The English Mastiff is a breed
of extremely large dog (often known simply as the Mastiff) perhaps descended
from the ancient Alaunt and Pugnaces Britanniae, with a significant input from
the Alpine Mastiff in the 19th century. Distinguished by its enormous size,
massive head, short coat in a limited range of colours, but always displaying a
black mask, the Mastiff is noted for its gentle and loving nature. The lineage
of modern dogs can be traced back to the early 19th century, but the modern
type was stabilised in the 1880s and refined since. Following a period of sharp
decline, the Mastiff has increased its worldwide popularity. Throughout its
history, the Mastiff has contributed to the development of a number of dog
breeds, some generally known as Mastiff-type dogs, or, confusingly, just as
"Mastiffs".
Appearance
With
a massive body, broad skull and head of generally square appearance, it is the
largest dog breed in terms of mass. It is on average slightly heavier than the
Saint Bernard, although there is a considerable mass overlap between these two
breeds. Though the Irish Wolfhound and Great Dane can be more than six inches
taller, they are not nearly as robust.
The
body is large with great depth and breadth, especially between the forelegs,
causing these to be set wide apart. The length of the body taken from the point
of the shoulder to the point of the buttock is greater than the height at the
withers. The AKC standard height (per their website) for this breed is 30
inches (76 cm) at the shoulder for males and 27.5 inches (70 cm) (minimum) at
the shoulder for females. A typical male can weigh 150–250 pounds (68–113 kg),
a typical female can weigh 120–200 pounds (54–91 kg), with very large
individuals reaching 130 kg (286 lb) or more.
Coat colour standards
The
former standard specified the coat should be short and close-lying. Long haired
Mastiffs, called "Fluffies", are occasionally seen, due to a
recessive gene, but this trait is not accepted by any kennel club. The colour
is apricot-fawn, silver-fawn, fawn, or dark fawn-brindle, always with black on
the muzzle, ears, and nose and around the eyes.
The
Mastiff has a distinctive head with dewlap and flews. The black mask is visible
even on this brindle.
The
colours of the Mastiff coat are differently described by various kennel clubs,
but are essentially fawn or apricot, or those colours as a base for black
brindle. A black mask should occur in all cases. The fawn is generally a light
"silver" shade, but may range up to a golden yellow. The apricot may
be a slightly reddish hue up to a deep, rich red. The brindle markings should
ideally be heavy, even and clear stripes, but may actually be light, uneven,
patchy, faint or muddled. Pied Mastiffs occur rarely. Other non-standard
colours include black, blue brindle, and chocolate (brown) mask. Some Mastiffs
have a heavy shading caused by dark hairs throughout the coat or primarily on
the back and shoulders. This is not generally considered a fault. Brindle is
dominant over solid colour. Apricot is dominant over fawn, though that
dominance may be incomplete. Most of the colour faults are recessive, though
black is so rare in the Mastiff that it has never been determined whether the
allele is recessive or a mutation that is dominant.
The
genetic basis for the variability of coat in dogs has been much studied, but
all the issues have not yet been resolved. On the basis of what is known (and
remembering that, as dogs are diploid animals, each gene location (locus)
appears twice in every animal, so questions of dominance also must be
resolved), the gene possibilities allowed by the Mastiff standard are
AyBDEmh(kbr_or_ky)mS. This describes a dog which is fawn with a dark nose,
non-dilute, black-masked, non-harlequin, brindled or not brindled, non-merle,
and non-spotted. To allow for the rare exceptions we must include "b"
(brown mask and possible brown brindling), "d" (blue mask and
possible blue brindling), "sp" (pied spotting), and perhaps
"a" (recessive black). The possible combination of homozygous brown
and homozygous blue is a pale brown referred to as isabella in breeds where it
is relatively common. On a Mastiff, this would appear on mask, ears, and any
brindling that was present. Speculative gene locations may also exist, so a
Mastiff may be "I" (apricot) or "i" (non-apricot) and
perhaps "cch" (silver lightening) or "C" (without silver
lightening). (Note that this "C locus" may not be the same as the one
identified in other animals, SLC45A2.)
Record size
The
greatest weight ever recorded for a dog, 343 pounds (155.6 kg), was that of an
English Mastiff from England named Aicama Zorba of La Susa, although claims of
larger dogs, including Saint Bernards, Tibetan Mastiffs, and Caucasian
ovcharkas exist. According to the 1989 edition of the Guinness Book of Records,
in March 1989, when he was 7 years old, Zorba stood 37 inches (94 cm) at the
shoulder and was 8 ft 3 in (251 cm) from the tip of his nose to the tip of his
tail, about the size of a small donkey. After 2000, the Guinness Book of World
Records stopped accepting largest or heaviest pet records.
Temperament
The
Mastiff breed has a desired temperament, which is reflected in all formal
standards and historical descriptions. Sydenham Edwards, wrote in 1800 in the
Cynographia Britannica:
What
the Lion is to the Cat the Mastiff is to the Dog, the noblest of the family; he
stands alone, and all others sink before him. His courage does not exceed his
temper and generosity, and in attachment he equals the kindest of his race. His
docility is perfect; the teazing of the smaller kinds will hardly provoke him
to resent, and I have seen him down with his paw the Terrier or cur that has
bit him, without offering further injury. In a family he will permit the
children to play with him, and suffer all their little pranks without offence.
The blind ferocity of the Bull Dog will often wound the hand of the master who
assists him to combat, but the Mastiff distinguishes perfectly, enters the
field with temper, and engages in the attack as if confident of success: if he
overpowers, or is beaten, his master may take him immediately in his arms and
fear nothing. This ancient and faithful domestic, the pride of our island,
uniting the useful, the brave and the docile, though sought by foreign nations
and perpetuated on the continent, is nearly extinct where he probably was an
aborigine, or is bastardized by numberless crosses, everyone of which
degenerate from the invaluable character of the parent, who was deemed worthy
to enter the Roman amphitheatre, and, in the presence of the masters of the
worlds, encounter the pard, and assail even the lord of the savage tribes,
whose courage was sublimed by torrid suns, and found none gallant enough to
oppose him on the deserts of Zaara or the plains of Numidia.
The
American Kennel Club sums up the Mastiff breed as:
a
combination of grandeur and good nature as well as courage and docility.
Domesticated Mastiffs are powerful yet gentle and loyal dogs, but due to their
physical size and need for space, are best suited for country or suburban life.
Health
The
Mastiff should at all stages of development show the breed characteristics of
massiveness and sound, if cumbersome, movement. The Mastiff is a particularly
large dog demanding correct diet and exercise. Excessive running is not
recommended for the first two years of the dog's life, in order not to damage
the growth plates in the joints of this heavy and fast-growing dog, which in
some weeks may gain over 5 lb. However, regular exercise must be maintained
throughout the dog's life to discourage slothful behaviour and to prevent a
number of health problems. A soft surface is recommended for the dog to sleep
on to prevent the development of calluses, arthritis, and hygroma (an acute
inflammatory swelling). Due to the breed's large size, puppies may potentially
be smothered or crushed by the mother during nursing. A whelping box, along
with careful monitoring can prevent such accidents. The average lifespan of the
Mastiff is about 7 years although it's not uncommon for some to live to 10–11
years.
Major
problems can include hip dysplasia and gastric torsion. Minor problems include
obesity, osteosarcoma, and cystinuria. Problems only occasionally found include
cardiomyopathy, allergies, vaginal hyperplasia, cruciate ligament rupture,
hypothyroidism, OCD, entropion, progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), and
persistent pupillary membranes (PPM).
When
purchasing a purebred Mastiff, experts often suggest that the dog undergo tests
for hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, thyroid, and DNA for PRA.
A
Mastiff may be kept in an apartment, but care must be taken to give it enough
exercise. Mastiffs should be fed 2 or 3 times a day; it is believed that one
large meal per day can increase the chance of gastric torsion.
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