Bullmastiff

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Bullmastiff Breeders, Advisors and Breed Clubs

0/5 1 2 3 4 5 Bullmastiffs and French Bulldogs of Opalguard Australia Submitted 24 Dec, 2006 , edited 12 Feb, 2010. 230 views, 51 incoming clicks. Rate Report Submitter Comments (0)

Bullmastiff Profile

KC Group: Working Group

History

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.

Description

Height at shoulder: dogs: 64-69 cms (25-27 ins); bitches 61-66 cm (24-26 ins).
Weight: dogs: 50-59 kgs (110-130 lbs); bitches: 41-50 kgs (90-110 lbs).

The Bullmastiff is 60% Mastiff and 40% Bulldog and was first recognised in 1924. It is powerfully built and symmetrical, showing great strength, but not cumbersome; it is sound and active. Any shade of brindle, fawn, or red is allowed as long as the colour is 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.

Character/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 children because these dogs are so big that they can easily cause accidental hurt while playing with them.

Breed Health

Bullmastiffs are prone to certain hereditary diseases. These include: Hip dysplasia, Elbow dysplasia, Entropion, Hypothyroidism and Lymphoma cancer .

Breed Care

With it's short single coat, grooming is easy and just requires brushing about once a week to remove loose and dead hairs.

Training

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.