A brave, intelligent, dedicated, medium-sized dog. Sweet, loving and gentle, the Tibetan Terrier is lively, mild, and fun, with great agility as well as endurance. Be sure you are this dog's pack leader. Dogs who are allowed to run the show, believing they are alpha to humans will become willful and may begin to bark more than you wish them to, as they try and control things, telling you what THEY want YOU to do. This breed's bark is deep like a rising siren. While they do make a good watch dog, Tibetans who bark a lot need to be told enough is enough. After they first alert you, to quiet down. You can handle things from here. If the dog believes he is your leader, rather than the other way around, he will get upset when you leave him. Instinctually, pack leaders are allowed to leave the followers, however followers are not allowed to leave the pack leader. Will do well with children so long as the entire family is pack leader. As soon as the dog begins to question the order, he may not be trust worthy with young kids and may become reserved with strangers as he tries to assess this role among humans. He may also try to dominate other dogs. Tibetans who have firm, confident, consistent, pack leaders and who get enough mental and physical exercise will be wonderful, trustworthy family companions.

This is an ancient breed that has contributed to the development of all other Tibetan breeds, including the Shih-Tzu, Lhasa Apso, and the Tibetan Spaniel. The TIbetan Terrier is not actually a terrier at all. They were originally kept by Tibetan Monks almost 2,000 years ago and were considered good luck charms. The monks refused to sell them, but often gave them as gifts. In the 1920's a Dr. A.R.H. Greig of England was working for Women’s Medical Service of India and was given two of these dogs, one by a patient for performing a successful operation and the other by the Dalai Lama himself. Dr. Greig bred the two dogs and brought three of them back home with her where she continued to breed them, establishing a Tibetan Terrier kennel in England. The dogs were originally registered as Lhasa Terriers. In 1930 the Indian Kennel Club changed the name of the breed to Tibetan Terrier. Some to the Tibetan Terrier's talents include: being a watchdog, agility and competitive obedience.

GENERAL APPEARANCE : Sturdy, medium sized, long haired, generally square outline; resolute expression.

CHARACTERISTICS : Lively, good natured. Loyal companion dog with many engaging ways.

TEMPERAMENT: Outgoing, alert, intelligent and game; neither fierce nor pugnacious. Sparing of affection to strangers.

HEAD AND SKULL : Skull of mediumlength, neither broad nor coarse, narrowing slightly from ear to eye, neither domed nor absolutely flat between ears. Zygomatic arch curved, but not overdeveloped so as to bulge. Marked stop in front of eyes but not exaggerated. Muzzle strong; well developed lower jaw. Length from eye to tip of nose equal to length from eye to base of skull. Nose black. Head well furnished with long hair, falling forward over eyes. Lower jaw carrying small, but not exaggerated amount of beard.

EYES : Large, round, neither prominent nor sunken; set fairly wide apart; dark brown. Eye rims black.

EARS : Pendant, carried not too close to head, V-shaped, not too large, heavily feathered.

MOUTH : Scissor or reverse scissor bite. Incisors set in a slight curve, evenly spaced and set perpendicular to jaw.

FOREQUARTERS: Heavily furnished. Shoulders well laid; legs straight and parallel; pasterns slightly sloping.

BODY: Well muscled, compact and powerful. Length from point of shoulders to root of tail equal to height at withers. Well ribbed up. Back level over ribs; loin short, slightly arched; croup level.

HINDQUARTERS: Heavily furnished. Stifles well bent, hocks low-set.

FEET: Large, round, heavily furnished with hair between toes and pads. Standing well down on pads; no arch in feet.

TAIL: Medium length, set on fairly high and carried in a gay curl over back. Very well feathered. Kink near tip often occurring and permissible.

GAIT/MOVEMENT: Smooth; good reach; powerful drive. When walking or trotting hind legs should track neither inside nor outside the front legs.

COAT: Double coat. Undercoat fine and woolly. Top coat profuse, fine but not silky nor woolly; long; either straight or waved but not curled.

COLOUR: White, golden, cream, grey or smoke, black, parti-colour and tri-colour; in fact any colour except chocolate or liver permissible.

SIZE: Height at shoulder: dogs: 35,5 - 40,5 cm (14 - 16 ins); bitches: slightly smaller.

FAULTS: Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

NOTE: Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.