Mastiff | Dog Breed Information & Facts – Pictures

The list of the rarest and largest breeds includes the English mastiff. It would seem that such a huge dog is hardly suitable for apartment living, but in fact, a calm, adequate and good-natured English mastiff coexists perfectly in the house. The main thing is to properly care for him and adhere to all the rules of detention.

This smart dog will become your faithful friend and bodyguard. The English mastiff, by its very appearance, can inspire fear in enemies, while at the same time it is affectionate and even playful for the household.

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English mastiff belongs to large breeds. This dog is proportionately folded, massiveness and power are felt in all parts of the body. This dog is a real athlete. The weight of adults is 65-114 kg. with a height of 70-76 cm. Although there are exceptions, a dog is known whose weight has reached 130 kg.

• Head: The Mastiff has a large head, wide between the ears. The forehead is flat, the eyebrow arches are clearly defined. The muzzle is wide, short. The lower jaw is wide.
• Teeth: The teeth are large, powerful fangs, type of bite – pincers.
• Ears: The ears are medium sized, fine, pendulous, set high. Visually increase the size of the head.
• Eyes: The eyes are small and set well apart. Between the eyes there is a pronounced protrusion of the skull. Color yellow-brown to dark brown.
• Frame: The chest is deep, broad, descending to the level of the elbows. The ribs are rounded. The back is wide, muscular, passes smoothly through the lower back. Belly picked up.
• Limbs: The front legs are straight, the bones are thick, the elbows are pronounced. The hind legs are straight, the thighs and lower legs are well developed. The hocks are clearly visible. The paws are rounded, large. The fingers are curved, the claws are black.
• Coat: The coat is short, of the same length all over the body. The color can be different: apricot, deer, brindle, fawn. There is always a black “mask” on the muzzle.

Despite its menacing appearance, for the most part the Mastiff is a kind dog with a friendly disposition. These dogs are distinguished by great devotion to their master and family, they are balanced, they treat children well. But, if the child is too small, be careful – he is a big dog, and he can accidentally knock the child over with even a simple movement.

Mastiffs perfectly understand people, have a developed intellect and need constant stimulation of mental activity. This breed loves to walk down the street and generally enjoys being in the great outdoors. Therefore, when buying a puppy, you need to think about what conditions you can offer him. After all, his height and personal preferences indicate that it is highly desirable to live in the private sector, and not in a city apartment.

These dogs need proper upbringing and training, they understand well what is happening, and therefore do not tolerate injustice and rudeness. Moreover, this also applies to quarrels within the family.

Strangers are treated with caution, but without unreasonable aggression. Some dogs show heightened protective instincts, so you should socialize your dog from an early age.

If you properly maintain and feed the English mastiff, he will live next to you for 13-14 years, also well-known centenarians who were able to survive to 17 years. Each dog owner should get acquainted with the list of the most common diseases that pursue the indicated breed:

• Cutaneous – demodicosis, pyoderma, allergy.
• Joint diseases – dysplasia, arthritis, arthrosis.
• Eye diseases – atrophy, retinal dysplasia, cataract, glaucoma, eversion, inversion of the eyelid, cherry eye.
• Oncological diseases – bone cancer, leukemia.
• Cardiovascular – heart murmurs, cardiomyopathy, pulmonary stenosis.
• Bloating, obesity.
• Urolithiasis – accompanied by urinary incontinence, the dog becomes unclean.
• Von Willebrand disease – hereditary, characterized by bleeding disorders, spontaneous bleeding
• Gonarthrosis is a rupture of the cranial cruciate ligament.

The Mastiff is a smooth coated dog breed and therefore only requires weekly brushing. They have a negative trait – a tendency to increased salivation, too, many say that the English Mastiff is prone to increased gas formation in the gastrointestinal tract.

Keep his ears and eyes clean, bathe your pet at least once a month, and preferably twice a week, and trim his nails on time.

• English Mastiff dogs were once engaged in gem cutting. The owner of the dog hid a stone in the meat, which the dog then ate. There were bones in the same portion. Once in the stomach, bone fragments polished the stone until almost ready. He came to a jeweller in a natural way. The slave dog was constantly watched by a slave, he was called the “henchman”, he was obliged to remove the stone from the faces.
• In Rome, English Mastiff dogs helped the owners to fish. Dogs entered the water and hit the water hard with their paws, the stunned fish could only be collected manually or with a net.
• In Britain, bear fights were very popular, they used huge mastiffs in such fights.
• The Guinness Book notes an English Mastiff named Hercules. It is recorded there as the largest dog of this breed. During the day, Hercules ate 2.3 kg, the weight of the dog was 128 kg.
• Alexander the Great used 50 thousand English Mastiff dogs as assistants for his army, who were dressed in armor and fought with the Persians.

The English mastiff breed originated more than 1000 years ago. The birthplace of these giant animals is Great Britain. They came from old English Molossian dogs. Until the beginning of the nineteenth century, English mastiffs were at the peak of fame and popularity. They were worth its weight in gold. For example, if there was an exchange between owners of working dogs, then for one huge and vicious mastiff, without regret, they gave two dozen hounds and greyhounds.

The popularity and fabulous price of a mastiff is explained by the fact that the owner of such a dog could not worry that thieves would get to him. One could not find a more reliable guard; he scared away all the thieves in the area with his appearance, he did not even need to bark for this. It is known that such dogs were kept at fortresses and castles.

Also, those who wanted to make money on their powerful pet did their best to use the fact that a mastiff, having got involved in a fight, never backs down, even if it threatens him with death. These dogs were bled with wild boars, bears and even bulls. There are cases when both rivals died in a fight at the same time. For example, if a mastiff squeezed a bear’s throat with fangs, then in death agony, it tore its claws from the dog. Even English mastiffs were noted as fighting dogs in the Roman army and as hunting dogs.

The breed is an English mastiff so ancient that it was not reliable to establish its origin. One of the most real versions of the “claims” that these large dogs came to England with the Celts. The main purpose of the mastiffs was to participate in battles with wild animals and the security and guard qualities of these animals.

Breeding purebred English mastiffs was at its best in the 15th century. It was during this period that there were many images and descriptions of these dogs in works of art. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the fashion for mastiffs decreased slightly, this is explained by the ban on dog fights. After this, the mastiffs practically disappeared, they were afraid to start such aggressive dogs. Powerful mastiffs could not provide winnings to their owners, but it was in their power to protect the property.

By the mid-twentieth century, the population of English mastiff dogs was restored. In the modern world they are used as bodyguards, guard dogs, as well as ordinary companion dogs. It is believed that this is one of the most popular dog breeds.