English Mastiff Profile

Other Names: Mastiff, Old English Mastiff

Country of origin: Great Britain

Dog Group Kennel Club:  Working

General appearance:

Mastiffs are large dogs in terms of height and breath.  They are powerful and strong with their legs set wide apart.  They have a short coat and a distinctive 'wrinkled' yet broad face.Their nose, muzzle, and ears are black. The Mastiff is a double coat breed the outer coat is short, coarse, and straight the under coat is dense and fits closely to the body. This breed is an average shedder.
A compact dog that is muscular all over and naturally large.

Colours:

Mastiffs come in fawn, apricot-fawn, silver-fawn and dark fawn-brindle with their muzzles, ears and noses being black.

Size:

There are no definitive height and weight restrictions for this breed although in general

Bitch              70 - 90cms

Dog                80 - 91 cms 

Weight:

                               Min                Max
 
Bitch              41kg (90lbs) 50kg (110lbs)

Dog                50kg (110lbs) 59kg (130lbs) 

Temperament:

Despite their size, Mastiffs are calm and gentle dogs showing affection to their master but with the ability of guarding if required. They are good with the family and are generally good with children although, with strangers, Mastiffs will often place themselves between the stranger and their family until they are sure that they are no threat.The Mastiff is a watchful, reliable, and intelligent breed. They are exceedingly loyal and deeply devoted to their family. This breed thrives on human companionship and affection and does not do well if left alone for extended periods of time. Mastiffs do not do well with other household pets they have not been raised with. The Mastiff is not recommended for the novice, inexperienced, or passive owner.

Movement:

Powerful and covering ground.

Care and training:

The Mastiff requires minimal grooming. Occasional brushing with a firm bristle brush will suffice. Bathing or dry shampooing should be done when necessary. Regular but not over tiring exercise will keep the Mastiff in shape and develop their muscles. Controlled exercise must be given to a puppy until they are fully developed.

Early socialization and obedience are crucial for this breed. The Mastiff requires a dominant handler. They do not respond to harsh or heavy-handed methods. They are eager to please but may be difficult to train. This breed does best with firmness, fairness, patience, respect, and consistency. They excel in guarding, military and police work, weight pulling, and search and rescue.The Bullmastiff can be stubborn and firm handling is required from puppyhood.They can also be quite headstrong and boisterous, especially during adolescence.

Overall Exercise: 40 - 60 minutes per day.
This dog should not have long walks or be allowed a lot of free exercise until it is at least 12 months old. It has to be remembered that even when this dog is 6 months old, and is relatively large, it is still a puppy. Too much exercise too young can lead to bone and joint related health problems in later life. They have an average demand for exercise, only requiring a few walks per day. They do enjoy exercise and games with the family.

Feeding requirements:The Bullmastiff can be quite demanding in its feeding requirements. As a breed they are reputed to have individual feeding needs. As adults they should be fed twice daily, the breeder will recommend a suitable feeding programme for your dog. 

Exercise: Med

Grooming: Med

Noise: Low

Personal Protection: High

Suitability As Guard Dog: High

Level of Aggression: High

Compatibility With Other Animals: High

Suitablity for Children: High

Often docked:  No

Average litter size: 2 - 5

Life expectancy (yrs): 9 - 12 years

Health issues: Hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, eye diseases and bloat. Bloat is a health concern to most dogs, being the biggest killer of dogs second to cancer, but Mastiffs are particularly susceptible to it because of their deep chests. Bloat is also known as twisted stomach or gastric torsion. other, smaller health concerns include obesity, cancer,  osteosarcoma, and cystinuria.

History:  Treasured by the Babylonians over 4000 years ago, the breed may have reached Asia through Phoenician traders in the Mediterranean and from other traders across Northern Europe. You can also find them depicted in Egyptian monuments and also mentioned in Persian, Roman and early English literature. They have existed in England for at least 2000 year. Mastiffs have been a resident of Britain since the time of Julius Caesar. Today's Mastiffs should be more correctly called Old English Mastiffs as they can all trace their lineage to two surviving English strains. Once used as dogs of war, their primary role now is a guard dog. Once recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records was the heaviest dog in the world, a Mastiff. This Mastiff, named Zorba, weighed 315 pounds, was 8 feet 3 inches from head to tip of tail! He was the same size as a full grown lioness! This dog probably got its genes from previous old type Molossus dogs that the Romans used for protection and guarding. Mastiffs have contributed to many other dog breeds, including the Bullmastiff. Their name probably came from the Anglo-Saxon word "masty", which meant 'powerful'.