English Mastiff Dog Breed
Most people have the impression of the English Mastiff
dog as a huge and probably fierce animal, with enormous
strength - definitely a dog to avoid.
In some regards you are right. Well, the English Mastiff
is definitely on the large side, at about 30 inches
at the shoulder for males, with the female a few inches
shorter.
And he is no lightweight - a male English Mastiff can
weigh in between 160 and 230 pounds, and the female
around 140 and 190 pounds or more!
The English Mastiff dog has traditionally been seen
primarily as a large and powerful guard dog, but many
centuries ago he was bred as a fighting dog. Indeed
there is evidence that the Romans, when they invaded
Britain, discovered that their own fighting dogs were
bettered by the native English mastiff breed. Whereupon
they exported these English dogs back to Rome, to fight
in the Colosseum, alongside all the other exotic wild
animals from the length and breadth of the Roman Empire.
The English Mastiff is supposed to have originally arrived
in Britain over 2 millenia ago on the ships of adventurous
Phoenician traders.
Over the ensuing centuries, the English mastiff was
used in many different capacities other than as a powerful
guard dog. It was particularly renowned in the doubtful
sports of bear and bull baiting, as well as dog fighting,
which were enormously popular past-times in Britain
until fairly recent times, but it was also used to hunt
wolves and boar.
However, following the outlawing of such shameful activities,
the numbers of English Mastiff dogs declined rapidly,
so that there were less than 100 in Britain by the mid
20th century. Whereas the breed was declining in Britain,
it was thriving in the USA, and stock was imported to
strengthen and revive the breed in the Britain.
So why would you choose such a dog?
The modern English Mastiff dog is a mixture of grandeur,
dignity and courage. He is also highly prized as a fearless
and tenacious family guardian, loving and affectionate
towards his family. He has a powerful protective instinct
towards his family, and will place himself between his
owner and any "threatening" stranger.
The Official Breed Standard for the Old English Style
Mastiff from Kennel Club of the UK describes his temperament
as : Calm and affectionate to his owners, and also capable
of guarding.
A huge dog, with a natural guardian instinct, enormously
strong yet gentle and loving to his family, the English
Mastiff dog will reward the suitable owner with years
of unswerving and loving care, protection, and gentle
companionship. He is incredibly gentle with children.
About the Author
Discover more about this fascinating animal and the
breeding program that produced it by clicking on this
link English
Mastiff dog
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