Why We Chose Tibetan Mastiffs

Our interest in Tibetan mastiffs started in 1997 while on a visit to Cyprus.  One day whilst sitting on the beach we saw this lovely grey and tan dog being walked along the shore, and when I asked the owner what breed she was she told me she was a Tibetan Mastiff.  I had never heard of them before, and although I never saw her again I was very much taken with her.

I didn't think any more of it until 3 years later when a UK magazine called "Dog World" did a rare breeds supplemental pull-out. At the time I was thinking I would like a different breed of dog as I'd had Rotties since I was a teenager and had decided it was time for a change.  While looking through the pull-out I noticed one particular breed of dog which looked familiar, and as I read on I realised it was the same breed I'd seen on the beach in Cyprus.

I finished reading through the pull-out, but none of the other breeds had the same appeal for me, so I rang the number advertised by a lady who bred Tibetan mastiffs and had a nice long conversation with her, asking her various questions about the breed and their temperament etc.  This was particularly important to me since at that time we were breeding cats and therefore needed to be sure they would get on okay together, which fortunately they do.  So that was it, the search was on!

I looked around on the Internet, and eventually contacted a lovely lady in Canada whose dogs I very fell in love with to the extent that I was seriously considering buying a puppy bitch from her.  She had a lovely litter on the ground, but I decided not to get a bitch from her since she would have to come to England via the Pets Passport Scheme, meaning that she would not be here until she was a young adult (and I had very little experience of the breed at that time).

Thereon I confined my search to the UK and contacted two breeders, one located in Leeds, Yorkshire and another based in Wales.  Leeds is about three to four hours drive for us and I wasn't sure how I or the puppy would cope with the long journey first time round, so I decided to visit the breeder in Wales.  Richard showed us around his kennels and his lovely dogs before getting to the best bit which was the puppies!  They were four weeks old and and all looked adorable, however I fell in love with a gorgeous black & tan puppy who also thankfully seemed to like me!  I had to then wait for a long time to see if anybody else on Richard's waiting list wanted her too, which luckily for me they didn't.  So there it was, I was smitten!

We brought her home when she was about nine weeks old, and it has to be said that she's one of the sweetest and easiest puppies I've ever had.  Her only troubles are that she is a bark-a-holic, and that she is a nightmare to feed.  But I would not part with her for the World!

Breeding Experience

Although we have only been breeding Tibetan Mastiffs since 2005, our experience goes back a lot longer than that, but with cat breeding, not dogs! In 1997 we got our first pedigree cat, Jack, who was a Turkish Van cat, and although we could not breed from Jack we did show him, then the following year we got our first breeding queen. Since then we have had over 25 litters of Turkish Van, Turkish Angora, and Bengal kittens, some 100+ kittens in total, and we continue to do so even today. Our name is known worldwide, having sold kittens to the USA, Japan, Australia, and various parts of Europe. We have also imported cats from the USA and Europe, so we’re well versed with the requirements and procedures imposed by governments.

Breeding cats is clearly different from breeding dogs in some ways, but apart from the obvious differences there are in fact many similarities. The birthing process is remarkably similar, as is the care and attention necessary to ensure the babies have the best possible start in life. Whether we’re raising puppies or kittens the principle is the same, they need careful supervision, health checks, and of course lots of love. Weaning is actually slightly easier with puppies, although they more than make up for it with the mess they make – kittens quickly learn to use a litter tray!

The responsibility for finding good homes is also the same whether it be for puppies or kittens, and we are very careful to ensure as much as we possibly can that their new homes will be suitable ones. This depth of experience helps to ensure that we raise happy, healthy, and well adjusted puppies (and kittens), and that we can help and advise on any issues or problems that may arise after they go to their new homes. We keep in touch with new puppy and kitten owners for as long as they’re happy to do so, and even now, some 9 years later, we still have regular contact with our very first kitten owner!

TM Breeding Program

You will have already seen that our dogs are predominantly from foreign lines, and this is no accident. Whilst we agree that there are some wonderful dogs here, we have preferred to sample the breadth and depth of the breed that can be found outside the UK.

We have visited the USA on two occasions now, and have met many TM breeders there. Our first visit was to meet a bitch which we were planning to import (which sadly fell through due to unforeseen circumstances), and also to attend a three-day event in Virginia consisting of a TM dog show, breed seminars, and the opportunity to meet some 70 Tibetan Mastiffs and of course their owners.

One year later we were back again, this time to visit Norbu and Meara who were doing their “Pets Passport” time before come over to join us here in the UK. Again we had the opportunity to meet some now-familiar faces, and spend some valuable time getting acquainted with Norbu and Meara.

We have chosen dogs for our breeding program by looking at the depth of pedigree, paying particular attention to the quality of the lines, genetic traits, health issues, and the nature & character of the dogs. They need to be able to co-exist peacefully with each other and also with us, since they live with us in our house (we do not keep dogs in kennels). Our goal has not been to import a “perfect” TM, but rather to import from good strong lines that have all the ingredients necessary to produce quality dogs in years to come. Our breeding experience has taught us to look beyond the outward appearance and to see the potential that a line has, then work those lines together to achieve our goal. This is not a short term solution, but over the years we hope that the fruits of our efforts will come to bear. Sure we’ll make some mistakes, but the long term achievements we hope will be very satisfying!