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Tibetan Mastiff

The breeds · working

AKC Working · UKC Guardian · FCI standard 230

Tibetan Mastiff.

AKC standard: used primarily as a family and property guardian for many millennia; aloof and watchful of strangers, highly protective of its people and property. FCI utilization: companion, watch and guard dog; an ancient working breed of the nomad herders of the Himalaya and a traditional guardian of Tibetan monasteries. UKC: guardian and companion of Tibetan villagers and nomads and traditional guardian of the monasteries, still widely used as a natural guardian of family and flock. RKC: bred in the Himalayan region to protect homestead and livestock, often tethered at the entrance of the property. AKC history feature: Do-Kyi means 'tied dog', stationed at homes, temples and encampments; Ekvall (missionary) describes at least two dogs at every nomad tent and a very heavy baying bark; the AKC article adds that the breed was not traditionally a livestock guardian in Tibet and is generally not well suited to that specialized role.

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

13.3YRMedian lifespanmeasured on real dogs.
0INHeightdogs null, bitches null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
70–160LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 90 to 160 lb; breed bitches 70 to 120 lb.
1HRSExercise, every dayRKC: up to 1 hour per day. AKC breed page: energy level 3 of 5. The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 26 to 30 in · bitches 24 to 28 in

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2012

Low is the lowest preferred or minimum figure printed (24); the AKC disqualification line sits at 23 in. High is the UKC top; AKC preferred range tops at 27.

Weight

dogs 90 to 160 lb · bitches 70 to 120 lb

Breed clubAKC

Registry bands, not standards. UKC's top is open-ended (120+).

Coat

AKC: double coat, fairly long, thick, coarse guard hair, heavy woolly undercoat in cold weather, sparse in warmer months; hair fine but hard, straight and stand-off, never silky, curly or wavy; mane on neck and shoulders, heavier in dogs; trimming not acceptable beyond feet and hocks. UKC: double coat, outer harsh and thick, fairly short to moderately long. FCI: harsh, thick, top coat not too long, dense woolly undercoat in cold weather; males carry noticeably more coat. Colours black, brown, blue/grey, with or without tan; gold also in the UKC and FCI standards

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2012

Shedding

AKC standard: heavy soft undercoat in cold weather which becomes rather sparse in warmer months. UKC and FCI agree (dense, woolly undercoat in cold climates, sparse in warm weather). RKC: sheds (yes). AKC breed page: shedding level 4 of 5

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2012

Heat tolerance

2 of 5 · AKC: double coat, fairly long, thick, coarse guard hair with a heavy soft undercoat in cold weather; neck and shoulders heavily coated, mane-like, especially in dogs; tail and britches heavily feathered. AKC history feature: shaped by the high Chang Tang plateau, especially well adapted to cold and snow and generally less comfortable in hot, humid climates

DerivedAKC breed standard, 2012

Derived from the coat description (2 = heavy double). The AKC history feature (editorial) agrees on the direction.

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

13.3 years

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

Median age at death in a UK sample; a population figure, never a prediction for one dog. Registry page bands (the AKC header's life-expectancy range) are not medians and are not used here. The upper confidence bound prints as 'NA' in the Dogs Trust table and is reported as printed. Only 22 of 117 dogs had died, so the median rests on very few deaths and is the least settled of the four mastiffs; treat it with caution.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

RKC: up to 1 hour per day. AKC breed page: energy level 3 of 5

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped: up to 1 hour = 60.

Exercise need

RKC: up to 1 hour per day (large house, large garden, town or country). AKC breed page: energy level 3 of 5, mental stimulation needs 4 of 5

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Energy

AKC breed page energy level 3 of 5; playfulness 3; trainability 3; barking level 3; drooling level 3; openness to strangers 1 of 5 (AKC bands, 1 to 5). AKC standard: independent, strong willed, rather reserved, aloof with strangers; UKC: patient and tolerant, may be wary of strangers

Breed clubAKC

Grooming load

3 of 5 · RKC: grooming more than once a week; coat length medium; sheds. AKC breed page: coat grooming frequency 3 of 5

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped: more than once a week = 3.

Grooming

RKC: more than once a week. AKC breed page: coat grooming frequency 3 of 5, shedding level 4 of 5

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

AKC standard: used primarily as a family and property guardian for many millennia; aloof and watchful of strangers, highly protective of its people and property. FCI utilization: companion, watch and guard dog; an ancient working breed of the nomad herders of the Himalaya and a traditional guardian of Tibetan monasteries. UKC: guardian and companion of Tibetan villagers and nomads and traditional guardian of the monasteries, still widely used as a natural guardian of family and flock. RKC: bred in the Himalayan region to protect homestead and livestock, often tethered at the entrance of the property. AKC history feature: Do-Kyi means 'tied dog', stationed at homes, temples and encampments; Ekvall (missionary) describes at least two dogs at every nomad tent and a very heavy baying bark; the AKC article adds that the breed was not traditionally a livestock guardian in Tibet and is generally not well suited to that specialized role

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2012

The sources disagree on livestock work: FCI, UKC and RKC name flock or livestock guarding, the AKC history feature (editorial) says village, monastery and camp guarding rather than stock guarding. Both stand. Guardian breed, not a gun dog.

Also used on

AKC history feature: guarding yak, sheep, homes and encampments with the nomads; monastery guard; in Tibet still used as guard dogs at monasteries, homes and nomadic camps

Breed clubAKC breed history

Editorial; see the role row for the livestock disagreement.

Range

Stays at the post: AKC history feature says the breed relies on presence and deterrence rather than pursuit ('they are not dogs who will chase somebody down') and guards tethered near entrances. UKC gait: powerful, light and elastic, capable of considerable speed

EditorialAKC breed history

Single editorial source for the stay-at-the-post reading; UKC gait line added beside it.

Field trial standard

None: FCI classes the Tibetan Mastiff 'without working trial'

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

16.8% · 16.8% dysplastic of 1,407 OFA hip evaluations on record (current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026); 82.1% normal; mild 9.6%, moderate 6.1%, severe 1.1%; breed rank 70 of the breeds listed

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Voluntary registry: affected dogs are under-reported and evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock, so true prevalence is likely higher. Rank 1 = highest dysplasia rate among the breeds listed.

Elbow dysplasia

16.5% · 16.5% abnormal of 893 OFA elbow evaluations on record (current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026); 83.3% normal; grade 1 11.8%, grade 2 2.7%, grade 3 2.0%; breed rank 30 of the breeds listed

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Voluntary registry: affected dogs are under-reported and evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock, so true prevalence is likely higher. Rank 1 = highest dysplasia rate among the breeds listed.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 3; Mental Stimulation Needs 4; Trainability Level 3; Barking Level 3; Watchdog/Protective Nature 5; Good With Young Children 3; Openness To Strangers 1; Good With Other Dogs 3; Shedding Level 4; Coat Grooming Frequency 3; Drooling Level 3; Affectionate With Family 4; Playfulness Level 3; Adaptability Level 3.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 8 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Do-Khyi, Do Khyi, Do-Kyi

Every breed, read the same way.

The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.

All published breeds

Your tibetan mastiff, on the record.

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