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English Mastiff
Appearance: This grand ancient breed is powerfully built, well-boned, and extremely muscular. Its massive size is important feature of this dog, combined with symmetrical, well-knit frame. Their size is very large, but also balanced by soundness. The body is massive with great breadth, especially between the forelegs, causing these to be set wide apart. While no height or weight is specified for this breed, the approximate height is 27 inches to 32 inches (70 to 80 cm) and weight is 80kg to 90kg (175 to 200 lbs). The short coat is close-lying and the color is apricot-fawn, silver-fawn, fawn, or dark fawn-brindle, always with black on the muzzle, ears, and nose and around the eyes. The head appear square when viewed from any angle.
Time of origin: 1000BC
Country of origin: Great Britain
Primary usage: Guard dog
History: The Mastiff name probably evolved from the Anglo-Saxon word "masty", meaning "powerful". The Mastiff is descended from the ancient Alaunt and Molosser and is recognized as the oldest British breed. The Mastiff might have been brought to Britain in the 6th century BC by
Phoenician traders
or maybe even before that by Romans as Julius Caesar acknowledged their bravery in battle in his writings. It was used in the blood sports of bear-baiting, bull-baiting, dog fighting, and lion-baiting. Throughout its long history, the Mastiff has contributed to the development of a number of dog breeds. When Sir Peers Legh was wounded in the Battle of Agincourt, his Mastiff stood over and protected him for many hours through the battle. Although Legh later died, the Mastiff returned to Legh's home and was the foundation of the Lyme Hall Mastiffs. Five centuries later this pedigree figured prominently in founding the modern breed. Some evidence exists that the Mastiff came to America on the Mayflower, but the breed's documented entry to America did not occur until the late 1800s. In 1835, Britain passed legislation making baiting illegal. Subsequently, the Mastiff lost popularity and was virtually decimated in England by the Second World War; however, sufficient numbers had been brought to America by that time
to keep the breed going. Since that time, it has gradually risen in popularity.
Temperament: The Mastiff breed is a combination of grandeur, dignity, and courage; calm and affectionate to its master, but capable of guarding. In spite of its ferocious appearance the breed is innately good natured, calm, easygoing, and surprisingly gentle. It is a well-mannered house pet but needs sufficient room to stretch out. This is an extremely loyal breed and, though not excessively demonstrative, it is devoted to its family and good with children. However, it can be very protective of its owners and must be handled sensibly, since it is exceptionally powerful and can be difficult to control. When an "unrecognizable" visitor enters the home, the Mastiff will usually place itself between its master and the visitor until their master has recognized the visitor in a way that appears to be compassionate or friendly. This breed requires plenty of human contact so potential owners of this breed must have time for them. They also need lots of space and exercise.
Height: 70 - 76cm (27,5 - 30in)
Weight: 79-86kg (175 - 190lb)
Health issues: This is a particularly large dog demanding suitably correct diet and exercise. The expected lifespan is 9 to 11 years. Major issues include hip dysplasia and gastric torsion . Minor problems include obesity , osteosarcoma , and cystinuria . Problems only occasionally found include cardiomyopathy , allergies , vaginal hyperplasia , cruciate ligament rupture, hypothyroidism , OCD , entropion , progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), and persistent pupillary membranes (PPM). When purchasing a purebred Mastiff, experts often suggest that the dog undergo tests for hips, elbow, eyes, thyroid, and DNA for PRA.
