tibetan spaniel

[linnie]

I have been looking into the background of my Isabella, Tibbie breeders say that they were the original dog and that pekes were developed from them also ckc. I cant seem to find any good reliable souce to help me> Anyone know of one?

[Shadowkins]

Would this link be of any service to you,Linnie?

http://tibbies.net/index.shtml

[linnie]

Thanks shadowkins, that was the one I found but it doesnt really say much.
I did get the impression that they are an ancient breed and only in recent years allowed to become part of the world dogs supply lol
Until recently they were exclusive to tibet.

I dont suppose it really matters.. My Isabella is totally unique anyway

[GreenleafGreyhound]

You know, Linnie, I don't think anybody will ever know for sure, but the two breeds obviously intermingled at some point in time. I do know that the Tibbie is one of the oldest breeds (Greyhound, probably being the oldest I would suppose...), and I wouldn't be surprised if the Tibbie preceded the Pekingese. What you see on TV nowadays is not what the original Peke looked like. The original Pekingese from yesterday looked very much like how my dog, Lucky, looks. It wasn't until a few select kennels, mainly Alderbourne and Caversham, until the full "make-over" of the Pekingese began. If there are any dog show fanatics out there, I'm sure you recognize the name, Ch. Chik T'Sun of Caversham who basically reinvented the breed into the fine specimens that you see today, with little/no muzzles, more significant facial wrinkles, the characteristic pear body shape, and the big, flowing coat.

To explain this more, I found a greyt article that explains how two similar breeds, the Japanese Chin and Pekingese, diverged into such different-looking breeds. Even though it deals with Chins, you can directly relate the info to Tibbies.

http://www.btinternet.com/~Ventura.P.../Caversham.pdf

By the way, it has some greyt photos of some LEGENDARY Pekingese that I have not seen yet.

[GreenleafGreyhound]

Okay, and just because this topic intrigues me so much, here's a little background info on the Pekingese:

This is the legendary Ch. Chik T'Sun of Caversham, a pivotal moment in Peke breed history.



...and here is Ch. Chu-Erh of Alderbourne:


And here is the Cruft's winner and record breaker, Ch. Yakee A Dangerous Liaison:

It's not a very good body shot of him, but you see how the 'old' Pekes looked very much like their relatives, Tibbies and Chins. Then, through decades of breeding, they diverged into a whole other breed. It's easy to believe that Tibbies are the forefathers of the Pekes.

[linnie]

I can see it and the first pics look rather like my naughty Bella
Its not that I care who came first lol but I like to think how our specific breeds were developed.
I just lashed out and bought a pekinese royal doulton figurine because it looked so much like bella I couldnt help myself