Mary Allen
The mastiff, also known as the English mastiff, is currently the largest recognized mastiff breed and is one of the oldest dog breeds. Despite his past as a fighting dog, he is now considered a good-natured giant in the canine kingdom. Although it is also used as a guard dog, it is mostly used as a loving companion dog.
Mastiff – breed portrait
Appearance
This strong and well-built dog has a square, stocky build with a well-sleeved chest and unflashed abdomen. The square head goes over a well-defined stop into a wide and short muzzle with well-developed lips.
The wide-set eyes are small and dark hazel. The small, thin ears lie close to the sides of the cheeks. The coat is short, coarse, flat, and can be reddish, apricot, reddish silver or dark red brindle. The Mastiff has a black mask. The high set, long and spindle-shaped tail is curved when excited, but never carried over the back.
Care
During the change of fur, loose hair is best removed with a rubber brush. The Mastiff needs a soft place to lie to prevent calluses from forming. Don’t skimp on the young dog’s diet. The mastiff grows comparatively quickly and needs high-quality nutrients in order to be able to grow optimally.
Like many other representatives of this breed group, the Mastiff has a high pain threshold, which means that it is very difficult to see any suffering or illnesses in him. During the first months of life, it must be treated properly so that its bone structure can develop optimally.
Temperament
The Mastiff is a quiet, loyal dog with a docile and affectionate nature. If you want to train him to be a guard dog, he needs to feel a firm hand as he can become very aggressive towards strangers.
Upbringing
The mastiff is a real creature of habit, it is not easy to “transplant” – if you want to acquire such a dog, you should keep it for the duration of its dog life.
Compatibility
Well-socialized Mastiffs have no problem interacting with other dogs or other pets. These dogs are usually very friendly and good-natured with children. When strangers visit, he is suspicious until he is shown that everything is in order – then he will also lie down at guests’ feet.
Area of life
He fits well in an apartment if it corresponds to his size. But he suffers from loneliness when neglected.
Movement
A young mastiff should not run to exhaustion. In the growth phase, romping should only be allowed in small doses – the dogs grow quickly and need almost all their strength to do so.
If the dog is overstrained, this can have a negative effect on the development of its bone structure and muscles. An adult Mastiff will develop a moderate need for exercise. In general, these dogs don’t particularly warm to ball games or the like.
Story
Egyptian depictions of mastiff-like mastiff-like dogs date back to the 3rd millennium. v. back. This breed descended from the Assyrian Molosser, and probably came to Britain with Phoenician or Roman merchants.
There is ample evidence that the British already had mastiffs when Julius Caesar conquered Britain in 55 BC. conquered. Up until the 17th century, these dogs were used in war and in hunting bears and wolves. In the 19th century, their number in Great Britain decreased more and more.
Two varieties were saved, that of the Layme Hall Kennel in Cheshire and that bred by the Duke of Devoshire in Chatsworth. Today, the Mastiff is not very common, and there are probably more specimens living in the United States than in its homeland.