What are mastiffs: varieties and photos

It happens that in a good family film you can see a big dog that literally attracts attention with its devotion, calmness and understanding of everything around. Most often, such a handsome man is a mastiff breed. While watching a movie, the thought may come that all this is a fairy tale, and a big dog cannot be so friendly. In fact, few know what kind of dogs they are. What are mastiffs?

Breed history

Historians cannot yet agree on the emergence of the mastiff breed. This is due to the fact that the history of this dog has more than one hundred and even a thousand years. But still there is a general opinion that initially these were fighting dogs. They arose in Asia, in its central and middle parts. Then they were used mainly for protection from wild animals, and some of them took part in military battles. From Asia, the breed spread throughout the earth, acquiring individual characteristics of character and appearance and becoming more calm and good-natured.

What are mastiffs: breeds (basic) and their description

Having scattered all over the world, mastiffs acquired different traits of character and appearance. So there were various breeds, there are only eight of them. The most common varieties of mastiff are English, Tibetan and Spanish.

According to the main version, the English mastiff was introduced to the UK in the last century. Breeders then started breeding and crossed the mastiff with local dogs. Today, a mastiff is a powerful animal with a large wide head with folds and a large chest, a muscular body and straight strong limbs. The eyes and ears are wide set, the nose is large and flat, the coat is short.

The breed of the Spanish mastiff was originally bred specifically for the protection of domestic animals, and, perhaps, therefore, the nature of the dogs was quite ferocious. But over time, everything changed, and the animal became very friendly. Unlike other varieties of the breed, the Spanish mastiff has a proportional physique. The coat is slightly wavy and elongated (maximum reaches six centimeters).

The Tibetan mastiff is considered one of the oldest representatives of the mastiff breed. The appearance was formed taking into account its vital functions (they were mainly engaged in grazing livestock), as well as the habitat of the animal (mountainous harsh climate). And even in modern times, he often resembles a lion. His coat is thick and long, his head and chest are quite wide. Eye color often matches coat color. The general impression is that the mastiff is very large, but not massive.

Life expectancy for all dogs is different. What are mastiffs when it comes to this issue? Tibetan mastiff has the longest life expectancy. On average, it is 12-15 years, and the recorded maximum is as much as 19 years!

A few more varieties

And what are mastiffs other than the main ones mentioned above? These are bullmastiff, Italian, Neapolitan, Iberian and French.

In the 50s of the 19th century, the English mastiff was crossed with a bulldog. The result was a new breed - bullmastiff - a guard dog and a guard of the land. Outwardly, it is a graceful and at the same time powerful animal. The head is wide, its shape is more like a square. Otherwise, this breed is very similar to its ancestor.

Molossian dogs, crossed with English bulldogs, formed a new breed of French mastiff or Bordeaux bulldog. They were first used in gladiator fights and dog fights, and only later, like all other mastiffs, to protect the territory and livestock. Externally, this breed is characterized by squat and thick skin with folds.

Cane Corso, or Italian mastiff, in the Middle Ages equally well guarded cattle and hunted wild animals. A distinctive feature of the representatives of this breed is a large head - its length is one third of the dog’s height. The physique is strong and elegant at the same time. The coat is usually black, short and shiny.

Before becoming a pet, the Neapolitan mastiff managed to be a warrior, a watchman, and even a criminal (more precisely, his assistant). Outwardly, he, like all mastiffs, is strong. The head is wide, and the folds are not only on the head, but also on the neck.

Iberian mastiffs came from the Spanish by separating a small group in the northern part of the country. The coat of this breed is elongated, especially on the neck and chest.

What other mastiffs are there? Description of the Japanese Mastiff breed

In addition to the main eight breeds, there is another one that is slightly different from the rest. This is a Japanese mastiff.

This species began to be developed quite a long time ago (several hundred years ago), and its only purpose then was to participate in dog battles. The Japanese mastiff is also called Tosa Inu (by the name of the principality in which the breed was bred) and sumo wrestlers (for the technique of warfare). The breed is quite rare in Japan and not very common in other countries.

A good muscle profile, a wide head with strong jaws and developed cheekbones - all this makes up the general portrait of the Japanese mastiff. The color is often red (pure or its shades) or brindle, light marks are found.

Tosa Inu is bred today, not only for fighting, but also as a housing guard. The upbringing of such a dog should be entrusted to an experienced person.

Weight characteristics and growth of the mastiff breed

To better understand what mastiffs are, a description of their average indicators of weight and height is conveniently considered in the table (indicators of female and male individuals are indicated through hyphens).

According to average indicators, the English and Tibetan mastiffs are slightly larger than the rest, with the first being the largest representative of the breed and even got into the Guinness Book of Records for its size.

The nature and color of the mastiff

At first glance, it might seem that a mastiff is a big aggressive dog, which is better not to get close to, and even more so you can’t get it in a house where there are small children. Is it so? But actually, what are mastiffs?

The nature of this breed is usually calm. They are balanced, for no reason they do not even cast their voices. But, depending on the variety, some distinctive features are observed. So, the Spanish mastiff, for example, loves the praise of the owner, very sensitively feels the mood of the people around him and the impending danger. English needs affection and love, loves when emotions are shown towards it. The Neapolitan mastiff is distinguished by the fact that for him there is only one master, with whom he is difficult to endure separation.

And what kind of dogs are mastiffs by color? Their different breeds suggest a different color. A distinctive feature of the English mastiff is the obligatory black mask on the face. And the general color is usually fawn or apricot. The bullmastiff, in addition to the mask, also has spots around the eyes, and the coat is plain, usually red or yellow-brown. The French mastiff must be solid in color, only light marks on the fingers and chest are permissible. The lightest in color is the Iberian Mastiff. On the white color of his coat there are darker spots: gray, black, red.

Now you know who such mastiffs are, what are they. The photos presented in the article will give a complete picture of these dogs.

Content Rules

When instituting any dog, you should think about its contents. Therefore, the following question is important: in terms of care and maintenance, which dogs are these? There are mastiffs (varieties we have examined) with short hair, and they do not require frequent bathing, combing is enough (usually during the change of coat). The Tibetan mastiff, on the contrary, needs to be combed out. The large size of these dogs implies keeping them in a private house, but living in a spacious apartment is not excluded. Walking is mandatory for all mastiffs, and the Tibetan breed also requires good physical exertion.

How to feed a mastiff

When compiling a diet of mastiff, several rules should be taken into account:

• For a young pet, the use of cottage cheese is very important, preferably every day.
• With the growth of the puppy, the number of meals should be reduced from five to two times (after a year).
• Nutrition should be balanced and contain foods average in fat content (not more than 25%) and protein composition (not more than 8%).
• It is important that calcium, phosphorus, and iodine are also present in food, but in reasonable amounts.
• You can not overfeed the mastiff. This will lead to obesity and stress on the musculoskeletal system.
• The calculation of feed for a healthy adult dog is as follows: 60 grams of food per day per 1 kg of mastiff weight, half of which should consist of meat.

Properly selected food with the addition of minerals and vitamins will help to grow a healthy pet.

Relationship with children and adults

Mastiffs are considered great friends of the whole family. Bullmastiff loves children and will never harm them, and adults will not bother with their presence. The Tibetan breed is very friendly to everyone around (in contrast to the Bordeaux, who does not favor outsiders), but, being a guard of his territory, he will not let a stranger close.

It is interesting

Studies of the origin of various animal species may well answer the question of what kind of dogs they are. Chinese mastiffs - this name is sometimes given to the Pekingese. Some dog handlers hold this point of view because of the similarity of physique, including the shape of the head. Similar hypotheses apply to pugs and molosses from whom mastiffs originated. But rightly so far it is believed that the progenitors of pugs are still dwarf dogs.

Before deciding to purchase a mastiff in your family, you should weigh the pros and cons. To do this, you must first assess the size of the dog. If the apartment is small, and besides, the family has very young children or elderly people, then you will have to abandon the idea. Secondly, the financial situation is important, because a large dog is expensive. This food, and veterinary care, and utensils, and much more. You should not choose a mastiff if in the afternoon nobody is at home. Dogs of this breed are very sensitive and do not tolerate loneliness. Mandatory walks, which should be long.

But if there are no problems with a large area, fixation on cleanliness (many dogs drool), and there is a desire to get a real friend, then a mastiff is absolutely the right choice!