Can Tibetan Mastiffs be taught obedience commands? How about for competition?
Tibetan Mastiffs can be very intelligent dogs, but obedience is not a high priority for them. In best of times, Tibetan Mastiffs can be compliant, humoring the owner by responding to commands when there is nothing better to do (or treats are given and desired). However, the Tibetan Mastiff is a guardian first, and if a command does not fit with standing guard, the command and commander are ignored. Despite this, each Tibetan Mastiff should be taught basic commands (i.e., sit, down, come, stay, enough, no, off, and heel) for safety sake. Beyond that, the owner better have a great sense of humor and endless patience.
