All Dog Breeds >>History of Tibetan Mastiff
This is an ancient breed. It has been theorized that an early Tibetan dog is the ancestor to all Molossuses breeds. A study at Nanjing Agricultural University's Laboratory of Animal Reproductive Genetics and Molecular Evolution in Nanjing, China, found that while most common dog breeds genetically diverged from the wolf approximately 42,000 years ago, the Tibetan Mastiff genetically diverged from the wolf approximately 58,000 years ago.
Many Tibetan Mastiff breeders and owners (and their web sites) claim that Marco Polo encountered the large Tibetan dogs in his travels and described them as "tall as a donkey with a voice as powerful as that of a lion." However, reading of Polo's works does not support this. In fact, other travels told Marco Polo about these enormous dogs - and about unicorns and other exotic creatures.
In the early 19th century, King George IV owned a pair of TMs, and there were enough of the breed in England in 1906 to be shown at the 1906 Crystal Palace show. However, during the war years, the breed lost favor and focus and nearly died out in England. After 1980, the breed began to gain in popularity worldwide.
Although the breed is still considered somewhat uncommon, as various registries and show organizations (FCI, AKC) began to recognize the breed, more and more active breeders have arisen. Initially the breed suffered because of the limited gene pool from the original stock, but today's reputable breeders work hard at reducing the genetic problems through selective breeding and the international exchange of new bloodlines. Wikinews has related news: Four new breeds in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
In 2008, the Tibetan Mastiff competed for the first time in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. In recent years, more wealthy Chinese are buying Tibetan Mastiff as a means to show off their status. It was reported in Sep 2009 that a rich Chinese woman spent more than USD 600,000 or 4 million yuan to buy an 18 month old purebred male Tibetan Mastiff, which she named Yangtze No. 2. This is - purportedly - the most ever paid for a dog.