Mastiff Dog Breed Origin and History

The history of the Mastiff goes all the way back to 2500 B.C. In fact all of the mountain dogs of European countries such as Turkey , Spain and France and even the Balkan areas have genetic roots tracing back to the Mastiff. Even dogs native to China such as the Chow Chow, which previously was thought to be the only dog to have descended from the bear has genetic roots to the Mastiff. Ironically, the pug, often only weighing in at fifteen pounds, is now believed to have originated as a form of Mastiff dwarfism.

Mastiff type dogs were depicted in wall murals in the Babylonian palace of Ashurbanipal . These murals now on display permanently in a British museum depict large dogs, very much like the modern day Mastiff hunting desert lions near the Tigris River . Other than the undeterminable colour of these ancient Mastiffs, the height and weight of these dogs bears a remarkable resemblance is portrayed to the modern day Mastiff.

Theories as to how the modern day Mastiff came to exist have been expounded on and explored by various authors. Relying on urban legend and various folklore stories there are some generally accepted principles of the earlier Mastiffs.

Marco Polo wrote of 5,000 huge dogs bearing the description of the Mastiff that were kept in a kennel like environment for hunting and war by Kubla Khan.

The Roman leader Hannibal is believed to have traveled across the Alps , with an army battalion of trained war dogs who interbred with neighbouring dogs on their travels, producing the modern day Mastiff.

Phoenicians are thought to have established the Mastiff to the British Empire . It is in fact the British who have kept the Mastiff in its purest form, despite some accepted facts that at one point the Romans took the Mastiffs to be yet another fighting dog in their blood thirsty arena and used them as guard dogs to guard various prisoners.

Other folklore on the Mastiffs includes the Celts supposedly using the Mastiffs in battle as a warrior type dog. Scarce written records of the journey of the first pilgrims to America list a dog that could possibly have been a Mastiff accompanying a Spaniel, two of the first dogs to supposedly set foot on American soil.

Mastiffs have been used by British royalty for centuries. Henry VIII is reported to have given 400 Mastiffs to Charles V of Spain to help guard his Castle and empire. King James I in an ongoing friendship with Spanish royalty is said to have sent two Mastiffs to Philip II of Spain .

Mastiff Characteristics

Origin: Great Britain
Life Expectancy: 8-10 years
Height Range: 28-30 inches
Weight Range: 170-200 Ibs
Colors: Apricot, fawn, silver-fawn, dark brindle
Temperament: The Mastiff is revered as a gentle giant among most breeders. Although they had been valued as a fierce fighting/guard dog in the past, they have domesticated into a great family/social dog. This breed is very gentle, watchful and patient with its family and tends to rarely bark at oncomers. If strangers do stop by, they are likely to not want to let them in unless accepted by their master. Protection training is often unnecessary for this protective breed. The Mastiff is easy to please and enjoys a lot of companionship. The breed tends to drool, wheeze, and snore loudly, so proper measures should be taken if your a light sleeper.
Trainability: Average; requires consistent, gentle training.
Health: Beware of hip dysplasia. As these dogs are prone to bloat, feed two or three small meals a day, instead of one large one. Also prone to CHD, gastric torsion, ectropion, PPM, vaginal hyperplasia, elbow dysplasia and PRA.

With Other Animals: May be combative with others pets if not socialized at an early age. These breeds get along well with other dogs if raised around them while young.
Children: Usually good, but should be supervised with small children due to large size.
Climate: Tolerates cold, but risk of overexertion in heat.
Indoor/Outdoor: Can be kept indoors, but needs a lot of room outdoors within a fenced in yard to play.  Free play until 2 yrs, running/jogging not recommended under 2 yrs or over 85 degrees. Tend to be more lazy as they get older, but should be taken out for exercise regularly to prevent this.
Grooming: Low. Occasional brushing.
Recognition: CKC, FCI, AKC, UKC, KCGB, CKC, ANKC, NKC, NZKC, APRI, ACR

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Gentle Giants Rescue and Adoptions is the largest giant breed dog rescue in the United States, with multiple facilities and many foster homes. We annually rescue and adopt approximately 1,000 Great Danes, Borzoi, Great Pyrenees, Irish Wolfhounds, Scottish Deerhounds, Saint Bernards, Newfoundlands, Greyhounds, English Mastiffs, Neopolitan Mastiffs, Ambull Neopolitan Mastiffs, Bullmastiffs, Fila Brasileiro Brazilian Mastiffs, Adronicus Mastiffs, South African Boerboel Mastiffs, Dogue de Bordeaux French Mastiffs, American Mastiffs, Tibetan Mastiffs, Spanish Mastiffs, Tosa Inu, Sasquatch, Saluki, Leonbergers, Akbash, and other Loving Lap Dogs as well as beautiful Little Giants, including Whippets, Silken Windhounds, Italian Greyhounds, Peruvian Inca Orchids, Chinese Cresteds, Shelties and Xoloitzcuintle as inside members of the family. We take them whether they are perfect, or whether they have been injured and are in need of major or minor medical care. We have multiple facilities and many foster homes. This is our charity and we will rescue and save every life.

We have developed an incredible communal living/training program for all of our dogs that, to our knowledge, no one else has successfully accomplished. All of our giant breed dogs and separately all of our small breed dogs, both male and female, young dogs as well as adult dogs, live harmoniously together without ANY cages or kennels, in our house and in two adjoining houses that we have built just for our rescued dogs! The two adjoining houses are fully insulated, carpeted, and climate controlled just like human houses. There is no separation between the dogs. They sleep together, play together, eat together, and because they have the constant company and entertainment of each other, we have no barking or disagreements or any noise whatsoever. People coming here daily to adopt are constantly asking us if they are in the "right place" because our property is so quiet, serene and peaceful. Of course, all of our Gentle Giants are spayed or neutered and micro-chipped, and all are trained by us to love and respect all people, all dogs, all cats, and all living things.

When you adopt a Gentle Giant or a Little Giant from us, whether you adopt one, two or more, each of your adopted Gentle Giants and Little Giants is fully housetrained, healthy, and behaviorally and socially trained. What this means to you is that you don't have to be driving back and forth to veterinary clinics for medical exams and treatments, and you don't have to attend any obedience training classes. You have the luxury of simply taking your Gentle Giant(s) home and enjoying them today and every day thereafter.

Also, when you adopt a dog from us, we have a policy that for the ENTIRE LIFETIME of your adopted dog, you can call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with any question or problem, and we will try to help you!

You can now adopt from us beautiful Great Danes, Borzoi, Great Pyrenees, Irish Wolfhounds, Scottish Deerhounds, Saint Bernards, Newfoundlands, Greyhounds, English Mastiffs, Neopolitan Mastiffs, Bullmastiffs, Fila Brasileiro Brazilian Mastiffs, Adronicus Mastiffs, South African Boerboel Mastiffs, Dogue de Bordeaux French Mastiffs, American Mastiffs, Tibetan Mastiffs, Spanish Mastiffs, Tosa Inu, Sasquatch, Saluki, Leonbergers, Akbash, and other Loving Lap Dogs as well as beautiful Little Giants, including Whippets, Silken Windhounds, Italian Greyhounds, Peruvian Inca Orchids, Chinese Cresteds, Shelties and Xoloitzcuintle.

We adopt all across America to responsible, qualified, loving adopters, but you MUST come here to Riverside, California to adopt your Gentle Giant or Little Giant. We meet every potential adopter in person to make sure that every one of our loving Gentle Giants and Little Giants will be going into a safe, loving home.

Gentle Giants World Class Canine Cuisine dog food is now available and we highly recommend that it to be fed to our dogs. We formulated it to have the highest quality ingredients with the proper balance of protein and fat content to maximize the longevity of our Gentle Giants and Little Giants (if you haven't already done so, please see the Gentle Giants World Class Canine Cuisine section of our website for further details - www.gentlegiantsrescue.com/our_premium_canine_cuisine.htm. As you may have already read, we have our dogs living far longer than is traditional for our giant breeds. Our program for increased longevity combines early spay and neuter, special feeding and care, and our high nutrition, low protein, low fat dog food. Because our dog food is so nutritious, our dogs can obtain all the nutrition they need by eating less food than with other dog food formulas. This provides your adopted dog with increased protection against bloat and torsion, a major killer of giant breed dogs.

Adopting a Gentle Giant and/or a Little Giant

The Adoption Process

If you are ready to adopt a Gentle Giant or a Little Giant, please call our Adoption Information Line at (951) 273-1330 and listen to our adoption requirements.

If you meet all of our requirements and are ready to adopt now, please complete our Online Adoption Application available on our website at www.gentlegiantsrescue.com. We will respond to you as soon as possible, usually within 48 hours, to discuss your application and, if approved, to set up your appointment to adopt. We will also be happy to answer any questions that you may have.

We have many Great Danes, Borzoi, Great Pyrenees, Irish Wolfhounds, Scottish Deerhounds, Saint Bernards, Newfoundlands, Greyhounds, English Mastiffs, Neopolitan Mastiffs, Ambull Neopolitan Mastiffs, Bullmastiffs, Fila Brasileiro Brazilian Mastiffs, Adronicus Mastiffs, South African Boerboel Mastiffs, Dogue de Bordeaux French Mastiffs, American Mastiffs, Tibetan Mastiffs, Spanish Mastiffs, Tosa Inu, Sasquatch, Saluki, Leonbergers, Akbash, and other Loving Lap Dogs as well as beautiful Little Giants, including Whippets, Silken Windhounds, Italian Greyhounds, Peruvian Inca Orchids, Chinese Cresteds, Shelties and Xoloitzcuintle for adoption, too many to list. Please email us your completed Adoption Application today to adopt the Gentle Giant or Little Giant of your dreams from Gentle Giants Rescue and Adoptions, Inc.