The mastiff , or " canis maximus " as his fans call him , takes his generic name " mastiff " from the same base as " massive ", meaning " mountain - like "; however , the English word " mastiff " is dogge in German and dogue or dogo in some romance languages .
Some cynologists , such as Strang , have proposed that the roots of this ancient family may trace even further East , to Asia , and to the area where ancestors of the modern Tibetan Mastiff were found . This theory maintains that as ancient nomadic peoples moved westward , they brought with them their flocks and their guard dogs . Leighton simply states that the " Thibet " (sic) Mastiff is "no doubt . . . depicted in the sculptures from the palace of Nimrod" but offers no further support as to why the relatively smooth - coated dogs depicted should be considered Tibetan Mastiffs . He does , however , cite a Chinese manuscript from 1121 BC which describes a dog sent from a western Chinese province to the Emperor Wou - wang . Leighton calls this dog "a great dog of the Thibetan kind . . . four feet high , and trained to attack men of a strange race ."
„ Sunt qui Seras alunt , genus intractablis irae .“ ( Gratius Faliscus : Carmen Venaucum 159 A.D.)
Translation from the Latin:
„ Furthemore , the dogs which the Tibetans ( Serers ) raise and breed are known : a way - ward , headstrong , unruly breed , which is famous for its savage ferocity .“
„In ancient Rome the fighting dogs and watch - dogs of the Tibetans ( Serers ) were well - known : they were enormously large and extremely ferocious . Seria (Tibet) is very unique country . This country still produces , even today , huge Tibet Mastiffs of colossal strenght ;“
Baron Noirmont (Historie de la Chin- History of the Dog-Vol II,p,249)
„ It has also been told that the Dog of India are produced by crossbreeding a tiger with a dog bitch , but they are not first - generation offspring , but the offspring from the third cross - back breeding to the dog, since from the first generation after crossbreed - ing , the offspring are said to be too ill - tempered , wild and savage - indeed unruly .
Aristotle (384 – 322 B.C., Greek philosopher )
Dr Langkavel reports in an article about Tibetan dogs that at the time of Marco Polo ,in the 13th Century , Tibetan rulers sent dogs called „ Liu - Ngao “ to China.These dogs were the size of donkeys and capable of overpowering tigers . The Chinese annals of the Han Dynasty(142-87 B.C.)are, according to the same authority , said to depict the Tibetan dogs as being as large as donkeys ; but in this source , they are mentioned as being red in color , which proves that already at that time red Tibet Mastiffs existed ,in addition to the frequently found blacks with red markings .
Max Siber - The Venerable Tibetan Mastiff
„ The Mastiff of Tibet is larger than the English Mastiff ,has a thick ,bulky head ,a prominent occipital bone at the rear of the skull , deeply drooping ears , wrinkles above the eye - brows and on the cheeks ; the ears are well - rounded and hang down completely ; the neck is strong ; the back is slightly arched . The tail is bent over backwards , turn - ing toward the dog´s back ; it is covered with long hair , and just as the long , coarse body- coat , the tail is deep black with some lighter shading on the extremities .“
Mr . Benett ´s publication - Gardens and Menageries of the Zoological Society
“ The chief had a huge dog, kept in a cage on the top of the wall at the entrance . It was a very heavily built black - and - tan , the tan of a very good colour ; his coat was rather long , but smooth ; he had a bushy tail , smooth tan legs , and an enormous head that seemed out of proportion to the body, very much like that of a bloodhound in shape with overhanging lips . His bloodshot eyes were very deep -set, and his ears were flat and drooping . He had tan spots over the eyes , and a tan spot on the breast . He measured four feet from the point of the nose to the root of the tail , and two feet ten inches in height at the shoulder [34"!]. He was three years old , and was of the true Tibetan [ Mastiff ] breed . ” Mr .W. Gill 1880
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