Bullmastiff

The Bullmastiff is a powerful dog, said to be a cross between the Mastiff and the Bulldog. Originally bred to find and immobilise poachers, the breed has proved its value as a family pet.

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Appearance

Eleven-week-old Brindle Bullmastiff.

The Bullmastiff is 62% Mastiff and 38% Bulldog and was first recognised in 1924. It is powerfully built and symmetrical, showing great strength, but not cumbersome; it is sound and active.

Size

The Bullmastiff is a relatively large dog. The American Bullmastiff Association standard calls for dogs to be between 25 and 27 in (63 and 69 cm) tall at the withers and between 110 and 130 lb (50 and 60 kg) though current judging trends often favour a dog slightly larger than this. Bitches are to be between 24 and 26 in (61 to 66 cm) tall and 100 to 120 lb (45 to 55 kg). Some dams make good mothers, but elective Caesarian sections are common, and most breeding is quite costly as a result. An average litter size is about six, but as few as one and as many as ten are not unheard of.

Color

Any shade of brindle, fawn, or red is allowed as long as the colour is pure and clear. In the United States, however, there is no mention in the standard of the color being "pure and clear". The fawn is a light tan or blond color, while the red is a richer, red-brown. This can range from a deep red to a light red merging with the fawn sometimes described as a red-fawn. A slight white marking on the chest is permissible, but other white markings are undesirable. A black muzzle is essential, toning off towards the eyes, with dark markings around eyes contributing to the expression.

Nine-week-old Bullmastiff.

Temperament

The Bullmastiff is courageous, loyal, calm, and loving with those it knows. It has a very strong protective instinct and will defend its people against anything it perceives as a threat. However, it doesn't normally attack to protect, instead it simply knocks the intruder over with its massive size and pins them to the ground. Bullmastiffs become immensely attached to their families and do best when they can live inside with their people. Their protective instinct combined with their great size and natural wariness of strangers means that early socialization is a must. The Bullmastiff may or may not get along well with other dogs. Oftentimes, male bullmastiffs do not tolerate other males, regardless of breed. Occasionally, females are also intolerant of other females. The bullmastiff, in general, loves children and is very patient with them. Parental supervision should be maintained when they are with kids because these dogs are so big that they can accidentally hurt children while playing with them.

Health

Bullmastiffs are prone to certain hereditary diseases. These include:

• Hip dysplasia
• Elbow dysplasia
• Entropion
• Hypothyroidism
• Lymphoma cancer

History

Working life

With its handsome, powerful appearance and superb speed coupled with strength and endurance, it can overtake and capture intruders without mauling them. These traits make the Bullmastiff appear to be an excellent choice for a guard dog; however, a stubborn streak makes the animal somewhat resistant to obedience training and they can be overly protective of its human family. Due to this, the breed has been overtaken by others, more popular as guard dogs. Bred to sneak up on poachers, the Bullmastiff often barks much less than other breeds, but when they bark they will make your head turn, as it is dark and hollow sounding. The Bullmastiff was recognised as a pure-bred dog in 1924 by the English Kennel Club. In October, 1933, The American Kennel Club recognised the Bullmastiff. The foundation breeding was 60% Mastiff and 40% Bulldog (which was the Old English Bulldog, not the modern short English Bulldog of today).

Dog attacks

This dog was popularized by the media in Canada in the late 1990s as being the breed of dog in a string of unrelated dog attacks against children. The proposed Breed-specific legislation to ban the breed in Canada started a small uprising and the measure ultimately failed.

See also

• Mastiff