Tibetan Mastiff

In the mountains of Tibet lives the 'Lion King', a Mastiff breed. If untamed and mishandled he can be aggressive and ferocious. Against predators - even those as large and dangerous as wolves and leopards - these mastiffs face foes with the tenacity of a great warrior. It's this ferocity that Tibetans prize and encourage.

My Tibetan Mastiff is English bred and does not harbor the same aggressive traits. I don't consider him 'soft' as those from Tibet may refer to him as; Leonardo is a wonderfully unique and loyal dog. He prefers the great outdoors and knows how to take care of himself in just about any situation.

Though I consider Leonardo to be generally a friendly dog, he can, at times, be sort of stand-offish or aloof with strangers. I have come to appreciate his wisdom in sizing up people before he either accepts them or chooses to be more aggressive toward them. And it's with that that I answer those who claim him to be too easy. It takes a very strong-minded dog to keep his tremendous power in check until he has evaluated the situation and determined what action to take. And that includes being obedient to my commands.

I have seen what Leonardo's power can do. On one of our walks through the foothills we crossed paths with a pack of wild dogs that appeared to be on a very aggressive mission. They became very agitated that we had interrupted their pursuit and decided to turn their attention toward us.

Well, let me tell you that this very 'soft' dog of mine sent that pack of half-crazed strays running with their tails tucked between their legs. It meant nothing to Leonardo - he hadn't raised his hackles, hadn't gotten adrenalized. He'd simply responded to a threat, vaporized it, and was ready to resume our walk with every hair in place. Less than 20 minutes later, we came across a rancher and his small son standing along the road. While I told the man about our encounter with the pack of dogs, the boy played with Leonardo, who relished in the attention and was delighting the child with his responses. This prompted the rancher to insist on getting a Tibetan Mastiff as playmate and protector for his son. That's my Leonardo -- converting one person at a time into fans of this glorious breed.

There is no Lion King in Tibet that can match the power of Leonardo.