MyDogBreeds
Tibetan Spaniel is originated from China but Hovawart is originated from Germany. Tibetan Spaniel may grow 40 cm / 15 inches shorter than Hovawart. Tibetan Spaniel may weigh 44 kg / 97 pounds lesser than Hovawart. Both Tibetan Spaniel and Hovawart has almost same life span. Both Tibetan Spaniel and Hovawart has almost same litter size. Tibetan Spaniel requires Moderate maintenance. But Hovawart requires Low maintenance
Known fondly as the Tibbie and being referred to as little lions’, the Tibetan Spaniel is an ancient dog breed.
They appear in ancient art dating way back to 1100BC. This tells you that this small dog has been around for a jolly long time.
When you look at him, you can see that his predecessors were the Pekingese and the Lhaso Apso. It’s odd actually that he is called spaniel, as he doesn’t look like a spaniel at all and he has certainly never been a gun dog. He is more of a companion breed.
Even today, you’ll find these dogs living with monks in monasteries. The American Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1984.
The Hovawart, is a German Black Forest breed developed as a guard dog for large estates in the medieval era. They first appeared in history in the early 13th century as heroes who saved the German son of a castle lord, despite being injured themselves. The boy they saved grew up to be a German legend. He wrote the oldest German code of law that remained from medieval times. In it he names the Hovawarts as a dog that if you are responsible for hurting, stealing or killing it, you must pay for it or replace it. No other dog had this protection.
In the late fifteenth century Hovawarts were featured in Heinrich Mynsinger’s “The Five Noble Breeds”. This guard dog breed was esteemed on a level with the hunting dogs – their health a question of life or death for their owner. In the 1500’s the popularity of the breed began to fade. The GSD or German Shepard Dog began to replace the Hovawarts as the preferred guard dog.
By the early 20th century the breed had almost disappeared but were saved by breed enthusiasts in the early 1900’s. Zoologist Kurt Konig was prominent in this effort and went looking in the Black Forest area for dogs working on farms. Using the dogs, he found on these farms, Konig began a breeding program crossing the them with Newfoundland’s, Kuvazoks, Leonbergers, GSD, an African hunting dogs and Bernese Mountain Dogs.
By 1922 the first litter of these pups was entered officially into the German Breeding Registry. In 1937 the Hovawart was recognized by the German Kennel Club. However, many members of the breed died in World War II as they were used widely by the military and not many were left by 1945. Once again breed enthusiasts came to the rescue forming a Coburg Hovawart club. This club still exists and in 1964, for the second time, the breed was recognized by the German Kennel Club. Other countries also began to take notice of this working breed.
The Hovawart has many skills in addition hunting and guarding. The Hovawart does not work for people, he works with them as he is a very independent thinker. He is also good at search and rescue and tracking. An owner of this breed must be stronger, smarter, more alert, intentional and consistent than his Hovawart. These are not dogs for the faint of heart or first-timers.
Weighing between 4 to 7kg and standing at 23 to 30cm, the silky, double coat is fairly long and it sheds throughout the year.
The coat can be any color really, from tan to cream to brown and black and even a mix of colors.
The eyes are dark brown, the ears medium length and feathery and the tail is long and feathery too. The nose is fairly short and blunt.
The Tibetan spaniel is a small, active dog breed but not known to be shy or timid. He is an assertive dog, and intelligent too.
He would be better off having training and socialization as he is strong willed, stubborn and independent. He is loving, sweet and devoted to his owners.
He makes a good watchdog dog and will adapt well to life in the city or in the countryside. He can be both social and aloof, enjoying having his human family around him even though he may not be interacting with them.
He is playful and gets on well with children in the home as well as with other pets. He makes an excellent pet for older people too – he just needs to get his regular exercise.
The Hovawart is a proud and majestic dog and his looks match his character. He looks a bit like the Golden Retriever with a powerful and broad forehead. His skull and muzzle are the same length and his nose is black. His oval eyes are a medium to dark brown and his ears are high set and triangular.
Their chests are strong, broad and deep. The breed has strong legs straight in front with round, strong and compact feet. They are heavy boned with dense, long coats that lie flat and have a slight wave to them. The coat can be black and gold, blond or black.
The Tibetan Spaniel dog is energetic and active, but doesn't require a lot of exercise. This makes him suitable for life in the city as well as the countryside.
They’re social dogs and will relish any interaction with their human family. Give him the love and care he deserves and you’ll be rewarded with a loyal, loving friend.
They have a great sense of smell and a well-balanced personality.
They are not indoor dogs and should have a yard to run in. They do not tolerate hot weather well. They do great out in the country.
They are intelligent independent thinkers. They lengths well with positive reinforcement.
Tibetan Spaniels are generally healthy, especially if you provide them with good food and exercise.
Whenever you’re looking to buy a puppy, make sure that you do research on where the puppy comes from. You don’t want to bring your puppy home and find that you’re faced with a host of health problems.
This eye problem effects photoreceptor cells which deteriorate over time and ultimately lead to blindness. It is an inherited disease that occurs in quite a few different breeds of dogs.
Dogs with this disease should never be bred. It isn’t a painful condition but you usually notice it when your dog has night blindness. Day blindness also occurs and later on cataracts can develop too.
Though their isolation protected them from genetic health issues for centuries, once they were being rejuvenated and mixed with other breeds some common issues began to show up. These include:
The Tibetan Spaniel isn’t fixated on games and exercise like some other dog breeds are, but even so he isn’t a couch potato either. He will certainly require some moderate exercise such as a good walk every day.
You canine friend relies on you to make good food choices for him. Just like human beings have to watch what they eat if they want to remain healthy, dogs can’t just eat anything.
Feeding him an inferior diet will allow sickness. Commercially manufactured dog foods should be chosen with care, and there is a lot of information on the packaging to guide you.
Getting enough minerals and vitamins is imperative for good health. You should also try to give him some simplistic home-made food, while steering clear of toxic foods that could give your pet a whole lot of digestive problems. These are things like chocolates, crisps, peanuts, grapes, onions and spicy, exotic foods.
Just stick to simple, nutritious foods such as boiled chicken, brown rice and vegetables.
• Tibetan Spaniels will benefit from early socialization and training because then they become obedient and well mannered to have around with you wherever you go.
• Get your pet to the vet when he’s sick. As it is, he will need vaccines against serious pet illnesses as a puppy.
• Provide general grooming – a brush twice a week, checking inside the ears for redness, checking the eyes and checking for any unusual lumps.
Feed breed specific high quality dry food for puppies. Feed 1-2 cups in 3-4 meals per day
Again Feed breed specific high quality dry food for adults. Feed 2-3 cups per day in 1-2 meals per day.
Points for Good Health – Stamina
The Hovawart needs plenty of exercise. Remember this is a mountain farm dog used to working all the time. Walk or jog with them daily. They can excel at field trials, obedience, search and rescue, agility, flyball, therapy dog, and service dog.