the standard

Translation ©2004 Gabriele Engel

For over a century, the Tibetan Spaniel has preserved the wonderful characteristics of his original home land, the remote country of Tibet, where he was bred in the monasteries. At the beginning of last century, he came to England via India. Here he was given his present name, however, irrespective of its name this little dog does not belong to the Spaniel group. To this day, Great Britain is in charge of the official Tibetan Spaniel Breed Standard.

In Tibet, only the most robust animals could survive the harsh climate and rugged terrain. The food situation called for healthy and hardy dogs. A Tibetan Spaniel never had to hunt like a hunting dog, run or bark like a member of the herding group. Instead, they were expected to patiently curl up on the monks’ laps during meditation hours, effectively being“lap-warmers” in the wintertime. Tibetan monasteries are situated at an altitude of 3000 to 4000 meters, the climate is dry and very cold. As in his homeland, to this day the Tibetan Spaniel enjoys sitting on high places, i.e. at the top of the stairs, ledges or mantelpieces, as if he was still expected to be a watchdog and announce strangers. In the secluded monasteries, they were filling the role of happy companions.

The monks always treated the Tibetan Spaniel with great reverence, as according to Buddhist belief this little animal could be the reincarnation of a human soul that, for whatever reason, had to go through another life cycle.

Puppies were never sold. Close friends received small Tibetan Spaniels as good-luck-charms or presents. They were then blessed and entrusted to their new owners with good wishes.

Today, Tibetan Spaniels are a small, low-maintenance breed. They are gay and assertive, watchdogs around the compound without being a yapper; they are trusting of other dogs and people, and can be kept in numbers. They do not hunt, but enjoy exercising and frolicking around when they were trained to do so as pups. They are hardy companions on hour-long walks, but can also curl up on a cushion if there is no time for a walk. Thus they are well suited to living with children or elderly people. Their low-maintenance coat and dark eyes that speak to us and communicate their mood, whether it be a quiet, questioning, or mischievious mood, make them very affectionate creatures with strong adaptation skills.

Despite being small dogs, Tibetan Spaniels are lion-hearted. In Tibet it is said that they can change into “little lions” whenever their master should be in danger. This gentle and loving little dog can change into a very self-confident little creature whenever the situation requires it. Courage and character have produced an intelligent little dog, that can cope with life and should be trained with affection and consistency.

Tibetan Spaniels live to an old age, and it is not unusual for them to reach an age of 14, 15 or even 16 years.

The many good qualities and characteristics have made the Tibetan Spaniel the most popular small dog in Skandinavia. In Germany, they only recently gain in popularity.