TEMPERAMENT 

Aloof and protective.

SKULL

Fairly broad, heavy and strong. Muzzle fairly broad, well filled and square, viewed from all sides. Broad nose, well pigmented, well opened nostrils. Lips well developed with moderate flews. Some wrinkling, in maturity, on head, extends from above eyes, down to corner of mouth. Skull massive, with strongly defined occiput and stop. The crown somewhat arched when viewed from the side, with a well-developed or pronounced occiput and definite sloping stop. Slight median line extending back over the forehead. There is a definite furrow extending from the stop to halfway up the skull which becomes a ridge and extends to the occiput. Fairly broad, heavy and strong. Proportions from occiput to stop and stop to end of nose equal, but nose may be a little shorter.

HEAD

The head is perhaps the most notable feature of the Tibetan Mastiff. Head and shoulders must look substantial with a thick ruff, square and well-cushioned muzzle. Some wrinkling, in maturity, on head, extends from above eyes, down to corner of mouth. The beauty of the head is emphasized by chiseling along the muzzle, around and beneath the eyes. 


MUZZLE 

Muzzle fairly broad, well filled and square, viewed from all sides; wide and blunt and well-cushioned when viewed from the front. Neither coarse nor snippy. Broad nose, well pigmented, well opened nostrils. Lips well developed with moderate flews. Muzzle is equal to 2/3 length of crown from stop to occiput. Clean cut, powerful and square in shape. The muzzle must have depth when viewed from the side.

NOSE AND MUZZLE 

Nose and lips black. Wide with well-developed nostrils. Upper lips pendulous. Lip line should not have the appearance of being coarse nor should the flews drop prominently at the corners of the mouth. Jaws strong and muscular, although the female's jaws may be lighter. Strong, well-set teeth, snugly overlapping in a tight scissor bite or level. Undershot and overshot bites are undesirable.

EYES 

Very expressive, medium size, any shade of brown. Very bright, almond shaped, well-spaced with lower lid slanting upwards toward an imaginary point approximately at the base of the ears. Round or protruding eyes penalized. Set obliquely under moderately prominent supraorbital ridges. Eye rims black.

EARS 

Medium size, triangular, pendant, tips rounded, carried low, dropping forward and hanging close to head. Raised when alert. Ear leathers covered with soft, short hair. When pulled forward, the tip of the ear reaches the inner corner of the eye on the same side. In the relaxed position, ears should hold their set and not cast backward. Leather is covered with short soft hair.

MOUTH 

Scissor bite. Jaws strong, with perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e., upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Level acceptable. Essential that dentition fits tightly, to maintain square form of muzzle.

NECK 

Strong, well muscled, should slope to withers giving the impression of strength and dignity. Dog exhibits a pronounced crest of the neck when at attention. The neck gradually increases in circumference as it approaches the shoulder. Moderate dewlap in mature dogs, more pronounced in males. Not too much dewlap. Shrouded by thick upstanding mane.

SHOULDERS

Should lie close to the body, long and moderately sloping, well-muscled without being coarse. Reach well up to point of withers.

CHEST 

Deep and of medium width with pronounced sternum, ribs well sprung out from spine and flattened at the sides to allow proper movement of the shoulders and freedom from the front legs. Heart and lung room are secured more by body depth than width.

TOP LINE 

In the following descriptions the anatomical components of the spinal column have been described separately, i.e. withers, back, loin and croup. Withers Slope onto a level back. 
Back Straight, short and very strongly developed without sag or roach. 
Loin When viewed from top, broad and muscular. Loin slopes slightly upward to moderately pronounced hips. Loin is taut and broad, although narrower than rib cage and with moderate tuck-up. Ratio of back to loin is approximately 1:2. 
Croup Must be full, slightly sloping but never so steep as to restrict rear movement and must continue imperceptibly to the tail root.

TAIL

Moderately long. Profusely feathered with thick, long hair and carried forward in a plume over the back. Sometimes dropped at rest. Judges should see tail up at least once.

BODY 

Strong, with straight back, muscular, almost imperceptible croup. Chest rather deep of moderate breadth, with reasonable spring of rib, to give heart-shaped ribcage, brisket reaching to below elbows. Body slightly longer than height at withers.

FOREQUARTERS 

Well laid shoulders, muscular, strongly boned. Straight legs with strong, slightly sloping pasterns, and well covered all over with strong hair. The pasterns should be strong, sturdy and slightly sloping to give flexibility and spring for proper let-down of feet. The slope should not start at the joint but below it. The slope should always be sufficient to bring the heel of the pad under the center of gravity. Length of leg from ground to elbow should be 50% of total height at withers. A very short-legged dog is to be penalized.

HINDQUARTERS 

Powerful, muscular, with good angulations from well bent stifle and strong low set hocks. Two thirds of rear leg is between hock and hip. Upper thighs well-developed and slightly bowed from hock to crotch. As endurance is of greater consequence than speed, the stifle is slightly bent. Hind legs, seen from behind, parallel. Removal of dewclaws (single or double) optional.

FEET 

Fairly large, strong, compact. Cat-feet having good feathering between toes. The second and third digits may be relatively longer but the foot should lose none of its compactness. The forefeet are larger than the hind feet, toes arched, pads thick and tough.

TAIL 

Medium to long, but not reaching below hock joint. Set high on line with top of back. Curled over back to one side. Well feathered.

GAIT - MOVEMENT

Should be free, agile and vigorous, showing great elasticity and spring in the smooth, powerful stride. When walking appears slow and very deliberate. From the standing position, as the Tibetan Mastiff moves the pads converge to a single track beneath the actual center of the dog. The marked single track gait of a well-built Tibetan Mastiff should never be mistaken for the gait fault of "moving close". The Tibetan Mastiff works at a canter and often uses the double suspension gallop. He must be sure of foot in any kind of going. Ability to turn quickly and initial spring are desirable qualities. Moving with head and tail held high, the whole appearance of the Tibetan Mastiff is one of great style, grace and beauty.

COAT 

Body is covered with an undercoat of soft, short, dense wool with longer and harsher hair growing through it to form the outer coat. The coat texture is heavy around the neck, shoulders and down the back to the tail. Coat on legs, side and stomach is shorter in length and somewhat lighter in texture. It is that heavy texture of the neck and shoulders that gives the impression of a lion's mane. Tail bushy, densely coated, hind legs well feathered on upper rear parts. Males carry noticeably more than females. Quality of greater importance than quantity. Mainly fairly long, thick, with heavy undercoat in cold weather which becomes rather sparse in warmer months. Hair fine but hard, straight and stand-off. Never silky, curly or wavy. Heavy undercoat, when present, rather woolly. When in full coat, undercoat should be so dense as to make it almost impossible to see skin.

COLOR 

Black Black may vary in colour from shining all black to a slight tinge of bronze with variations in the shading. Silvering may appear in the undercoat, tail, under parts of the dog, or beneath the tail and breechings. White on the chest is permissible.

Gold This colour may vary from a deep cinnamon red to a light golden to a pale cream colour with variations in the shading of the coat on ears, body, tail, under parts of the dog, or beneath the tail and breechings. White on chest is permissible. 
Black and Tan Shining black with clearly defined markings on cheeks, muzzle, chest, legs and below tail, as well as over both eyes. Colour of markings from rust to light tan. White on chest permissible. 
Silver Grey Coat from dark shining grey to silver grey. Rust to light tan markings the same as for the black and tans. White on chest permissible.

HEIGHT
Dogs : 66cm (26 ins) minimum. Bitches : 61 cm (24 ins) minimum.

FAULTS

A dog with an uncontrollable or vicious temperament in the ring should be disqualified by judge. Overall shaggy coat, lack of symmetry and balance in movement, well-bent stifles, barrel legs or pigeon toes, mincing, shuffling, crabbing, weaving or a hackney action are all faults.

DISQUALIFICATION 

Blue eyes, or single blue eye.
Male animals not have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.