Bullmastiff

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Bullmastiff

Country of origin
United Kingdom
Classification and breed standards
FCI:	Group 2 Section 2 #157	Stds
AKC:	Working	Stds
ANKC:	Group 6 (Utility)	Stds
CKC:	Group 3 - Working Dogs	Stds
KC (UK):	Working	Stds
NZKC:	Utility	Stds
UKC:	Guardian Dogs	Stds

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.

1 Appearance
- 1.1 Size
- 1.2 Color
2 Temperament
3 Health
4 History
- 4.1 Working life
- 4.2 Dog attacks
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Appearance

Eleven-week-old Brindle Bullmastiff.

Two year old female Brindle Bullmastiff.

The Bullmastiff is 60% Mastiff and 40% Bulldog and was first recognized in 1924. It is powerfully built and symmetrical, showing great strength, but not cumbersome; it is sound and active.

[edit] Size

The Bullmastiff is a relatively large dog. The American Kennel club standard calls for dogs to be between 25 and 27 inches tall at the withers and between 110 to 130 pounds. Bitches are to be between 24 to 26 inches at the withers and weigh between 100 to 120 pounds. Current judging trends often favour the more substantial dog. 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.

[edit] 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 fawn Bullmastiff.

[edit] 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, or, will simply stand in front of the stranger/intruder and refuse to let them pass. Bullmastiffs become intensely 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 children because these dogs are so big that they can easily cause accidental injuries while playing with them.

[edit] Health

Bullmastiffs are prone to certain hereditary diseases. These include:

[edit] History

[edit] Working life

With its handsome and powerful appearance, along with surprising speed, coupled with incredible strength and endurance, Bullmastiffs 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 recognized as a pure-bred dog in 1924 by the English Kennel Club. In October, 1933, The American Kennel Club recognized 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).

[edit] 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.