How big is a Himalayan Sheepdog?

We have no measured figure. There is no breed bureau descriptor and we found no characterization study for this breed.

Is the Himalayan Sheepdog the same as the Bhotia?

The names are used for the same kind of dog, and the Indian literature lists Himalayan sheep dog and Bhutia sheep dogs together. The naming across the Himalaya is loose enough that we would not promise they are always the same population.

Is the Himalayan Sheepdog a registered breed?

No. It is named in the Indian literature on native breeds but not registered with ICAR-NBAGR.

Is a Himalayan Sheepdog the same as a Tibetan Mastiff?

No, though they share mountains and get confused. The Tibetan Mastiff is an internationally recognised breed with an AKC standard; the Himalayan Sheepdog is an undocumented regional type.

Can a Himalayan Sheepdog live in the plains?

Our sources describe a mountain flock guardian. We have no study of this breed in plains conditions and would not encourage it.

How big does a Himalayan Sheepdog get?

We have no figure we would print. There is no measured description of this breed from the national breed bureau and no characterization study we could find, and the figures on pet retail pages are not a breed standard. The page says so rather than borrowing one.

Is the Himalayan Sheepdog a recognised breed?

Not registered with ICAR-NBAGR. Not registered. Named in the native breeds paper. We did not find a listing we would cite.

India · prices in rupees, weights in kilograms

International site

Himalayan Sheepdog Dog

The Himalayan Sheepdog is the flock-guarding dog of the Himalayan grazing regions, also called the Bhotia. It is named in the Indian literature on native breeds, but it is not registered with the national breed bureau and we found no published measurement, so this page gives no size figures.

where it is from: The Himalayawhere it is from
no published measurement: Not measuredno published measurement
with the ICAR breed bureau: Not registeredwith the ICAR breed bureau

Read this first

What we could not establish about this breed

No registry descriptor and no characterization study, so no size figures and no chart.

In short

Key takeaways

The Himalayan Sheepdog comes from The Himalaya. Large flock guardian.
No registry descriptor or characterization study we could find gives a measured adult size for this breed, so this page gives none and shows no growth chart.
Not registered with the ICAR National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources. We did not find a listing we would cite.
Struggles in Indian heat. A Himalayan flock guardian.
Thick double coat, which our data rates as medium grooming effort.
We found no three dated Indian price sources for this breed, so this page gives no price.
No source we found publishes a population figure or a conservation status for this breed.

Key facts

Himalayan Sheepdog: size, coat and recognition

Every figure in this card is quoted from a named source, and the sources are listed at the foot of the page. Where a figure is missing, the card says it is missing rather than filling the gap.

adult weight: Not publishedadult weight
height at the shoulder: Not publishedheight at the shoulder
lifespan: Not publishedlifespan

Origin: The Himalaya
Also called: Bhotia, Bhutia Sheepdog
Weight, as our source states it: No registry or peer-reviewed figure available to us
Height, as our source states it: No registry or peer-reviewed figure available to us
Coat: Thick double coat
ICAR-NBAGR: Not registered with ICAR-NBAGR
Kennel Club of India: We did not find a listing we would cite.
Space it needs: Land. Not a flat.

Named as Himalayan sheep dog and Bhutia sheep dogs in the Indian literature on native dog breeds. We found no characterization study.

Growth

How big a Himalayan Sheepdog gets

There is no growth chart on this page and no adult weight, because no source we would cite publishes one for the Himalayan Sheepdog. The growth charts elsewhere on this site are built by scaling a published veterinary curve to a breed's adult weight range, and without that range there is nothing to scale. Pet retail pages do give figures for this breed. We have not used them: a number on a page selling puppies is not a breed standard, and the moment it appears in a table it starts being quoted as one.

Origin

Where the Himalayan Sheepdog comes from

The Himalayan Sheepdog, also called the Bhotia, works with flocks across the Himalayan grazing regions. It is named in the Indian literature on native dog breeds alongside the Bhutia sheep dogs.

The name is used loosely across the Himalaya, and several distinct mountain dogs get called Himalayan Sheepdogs or Bhotias in practice. Without a characterization study there is no firm line to draw, and we are not going to draw one.

What it was kept for

The Himalayan Sheepdog's working role

A note on temperament

This section says what our sources say this breed was kept for, and stops there. We do not rank breeds by temperament and we do not describe any breed as aggressive. A breed bureau descriptor records what a dog looks like and what it is used for; it does not record what it is like to live with, and we are not going to supply the difference out of our own heads.

A livestock guardian in the Himalayan grazing systems.

A note on temperament

Indian climate

Struggles in Indian heat

A Himalayan flock guardian. As with the Gaddi and the Bakharwal, the coat that makes it work in the mountains is what makes the plains hard.

Mountain conditions, flocks and space. The plains are a poor fit.

A mountain coat. Our sources do not describe it in measured detail.

Price

What a Himalayan Sheepdog costs in India

We found no three dated Indian price sources for the Himalayan Sheepdog, so this page gives no price.

That is not a coy way of saying the breed is expensive. Most native Indian breeds are not sold through the channels that publish prices at all: they change hands within a region, through shepherding and farming households and through state-run breeding centres, and no Indian pet publisher prices them. A shelter or rescue fee of ₹0 to ₹2,000 is the only dependably sourced figure we can offer you for a dog of this kind.

If you have seen this breed advertised at a particular price, treat the advertisement as the source it is. The price calculator covers the imported breeds that are priced by three or more Indian publishers.

Running cost

What a dog this size costs to keep

Our food and grooming figures are sourced breed by breed for the imported breeds, not for the native ones. The calculator below is the imported-breed calculator; set it to a breed of roughly the same size as a Himalayan Sheepdog and the food, vaccination and accessory lines are a fair guide, because those costs follow the dog's weight rather than its pedigree. The purchase price is not transferable and we would not pretend otherwise.

Breed

Showing 38 of 38 breeds.

City

Where from

Papers from the Kennel Club of India, with both parents registered and microchipped.

Include pet insuranceOptional. Adds a year of a mid-level policy to the first-year total.

Labrador Retriever puppy, kci-registered breeder

₹25,000 to ₹60,000 and up

The range our sources give for a KCI-registered Labrador Retriever.

Supertails gives ₹25,000 to ₹50,000 for a KCI-registered Labrador and Inside Scroller ₹30,000 to ₹60,000 and up. Mr n Mrs Pet states ₹30,000 to ₹1,20,000 and up.

In Delhi NCR

₹10,000 to ₹70,000

Delhi NCR is a metro. Across the metro cities our sources name, a Labrador Retriever runs ₹10,000 to ₹70,000. That is the general market across seller types, not the figure for one seller.

Inside Scroller’s metro rows run ₹10,000 in Kolkata to ₹58,000 in Mumbai. Supertails is higher, giving Delhi NCR ₹25,000 to ₹70,000 and Chennai ₹20,000 to ₹61,000, and adds that flight-nanny transport costs ₹3,000 to ₹8,000 on top.

The other ways to buy one

Unregistered home breeder: ₹8,000 to ₹45,000

First year of running costs

₹45,020 to ₹1,02,100

That is ₹3,752 to ₹8,508 a month. The puppy price above is not in this figure.

Food₹2,500 to ₹5,000 a month₹30,000 to ₹60,000
Puppy vaccinationsthe full first-year course₹3,000 to ₹8,000
Dewormingfour to six doses in the first year (working estimate)₹320 to ₹1,500
Vet visitsthree to five consultations, vaccinations counted separately (working estimate)₹900 to ₹4,000
Grooming13 to 13 grooms a year₹7,800 to ₹15,600
Starter accessoriesbed, crate, bowls, collar, leash, toys₹3,000 to ₹13,000

Working estimates included. The number of deworming doses and vet visits in a first year is ours, not a figure from a source. The prices per dose and per visit are sourced.

Indian climate

Suits the Indian climate

Inside Scroller writes that in India’s climate the Labrador’s short coat handles heat better than double-coated breeds, while noting that a black coat absorbs more solar radiation than a lighter one, so midday outdoor exercise is best avoided in peak summer.

The Labrador Retriever was not on the list in the 2024 central advisory.

Prices checked 15 October 2026.

The 11 sources behind this result

Labrador Retriever price in India
Supertails — dated 2026-07-13 — read 2026-10-14
supertails.com
Black Labrador dog price in India 2026
Inside Scroller — dated 2026-04-11 — read 2026-10-14
insidescroller.com
Labrador Retriever puppies for sale in India
Mr n Mrs Pet — no publication date shown — read 2026-10-14
mrnmrspet.com
Tamil Nadu bans 23 'ferocious' dog breeds including Pitbull terrier, Tosa Inu
India TV — dated 2024-05-09 — read 2026-10-14
indiatvnews.com
Labrador Retriever breed standard
American Kennel Club — no publication date shown — read 2026-10-14
akc.org
Dog Price List in India 2026: Top 40 Breeds, City-wise Costs & Monthly Budget
Supertails — dated 2026-03-09 — read 2026-10-14
supertails.com
Puppy and dog vaccination schedule in India: chart and cost (2026)
Dog with Blog — dated 2026-10-12 — read 2026-10-14
dogwithblog.in
Dog vaccination schedule in India (2026): age-by-age chart, costs and rabies rules
Supertails — dated 2026-08-21 — read 2026-10-14
supertails.com
Complete new puppy checklist for India (2026)
Supertails — dated 2026-05-30 — read 2026-10-14
supertails.com
How to adopt a street dog in India (2026 adoption guide)
Dog with Blog — dated 2026-10-09 — read 2026-10-14
dogwithblog.in
Dog breeds in India with price (2026 guide)
Aruani Pet Stop — dated 2026-07-25 — read 2026-10-14
aruanipetstop.in

Every figure here comes from a published Indian source named above, read on 14 October 2026. Puppy prices move with demand and are negotiated one dog at a time, so treat these as the range to expect rather than a quote.

FAQ

Himalayan Sheepdog: the questions people ask

How big is a Himalayan Sheepdog?: We have no measured figure. There is no breed bureau descriptor and we found no characterization study for this breed.
Is the Himalayan Sheepdog the same as the Bhotia?: The names are used for the same kind of dog, and the Indian literature lists Himalayan sheep dog and Bhutia sheep dogs together. The naming across the Himalaya is loose enough that we would not promise they are always the same population.
Is the Himalayan Sheepdog a registered breed?: No. It is named in the Indian literature on native breeds but not registered with ICAR-NBAGR.
Is a Himalayan Sheepdog the same as a Tibetan Mastiff?: No, though they share mountains and get confused. The Tibetan Mastiff is an internationally recognised breed with an AKC standard; the Himalayan Sheepdog is an undocumented regional type.
Can a Himalayan Sheepdog live in the plains?: Our sources describe a mountain flock guardian. We have no study of this breed in plains conditions and would not encourage it.
How big does a Himalayan Sheepdog get?: We have no figure we would print. There is no measured description of this breed from the national breed bureau and no characterization study we could find, and the figures on pet retail pages are not a breed standard. The page says so rather than borrowing one.
Is the Himalayan Sheepdog a recognised breed?: Not registered with ICAR-NBAGR. Not registered. Named in the native breeds paper. We did not find a listing we would cite.

Method

Every source behind this page

Breed facts here come from the ICAR National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, from peer-reviewed characterization studies, and from veterinary and state publications. Wikipedia is not a source on these pages: where it pointed us at a study or a registry entry we went and read that instead and cited it. No figure on this page comes from a page that sells dogs.

Sources

3 sources behind the figures on this page.

Characterization, registration and gazette notification: new initiatives for recognizing native dog breeds
Raja K N, Mishra A K, Niranjan S K, Mishra B P. The Indian Journal of Animal Genetics and Breeding 41-42:4-6 - dated 2022-23 - read 2026-10-15
Lists the native breeds the bureau was working on, including the Caravan Hound, Combai, Chippiparai, Rajapalayam, Rampur Hound, Kanni, Mudhol Hound, Indian Mastiff (Bulli), Himalayan sheep dog, Bhutia and Bhakarwal dogs.
nipajournals.com
Registered dog breeds
ICAR National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources - read 2026-10-15
The register of Indian dog breeds and their accession numbers. Read through the Internet Archive snapshot of 14 October 2024, which lists Rajapalayam, Chippiparai and Mudhol Hound. Later registrations are sourced separately.
nbagr.icar.gov.in
How to adopt a street dog in India (2026 adoption guide)
Dog with Blog - dated 2026-10-09 - read 2026-10-14
dogwithblog.in

Nearby

Similar breeds

Or put two of them side by side in the comparison tool, or answer ten questions about your home in the breed finder.

Breed facts and recognition status last checked 15 October 2026. Prices move, so treat anything older than a few months as a guide rather than a quote. Estimate only. For health questions, ask your vet.