth, overshot, undershot bite.

IV. NECK, TOPLINE AND BODY.

Neck: The neck is well muscled, moderately arched, and may have moderate dewlap. The neck, especially in dogs, is shrouded by a thick upstanding mane.

Topline: Topline straight and level between withers and croup.

Body: The chest is rather deep, of moderate breadth, with reasonable spring of rib. Brisket reaching to just below elbows. Underline with pronounced (but not exaggerated) tuck-up. The back is muscular with firmly muscled loin. There is no slope or angle to the croup.

Tail: Medium to long, but not reaching below hock joint; well feathered. Set high on line with top of back. When alert or in motion, curled over back or to one side. Tails that are double curled or carried in an incomplete curl to be faulted.

V. FOREQUARTERS.

Shoulders: Well laid back, muscular, strongly boned, with moderate angulation to match the rear angulation.

Legs: Straight, with substantial bone and muscle, well covered with short, coarse hair, feathering, and with strong pasterns that have a slight slope.

Feet: Cat feet. Fairly large, strong, compact, may have feathering between toes. Nails may be either black and/or white, regardless of coat color. A single dewclaw may be present on the front feet.

VI. HINDQUARTERS.

Hindquarters: Powerful, muscular, with all parts being moderately angulated. Seen from behind, the hind legs and stifle are parallel. The hocks are strong, well let down (approximately one-third the overall length of the leg), and perpendicular.

Feet: A single or double dewclaw may be present on the rear feet. Removal of rear dewclaws, if present, optional.

VII. COAT.

In general, dogs carry noticeably more coat than bitches. The quality of the coat is of greater importance than quantity. Double-coated, with fairly long, thick coarse guard hair, with heavy soft undercoat in cold weather which becomes rather sparse in warmer months. Hair is fine but hard, straight and stand-off; never silky, curly or wavy. Heavy undercoat, when present, rather woolly. Neck and shoulders heavily coated, especially in dogs, giving mane-like appearance. Tail and britches densely coated and heavily feathered. The Tibetan Mastiff is shown naturally. Trimming is not acceptable except to provide a clean cut appearance of feet. Dogs are not to be penalized if shown with a summer coat.

VIII. COLOR.

Black, brown, and blue/grey, all with or without tan markings, and various shades of gold. Tan ranges from a very rich shade through a lighter color. White markings on breast and feet acceptable. Tan markings may appear at any or all of the following areas: above eyes as spots, around eyes (including spectacle markings), on each side of the muzzle, on throat, on lower part of front forelegs and extending up the inside of the forelegs, on inside of rear legs showing down the front of the stifle and broadening out to the front of the rear legs from hock to toes, on breeches, and underside of tail. Undercoat, as well as furnishings on breeches and underside of tail, may be lighter shades of the dominant color. The undercoat on black and tan dogs also may be grey or tan. Other markings such as sabling, brindling, white on other areas of the body, or large white markings, to be faulted. All other coat colors, while accepted, are to be faulted.

IX. GAIT.

The gait of a Tibetan Mastiff is powerful, steady and balanced, yet at the same time, light-footed. When viewed from the side, reach and drive should indicate maximum use of the dog's moderate angulation. Back remains level and firm. Sound and powerful movement more important than speed.

X. TEMPERAMENT.

The Tibetan Mastiff is a highly intelligent, independent, strong willed and rather reserved dog. He is aloof with strangers and highly protective of his charges and his property. In the ring he may exhibit reserve or lack of enthusiasm, but any sign of shyness is unacceptable and must be severely faulted as inappropriate for a guardian breed. Conversely, given its aloof nature, judges should also beware of putting a premium on showiness.