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Homestead Security
A number of months ago, a new addition came to live on our homestead. His name is Stoic the Vast. He is a Tibetan Mastiff.
Maid Elizabeth had been researching this breed for years, admiring their protective qualities and lion mane, but we never expected to be able to afford one of our own. In a wonderful turn of events, we happened across Stoic in the next state over and were able to pool our resources and bring him home. Boy, were we in for a whole new dog experience!
Tibetan Mastiffs are known as Lion Dogs and for good reason. They are very cat-like canines. Their very walk is the walk of a lion and combined with the thick “mane” that surrounds their neck and travels down the top of their back they can be more than a little intimidating. In their native Tibet they are referred to as “Door-Post Dogs” due to the fact that they are chained (and I mean chained, with huge logging chain) to the door-post of their owners homes during the day and let off their chains at night to roam and protect the town.
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| Tibetan Mastiff (image from Google) |
When Stoic first came to live with us, we was friendly but reserved. He was very interested in the children and watched Sir Knight and I with a keen eye, reserving judgement until he knew us better. After about a month, Stoic decided we were his family and his entire demeanor changed. For the first few weeks, he allowed anyone in our home with nothing more than a quick sniff before granting them entry. Once we became his, NO ONE was allowed in the house, on the driveway or even on the county road without his consent. He changed from a furry teddy bear into a fierce defender of everyone he considered his. While still a big love with his family, he became an entirely different beast with everyone outside his immediate circle.
Tibetan Mastiff’s only allow a very few men into their lives – 2 or 3 is their limit (unless you are immediate family). They love children and tolerate women (unless they perceive them to be a threat). We have a family friend that drops newspapers off every few days and always brings treats to the dogs. For the longest time Stoic refused to take treats from Joe, requiring one of his people to feed him the treats. At length, he allowed Joe the honor of hand feeding him. Thinking that he had accepted Joe into the family, we asked him to shouse-sit over while we visited my folks. Stoic spent the entire duration of our trip chained outside – he refused to allow Joe to even get close enough to him to unleash him and bring him into the house. Joe was allowed to fill his food and water dishes, but he was not allowed to touch him in our absence. Joe wasn’t considered one of us.
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| Not our Tibetan Mastiff (from Google) |
As our Tibetan Mastiff moves through our house, I am often awestruck. He moves like a cat, even to the point that he will rub up against one of us when he wants attention. He moves silently, with incredible grace. If he hears or sees something outside and becomes concerned he growls with a low rumbling growl that begins at his tail and moves through his body. Quite frankly, his growl makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I can’t tell you how thankful I am that I am on this side of his teeth! If he wants to look out the kitchen door window, rather than putting his paws on the door, he sits right up on his haunches and looks out the door – I’ve never seen anything like it!
Tibetan Mastiff’s are a home defense dog only. They are not herd guardians or hunting dogs or even companion dogs (although I think Stoic is a wonderful companion) – they are guard dogs pure and simple. They do not listen to their owners when they are told to “stand down”, they believe they know better than you when there is a threat – and they will act on it. They require a very well fenced yard or preferably a logging chain – they will wander. It is not that Tibetan Mastiff’s aren’t loyal, they are, but they just think they can defend and guard you from anywhere in the county. They are EXTREMELY defensive of their own property and people, however, they are very manageable when you have them on a leash outside of their own home ground, so taking them for walks in the park is great. Just remember, these dogs must be on a leash at all times!
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| Stoic has not yet gotten his full mane – but it’s coming! |
Tibetan Mastiff’s are not for everyone, but they definitely are the perfect dog for our family. Before investing time, energy and money in this beautiful breed of dog, do your research – make sure they are a right fit. One website that we found extremely helpful is Tibetan Mastiff Info.com. It is full of helpful facts and tidbits, along with history and pedigree information.
Maid Elizabeth came across a list of rules for a Tibetan Mastiff’s household. We found these to be very true to form (minus the Karma thing)!
Source: http://www.paratusfamiliablog.com/2014/03/homestead-security.html
