Tibetan Terrier - TOP 10 Interesting Facts

1) Origin

Origin of Tibetan Terrier is in mysterious mountains of Tibet and Lamaist monasteries. They were bred by Buddhist monks, more as a companion than a working dog. But they were also great watchdogs and they even know how to herd a flock.

2) The Holy dogs of Tibet

The Tibetan Terriers were considered a good luck charms and they were often times given as gifts in return for favors or when someone assisted them. If someone gave you a Tibetan Terrier as a gift, you should never sell it, because that would mean that you are selling away the good luck. And they also believed, that if you mistreat the Tibetan Terrier you would bring bad luck to the whole village.

3) Not a Terrier

This breed might be named as a Terrier, but the truth is, that they are not related to the true terriers. The true terriers are descendants of dogs that were bred for hunt, especiall for vermin hunt, but as we already know, Tibbies were bred as companions and watchdogs. In the AKC, they do not belong to the terrier group, but to the non-sporting group.

4) Snowshoes

The Tibetan Terrier was bred in harsh mountainous terrain which was very often covered by snow. That is, why they are equiped with their flat and snowshoe like feet. They can walk easier on snow and it is easier for them to climb up or down from steep rock faces.

5) Living with

Tibetan Terriers make amazing family companions and they are good with older children. When they are around small kids, they should always be supervised, because those small children do not know how to treat dog properly. Tibbies normally, when they are socialized, have no problems with other pets.

6) Barking

I already mentioned that Tibetan Terriers were used as a watchdogs, and they were actually good at it. They still have this guarding instinct in them and that is why they kinda like to bark at everything suspicious. They will most likely bark when someone is at your door or when they hear unknown sound.

7) Training

Tibetan Terriers are not pushovers to train, especially because of their independent and kinda stubborn nature. But they do react well on reward base training and they are very intelligent, which means they can learn a lot of tricks with a consistent and patient trainer.

8) Dr. Agnes Greig

Dr. Agnes Greig was a British female surgeon who practiced medicine in Northern India and in 1922 performed a life-saving operation on a Tibetan woman. She received a Tibetan Terrier as a gift for saving the womans life. She fall in love with Tibbies and started breeding program in England. That is how Tibetan Terriers got into Western World.

9) Size

Tibetan Terrier is powerful and compact dog that should be 14 to 16 inches tall which is 35-40 cm and their weight should be between 20-24 pounds which is 9-11 kg. The females are naturally little bit smaller than males.

10) Health

Tibbies have normally great health, but as all dog breed, they do suffer from some health issues. The most common are progressive retinal atrophy, hip dysplasia and lens luxation, which is an inherited disorder in which the lens is improperly positioned in the eye.