Tibetan Mastiff

Tibetan Mastiff, also known as Tibetan Mastiff, Mastiff, Fan Dog, Dragon Dog, was domesticated by humans as early as 6000 years ago. Its place of origin is on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Tibetan Mastiffs have broad chests, large heads, and a fierce appearance. They have outstanding performance and a noble kingly style. They are recognized as the oldest and rarest large dog breed in the world and are known as the "Eastern Divine Dog". In the Tibetan serf society, Tibetan Mastiffs are a symbol of nobility and are regarded by Tibetans as the mount of divine dogs and living Buddhas. Only the kings and temple abbots can keep them. At that time, if nobles wanted to buy Tibetan Mastiffs, they had to buy the dog's owner as a slave as well. Tibetan Mastiffs are extremely powerful, and they are strong and aggressive like tigers in battle, so they need to be carefully taken care of, and incidents of biting people frequently occur.

The Tibetan Mastiff originated in the 10th century and is known as the "one mastiff equals nine dogs" and "one mastiff equals three wolves". Initially, Tibetan Mastiffs mainly lived in the high cold zones above 3000 meters on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and the plains of Central Asia. Tibetan Mastiffs have been found in Tibet, Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, Xinjiang, Mongolia, Ningxia, and even Nepal.

In Tibetan, Tibetan Mastiff means "dog like a lion". According to one theory, Tibetan Mastiffs are descendants of the ancient dog breeds on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and were crossbred with fierce animals such as lions and tigers. There are also historical records that Genghis Khan had a 30,000-strong mastiff army when he campaigned in Europe. The bravery of Tibetan Mastiffs made the army invincible and achieved extraordinary military achievements, so some believe that some Tibetan Mastiffs from the mastiff army stayed in Europe and crossbred with local dogs, resulting in some fierce dogs in the West with genetic characteristics of Tibetan Mastiffs. Therefore, Tibetan Mastiffs are also known as the "father of fierce dogs in the world". However, in later years, due to insufficient bloodline protection awareness among the people in the Qinghai-Tibetan region, the bloodlines of the original Tibetan Mastiffs and local shepherd dogs became mixed, and the number of purebred Tibetan Mastiffs began to decline. Tibetan Mastiffs are regarded as the sacred dogs "heavenly dogs" in Tibet, and Westerners, after realizing the bravery of Tibetan Mastiffs, refer to them as the "Eastern Divine Dogs".

The earliest historical literature record of Tibetan Mastiffs dates back to 1257 AD, from Marco Polo's travelogue. Marco Polo first encountered Tibetans in what is now Sichuan Province. He described Tibetans as having a huge, fierce, bold dog that is the size of a donkey, runs like a tiger, and roars like a lion, with a majestic appearance. The early famous Swedish explorer Sven Hedin once drew a sketch of two Tibetan Mastiffs fearlessly fighting against a huge wild yak. In 1744, British envoy George Bogle arrived in Tibet and described Tibetan Mastiffs as huge in size, resembling male lions, and brave. In 1847, Sir Hardinge, the Governor-General of India, gave a Tibetan Mastiff to Queen Victoria. In 1873, the Kennel Club officially named the "large dogs from Tibet" (Tibetan Mastiffs) as "Tibetan Mastiff". The following year, Prince of Wales imported two Tibetan Mastiffs, but until around 1928, only a few Tibetan Mastiffs were imported to countries such as Britain and Europe.

The Tibetan Mastiff is an excellent family guard dog. Although fierce, it is very friendly to babies and young children. It is not suitable to be raised in crowded and small spaces because it is hostile to strangers around and easily causes accidental injuries.

Toes Infection

Symptoms: The dog frequently licks its toes, and the area between the toes becomes red and moist. In severe cases, lameness may occur.

Preparation: Iodine, Neomycin ointment, Elizabethan collar

Instructions: Wear Elizabethan collar, remove the hair from the foot clean, rinse with soapy water or wipe with iodine, after the inflamed area dries, apply Neomycin ointment between the toes once a day, repeat for a week.

Ear Mite

Symptoms: The dog scratches the ears, shakes its head, the ears have strong sour smell, accompanied by increased tear staining, hair loss in the ears, with dark brown secretion and earwax.

Preparation: Ear cleanser, ear wash solution

Instructions: Clean the hair inside the dog's ears, irrigate the ear canal with ear wash solution or Vaseline, gently massage the base of the ear for 30 seconds, wait for the dog to shake out the solution, use a cotton ball to wipe away the secretions, and gently clean the earlobe and ear canal.

Skin Disease

Symptoms: The dog feels itchy, the skin becomes red, itchy, the dog scratches randomly, the fur becomes dull, rough, increased dandruff, and even patches of hair loss.

Preparation: Saline solution, topical ointment or spray for skin, vitamin B.

Instructions: Put an Elizabethan collar on the dog to prevent scratching and licking, cut short the problematic skin and surrounding hair, then rinse with saline solution for sterilization, and then apply ointment or use spray, with the use of antibiotics and vitamin B.

1. What do Tibetan Mastiffs eat:

1. Foods that Tibetan Mastiffs like to eat:

Meat: Tibetan Mastiffs are carnivorous dogs and generally prefer beef and mutton, with a slightly lower preference for pork compared to beef and mutton.

Animal offal: Tibetan Mastiffs love animal offal such as heart, liver, spleen, lungs, intestines, blood, etc. However, the amount of animal offal should not be too excessive, as it can cause poisoning and affect bone growth. Therefore, adult Tibetan Mastiffs usually eat liver twice every three weeks. Bone: Tibetan Mastiffs love to eat large bones, which contain rich bone marrow and calcium, making them highly nutritious. Bones also help in the development of the teeth in puppies. However, small bones like chicken bones should not be fed to Tibetan Mastiffs as they can easily scrape their throats and stomachs.

2. How to make Tibetan Mastiffs grow fast:

Protein in food plays a crucial role in the growth of Tibetan Mastiffs. Due to their large size, Tibetan Mastiffs require a significant amount of protein for their nutrition. Protein can be obtained from meat, eggs, animal offal, bones, meat skin, and blood. Therefore, feeding these types of food or high-protein dog food can help Tibetan Mastiffs grow healthily.

2. Care for Tibetan Mastiffs:

It is not suitable to bathe Tibetan Mastiff puppies under 6 months old. After they become adults, they can be bathed once every 1-2 weeks. Frequent bathing can damage the natural protective oils on their skin, leading to various skin problems. Tibetan Mastiffs have alkaline and thin skin, so they are not suitable for frequent bathing.

Feeding Tibetan Mastiff puppies: The development of puppies is rapid within the first month after birth. Therefore, their appetite is very strong, and they cannot solely rely on mother's milk for nutrition. They also need to supplement their diet with appropriate feed. Otherwise, they may become weak and grow slowly due to malnutrition. It is best to choose highly nutritious and easily digestible liquid food, such as adding milk powder, meat soup, cooked egg yolks, and porridge to fresh milk. Additionally, fish liver oil, various vitamins, and bone powder can also be added. When the deciduous teeth have fully developed, puppies can start chewing on soft cartilage from pigs and cows. However, small bones like chicken bones should not be fed to puppies. Allowing them to chew and break large bones that have been cooked soft stimulates the development of their gums and helps in the growth of permanent teeth. Tibetan Mastiff puppies have a greedy eating habit, so they must be monitored during feeding. Generally, they should be fed until they are 70-80% full. Overfeeding can cause indigestion. It is best to follow the principle of feeding small meals frequently. As large breed dogs, they should not be fed excessive amounts of meat too early, as it can lead to front leg deformities.

Calcium powder and vitamins should be supplemented in the diet of young Tibetan Mastiffs, as it is beneficial for the growth of teeth and bones. Usually, puppies under one year old, which are in the growth period, need to be supplemented with approximately one teaspoon of calcium powder for every 2kg of body weight. As they age, the amount of calcium powder and dosage should be increased continuously.

Feeding adult Tibetan Mastiffs: After Tibetan Mastiffs reach one year old, they only need to be fed once a day. It is recommended to feed them at night because animals generally like to sleep after eating.

Feeding elder Tibetan Mastiffs: The old age of Tibetan Mastiffs is after 7-8 years old. The following points should be noted in their care:

1. High-nutrition and easily digestible food: The diet for older Tibetan Mastiffs should have a high nutritional value and be easily digestible. The digestion speed in their intestines and stomachs slows down as they age. The protein concentration in their food should not be lower than 25%. Fiber should be moderately increased as it helps with digestion.

2. Increase antioxidant vitamins C and E: The food for older Tibetan Mastiffs should have higher amounts of vitamins and minerals, especially increased antioxidant vitamins C and E. These two vitamins help cells resist cell membrane damage caused by aging.

3. Reduce feeding amount and have smaller meals more frequently: The total amount of food for elderly Tibetan Mastiffs should be reduced by approximately 15% compared to their middle-aged years. This is because older Tibetan Mastiffs have reduced activity levels and lower energy consumption. Reducing food intake can prevent obesity.

4. Provide sufficient water and a fixed diet: The intestines of older Tibetan Mastiffs are more susceptible to food changes, and they require sufficient water to increase metabolism.

1, do not bathe frequently

Giving your dog a bath, of course, should not be too frequent. Giving your dog a bath depends on the dog's hygiene situation. In hot weather, wash your dog more often and reduce it by one or two times in winter, but generally no more than 5 times. Otherwise, it will damage its fur and skin!

2. Be diligent in brushing

Dogs shed almost every day, especially in spring and autumn, when seasonal shedding is more severe. To make the fur grow well, brushing is an important step. Owners can use pet-specific combs to help dogs clean naturally shed fur and prevent tangling. Brushing once in the morning and evening for about five minutes each time is enough.

3. Sunbathe

Sunbathing is beneficial to the growth of a dog's hair, and besides making the hair more shiny, it can also help kill bacteria. While sunbathing, owners can let the dogs exercise, which can help improve the dog's physical fitness, promote blood circulation, and help grow healthier fur.

4. Deworming

Poor fur is actually closely related to parasites. Parasites will absorb a large amount of nutrition from the dog's body and compete for nutrients. Therefore, deworming is essential. When deworming, it is recommended to do both internal and external deworming. Deworming drugs can cause great damage to the dog's intestines and stomach, so it is recommended to feed probiotics together to alleviate gastrointestinal discomfort.

5. Pay attention to diet

In order for dogs to have shiny fur, they must lay a good nutritional foundation and pay attention to daily diet. On the one hand, feed dogs with nutritious and healthy dog food, choose a dog food that is suitable for dogs and has sufficient nutrition to meet the dog's needs. On the other hand, you can feed dogs with lean meat, cooked egg yolks, and vegetable oil in moderate amounts.