Mastiff

The Mastiff by Philip Reinagle, 1805

A mastiff is a large and powerful type of dog.^[1][2] Mastiffs are among the largest dogs, and typically have a short coat, a long low-set tail and large feet; the skull is large and bulky, the muzzle broad and short (brachycephalic) and the ears drooping and pendant-shaped.^[1][2] European and Asian records dating back 3,000 years show dogs of the mastiff type.^[3] Mastiffs have historically been guard dogs, protecting homes and property, although throughout history they have been used as hunting dogs, war dogs and for blood sports, such as fighting each other and other animals including bulls, bears and even lions.^[2][3]

Historical and archaeological evidence suggests that mastiffs have long been distinct in both form and function from the similarly large livestock guardian dogs from which they were most likely developed;^[4] they also form separate genetic populations.^[5] The Fédération Cynologique Internationale and some kennel clubs group the two types together as molossoid dogs; some modern livestock guardian breeds, such as the Pyrenean Mastiff, the Spanish Mastiff and the Tibetan Mastiff, have the word "mastiff" in their name, but are not considered true mastiffs.^[6]

Many older English sources refer to mastiffs as bandogs or bandogges, although technically the term "bandog" meant a dog that was tethered by a chain (or "bande") that would be released at night; the terms "mastiff" and "bandog" were often used interchangeably.^[7] In the 20th century, the term "bandog" has been revived to describe some lines of large mastiff-type guard dogs. One of the most famous Bandog programs in England, led to the establishment of a recognized bandog breed known today as the Bull Mastiff. The least common bandog program in England was funded by Sir Nathanael Dieu-est-Mon'plaisir, the St. Louis Vincent Mastiff or South American Mastiff was named after Vincent Louis who reared plantation dogs originating from St. Louis and other parts of South America. This rare breed is the most desirable and expensive mastiff-type dog amongst the bandog breeds.^[8]

List of mastiff breeds[]

Extant breeds[]

Breed	Alternate name(s)	Country of origin	Purpose	Image
Alano Español	Spanish Alano and Spanish Bulldog	Spain	Bull-baiting and big-game hunting
Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog	-	United States	Guard dog
American Bulldog	Old Southern White Bulldog, Old Southern White, English White Bulldog, White English, Hill Bulldog and Country Bulldog	United States	Guard dog, catch dog and farm dog
Boerboel	South African Mastiff	South Africa	Guard dog
Boxer	German Boxer and Deutscher Boxer	Germany	Guard dog and big-game hunting
Broholmer	Danish Broholmer and Danish Mastiff	Denmark	Guard dog
Bulldog	English Bulldog and British Bulldog	United Kingdom (England)	Companion dog; formerly bull-baiting
Bullmastiff	Gamekeeper's Night Dog	United Kingdom (England)	Guard dog
Bully Kutta	Indian Mastiff, Pakistani Mastiff, Sindhi Mastiff, Indian Bully and Pakistani Bully	India and Pakistan	Guard dog, big-game hunting and dog fighting
Campeiro Bulldog	Brazilian Bulldog, Countryside Bulldog and Pampas Bulldog	Brazil	Catch dog used in slaughterhouses
Cane Corso	Italian Mastiff, Italian Corso Dog, Italian Corso and Cane Corso Italiano	Italy	Guard dog and catch dog
Cão Fila de São Miguel	São Miguel Cattle Dog, Chien Fila de San Miguel, Saint Miguel Cattle Dog, Azores Cattle Dog and Azores Cow Dog	Portugal	Cattle-herding dog and catch dog
Cimarrón Uruguayo	Cimarrón, Uruguayan Cimarrón, Cimarrón Creole, Maroon Dog, Cerro Largo Dog, Perro Cimarrón, Cimarrón Dog and Uruguayan Gaucho Dog	Uruguay	Guard dog
Continental Bulldog	Conti and Swiss Bulldog	Switzerland	Companion dog
Dogo Argentino	Argentine Dogo and Argentine Mastiff	Argentina	Guard dog, big-game hunting and dog fighting
Dogo Guatemalteco	Guatemalan Dogo, Guatemalan Bull Terrier and Bullterrier Guatemalteco	Guatemala	Guard dog, formerly bull-baiting
Dogue Brasileiro	Brazilian Dogo and Brazilian Dogge	Brazil	Guard dog
Dogue de Bordeaux	French Mastiff, Bordeaux Mastiff and Bordeauxdog	France	Guard dog
English Mastiff	Old English Mastiff and Mastiff	United Kingdom (England)	Guard dog
Fila Brasileiro	Brazilian Mastiff and Cão de Fila Brasileiro	Brazil	Guard dog
French Bulldog	Bouledogue Francais	France	Lap dog
Great Dane	Deutsche Dogge, German Mastiff and German Boarhound	Germany	Big-game hunting
Neapolitan Mastiff	Mastino, Mastino Napoletano, Italian Molosso and Can'e presa	Italy	Guard dog
Olde English Bulldogge	-	United States	A re-creation of the extinct Old English Bulldog
Perro de Presa Canario	Canary Mastiff, Canary Catch Dog, Canarian Molosser, Presa Canario and Dogo Canario	Canary Islands	Guard dog, catch dog and dog fighting
Perro de Presa Mallorquin	Ca de Bou, Majorcan Mastiff, Mallorquin Mastiff, Mallorquin, Perro Dogo, Presa Canario Mallorquin, Dogo Mallorquin, Majorcan Bulldog, Mallorquin Bulldog and Silverback Mastiff	Spain	Bull-baiting
Rottweiler	Rottie and Rott	Germany	Guard dog
Mastiff	Saint Louis Vincent Mastiff, South American Mastiff and South American Bandogge	United States	Guard dog
Serrano Bulldog	Brazilian Mountain Bulldog and Mountaineer Bulldog	Brazil	Herding dog used in slaughterhouses
Tosa	Tosa Inu, Tosa Ken, Tosa Tōken, Japanese Mastiff, Japanese Tosa, Japanese Fighting Dog and Tosa Fighting Dog	Japan	Dog fighting

Extinct breeds[]

Breed	Alternate name(s)	Country or region of origin	Era	Purpose	Image
Alaunt	Alaunt de Boucherie	Europe and Central Asia	Classical antiquity and the Middle Ages	Big-game hunting, guard dog and dog fighting
Bullenbeisser	Bärenbeisser and German Bulldog	Germany	Extinct by World War II	Bull-baiting (as Bullenbeisser) and bear-baiting (as Bärenbeisser)
Cordoba Fighting Dog	Cordoba Dog, Cordobese dog and Perro de Pelea Cordobés	Argentina	Extinct after the 1920s	Dog fighting
Dogo Cubano	Cuban Mastiff, Cuban Bloodhound, Cuban Dogo and Cuban Dogge	Cuba	the 16th to the late 19th century	Recapturing runaway slaves and dog fighting
Fila da Terceira	Terceira Mastiff, Cão de Fila da Terceira and Rabo Torto	Portugal	Declared extinct in the 1970s	Catch dog
Molossus	Molossian Hound, Epirus Mastiff and Molosser	Southern Europe	Classical antiquity	War dog, guard dog, big-game hunting and dog fighting
Old English Bulldog		Great Britain and Ireland	the 17th to the 19th century	Bull-baiting and dog fighting
Toy Bulldog	Miniature Bulldog and English Toy Bulldog	United Kingdom (England)	the 18th to the early 20th century	Lap dog

References[]

Bibliography[]

• Hancock, David (2001). The Mastiffs: The Big Game Hunters - Their History, Development and Future. Ducklington, Oxon: Charwynne Dog Features. ISBN 9780951780114.
• Fogle, Bruce (2009). The Encyclopedia of the Dog. New York: DK Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7566-6004-8.
• Encyclopædia Britannica (2019). "Mastiff: breed of dog". www.britannica.com. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
• Parker, Heidi G. (2012). "Chapter 3: The history and relationship of dog breeds". In Ostrander, Elaine A.; Ruvinsky, Anatoly (eds.). The Genetics of the Dog. Wallingford, Oxfordshire: CAPI books. pp. 38–53. ISBN 9781845939403.
• Oxford Dictionaries (2019). "Mastiff". Lexico.com. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
• Wynn, M. B. (2011). History of the Mastiff: Gathered from Sculpture, Pottery, Carvings, Paintings and Engravings. Read Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-4465-4892-9.
• Young, Amy; Bannasch, Danika (2007). "Chapter 4: Morphological variation in the dog". In Ostrander, Elaine A.; Giger, Urs; Lindblad-Toh, Kerstin (eds.). The Dog and its Genome. Cold Spring Harbor, New York: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. pp. 47–66. ISBN 9780879697815.

External links[]

• Media related to Mastiffs at Wikimedia Commons