History of the Tibetan Terrier

Tibetan Terriers originated in the ‘Lost Valley’ of Tibet and were thought to bring good luck to anyone who owned one. Because the Lost Valley was so inaccessible, visitors were often given a dog to safeguard them on their journey. So, though dogs left the Lost Valley, they were never sold, as the owners did not want to tempt fate by selling their ‘luck’.

The story of the breed in Britain really starts with Dr Agnes Greig who met her first Tibetan Terrier, Lily, while working as a doctor in Kanpur for the Women’s Medical Service of India.

Lily (who was in whelp at the time) was owned by a Tibetan family; the wife had come to Dr Greig for an operation. After this was successfully completed, Dr Greig was given the choice of a puppy from Lily’s litter as a token of the family’s gratitude, and chose Bunti, a gold and white female. A short time later, friends of Dr Greig acquired a second Tibetan born Tibetan Terrier, a male named Rajah. Bunti and Rajah were mated on Christmas Day 1924; the first litter of ‘Tibetan Terriers’ was born in India. A second litter was born on July 25th, 1925.

In 1926 Dr Greig returned to England with three Tibetan Terriers: Bunti, Chota Turka (a bitch from the first litter in 1924) and Ja-Haz, a dog from the second litter. Later in 1926 three further imports, brought to England by Dr Greig, were registered as ‘Lhasa Terriers’. Their kennel affix was Ladlok, the name owned by Dr Greigs mother, Mrs A. Renton Greig.

In 1927 Bunti was mated to her son Ja-Haz in England and a litter of three Tibetan Terriers was born, one of whom was Mr Binks, returned to India with Dr Greig. He became the first Tibetan Terrier champion in the world, winning four challenge certificates.

Dr Greig acquired her next native-bred, white Tibetan Terrier, Thoombay, from the Buddiman Lama of Tibet. Thoombay was sent to England to join the other Tibetan Terriers at Roydon with Dr Greigs mother. Subsequently Dr Greig obtained a second native-bred bitch, Gyantse of Lamleh. She was black and fawn, and completely unrelated to the other stock owned by the Greigs.

In 1930 a panel of Indian judges agreed that Dr Greigs dogs were a distinct breed and should be known as Tibetan Terriers. In the summer of that year the Indian Kennel Club amended their registrations and the Indian Kennel Gazette published a description and standard of points for the Tibetan Terrier.

Temperament and Character

Tibetan Terriers lived in the mountains of Tibet as companions to the monks and were not working dogs, though it is believed that occasionally they worked as herding dogs.

With this heritage, it is easy to see why Tibetan terriers make such excellent pets. They are sometimes a little shy at first around strangers, but generally they are very outgoing and good natured dogs, with nervousness or aggression being considered quite alien to the breed.

Tibetan Terriers seem to adapt to the lifestyles of their families. They are content to be couch potatoes in less active homes, but are also willing and able to participate in family activities such as hiking, or dog activities such as agility or obedience training. The breed is extremely intelligent and can be trained to do almost anything, but responds best to positive training methods.

Please click here to view the Kennel Club Breed Standard

The Coat

The long-haired Tibetan Terrier will require a certain amount of coat care and grooming. Unlike most other breeds, they don’t shed, but they do lose their old coat from time to time and this can get caught in the permanent coat where it will create mats or tangles. This is not usually a problem with puppies that have a single coat. However, as the Tibetan Terrier reaches adolescence, his double coat begins to appear and this is the most difficult time to care for his coat. Some will seem to mat daily, but this period will end with adulthood and then the coat will be easier to maintain.

The Tibetan Terrier does not have the usual ‘doggy’ smell, and are a good breed for some (not all) people who are usually allergic to dogs and cats.

Grooming

If you show your dog, your approach to coat care will be slightly different to that of a pet owner. It is a good idea to bathe your puppy every four to five weeks, at least until he is 10-11 months old, to get him used to the process.

Train your Tibetan Terrier to lie on his side while being groomed. This may take some time but eventually he will get used to it and it will make your job easier.

One of the most important pieces of grooming equipment for the Tibetan Terrier's owner is a medium pinbrush. Never use a comb, stripping brush or bristle brush as you will break the coat and, over time, you will create more problems.
With the dog lying on his side, start with the underside and brush with short, quick straight strokes in the direction that the hair grows. Don’t pull or tear through the coat, or try to take on a large area.

Make sure you groom all the areas under the tail, under the chin and neck, the feet and behind the ears, as they tend to be the places that mat. An adult coat can take a few hours to complete but your dog will enjoy grooming sessions.

If you are not planning to show your Tibetan Terrier you may want to trim over the eyes and you could clip away from his rectal area. Further clipping is not recommended.