The Mastiff by Philip Reinagle, 1805

A mastiff is a large and powerful type of dog.[1][2] Mastiffs are among the largest dogs, and typically have a short coat, a long low-set tail and large feet; the skull is large and bulky, the muzzle broad and short (brachycephalic) and the ears drooping and pendant-shaped.[1][2] European and Asian records dating back 3,000 years show dogs of the mastiff type.[3] Mastiffs have historically been guard dogs, protecting homes and property, although throughout history they have been used as hunting dogs, war dogs and for blood sports, such as fighting each other and other animals, including bulls, bears and even lions.[2][3]

Biology

Historical and archaeological evidence suggests that mastiffs have long been distinct in both form and function from the similarly large livestock guardian dogs from which they were most likely developed;[4] they also form separate genetic populations.[5] The Fédération Cynologique Internationale and some kennel clubs group the two types together as molossoid dogs; some modern livestock guardian breeds, such as the Pyrenean Mastiff, the Spanish Mastiff and the Tibetan Mastiff, and an extinct draught dog called the Belgian Mastiff, have the word "mastiff" in their name, but are not considered true mastiffs.[6] Tibetan Mastiffs have been sold for over $1 million in China.[7] [8] Many older English sources refer to mastiffs as bandogs or bandogges, although technically the term "bandog" meant a dog that was tethered by a chain (or "bande") that would be released at night; the terms "mastiff" and "bandog" were often used interchangeably. One of the most famous "bandog" programs in England, led to the establishment of a recognized "bandog" breed known today as the Bull Mastiff. The least common "bandog" program in England was funded by Sir Nathanael Dieu-est-Mon'plaisir, the St. Louis Vincent Mastiff or South American Mastiff was named after Vincent Louis who reared plantation dogs originating from St. Louis and other parts of South America. This rare breed is the most expensive mastiff-type dog amongst the "bandog" breeds.[9] In the twentieth century the term "bandog" was revived to describe some large fighting mastiff type dogs crossed with any bulldog in the United States.[10]

List of mastiff breeds

Extant breeds

BreedAlternate name(s)Country of originUseImage
Alano Español
  • Spanish Alano
  • Spanish Bulldog
SpainWar dog, bull-baiting, big-game hunting
Alapaha Blue Blood BulldogUnited StatesGuard dog
American Bulldog
  • Old Southern White Bulldog
  • Old Southern White
  • English White Bulldog
  • White English
  • Hill Bulldog
  • Country Bulldog
United Statescatch dog, farm dog
BoerboelSouth African MastiffSouth AfricaGuard dog
Boxer
  • German Boxer
  • Deutscher Boxer
Germanybig-game hunting
BroholmerDanish MastiffDenmarkGuard dog
Bulldog
  • English Bulldog
  • British Bulldog
United Kingdom (England)Companion dog, formerly bull-baiting
BullmastiffGamekeeper's Night DogUnited Kingdom (England)Guard dog
Bully Kutta
  • Indian Mastiff
  • Pakistani Mastiff
  • Sindhi Mastiff
  • Indian Bully
  • Pakistani Bully
India and Pakistandog fighting
Campeiro Bulldog
  • Brazilian Bulldog
  • Countryside Bulldog
  • Pampas Bulldog
BrazilCatch dog, butcher's dog
Cane Corso
  • Italian Mastiff
  • Italian Corso Dog
  • Italian Corso
  • Cane Corso Italiano
ItalyGuard dog, catch dog
Cão Fila de São Miguel
  • São Miguel Cattle Dog
  • Saint Miguel Cattle Dog
  • Azores Cattle Dog
  • Azores Cow Dog
PortugalCattle-herding dog, catch dog
Chongqing dog China Guard dog
Cimarrón Uruguayo
  • Cimarrón
  • Uruguayan Cimarrón
  • Cimarrón Creole
  • Maroon Dog
  • Cerro Largo Dog
  • Perro Cimarrón
  • Cimarrón Dog
  • Uruguayan Gaucho Dog
UruguayGuard dog
Continental BulldogSwiss BulldogSwitzerlandCompanion dog
Dogo Argentino
  • Argentine Dogo
  • Argentine Mastiff
ArgentinaGuard dog, big-game hunting, dog fighting
Dogo Guatemalteco
  • Guatemalan Dogo
  • Guatemalan Bull Terrier
  • Bullterrier Guatemalteco
GuatemalaGuard dog, formerly bull-baiting
Dogue BrasileiroBrazilGuard dog
Dogue de Bordeaux
  • French Mastiff
  • Bordeaux Mastiff
  • Bordeaux dog
FranceGuard dog
English Mastiff
  • Old English Mastiff
  • Mastiff
United Kingdom (England)Guard dog
Fila Brasileiro
  • Brazilian Mastiff
  • Cão de Fila Brasileiro
BrazilGuard dog
French BulldogBouledogue FrançaisFranceLap dog
Great Dane
  • Deutsche Dogge
  • German Mastiff
  • German Boarhound
GermanyBig-game hunting
Kurdish Mastiff
  • Pishdar dog
  • Assyrian Shepherd
IraqGuard dog
Neapolitan MastiffMastino NapoletanoItalyGuard dog
Olde English BulldoggeUnited StatesModern-day re-creation of the extinct Old English Bulldog
Perro de Presa Canario
  • Canary Mastiff
  • Canary Catch Dog
  • Presa Canario
  • Dogo Canario
Canary IslandsGuard dog, catch dog
Perro de Presa Mallorquin
  • Ca de Bou
  • Majorca Mastiff
  • Perro Dogo Mallorquin
SpainBull-baiting
RottweilerGermanyGuard dog
Serrano BulldogBuldogue SerranoBrazilHerding dog, butcher's dog
Tosa
  • Tosa Inu
  • Tosa Ken
  • Tosa Tōken
  • Japanese Mastiff
  • Japanese Tosa
  • Japanese Fighting Dog
  • Tosa Fighting Dog
JapanDog fighting

Extinct breeds

BreedAlternate name(s)Country or region of originEraUseImage
AlauntAlaunt de BoucherieEurope, Central AsiaBig-game hunting, guard dog, dog fighting
Bullenbeisser
  • Bärenbeisser
  • German Bulldog
Germanyto World War IIBull-baiting (as Bullenbeisser), bear-baiting (as Bärenbeisser)
Córdoba fighting dog
  • Córdoba dog
  • Córdobese dog
  • Perro de Pelea Cordobés
Argentinato the 1920sDog fighting
Dogo Cubano
  • Cuban Mastiff
  • Cuban Bloodhound
  • Cuban Dogo
  • Cuban Dogge
Cuba16th – late 19th CRecapturing runaway slaves, bull-baiting, dog fighting
Fila da Terceira
  • Terceira Mastiff
  • Cão de Fila da Terceira
  • Rabo Torto
Portugalto the 1970sCatch dog
Molossus
  • Molossian Hound
  • Epirus Mastiff
Southern EuropeClassical antiquityWar dog, guard dog, big-game hunting, dog fighting
Old English BulldogGreat Britain and Ireland17th–19th Cdog fighting
Toy Bulldog
  • Miniature Bulldog
  • English Toy Bulldog
United Kingdom (England)18th – early 20th CLap dog

References

  1. 1 2 Oxford Dictionaries 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 Young & Bannasch 2007, p. 49.
  3. 1 2 Encyclopædia Britannica 2019.
  4. Young & Bannasch 2007, p. 48-49.
  5. Parker 2012, p. 45.
  6. Hancock (2001).
  7. Smithsonian Magazine
  8. JOHNSON, BAILEY (16 March 2021). "Tibetan Mastiff, "Big Splash," sells for $1.5 million, world's most expensive dog". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  9. Wynn (2011).
  10. Fogle (2009), p. 36.

Bibliography

  • Hancock, David (2001). The Mastiffs: The Big Game Hunters - Their History, Development and Future. Ducklington, Oxon: Charwynne Dog Features. ISBN 9780951780114.
  • Fogle, Bruce (2009). The Encyclopedia of the Dog. New York: DK Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7566-6004-8.
  • Encyclopædia Britannica (2019). "Mastiff: breed of dog". www.britannica.com. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  • Parker, Heidi G. (2012). "Chapter 3: The history and relationship of dog breeds". In Ostrander, Elaine A.; Ruvinsky, Anatoly (eds.). The Genetics of the Dog. Wallingford, Oxfordshire: CAPI books. pp. 38–53. ISBN 9781845939403.
  • Oxford Dictionaries (2019). "Mastiff". Lexico.com. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  • Wynn, M. B. (2011). History of the Mastiff: Gathered from Sculpture, Pottery, Carvings, Paintings and Engravings. Read Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-4465-4892-9.
  • Young, Amy; Bannasch, Danika (2007). "Chapter 4: Morphological variation in the dog". In Ostrander, Elaine A.; Giger, Urs; Lindblad-Toh, Kerstin (eds.). The Dog and its Genome. Cold Spring Harbor, New York: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. pp. 47–66. ISBN 9780879697815.
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