PEOPLE ARE PAYING ATTENTION!
has decreasing oxygen saturation the higher onemoves into the atmosphere, i.e., up to high-mountain grasslands. This primitive breed was long used by nomadic Himalayan families as nocturnal guards against preda- tors and livestock thieves. They are known as fearless protectors of the family and their possessions, and occasionally found as watchdogs in Tibetan monasteries. The breed displays two distinct types that can occur in the same litter; the “monastery” type and the “nomad” type. Themonastery type is described as taller, heavier, and more heavily- boned, with more facial wrinkling and haw than the “nomad” type. The larg- er, heavier “monastery” type is used in more stationary jobs versus the more active jobs of the “nomad” type, which is better structured and well-muscled. While the breed is shown in Western countries under one standard, the In- dian standard separates the breed into two varieties; the “Lion Head,” which is of smaller stature with quite long hair from the forehead to the with- ers (the mane), and the “Tiger Head,” which is of larger stature and displays shorter hair. Tibetan Mastiffs exist in relatively small numbers in the US. How- ever, they are almost indistinguish- able from those remaining dogs still used as guardians by nomadic fami- lies and maintained as watchdogs in monasteries. Are we paying attention to the origi- nal intent of the breed when observing it? How conscious are we of these real and perceived differences when we make our judging decisions, be they in the show ring, working trials, water work or in breeding? Is there a diver- gence in type or morphology? What are we doing, as breeders and judges, to close the gap? I’ll look forward to your commentary and questions on this article, as well as the ones that follow in this series. Feel free to send your comments to info@ aramediagroup.com or to me at jolly- timehounds@northstate.net .
The following commentary was received from a very long-time Alaskan Malamute breeder/ex- hibitor/sledder/judge regarding the fourth in the series inclusion on the breed: Because Alaskan Malamutes no longer have to survive in Arctic conditions, some “survival char- acteristics” are being lost. 1. The Malamute standard calls for a scissors bite and large teeth. This was necessary to eat a frozen hunk of meat when it was tossed to them; and this also frequently included bones. Bad bites, missing teeth, and small teeth are being overlooked by judges and ignored by breeders. 2. Cat feet are pretty, but wrong for the breed! They work just fine in a show ring, but will punch down through the snow. Large feet must be kept and, although the standard does not give the shape, if you look at working sled dogs in the Arctic for the past 200 years they all have large feet—and the two middle toes are longer than the sides; to borrow a common phrase, “snow shoe foot.” 3. Another problem is the over-angulation in the rear with hocks flying up in the air or not being extended when moved into gaiting position on the ground under the dog. Wasted motion is wasted energy. With food so scarce in the Arctic, a dog that used his energy (food) for unnecessary movement would soon be dead. 4. A theory about the stop, or in the case of Malamutes, the lack of it: “The topline of the skull and the topline of the muzzle show a slight break downward from a straight line as they join.” Both the SiberianHusky and the Samoyed standards call for a “well defined” stop. A slight break downward is not the same as a well-defined stop. If the stop is observed on all the land mammals that live in the high Arctic in winter, none have a stop; wolf, fox, polar bear, rabbit. Since the Samoyeds and Si- berian Huskies belonged to reindeer herders, they would have had to migrate south for the winter in order find food for the reindeer. The Malamute stayed in the high arctic all year round, sleeping outside in temperatures up to 40 and 60 degrees below zero in snow and wind. Any indentation on the body would be subject to collecting snow and freezing there.
42 • T op N otch T oys , N ovember /D ecember 2020
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