English Mastiff

FCI 264

The English Mastiff It is a breed of dog of large size type trotting and English origin.

The history of this dog goes back to the year 55 to. c., time when the legions invaded Great Britain and to his surprise had to face an enemy that had two curious assistants, two dogs of striking features.

One of them was strong and robust both body and members, with a large head and a short but powerful jaw.

That dog is possibly the ancestor of the Bulldog, and part of the current Bullmastiff.

The other dog had dimensions that gave fear, looked more like a lion as a dog. This specimen was a direct descendant of the mastiffs 'asiriobabilonios' who had travelled to England by the Phoenicians five centuries before the Roman invasion.

Before this beanpole, the 'molossians of Epirus' that the Romans they brought with them their dogs of war, they seemed Chihuahuas…

What a time conquered 'Britannia', the Romans, they expanded his army with several copies of those giant and fearful dogs who called "Pugnaces Britannici" and they used them, mainly in the it shows typical

They faced these dogs with huge wild beasts in the arenas of circuses, There they were involved in bloody fighting against bulls, bears and other dogs. Also, they were used as guardians of herds, bodyguard, protectors and companions.

The English Mastiff and Mastiff, is descended directly from those dogs.

A Mastiff came to America on Board of the Mayflower, name of the ship that transported the so-called "Pilgrims" from England (United Kingdom), to the coast of what is today the United States of America, in the year 1620.

They were the first settlers, in settling on the coast of Massachusetts, forming the Plymouth Colony, and with them the English Mastiff.

There is documentary evidence that the English Mastiff first came to America on the Mayflower, but the standardization of the breed in United States did not occur until the end of the 19th century.

By the end of the second world war, the mastiffs were almost extinct in England. However, with the flow of imports of United States and Canada, the race returned to emerge and today its existence does not run any danger in England and it has gained much popularity in North America.

This is a race of powerful composition, burly, wide skull and the head usually has a square appearance.

Of size It must be very large and give the impression of power and strength, viewed from any angle. The body must be massive with great width and depth, especially between the Forelegs, cause these are well separated. While no height or weight have been specified for this race, the approximate height of 70 to 80 cm and the weight of 80 kg to 90 kg.

His hair is short and glued to the body and color may vary, while its snout, ears and nose, around the eyes is always black.

This is a particularly large dog that requires a correct diet and exercise. Normally live in 10 to 12 years.

Some of the major problems include Dysplasia of the hip and gastric torsion. Minor problems include obesity, osteosarcoma, and cystinuria.

During the purchase of a Mastiff, experts suggest that the dog be making analysis of your hips, elbows, eyes, thyroid and its DNA (to make sure that it does not have progressive retinal atrophy – PRA).

The Mastiff breed is a combination of greatness, dignity, and courage; calm and affectionate towards his owner, but capable of protecting.

He is a well-mannered dog but you need enough field to stretch his long body. It is an extremely loyal breed and, Although it shows no excessively, It is true to his family and is very good with children.

However, It can be very jealous for the protection of owners and should be handled sensibly, post is exceptionally powerful and can be difficult to control.

When a visitor “unrecognizable” enters home, the Mastiff usually will be between its owner and visitors until that its owner has recognized the visitor in a way that demonstrates compassion or appears friendly.

The mastiffs are a race which is not very prominent in the intelligence, they tend to be clumsy.