Is the Panda Tibetan Mastiff AKA “Panda Dog” A Real Breed?
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There is a new trend in the canine world as people are going mad for the Panda Tibetan Mastiff, which is also known as the Panda Dog. However, is this actually a real breed of dog?
The Tibetan Mastiff has been all the craze in Asia for a while now. They look like giant teddy bears with their thick hair around their neck. Some varieties have also been likened to lions. This breed originates from areas of Asia including Tibet, India, China, Nepal, and Mongolia. They were originally used to protect the local tribes and their livestock from wild animals, such as leopards, tigers, wolves, bears, and large mustelids.
The most common colors of these dogs are solid black, shades of red, and a bluish-gray. Some of these have white markings on them. Breeders have more recently succeeded in breeding a white variation of the breed that is actually a pale gold color rather than a true white.
The Panda Dog craze originates from black Tibetan Mastiffs that have large white markings. The trend grew further when some people began coloring their dogs or photoshopping them and posting images of them on social media. Therefore, there is not an actual breed of dog that is called the Panda Dog, it is simply a rare color variation of the breed or people attempting to make their dogs look like pandas using other methods.
This trend has now extended to other breeds of dog. Specifically, the Chow Chow which is a breed of dog that originates in northern China and is also known as the puffy-lion dog. There are various colors of this breed of dog, including red, black, cinnamon, fawn, cream, and blue. Dogs with a multicolored or patchy coat are considered outside the breed standard by many organizations.
Just like the Tibetan Mastiff, these have a teddy bear like experience due to their square faces and fluffy manes. They are often compared to bears and pandas sue to their facial features. Although this is an ancient breed of dog, it has become a current trend like the Tibetan Mastiff and has also become known as Panda Dogs.
To get in on the trend for dogs that look like pandas, Chow Chow owners have been clipping, grooming, and dying their dogs so that their appearance resembles that of a real panda. I many cases, they look so like these Chinese bears that it would be easy to mistake a photo of a transformed Chow Chow for a real panda.
In China, people are now desperate to own their own Panda Dogs and the trend now includes some smaller breeds of dogs as people are keen to own a ‘min-panda’. There are many examples of people buying a Bichon Frise and them giving them the panda makeover.
Although dog owners who are following this trend have been widely criticized for treating their dogs like a fashion statement, the owners argue that the dogs experience no discomfort and come to no harm as a result of their panda makeover.
