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Updated 2026-11-11

MouseOxTigerRabbitDragonSnakeHorseSheepMonkeyRoosterDogPig

Gold lines join the sign with its allies, the dashed line with its best match; red marks the opposite sign. Tap a sign to open it.

Tibetan Zodiac: the Dog

Traits and the 2026 Fire Horse year outlook for the Dog in the Tibetan-Mongolian (zurkhai) tradition.

Traits: Loyal, honest, protective and fair.

In the Fire Horse year (2026): Dog traditionally harmonizes well with Horse — an auspicious-leaning year.

Bankhar, the traditional Mongolian herding dog, by the gers
Bankhar, the traditional Mongolian herding dog, by the gersImage: Yumjirdulam0501 · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

The Dog across the five elements

Over the 60-year cycle the Dog appears once with each of the five elements — each pairing gives a different character:

Wood Dogspring Fire Dogsummer Earth Dogthe turn of the seasons Metal Dogautumn Water Dogwinter

Years of the Dog

Recent years of the Dog: 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030. The Dog returns every twelve years, each time carrying a different one of the five elements — which is why a 2030 Dog and a 2018 Dog are read differently in zurkhai.

A pair of Tibetan mastiffs (do-khyi)
A pair of Tibetan mastiffs (do-khyi)Image: Patricia Ober · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Who the Dog gets on with

In zurkhai compatibility the Dog's closest match is the Rabbit — its Liu He, or "six-harmony", partner. Its natural allies are the Tiger and Horse (together they form one of the four San He triangles), while its traditional opposite is the Dragon, a pairing said to need extra care. These animal rules are only one of four parameters the app weighs — element, animal, menge and parkha — when it calculates full couple compatibility.

Check a couple's compatibility in the app. The animal match above is only one of four factors. The Zurkhai app for iPhone weighs all four — element, animal, menge and parkha — and gives any two birth dates a 1–5 star rating with a detailed reading. Check compatibility in the App Store →

Next 30 days by animal compatibility

Good for you 12 Nov, 13 Nov, 16 Nov, 20 Nov, 24 Nov, 25 Nov, 28 Nov, 2 Dec, 6 Dec, 7 Dec, 10 Dec

Tense 14 Nov, 26 Nov, 8 Dec

Good days are those of your allies, your best match and your own animal; tense days belong to the opposite sign.

The 12 animals of zurkhai

MouseOxTigerRabbitDragonSnakeHorseSheepMonkeyRoosterDogPig

Frequently asked

What is the Tibetan zodiac Dog like?
Loyal, honest, protective and fair.
Which animals is the Dog compatible with?
The Dog's closest match is the Rabbit; its allies are the Tiger and Horse; its traditional opposite is the Dragon.
How does the Dog fare in the Fire Horse year 2026?
Dog traditionally harmonizes well with Horse — an auspicious-leaning year.
How does the Tibetan zodiac work?
Tibetan astrology overlays a 12-year cycle of animals with a 5-element cycle (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). Each element governs two consecutive years, so 12 animals × 5 elements form a 60-year cycle before the same animal+element pairing repeats. Every year therefore carries both an animal and an element — 2026 is the Fire Horse. The system blends indigenous Bon astrology, Chinese-derived element/animal astrology, and Indian Kalachakra star astrology.

The Fire Horse year 2026 → · What is zurkhai? →

Animal/element traits and yearly outlooks are presented as traditional belief, not fact, and vary between astrologers and lineages.