Top 10 Most Expensive Dog Breeds In The World
6. Tibetan Mastiff
At No.6 in our list is the Tibetan Mastiff, originating from Tibet, China, Nepal, Ladakh, and Central Asia. This is expensive breed, which can usually go for around $5,000 – $9,000. Now although one of these dogs made history by being sold for $2 million in China, it still doesn’t make it as generally the most expensive dog breeds. It is a flock guardian dog in most parts of the world, and thus sleeps in the day to be more alert at night.
The Tibetan Mastiff is a large Tibetan dog breed. Originating with the nomadic cultures of Tibet, India, Mongolia and Nepal, its use by local tribes of Tibet was to protect sheep from wolves, leopards, bears, large mustelids, and tigers.
The Tibetan Mastiff known as “Dorg-Khyi” in Tibetan, which means nomad dog, reflects its use as a guardian of herds, flocks, tents, villages, monasteries, and palaces, much as the old English ban-dog was a dog tied outside the home as a guardian. However, in nomad camps and in villages, the Dorg-Khyi is traditionally allowed to run loose at night. This dog is known for its loyalty, it been used as nomad dog by Tibetan nomad thousand of years.
The guardian type from which the modern Tibetan Mastiff breed has been derived was known across the ancient world by many names. Bhote Kukur in Nepali as bhote means someone from Tibet and kukur means dog.
The name Tibetan Mastiff is a misnomer; the Tibetan Mastiff itself is not a true Mastiff. The term “mastiff” was used by the Europeans who first came to Tibet because it was used to refer to nearly all large dog breeds in the West. Early Western visitors to Tibet misnamed several of its breeds: The “Tibetan Terrier” is not a Terrier and the “Tibetan Spaniel” is not a Spaniel. A better name for the dog would be Tibetan mountain dog or, to encompass the landrace breed throughout its range, Himalayan mountain dog.