Head: the head is perhaps the most notable feature of the Tibetan Mastiff. Head and shoulders must look substantial with a thick ruff, square and well-cushioned muzzle. The beauty of the head is emphasised by chiselling along the muzzle, around and beneath the eyes. Skull: broad, the crown somewhat arched when viewed from the side, with a well-developed or pronounced occiput and definite sloping stop. Slight median line extending back over the forehead. There is a definite furrow extending from the stop to halfway up the skull which becomes a ridge and extends to the occiput. Muzzle: wide and blunt and well-cushioned when viewed from the front. Neither coarse nor snippy. Muzzle is equal to 2/3 length of crown from stop to occiput. Clean cut, powerful and square in shape. The muzzle must have depth when viewed from the side. Nose and muzzle: nose and lips black. Wide with well-developed nostrils. Upper lips pendulous. Lip line should not have the appearance of being coarse nor should the flews drop prominently at the corners of the mouth. Jaws strong and muscular, although the female's jaws may be lighter. Strong, well-set teeth, snugly overlapping in a tight scissor bite or level. Undershot and overshot bites are undesirable. Ears: pendant, v-shaped, tips rounded. Carried low and close to the head, lifted away from head when at attention. When pulled forward, the tip of the ear reaches the inner corner of the eye on the same side. In the relaxed position, ears should hold their set and not cast backward. Leather is covered with short soft hair. Eyes: medium size, light to dark brown. Very bright, almond shaped, well-spaced with lower lid slanting upwards toward an imaginary point approximately at the base of the ears. Round or protruding eyes penalised. Set obliquely under moderately prominent supraorbital ridges. Eye rims black.
Neck: strong, well-muscled, neck should slope to withers giving the impression of strength and dignity. Dog exhibits a pronounced crest of the neck when at attention. The neck gradually increases in circumference as it approaches the shoulder. Moderate dewlap in mature dogs, more pronounced in males. Chest: deep and of medium width with pronounced sternum, ribs well sprung out from spine and flattened at the sides to allow proper movement of the shoulders and freedom from the front legs. Heart and lung room are secured more by body depth than width. Topline: in the following descriptions the anatomical components of the spinal column have been described separately, i.e. withers, back, loin and croup. Back: straight, short and very strongly developed without sag or roach. Croup: must be full, slightly sloping but never so steep as to restrict rear movement and must continue imperceptibly to the tail root.
Shoulders: should lie close to the body, long and moderately sloping, well-muscled without being coarse. Reach well up to point of withers. Forelegs: firm front, strong bone. Legs should be parallel and straight to the pasterns. The pasterns should be strong, sturdy and slightly sloping to give flexibility and spring for proper let-down of feet. The slope should not start at the joint but below it. The slope should always be sufficient to bring the heel of the pad under the centre of gravity. Length of leg from ground to elbow should be 50—55% of total height at withers. Hindquarters: powerful and well-muscled. Two thirds of rear leg is between hock and hip. Upper thighs well-developed and slightly bowed from hock to crotch. As endurance is of greater consequence than speed, the stifle is slightly bent. Feet: large, compact, hare-foot, slightly spread but not splayed. The second and third digits may be relatively longer but the foot should lose none of its compactness. The forefeet are larger than the hind feet, toes arched, pads thick and tough.
Moderately long. Profusely feathered with thick, long hair and carried forward in a plume over the back. Sometimes dropped at rest. Judges should see tail up at least once.
Coat: body is covered with an undercoat of soft, short, dense wool with longer and harsher hair growing through it to form the outer coat. The coat texture is heavy around the neck, shoulders and down the back to the tail. Coat on legs, side and stomach is shorter in length and somewhat lighter in texture. It is that heavy texture of the neck and shoulders that gives the impression of a lion's mane. Undercoat is shed with the advent of warm weather making quality of coat harder to judge during hotter months and in warmer climates. When in full coat, undercoat should be so dense as to make it almost impossible to see skin.
Colour: black, chocolate brown and slate gray, all with or without tan markings, as well as various shades of gold, and sable. The shades of gold and the tan markings may range from cream to dark red/gold. White markings may occur on the chin, chest and feet. Spectacle markings around the eyes are acceptable.
Pigmentation on lips, nose and eye rims is black, except on dilute colors (chocolate, blue and gold dilute), where the pigmentation is also diluted but should be as dark as possible.
Should be free, agile and vigorous, showing great elasticity and spring in the smooth, powerful stride. From the standing position, as the Tibetan Mastiff moves the pads converge to a single track beneath the actual centre of the dog. The marked single track gait of a well-built Tibetan Mastiff should never be mistaken for the gait fault of "moving close". The Tibetan Mastiff works at a canter and often uses the double suspension gallop. He must be sure of foot in any kind of going. Ability to turn quickly and initial spring are desirable qualities. Moving with head and tail held high, the whole appearance of the Tibetan Mastiff is one of great style, grace and beauty.
Height: Males — 66-71.1 cm. Females — 60.9-66 cm.
