English Mastiff Puppies Blog

The title of being the “Gentle Giant” of the dog world goes to the English Mastiff. They are large and heavy breed of dogs but contradict this with their affectionate and calm ways. One other physical characteristic of this breed would be their black mask that might make you wonder if this dog is hiding fascinating trivia about its breed, fortunately they do. Here are some facts about the English Mastiff.

Aicama Zorba of England is an English Mastiff that is responsible for making the breed popular because it is the dog recorded to have the greatest weight ever. The 1989 edition of the Guinness Book of World record stated that Zorba weighed 343 pounds or 156 kilograms. This record also cemented its status in the annals of the World record because they stopped accepting heaviest dog records in 2000.

English Mastiffs have been featured in numerous films today and were included in old literary works. One such work would be Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Adventure of the Copper Beeches,” a Sherlock Holmes short story. According to the story, the protagonist starved the English Mastiff to make it more formidable against its enemies. In the end, however, his dog attacked him because of his callous and careless actions.

It is noticeable that English Mastiffs cost more than other dog breeds. That is because both female and male English Mastiffs are prone to fertility problems, producing only three litters in a lifetime. Furthermore, the mother’s large size usually results in it smothering or crushing the puppies. This can be remedied however by the use of whelping boxes.

The Livingston County chapter of the American Red Cross honored a 200-pound English Mastiff called Lurch. This was because Lurch was able to donate blood 20 times saving dozens of other dogs such as one who was poisoned.

The earliest memories of Mastiff-like dogs go back to 2200 BC. Babylonians called these giant dogs Molossus or Dogs.

The first Mastiffs were brought to Europe from Asia by Phoenicians around 500 BC. Both British and Romans liked these muscled dogs and used them as war-dogs or fighting dogs. Animals fights were very popular at this time and Mastiffs had to face and fight any kind of animal that the Romans brought back from their trips.. But on the other hand, Mastiffs were “respected” for their braveness during wars, since they were really fearless warriors.

In the 15th century, when the society was extremely divided, the poor didn’t have enough to eat, and the rich lived in amazing luxury. Because of this, illegal hunting became more and more common and the rich used Mastiffs to scare the poochers. The other job of these dogs was to hunt big animals.

In the beginning of the 20th century, Mastiffs were nearly extinct, but some English breeders decided to save the breed. So they mixed with short-hair St Bernards to be able to have healthy puppies. The mission was succesful, however, the 2nd World War started soon, which brought the breed near extinction again. Then some enthusiastic breeders met in 1946 and decided to save the Mastiff, whereas it seemed quite impossible: the still living dogs were too old to reproduce, and there were only 7 dogs in the country in 1947. Finally they could bring 2 puppies from the US and saved the breed. In 1950 there were already 50 Mastiff dogs.

Recently, the Mastiff is not a particularly popular breed but its excisting is stable. There are 1000 dogs in the UK and about the same in other countries too.

The Mastiff is not a fighter or a warrior anymore. That period is fortunately over, nowadays a Mastiff is more of a family pet, and of course, an excellent watchdog.

photo: Wikimedia

There are various types of Mastiffs including the English Mastiff, German Mastiff, Anatolian Mastiff, Cuban Mastiff, Spanish Mastiff and a lot more different types. Although there are various kinds of Mastiffs, they all descended from the ancient Alaunt through the Pugnaces Britanniae.

These types of dogs have a desired temperament which is reflected in all formal standards. Mastiffs’ behavior reflects a combination of dignity and courage, but they can be very calm and affectionate to their masters. They may be very protective that when an unfamiliar person approaches it or its owner, it will position itself immediately between its master and the stranger. This breed is innately good natured, easygoing, calm, and is surprisingly gentle for its size. It can be a well-mannered house pet that is why it is preferred by most pet owners, aside from being typically loyal and exceptionally devoted.

The Mastiffs’ generation started even before the First World War which means their descent existed for more than a century already. To know more about the entire history of your Mastiff, go for The History and Management of the Mastiff, and learn how to properly train, socialize and take care of your pet.