FAQs

1. What are the breed standards of Tibetan Spaniels?

General Appearance – Should be small, active and alert. The outline should give a well balanced appearance, slightly longer than the height at withers. FAULT-Coarseness of type.

Size, Proportion, Substance – size-height about 10 inches. Body slightly longer from the point of shoulder to root of tail than height at withers. Weight 9-15 pounds being ideal.

Neck, Topline, Body – Neck moderately short, strong and well set on. Level back, well ribbed with good depth.

Head – small in proportion to the body and proudly carried, giving an impression of quality. Masculine in dogs but free from coarseness.
Skull – slightly domed, moderate width and length. FAULTS – Very domed or flat wide skull.
Stop – Slight, but defined. FAULTS – Accentuated stop; without stop.
Medium length of Muzzle blunt with cushioning, free from wrinkle. The chin should show some depth and width. FAULTS – Long, plain down face, broad flat muzzle, pointed, weak or wrinkled muzzle.

Eyes – Dark brown in color, oval in shape, bright and expressive, of medium size set fairly well apart but forward looking, giving an apelike expression. Eye rims black. FAULTS – Large full eyes; light eyes; mean expression.

Ears – Medium size, pendant, well feathered in the adult and set fairly high. They may have a slight lift from the skull, but should not fly. Large, heavy, low set ears are not typical.

Mouth – Ideally slightly undershot, the upper incisors fitting neatly inside and touching the lower incisors. Teeth should be evenly placed and the lower jaw wide between the canine tusks. Full dentition desired. A level mouth is permissible, providing there is sufficient width and depth of chin to preserve the blunt appearance of the muzzle. Teeth must not show when mouth is closed. FAULTS – Overshot mouth; protruding tongue.

Black Nose preferred. FAULTS – Liver or putty-colored pigmentation.

Tail set high, richly plumed and carried in a gay curl over the back when moving. Should not be penalized for dropping tail when standing.

Feet – Hare-footed, small and neat, dewclaws may be removed. FAULT – Cat feet.

Forequarters – Shoulder well placed. The bones of the forelegs slightly bowed but firm at shoulder. Moderate bone. FAULTS – Very bowed or loose front.

Hindquarters – Well made and strong. Stifle well developed, showing moderate angulation. Hocks well let down and straight when viewed from behind. Feet as in front. FAULTS – Straight stifle; cow-hocks.

Gait – Quick moving, straight, free, positive.

Temperament – Gay and assertive, highly intelligent, aloof with strangers. FAULT – Nervousness.

Coat – Double coat, silky in texture, smooth on face and front of legs, of moderate length on body, but lying rather flat. Ears and back of forelegs nicely feathered, tail and buttocks well furnished with longer hair. Neck covered with a mane or “shawl” of longer hair which is more pronounced in dogs than bitches. Feathering between toes often extending beyond the feet. Should not be over-coated and bitches tend to carry less coat and mane than dogs.

Color – All colors, and mixtures of colors allowed. FEET – White markings allowed.

Presentation – In the show ring it is essential the Tibetan Spaniel be presented in an unaltered condition with the coat lying naturally with no teasing, parting or stylizing of the hair. Specimens where the coat has been altered by trimming, clipping, or by artificial means shall be severely penalized as to be effectively eliminated from competition. Dogs with such a long coat that there is no rectangle of daylight showing beneath, or so profuse that it obstructs the natural outline, are to be severely penalized. Whiskers are not to be removed. Hair growing between the pads on the underside of the feet may be trimmed for safety and cleanliness.

These are general FAQ’s about the breed to help you understand what a Tibbie is. Not al dogs fit in with all life styles, these questions should help you decide if a Tibbie is right for you!

Q. What is their temperament?
A. Tibetan Spaniels are a family dog that thrive on love and devotion. They do not accept strangers readily, but once they see that the stranger is accepted by the family, they will slowly accept them.

Q. What is the mature size and weight?
A. Tibbies can weigh anywhere from 9 to 15 pounds (4.1 to 6.8 kg) and are generally 10 inches (25.4 cms) tall at the shoulder. The females do tend to run a little smaller than the males.

Q. Are they good with children?
A. Yes, they are great with children. But, as with all animals, supervision is always recommended. Tibbies need a home that is free from rough handling and teasing. If they are introduced as puppies to the family they look upon children as their litter mates!

Q. What genetically transmitted health problems are a major concern of this breed?
A. Progressive Retinal Atrophy also known as PRA, is a hereditary problem found in Tibetan Spaniels. If care is taken in the breeding program you choose there shouldn’t be alot of health issues

Q. How long do they live?
A. Tibetan Spaniels live a long and healthy life of up to 15 years or more.

Q. How much do they shed?
A. Tibbies shed a little bit year ’round. In warmer climates, Tibbies may “blow” their coats the first of summer. (Blow – loose most of the undercoat.) Females may shed more after finishing their season, which in Tibetan Spaniels, is only once a year.

Q. How much do they eat?
A. Tibbies eat well for a little dog. Although it varies from dog to dog, they eat around one cup of dog food a day. Some owners prefer to feed them twice a day, others feed them only once a day. It is perfectly OK to leave dry food out all day for those that prefer to nibble.

Q. How much exercise do they require?
A. Tibetan Spaniels need a nice, brisk walk a couple of times a day.

Q. Do they adapt to apartment living?
A. Yes, as long as there are plenty of opportunities for excercise and window watching (Tibbies love to sit in window sills and watch the world. Care needs to be taken that they are secure in aparments with balconies or open windows above the first floor. With their natural curiousity they could easily harm themselves going out an open window to chase a bird or see what is going on in the building next door.

Q. Are their any special diet requirements?
A. A good quality dog food is recommended. Normally, a well balanced dry dog food, like Eukanuba or Science Diet will be just fine. It is always a good idea to check with the breeder to see what they recommend.

Q. Is it true that Tibetan Breeds are more sensitive to anesthesia?
A. With todays anesthesias, this problem is very rare.

Q. How trainable are they?
A. Tibbies are highly intelligent and very eager to please their owners. They will do just about anything for attention. Many Tibbies have done quite well in the obedience ring.

Q. How house breakable are they?
A. Tibetan Spaniels are quite easy to housebreak as are most dogs with love, praise and patience.

Q. Do they require a lot of grooming?
A. Tibbies require occasional grooming. Combing their ear fringes once a week and brushing them occasionally, will keep them looking great. Since their coats do not absorb dirt, a bath once every six to eight weeks is fine. Tibbies are a natural breed and no trimming of the coat is necessary.

Q. How noisy are they?
A. Tibbies are relatively quiet unless someone comes to your door, or they hear an unusual noise.

Q. How protective are they?
A. Though not aggressive, they make wonderful little watch dogs. Tibbies love, rule and guard their human family with great devotion. Ever alert, they will notify you if anything unusual is going on.

Q. Do they require any special care or management?
A. No special care or management is required other than an annual check-up.

Q. Are they good with other dogs and animals?
A. Tibbies have sometimes been described as cat-like in their mannerisms. From all reports, Tibbies seem to adapt quite well to all types of animals, unless of course the other animal is not very social.

Q. There is alot of “show lingo” on your site, what does it all mean:

It is important to our breeding program that we only breed dogs that have their AKC Championship. Cofirmation showing has been likened to a beauty pageant. It is so much more however. Confirmation classes are held to be sure that the dogs and bitches meet breed standards. To that end when a dog achieves his championship he has earned 15 points, by winning in these shows. When you see us referring to earning a point, that means the animal has earned those “points” toward their championship. Once a dog earns his/her championship they are entered into the best of breed competion, and if they win it they earn breed points. The breed points determine the best dogs in each breed in the country. When a dog is “singled out” it means that they have earned all the single or double points that they can earn toward their championship as out of the 15 points an animal has to earn to be a championship at least 6 of them must come from what is known as a major show; this is an AKC determination of a show with a certain amount of animals in your breed entered and varies by state.The other designations you will see are BOB- best of breed, BOS- Best of Opposite Sex, WB-Winners bitch, W-Winners Dog or BOW-Best of Winners. This is all show mumbo jumbo! The bottom line is that these determinations help you find a good breeder; breeders that offer dogs that come from lines without championships may not be able to offer you the best possible Tibbie. People that show dogs tend to also have a good eye for what that breed should be and will be able to best assist you in the type of dog you want to have.

Q. We would love to have a Tibbie from your kennel, what do we do now?

We always accept reservations for animals, with no obligation to you. We will always contact our reservation list when we are expecting a litter, and at that point will take deposits for the litter. Show homes will have preference to show quality puppies, and then we will work with the pet home list. Our prices change based on economics at the time so we ask that you call for pricing when you are interested in a puppy. We prefer not to ship via aircraft. Tibbies are small enough to travel under the seat in front of you, so we would ask that you come here to pick up your dog. We also show up and down the East Coast and would be willing to meet you somewhere to drop off a puppy based on our show schedule. These animals are our family, and as our mentor did with us, we like to stay in touch with our owners to see how the animals are doing, and to post their pictures on our web page (your 15 minutes of fame!!). Our show tibbies come with a replacement guarantee for up to 6 months for medical problems only. Our pet Tibbies are sold on a limited contract only (sounds legal, but what it basically means is that the animal has to be spayed or neutered to recieve AKC paperwork). Show Tibbies are expected to have their championship completed and are sold under private treaty (which means we talk to you about any expectations of co ownership or puppies back). All animals are sold with a written contract. We ask that none of our Tibbies are bred before they complete their championship, and that bitches are not bred until after they are 2 years old, and OFA and CERF’d are clear. We occasionally have adult dogs available for adoption to homes, and we also are willing to co own dogs to approved homes that are in our area.