In her book about Tibetan Spaniels, Juliet Cunliffe described the Tibetan Spaniel as “part dog, part cat, and part monkey,” but without reading the book, we wondered why.
Incredible smarts and a headstrong streak is suggestive of many temperaments, while a knack for picking up objects with their front paws, plus a propensity to climb in order to be off the ground is monkey-like. Then again, that is what the breed was supposed to do in its native land: Climb monastery walls and roofs to keep watch for intruders (if one was spotted, an alert was barked to the Tibetan Mastiffs below who would “deal” with it). Feline qualities can be spotted in the Tibbie’s notorious independence. One Tibbie owner told us that the breed can have “selective hearing,” and won’t always oblige with what they’ve been told to do. Add to this fastidiousness and a proud (if not arrogant) bearing, and the trifecta of terrier/monkey/cat-like features is complete. What say you, Tibbie owners?
Tibetan Spaniels by Susan Harper
www.susanharperartist.com
Very true! An accurate description of this complex and wonderful breed.???
Thanks, Sally – and we wonder if you recognized your own comment in this synopsis?
Really? Was it the “selective hearing” or the climbing on monastery walls and roofs? I talk about both of those quite a bit, lol. Thanks NPDD.
sounds like my Tibbbies
All my tibbies are just like that, they love to climb and look out my windows.
A wonderful breed trait, we think, Kauhale!
Yep…pretty much spot on in our house.
Delightful thumbnail sketch of our beloved dogs. They are sometimes difficult to describe to one who hasn’t owned a Tibbie.
Sounds like our Sadie!! Full of love and mischief!!!
Thank you to my mom Jay Child, Joan Child, Leo Kearns and Mallory Cosby Driskill and the other founding members no longer with us for bringing this breed to the U.S. all those years ago. It was a long and difficult road getting them where they are now and back then we couldn’t even give them away!! They were and still are a truly special breed.
Such an adorable breed. Only have ours a few months but she was definitely part of the family from day one.
I love my Tibbie. Just wished I had them 30 years earlier. They also have some Clown in them. They climb, entertain, and do there in things. Hope I am never without one.
Mine definitely has some clown in him. He makes me laugh every day at his antics.
So many comments to this post have created a profile of an utterly charming dog, Betty. Great. We used to want only 20 different breeds. Now it’s 21.
This is a very accurate description of all the Tibetan Spaniels
I have owned.
When my Tibby babies leave my house to go to their new homes, I give their new family a folder , with all things they need to know for life. I have a little saying that I put on some of the pages. ” Just remember that you don’t own the tibby, within a week at your house , the Tibby puppy will own you.” Lots of my families have rang me within a week , and said how true this saying is.
sorry i dont agree with the part terrier…….its part cat, part dog and part monkey…..going by Ann Wynyards book. nothing ever in her books has referred to this very artistocratic breed as terrier. Ifyou put “terrier” character into our breed you are changing all they stand for….terriers were born and bred to takes lives i belive….i dont think a tibbie is like that at all. I have not read this yet in Juliettes book but assertive and aloof does not mean terrier…this description is wrong . i dont live with terriers…i live with special little cat like. monkey like dogs…..
As we mentioned, Margaret, we’ve never read the book, either, and went by a synopsis we saw. We always defer to the breed experts – you who live with the breed, and trust your opinion on this.
I have just checked Juliettes book also and she says. part dog, part cat and part monkey……I also have sent her a message asking her to explain the Terrier bit…but now you have explained i will write back to her……so in future can Dog , Monkey and Cat be referred to when talking about their character please,,,then were are all in an agreement to the descriptive wording of our artistocratic little breed…..sorry to have reacted to this but there is such a large difference from what our tibetan spaniel stands for and a breed that is bred to go to ground and hunt and kill rodents etc….thank you for updating your titles. I dont wish the world at large to start referring to our lovely treasured breed as a terrier type dog…..thanks.
I too was puzzled by the allusion to a terrier and could not find that in Juliette’s book. The saying that a Tibbie is “dog-cat-monkey” goes way back. It’s one of the first things I was told about Tibbies back in the 80s. I thought it might have originated with Ann Wynyard, a great British breeder. However, she wrote in 1986, “An International Judge on the Continent remarked to me after her initiation into this breed… that they were ‘part cat, part dog and part monkey’! It is a very apt description of both their character and their looks.” Later, in my book, “The Tibetan Spaniel – A Gift from the Roof of the World” (1994), I took up the theme and wrote, “There is a wonderful saying that a Tibetan Spaniel is dog, cat, and monkey all rolled into one. It is a good way to describe the breed’s enigmatic personality. He possesses the faithfulness and watchfulness of the dog, the independence and curiosity of the cat, and the cleverness and mischievousness of the monkey.”
It’s why we changed the title of the post, Susan, from “terrier-cat-monkey” to “dog-cat-monkey.” We freely admitted to never having read the book, and have always felt that the real experts on a breed are the heritage breeders who create the next generation, and the people who live with them. When several folks wrote to say, “Oh, no no no,” we changed the title. Your comment, however, not only confirms this, but offers some good information (book titles) that people interested in the breed can pursue, so thank you!
Spot on. Perfect description of every tibboe who has owned me!! They are also great talkers and the most sensitive breed I’ve ever known. My Tibbies have mourned with me at the deaths of family members — they sit next to me or cuddle with me and uncharacteristically quiet as I’ve cried and when I’ve had to release one of the fur kids to the Bridge, they will take turns sitting in the crate or just stare at it until it’s time to be filled by another.
Stubborn and intelligent are other adjectives that describe our wonderful tibbie. I don’t know what we would do withhout her.
We love hearing comments like this, Gary, it’s indicative that a wonderful fit exists between family and their dog’s breed. Send a picture, if you get a chance?
Now all of us need to try harder to save this wonderful breed!
Indeed we do, Billie. We’ve taken to adding the hashtag, #SaveOurBreeds to our posts on Social media
So true both my tibbies can go up a tree to 6 ft one can jump over a 5 ft fence from standstill. They live to be high like a cat keeping watch. Very active and I would really agree part cat part dog part monkey. I’ve had this breed over thirty years and they still amaze me what they can do
My Sophie came to me in late August 2019 as a rescue. She was up for adoption as a pekingese, but I knew she wasn’t. What I knew was that when I saw her beautiful face, I loved her. She has been such a joy to me. She’s loving, loyal, loving and very independent. She’s also playful, smart and defiant. She helped my heart heal after the loss of my beloved corgi, Vinny.
Sophie is a very lucky little lady, Debra, for her to have found you when you found her. Much joy to you both!
One of our Tibbies recently passed away – his name was Woji- the loss of our beautiful Woj hit our family so very hard- he was all of the things you all describe your Tibbies to be. He was a very proud dog, also very wise and had a heart of gold, the loss of him even brought both our adult sons to tears -they are 30 & 32 yrs old. We are very lucky to still have his lovely brother Oli and Toshi a lovely pup who is 10 months old. They are such amazing dogs with such a wonderful history. I have always described our Tibbies as old souls
We’re sorry for your loss, Karen, it’s so hard to lose them. “Old soul” is a wonderfully apt description of this breed.
Perfect description of my tibbie “Bentley,” who was my soul partner till 4 months ago when I had to say goodbye at age 16. When I talked to him those BIG dark brown eyes would stare right into mine as he seemed to count to 10 while he decided if he was “going to entertain” whatever I was proposing him to do…. Just to let me know he was in charge..lol. As mentioned above, a very hard loss for me…and my 45 y.o son …both of us shed more tears than ever expected. Any leads for pekingese rescues in Ohio? Has been 5 months and thinking ready for another …but maybe this time a rescue.
We lost a dog a few months ago, Maureen, and over the years, we’ve lost many, each a unique little soul that left behind a hole in our heart. We’re so sorry for your loss. As for Pekes in Ohio, we would start with the Pekingese Club of America (https://pekingeseclubofamerica.com). They have a “find a Peke” section, as well as a section on clubs where we found the CANTON OHIO PEKINGESE CLUB (https://www.apps.akc.org/apps/club_search/index_master.cfm?action=refresh_index&active_tab_row_A=1&active_tab_col_A=1&fixed_tab=1&club_id=2601). Contact them, and they can guide you from there.
Hi all,
We just got a tibbie boy 6 months ago and named him Matteo. He is just so delightful, smart and funny. We are just getting to know him really and reading all about the breed. I am worried if we go on holiday(vacation) how he would cope with us being away. What do you do? do you have someone come to your house or put in kennels? I already feel that he is very sensitive and protective and would feel upset if we went on holidays without him. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
Hi again,
My daughter keeps saying we should get another little dog to keep him company. I notice some people have more than one and your thoughts on this too would be appreciated. He is super friendly to dogs and humans. Also what are your views on neutering? He is already a teenager and has taking a fancy to my curtains. I don’t like the idea of interfering with his personality or dulling him down.
Hi Anne, we suspect you’ll get as many opinions as you do the number of people you ask. We have our own, of course, but it’s just that – an opinion.
We think it’s a disservice to a dog to encourage co-dependency (not that you’re doing this), because an anxious dog isn’t a happy dog. Start training him to get become accustomed to your being away in little doses. A minute at first, a few minutes more, then over the course of weeks/months, stretch the time out that you’re gone from a few minutes to an hour. Be matter of fact about it as you’re going out the door because anguishing over him will make him think something terrible is about to happen. When you return, be happy, tell him he’s a good boy, and give him a treat he only gets when you return. The internet is loaded with articles that “flesh out” this kind of training, and it doesn’t matter whether you’re going on holiday or not. Matteo needs to learn that you will always come back. There are books we can recommend for your teenager, and one is our own “bible:” Juvenile Delinquent Dogs by Sue Brown. Find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Juvenile-Delinquent-Dogs-Successfully-Adolescent/dp/0984852107
As for that holiday: When we’ve had to be gone for an extended amount of time, we insist on someone spending the night, and have been lucky enough to find help at various places. We always ask first the vet techs at our veterinarian’s office. They tend to be younger and happy to earn extra income. We’ve also found good pet sitters at the place where we buy dog food, but you must remember to screen everyone, this is your dog and your home, after all. Finally, at least in this country (and I’m guessing you are in Europe, perhaps?) there are pet sitting services. Whomever you end up using to watch Matteo, have them come by the house to meet him and spend a few minutes with him. You’ll see how they interact, and it gives Matteo a chance to make a new friend in advance of that friend caring for him while you’re gone.
Neutering: Always talk with your vet first, but be forewarned that the animal rights (different from animal welfare) and rescue zealots have made an impact on the veterinary profession, and vets being graduated out of school are often of the mindset that every dog should be spayed or neutered. In our view, this should not be a one-size-fits all approach. Matteo is an only dog right now. If Matteo is with you most of the time, if he’s not loose or running around at large, you have control over him, and that means you have control over his reproductive life. Yes, there are issues that come with not neutering a dog and they can include marking in the house. If you do choose to neuter him, I’d personally wait until he is done maturing so that his sex hormones can do their job with his bones, etc. Two years old? If you do bring another dog into the house (and we’ve always had more than one for the reason your daughter points out) there are factors to consider. Is the next dog a boy or a girl? If it’s a girl, you will to neuter Matteo before she comes into her first season unless you are willing to monitor each dog at all times until she’s out of season. If it’s a boy dog, aggression issues can pop up between two males. Isn’t necessarily so, but it’s possible, and that’s another thing to be mindful of.
I hope this is of some help to you, good luck!