Quick Facts
Origin: Tibet
Height: 10”
Weight: 9-15 lbs
Color: Black, Black & tan, Cream, Gold, Red, Sable, White, Silver sable with or without White markings or Parti-color
Lifespan: 12-15 years
Temperament: Spirited, lively, confident
Overview
Tibetan Spaniels were the farseeing patrol watch dogs on the high walls of Buddhist monasteries. Their surprisingly loud bark could carry down to alert anyone of danger, most notably their comrade in arms (or shall we say paws) the Tibetan Mastiff.
Tibbie’s signature fluffy coat and “mane” were perfect for the extreme temperatures of Tibet. They also functioned as companions in their inception, and today not much has changed.
Celebrity Owners
President Musharraf of Pakistan, Marlin Perkins, Arte Johnson, Francesca Simon
Fun Facts
Tibetan Spaniels are believed to bring good luck.
Health
Tibbies are relatively healthy pups. Some health concerns you should be aware of include:
- Progressive retinal atrophy: Atrophy is a wearing or wasting away of a body part. In this case, it is the retina in the eye, which eventually leads to blindness.
- Cherry eye: This condition is a prolapse of the third eyelid gland. This third gland is what produces the protective tear film for the eye.
- Patellar luxation: Luxating simply means out of place or dislocated. Patella is a kneecap. A Luxating patella is a kneecap that chronically moves out of its normal position.
- Portosystemic shunt: The portal vein carrying blood bypasses the liver. While most commonly a birth defect, liver disease such as cirrhosis can also be a cause.
- Entropion: In this condition, an eyelid, typically the lower one inverts which cause the eyelashes to rub against the eye. This causes irritation on the eye.
Whenever you are considering bring a pup home, request health screening from both parent pups.
While you always hope your pet will live a long and healthy life, it is always a good idea to invest in pet health insurance.
Keeping your dog’s mouth clean and problem free goes a long way to your pup’s overall health. Dental hygiene can be the cause or can be the byproduct of other serious health issues.
Visual inspections can be performed to keep track of the signs of potentially waning oral health. These signs can be anything from bad breath to abnormal chewing to loss of appetite.
Keeping ahead of these warning signs can pay dividends. A preventative approach can delay and stop many of the common dental problems from arising.
Oral health can be tackled in five basic steps:
- Brushing your dog’s teeth to prevent an undesirable buildup of plaque
- Feed your dog a diet where the high quality dog food has dental benefits
- Regularly give your dog dental toys and treats
- Use mouthwash, to help where brushing misses
- At the sign of any abnormalities, consult a vet. You can even do it virtually, from the convenience of your home.
Dogs are just like humans in that they can experience anxiety. The degree to which they are susceptible to anxiety and how they deal with anxiety is breed specific. Left unchecked, initial signs of anxiety could give way to an anxiety disorder. The symptoms of anxiety disorders can lead to a myriad of behavior issues.
Knowing the signs and symptoms will best equip you to keep ahead of it and to nip it in the bud at the earliest signs. There are options available to help with anxiety.
Grooming
Only trim your pup’s hair when there is something you want to correct. Plan to brush your pup’s coat several times a week. While brushing concentrate some additional effort behind the ears so they do not mat. Tibbies shed moderately throughout the year with two increase periods of seasonal shedding. Increasing your brushing to daily during shedding periods will help contain the hair loss.
Bathe your pups every 4-6 weeks. Many owners opt to take their pups to groomers. Advise your groomer to skip the “sanitary cut” as it will only make your pup lick and scratch uncontrollably. Keep their eyes and ears clean and clear of debris. Clip your pup’s nails regularly and brush their teeth several times per week.
Cost
$500 – $4,000
Exercise
Tibbies need about an hour of exercise per day. Your pup will love to take walks with you and play games in a securely fenced in yard. These pups also thrive with mental exercise, so consider supply your pup with puzzle toys. This breed is also prone to separation anxiety, those puzzle toys will go a long way to keep your pup occupied when you need to be away.
Nutrition
Your Tibbie will eat around 1 cup of food per day. The exact requirements for your dog will vary with age and activity level. Be mindful that little dogs that receive lots of treats and or table scraps end up overweight. A little dog that is overweight is significantly more likely to develop other health issues.
We’ve taken a look at some premium dog foods, high in nutrition here.
Training
As with all dogs, early socialization with humans and other dogs is essential. Tibbies are very smart but also just as stubborn. Begin training early before bad habits can form.
Keep your training sessions mentally stimulating and full of treats and positive reinforcement. This breed is prone to bark, so work in quiet commands to your training.
Proper training is essential to ensuring the safety of your dog and those around you. Having your dog come when they should, and in general having them listen is something you want to address early in your pup’s life, as it will pay dividends down the line. There are many tried and true training programs to accomplish this training – faster and better than you might think!
Unless you’re living on a farm, or have the space, a yipping dog, or one that barks all day when you are gone could be an issue with the neighbors and/or landlord. Historically, dogs would bark to communicate with the rest of the pack when hunting and bark as a warning shot to predators eyeing up their flock. Barking is deep rooted in dogs and manifests itself in many ways and for a variety of reasons.
Just like any habit or instinct, there are effective ways you can train this issue away.
Supplements
A solid Glucosamine Supplement for hips and joints will go a long way to helping your furry friend.
Other helpful supplements include full-spectrum hemp oil or CBD oil. Fish oil skin and coat supplement.
Ensuring a comprehensive preventative vitamin and mineral plan is essential to keeping your dog healthy. Truth is, there are vitamins and minerals that your dog needs, but doesn’t produce naturally. While many of these vitamins and minerals can be found in your dog’s current diet and dog food, the question becomes, are there enough vitamins to ensure they aren’t deficient.
Poor nutrition can lead to some of the most common health issues, such as weak joints, compromised immunity, increased allergies, and low energy.
Vitamins play a vital role in your pet’s health and overall life expectancy. Here are some multivitamin and joint relief options.
As regulations around marijuana have eased, the emergence of CBD oils for humans and dogs have sprung up.
Just to begin to dispel the negative stigma, CBD extract comes from Hemp, marijuana’s cousin. Unlike its cousin, there are no psychoactive qualities in CBD oil. An emerging number of clinical and institutional studies have shown the wide variety of healing qualities in CBD, including pain management, and the containment of seizures and epileptic episodes.
Explore this remedy further to see all the health benefits that have transformed the lives of so many dogs to date.
The Good
Loving with family
Low exercise requirements
The "Ruff"
Prone to barking
Prone to separation anxiety