As a  Tibetan Spaniel I originated in Tibet and was bred by Buddhist monks and became known as a prayer dog. The early small monastery dogs, my ancestors, were thought to be representative of the Tibetan Spaniel. They loyally followed their Lama master and became regarded as “Little Lions” owing to their similarity to the Chinese guardian lions. This gave them much value and prestige.

My breed is likely to have common ancestors with Oriental breeds such as the Pekingese and Japanese Chin.

My long, rich history dates back centuries, the Tibetan Spaniels (or ‘Tibbies’ as we are known) served as a watchdog as well as a companion. Sitting in Tibetan Monasteries on the high walls and barking at any sign of intruders. Just down my street!

The village-bred Tibetan Spaniels used to vary greatly in size and type, and the smaller puppies were usually given as gifts to the monasteries. In turn, these smaller dogs were used in the monastery breeding programs and were probably combined with the more elegant Tibetan Spaniel-type dogs brought from China. Those bred closer to the Chinese borders were characterised by shorter muzzles.

So we were being bred in the United Kingdom by the 1890s. The first authenticated reference we find to Tibetan Spaniels in the United States is a litter born out of two imported dogs from a Tibetan monastery in 1965.

In January 1971, the Tibetan Spaniel Club of America was formed with 14 charter members. After a period in the miscellaneous classes, we as, Tibetan Spaniels were accepted for AKC registration and became eligible to compete as a Non-Sporting breed effective January 1, 1984.

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