Mastiff general features, temperament, health

Mastiff dog breed face

FCI # 297, Origin: Great Britain, Group 1.1 Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs. Sheepdogs

Height: from 27 in, Weight: 150-160 pounds

Grooming: Low, Shedding: Medium, Coat: Short with the short undercoat.

Color: Apricot, different kinds of fawn, brindle (all colors must be with the dark mask).

Ease of training: High, Energy level: Medium, Span of life: 10-12 years.

Breed: A noble giant - that's how people call the dogs of this breed. English Mastiff -??is one of the most ancient breeds. The homeland of Mastiff is considered to be the mountain areas of Asia.??Mastiff is the progenitor of a number of popular giant breeds: Saint Bernard, Newfoundland, Great Dane, Bullmastiff, and many others.

Legends claim that this breed was common even in ancient Babylon. At that time people were using Mastiffs??to hunt lions and wild horses.??Along with the traders, the ancestors of the modern Mastiff came to England, and from there - to the arenas of the ancient Rome, where they fought with the gladiators.

The famous explorer Marco Polo wrote in his travel notes that in the court of Khan Cubley there was the whole kennel (5000 dogs) of this breed ...??Mastiffs were used as a living weapons during a huge number of battles ...??Mastiffs were accompanying the??worriers??of Hannibal, when they were crossing the Alps ...

Crossed with the local alpine native breed our hero gave birth to extremely popular Saint Bernard, whose other (less popular) name is - Alpine Mastiff.??He is also the founder of a number of national massive breed of mountain dogs in Spain, France, Turkey and Italy: Bernese Mountain Dog??and Dogue de Bordeaux, ??Anatolian Karabash and Neapolitan Mastiff - they all are related to the English Mastiff this or another way.??According to one hypothesis in the modern Pug there is a blood of Chow-Chow and a Mastiff, and even his second name is - Mini Mastiff.

Mastiff dog breeds

But only the British breeders were able to keep the purebred Mastiff up to our days. That's why??the other name of the breed is English (Old English) Mastiff.??Mastiffs were used to guard castles and protect the manor houses from thieves and robbers.??King Henry VII gave as a gift to Spain 400 Mastiffs, which were then successfully serving in the army.

The word "Mastiff" (the Anglo-Saxon "masty" - meaning "strong", "powerful") derives from the Latin "mastinus" which means "dog-horse" or "horse-dog" and is speaking about both - the size of the dog, and the historical past of the??breed.

The single English Mastiff once came to America, then many individuals of this breed were imported into the U.S., where the English Mastiff was also very popular as a companion dog, and a guardian of the properties.

By the end of the Second World War it was almost impossible to find a Mastiff in England.??However, the breed had a great support from the import from Canada and America, and now the English Mastiff is popular in his homeland again.

General Features: The English Mastiff is a large impressive dog of an ancient origins. He is a very good companion, patient and devoted to his family. Mastiff is bigger than Saint Bernard, not so high as a Great Dane, but much heavier.Mastiff has a square head, the muzzle is half-length of the scull. His eyes are dark brown with the dark mask around. Ears are small and dark.The English Mastiff has a short close lying coat, that comes in a variety of a fawn color, or brindle, or apricot, but anyway must be with the dark mask on the muzzle.

Mastiff dog breeds photo

Temperament: English Mastiff is one of the heaviest breeds of dogs. Some??Mastiff males may weigh over 100 kg!??This is a massive powerful dog with the huge muscles. Several times??Mastiffs were mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records because of their size and weight.

Nowadays the English Mastiff is not a dangerous fighting dog anymore, but a gentle giant, a true companion dog.??He is confident, cautious and patient. Mastiff is very easy to train, he rarely barks, generally Mastiffs are calm and obedient.

For many people Mastiff seems to be very scary, huge, impressively menacing animal.??And so they tend to think that this breed is aggressive and ferocious.??Of course, with some particular approach to his education and keeping him in isolation, without a proper socialization, Mastiff may finally meet the all the epithets written above.??But the glorious military history of this breed - very old and tested in many battles with both people and animals - is already in the past.

Modern English Mastiff is a peace-loving and friendly dog, who loves his owner and adores children.
Bold and uncompromising, Mastiff is a reliable guard dog. The true nature of the modern English Mastiff is strikingly different from the violent and savage temper of is ancestors: he is confident, loyal and majestic.??This dog is far from the hustle and bustle.

It is no secret that the dogs of some certain breeds, in particular some hounds, are prone to vagrancy.??Mastiff is really far away from this sin!??Regardless of the gender, the English Mastiff is, first and foremost, a homebody.

Regarding the service qualities of this breed - Mastiff is a wonderful house keeper.??But we must remember that security is not the main purpose of a Mastiff. First of all he is a companion dog, and doing only the functions of the guard, your four-legged friend will not be really happy, will not be able to reveal his amazing wealth of inner spiritual peace. It is rather noble than an aggressive breed, which makes the English Mastiff less suitable for training for a guard duties than other large breeds. Also we have to remember that it is not so easy to control the behaviors of a malicious dogs weighing almost 100 pounds!

The English Mastiffs are surprisingly easy to train.??This dog is very smart and loyal to the owner.??At the heart of his obedience is the desire to please his master. Mastiff is ready for anything just to do it! Mastiff's love for tasty food also facilitates his training a lot.

Mastiff's attitude towards children is a topic for another discussion.??Let's just say one thing: the basis of these multiple relationships is infinite tenderness and patience.The English Mastiff is well aware of his huge size, and never, intentionally or not, will harm the child.

The more time you can spend exercising this giant, the better. The English??Mastiff is very similar to some people: they may do very well as a "coach potatoes", but reach the peak of their shape at a certain level of physical activity.

Health problems: As most of the large breeds, the English Mastiff is prone to hip and elbow dysplasia. ??Some Mastiffs suffer from cardiomyopathy.



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