One of things I really enjoy about taking Georgina and Gwylim to obedience classes is all the different breeds of dogs we get meet. Today was no exception because as well as the two GSD's they already know there were two "newbies". A very handsome Bernese Mountain Dog who immediately fell in love with Georgina ... and she with him! Gwylim wasn't so sure about all the kissing and canoodling that was going between the two of them and registered his disapproval with a growl for which he was ticked off by his mum for spoiling big sister's love life. But the big surprise of the day was the arrival of the MOST MAGNIFICENT TIBETAN MASTIFF! An absolutely stunning dog and the first I've ever seen. At 11 months old he was twice the size of the Bernese. Georgina wasn't in the least bit interested in him but that little black devil of mine took an instant dislike and tried to attack him. Luckily I had him on a short lead otherwise he'd probably have ended up as the TM's mid morning snack! His owner speaks good English and was telling me he'd been given the TM by his next door neighbour who owns the dog's sister and at the age of 77 decided she couldn't cope with two enormous young dogs. The good news is that she also speaks English and will be coming to obedience classes next month which will great, so from now on I'll have to do some work with my little man to help him get over his fear of large dogs!
A well groomed TM is a beautiful dog, but the 2 blowout seasons if they are not maintained wow it can be a mess. Know a couple of them, and yes many are surprise by how enormous they can be. And just think it will most likely get a good bit bigger in the next year and half. It is a great thing that the new owner is taking it to class, as without a lot of socialization they can be very aloof.
Small dogs seem to growl at large dogs, my hooligans do it every time we meet up with the other members of my Sensible dog walkers club.
His owner said that 11 months old the TM already weighed 50 kg (110 pounds) but he expected him to grow another 4 or 5 inches with a final weight of 70+ kg (154 pounds) which makes my fully grown Shar-Pei who weighs 18 kgs (40 pounds) and is too heavy for me to lift, a real lightweight! Gwylim is quite happy around medium sized and smaller dogs and he's become so used to seeing so many GSD's at training that they don't bother him any longer. It's only when he meets a very much larger dog for the first time he growls and starts to shiver out of fear which is quite natural 'cos by the side of them he's just an ickle tiddler! I forgot to add to the thread that whilst I putting the Princess back in the car I dropped Gwylim's lead but didn't notice until it was his turn to go into the car. After searching for him I saw him wandering at the back of the tennis club house, quite oblivious of the three GSD guard dogs who were running loose close by. I was really proud of him when he came running back to me the moment I called his name which is more that the Princess would have done!
Eeek - the Princess weighs 18kg? And here was I, always thinking that Peis were a bit bigger than that. Actually I always thought they were quite large, but then what do I know? My fatso had managed to lose all of 400g from May to November, SIGH - and I would be thrilled if I could get her back to 18kg again, not that I would be able to pick her up even at that! Well done Prince Gwylim for coming when called. xx I do not really have a problem with Pereg and larger [or smaller] dogs as she does not like any dog invading her space, ie coming into our yard. And yet on the occasions one of my taxi drivers has taken us to the Pension so I can stock up on goodies for her from their huge store, she is off-lead from the moment we park, and goes to greet whichever of their own dogs are around, even though we probably had not seen them for months. She is the same at the Vet - will go and say hello to Ram's large black Lab - who is usually sleeping on one of the couches in the waiting room - and the same with any dog that might be around - although she is not too keen on Ram's new kitten. I do not think she has ever met a TM though, or anything larger than Ram's Labrador. But I do remember the one and only time I saw a DdB and could not believe how large it was! [She was not with me at the time!]
Pei come in three different sizes the standard one being 18 to 22 inches tall and weighing between 21 to 26 kgs (46 to 57 pounds) The smallest Pei is the Mini Pei which is about 14 inches tall and weighs around 9 to 11 kgs (20 to 24 pounds). Georgina is an "inbetweeny" being just under 18 inches tall and weighing 18 kgs. M'boi was slightly smaller ... she was 16.5 inches tall and weighed a mere 16 kgs and compared to her Georgie looks "leggy". Knowing I couldn't cope with a larger, heavier Pei I asked every breeder I contacted, the size of the parents. Fortunately in Hungary they seem to favour the medium size, unlike the US where as far as I can see, they prefer the larger Pei.
Many thanks for the info Barbara - I learn something new every day [and then promptly forget it due to old age ]. I knew there were different types of Peis with regard to coats, but did not know that there were different sizes. I have no idea how tall Pereg is - would not know where to measure her for a start, but she is - gulp - quite a few kilos overweight. But she is a stocky girl who does not look fat - a bit of a belly but not fat as in obese. And she was not supposed to look like this - her dog mother was much smaller and only weighed around 14 kg if that. And had five puppies. Pereg just did a Topsy and grew. But she is overweight because of the gimmee gimmee munchies that she often gets, and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. 'orrid 'ickle fatso wot 'er is!
