Mastiff

Size
Large to Giant (27Kg +)
Exercise
40 min/day
Training
Weekly
Size of home
House with garden
Time at home
Often alone
Grooming
Low maintenance
Barking preference
Watchdog barking
Personality
Independent + affectionate

Breeder List

Breeder - Mr Andrew Munden (Cadfell)

andrew.munden@defence.gov.au
See Details

History

The life of the Mastiff began as a guard dog, bred mostly by members of the aristocratic society to protect their large estates from poachers and burglars. Mastiffs were later bred with Regency Bulldogs to produce the Bullmastiff, which was known as the ‘gamekeeper’s dog’, and the purebred Mastiff was relegated to the home for protection. Mastiffs made their first appearance in Australian history in the late 1700s. In the early days of settlement, they were considered more of a type than a breed, and the Mastiff was used to guard the penal colony of Port Arthur.

According to Walter Bielby, author of The Dog in Australasia, the Mastiff was a very popular breed and a club was formed around 1891. Many were imported from England and made the long trip by ship to settle here. All of these lines eventually died out. Australia witnessed a rebirth of the breed in the 1960s, when two kennels imported a large quantity of Mastiffs to Victoria (Heatherglen) and Queensland (Fanifold). The result of these imports certainly established the breed once again. Australia is now considered a strong Mastiff breeder and exports them all over the world.

Temperament

The Mastiff’s temperament should be one of grandeur and good nature. This is a very impressive breed to look at but when you get to know it you really fall in love. The Mastiff is a guardian and loyal companion. It doesn’t show aggression or anger but it will protect its owner from anything it considers a threat until all is well. It won’t bark unnecessarily and is generally easily trained. The Mastiff gets on well with other animals in the family.

Appearance

The very name of this breed automatically makes one think ‘big’, and the Mastiff certainly is a very large dog. When looking at a good specimen of the Mastiff, one should see a dog of immense size, a head that looks square from all angles and a broad deep muzzle. The ears should be set on high and taper to a ‘v’ shape. The eyes are dark. The body should be longer than that of a Bullmastiff with legs showing strong bone and nice tight feet. Movement should show reach and drive. To use an old saying, Mastiffs should power around the ring like a Clydesdale, not a thoroughbred. The colours are fawn, apricot and brindle and in each case it must have a black mask.

Health & Maintenance

Mastiffs are fairly low maintenance. Its short coat makes for easy grooming, requiring only a few minutes daily. Once it reaches adulthood, the Mastiff doesn’t eat as much as you would expect for its size. But since it grows at an exceptionally fast rate, it’s important to keep portion sizes up in the early years. The downside of owning a Mastiff comes in two areas – one is veterinary costs. When drugs are dispensed on size they can be expensive. Also, things like flea treatment and heartworm prevention can certainly put a hole in the pocket.

The negative side for many is the drool. Mastiffs are renowned for this and, if you can’t handle dogs that slobber, this is not the breed for you. Most Mastiff owners have cloths in all rooms of the home for wiping those huge jowls. When a Mastiff has a drink of water and decides to shake its big head, stand clear.

These days, most breeders have their breeding animals scored for hip and elbow dysplasia; some have eye and heart checks as well. I would certainly recommend only buying from breeders that at least have the hips and elbows done. A good breeder will answer all your questions and allow you to see the dam and litter with no problems. In some cases the sire may also be present.

Suitability

For such a large dog, the Mastiff is extremely gentle and loving. If you have a young child and introduce a Mastiff to the family, your child will have the most wonderful friend you could ever wish for. Mastiffs make loving and loyal companions, but be warned, they are addictive. Once you fall under the spell of a Mastiff, there is no going back.

Words: Karen Docherty

Image: Shutterstock.com

In Conclusion

Now you know a little about the Mastiff, you may have think that this is the dog for you. Before you make a decision, please make contact with the breed club or your State controlling body for purebred dogs. They will be able to give you information about available puppies and also suggest dog shows where you can see the breed and speak to breeders. In this way you will gain a better perspective of the Mastiff and its needs and whether this breed would suit your lifestyle.

Official breed standard as recognized by Dogs NSW (Last Updated: 22 May 2009)

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A breed standard is the guideline which describes the ideal characteristics, temperament, and appearance of a breed and ensures that the breed is fit for function with soundness essential. Breeders and judges should at all times be mindful of features which could be detrimental in any way to the health, welfare or soundness of this breed.

General Appearance

Head, in general outline, giving a square appearance when viewed from any point. Breadth desired and in ratio to length of whole head and face as 2:3. Body broad, deep, long, powerfully built, on legs wide apart, and symmetrically set. Muscles sharply defined. Size is desirable, but only if combined with quality and if absolute soundness is maintained. Height and substance important if both points are proportionally combined.

Characteristics

Large, powerful, well-knit frame. A combination of grandeur and courage.

Temperament

Calm, affectionate to owners, but capable of guarding. Usually indifferent with strangers; timidity is unacceptable.

Physical Standards

Head and Skull	Skull broad between ears, forehead flat, but wrinkled when attention is excited. Brows (superciliary ridges) slightly raised. Muscles of temples and cheeks (temporal and masseter) well developed. Arch across skull of a flattened curve, with depression up centre of forehead from median line between eyes, to halfway up sagittal suture. Muzzle short, broad under eyes, and keeping nearly parallel in width to end of nose, truncated (i.e. blunt and cut off squarely), thus forming a right angle with upper line of face, of great depth from point of nose to under-jaw. Under-jaw broad to end. Nose broad; with widely spreading nostrils when viewed from front, flat (not pointed or turned up) in profile. Lips diverging at obtuse angles with septum, and slightly pendulous so as to show a square profile. Length of muzzle to whole head and face as 1:3. Circumference of muzzle (measured mid-way between eyes and nose) to that of head (measured before the ears) as 3:5. Whilst in repose, any exaggeration or wrinkle of excess of loose skin is unacceptable in mature adults.
Eyes	Moderate size, wide apart. Stop between eyes well marked but not too abrupt. Colour hazel brown, darker the better, showing no haw. Loose eyelids highly undesirable. Free from obvious eye problems.
Ears	Small, thin to touch, wide apart, set on at highest points of sides of skull, so as to continue outline across summit, and lying flat and close to cheeks when in repose.
Mouth	Canine teeth healthy; powerful and wide apart; incisors level, or lower projecting beyond upper but never so much as to become visible when mouth is closed.
Neck	Slightly arched, moderately long, very muscular, and measuring in circumference about 2.5 - 5 cms (1 - 2 ins) less than skull before ears.
Forequarters	Shoulder and arm slightly sloping, heavy and muscular. Legs straight, strong and set wide apart; bones being large. Elbows square. Pasterns upright. Balanced and in harmony with hindquarters.
Body	Chest wide, deep and well let down between forelegs. Ribs arched and well rounded. False ribs deep and well set back to hips. Back and loins wide and muscular; flat and very wide in bitch, slightly arched in dog. Great depth of flanks. Topline level and maintained whilst on the move. Length of body taken from point of shoulder to point of buttock greater than height at withers.
Hindquarters	Broad, wide and muscular, with well developed second thighs, hocks bent, wide apart, and quite squarely set when standing or walking. Strength in hindquarters is of paramount importance, cow hocks in mature adults unacceptable.
Feet	Large, round and tight. Toes well arched. Nails black.
Tail	Set on high, and reaching to hocks, or a little below them, wide at its root and tapering to end, hanging straight in repose, but forming a curve with end pointing upwards, but not over back, when dog is excited.
Gait/Movement	Powerful, easy extension, driven from the rear, fluent, sound, with ground covering strides. Tendency to pace is undesirable. Absolute soundness essential.
Coat	Short and close lying but coarser over neck and shoulders.
Colour	Apricot, fawn or brindle. In any case, muzzle, ears and nose should be black with black around eye rims, and extending upwards between them. Excessive white on body, chest or feet is unacceptable.
Size	Not specified.

Faults

Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.