Dogs are a man’s best friend. Everyone who has ever had a pet dog will definitely relate to this quote, for dogs are amazing creatures and nothing can actually be more amazing than having a best friend who is of a different kind, but you still communicate perfectly. When you first adopt a dog when it is still a puppy, you can’t hold yourself from feeling extremely “Aww!” from their incredible cuteness, right? However, even when it grows older and larger, you still have those loving feelings toward them because how cannot you love a creature that seems to love you more than anyone in this world, even your whole family?
What is really more interesting about your dog is that it can get to the extremes present on the ends of the spectrum, changing from a lovely cute little thing to a tough annoyingly barking dog whenever someone seems to disturb you. How lovely! Science has proven that the way you see your dog does not necessarily mean that it is equal to the way other people see it. We know that most of the people love dogs, but they do not always seem as cute and adorable with strangers as it may seem to you, especially if it is a breed which traits include being huge in size and a bit tough in personality and attitude. On the other hands, it is particularly true that dogs are barely hostile or aggressive unless they feel threatened.
In other words, dogs are amazing, but your own dog can seem that way to other people if it is friendly or if it is a tiny puppy that’s size never seems to change no matter how older it gets. Anyways, dogs are known to be domestic animals that you can keep within the four walls of your house without having the fear that it may decide to eat you up someday; however, the origin of this animal may not seem clear, but they are partially related to wild animals like wolves and it may share a lot of traits and characteristics with a wolf. On the contrary, it does not come to be connected to any other ancestry genetically, but still, some breeds were created to look like wild animals, including lions, tigers, and leopards as well. If you own a dog that’s breed look like any of those animals, you should be fully aware of the reasons your friends hardly find your dog as cute as you do and if you not, then you should definitely check out this list that features ten different breeds of dogs that look like wild animals, especially lions. Get started.
10 Tibetan Mastiff (Lions)
Tibetan mastiffs are ancient trained dogs that look like lions and they are highly sought after in specific parts of Europe and Asia. Looking like lions have made these dogs be mainly used for protecting calves and other livestock as well as helping with the process of shepherding; besides, they have a strong structure as well as a relatively large size. In China, this breed has been widely trending, so they are usually available in quite high prices for being highly demanded.
They may seem interesting to be adopted, but such breeds can hardly adapt to living in apartments and small houses, especially that they require a high physical training and need to be walked on a daily basis due to their fairly high energy. Conversely, this does not mean that they cannot be adopted; in fact, they can, but there are several factors that need to be considered in order to live peacefully with this breed.
You need to be well aware of their traits that include being fearless and brilliant and, surely, like any other dog, they are quite loyal, but they can be a bit aggressive toward strangers as well as other pets, especially the smaller ones. As a consequence, this breed is highly recommended to be owned by owners who are experienced and aware of how to train and deal with them.
9 Indigenous Mastiff (Himalayan Guard Dog)
This dog breed is known as either indigenous mastiff or Himalayan guard dogs, for this breed is native Indian that came from the regions of Himalaya, in the Ladakh region of Himalaya, to be specific. This breed is another one that looks like a lion and although it may have an unapproachable and belligerent appearance, they are deemed to be very endearing and peaceful unless they sense that something wrong is going on.
What makes them very similar to a lion is their long coat and extensive hooters. Their fur is quite long and double-coated as well. However, the Himalayan dogs are known for being lovable and constantly trying to please their owners. They are such sweethearts despite their looks. On the contrary, they are also known to be fearless and warriors; they can literally fight till death.
8 Leonberger
This breed’s origin may be clear from their name. They are originated from the city Leonberger in Germany. The Leonbergers are huge in size and adopting them will definitely make you feel like you own a lion, making people wonder how you could possibly pet such a scary-looking animal, but the truth is; these dogs are extremely friendly and controlled although they may seem like the other way around.
They make great pets for families, besides they are usually approachable and sociable, making their interaction with strangers and young people easy, but that does not change the fact that their sounds maybe a bit scary, especially because they have deep barks.
Owning such a breed may require some consideration regarding their grooming, besides; they are a bit energetic, so they need moderate physical exercises, but, otherwise, they are great friends to humans and can be great protection as well.
7 Chow Chow
The Chow Chow dogs are also known as either the Tang Quan or the Dog of the Tang Empire. Yes, they are called that way and that is exactly the reason they are perceived as dogs that are full of pride as well as daring. They are originated from Mongolia and China, but, for some reason, a lot of people claim that they are Siberians.
These dogs are quite hostile and unfriendly with strangers, so they need to be highly trained from a young age by an experienced owner; besides, this breed is usually used as the stone guardian models can be found in front of the palaces or the temples of Buddhist.
6 Bangar Mastiff
Bangar or Bangara mastiffs are Indian breeds that originated in Tehri Garhwal, a town in India, and their name was a derivative from a part of this town called Bangar- exactly where they developed.
This breed was descended from native Bhotia dogs- which were used for protecting livestock and the villagers from the attacks of wild animals. This may drive some people to think that they are hostile dogs, but; in fact, these dogs are friendly and very approachable and they are suitable for being adopted; besides, they can live in small areas like apartments and they are totally unhostile when it comes to dealing with other pets or strangers.
5 Nepali Mountain Dog
We have already mentioned the breed of Tibetan mastiffs that look like lions which seem to have a descended breed that looks like lions as well. This breed is the Nepali mountain dogs and they were named after Nepal from which they were originated; besides, they can also be found in some parts of Pakistan, Bhutan, and India. They are also known as the Himalayan sheepdogs or Pahari Kukur.
The Nepali Mountain Dogs are brilliant and sociable. They also make perfect guards. These dogs are also highly active and they need high physical exercise and need to be walked on a daily basis. Their high demand for outdoor exercise and being energetic make them unsuitable for living in apartments.
4 Newfoundland
The Newfoundland dogs are giants that look a lot like lions. Their name was derived from Newfoundland- a city in Canada- from which they were developed. They are known to be gentle water dogs as well as strong and huge in size. These dogs are used as working dogs, but their main purpose is to carry wood from the forests and pull the nets for fishermen as they are relatively strong. These dogs can be great pets and are suitable for adoption since they are sociable and quite obedient.
3 Shar-Pei
Shar-Pei is a very rare breed of dogs which possess a heavy coat that may resemble that of a bear, but this breed is actually known to resemble the appearance of a lion. The reason that this breed is very uncommon is the fact that it only occurs when the both parents carry recessive coat genes. This breed is one more on this list that gives you the opportunity to enjoy owning a pet that looks a lot like a lion. You may have wanted to own a lion once, especially if you were too obsessed with The Chronicles of Narnia as a kid, but you know how impossible this is since lions actually make horrible pets.
2 Tiger Dog
Tiger Dogs, obviously, do not look like lions, but they look like a bit similar breed that makes wild animals as well, which is the tiger. These dogs do not occur naturally; in fact, the interference of human beings is the reason that this breed has occurred. China was the first country to try the trend of painting dogs and that has actually spread to other countries in the west. Consequently, the tiger dog is originally a Golden Retriever that is painted or dyed to look like this wild animal.
1 Louisiana Catahoula Leopard
This is actually the third wild animal to be mentioned on this list right after lions and tigers, the leopards. The Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog is an intelligent breed that is characterized by having blue eyes and colored patches on its fur, giving it that appearance that quite resembles that of a leopard. This breed is developed by combining Spanish Mastiffs, Greyhounds, and Native American dogs.
These huge dogs need a high intensity of exercising for being highly active and they can turn into a wild animal unless they get enough exercise, but they are known to be very friendly with human beings, but not with other pet animals. However, this breed is unsuitable for living with families unless their owner is experienced and firm in dealing with them.
If you happen to have any of these breeds, you should actually be aware of your friends may not be able to see your dog as cute as you do, for they are actually seeing a wild animal rather than a dog.
