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

Breed	Alternate name(s)	Country of origin	Use	Image
Alano Español	Spanish Alano Spanish Bulldog	Spain	War dog, bull-baiting, big-game hunting
Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog		United States	Guard dog
American Bulldog	Old Southern White Bulldog Old Southern White English White Bulldog White English Hill Bulldog Country Bulldog	United States	catch dog, farm dog
Boerboel	South African Mastiff	South Africa	Guard dog
Boxer	German Boxer Deutscher Boxer	Germany	big-game hunting
Broholmer	Danish Mastiff	Denmark	Guard dog
Bulldog	English Bulldog British Bulldog	United Kingdom (England)	Companion dog, formerly bull-baiting
Bullmastiff	Gamekeeper's Night Dog	United Kingdom (England)	Guard dog
Bully Kutta	Indian Mastiff Pakistani Mastiff Sindhi Mastiff Indian Bully Pakistani Bully	India and Pakistan	dog fighting
Campeiro Bulldog	Brazilian Bulldog Countryside Bulldog Pampas Bulldog	Brazil	Catch dog, butcher's dog
Cane Corso	Italian Mastiff Italian Corso Dog Italian Corso Cane Corso Italiano	Italy	Guard dog, catch dog
Cão Fila de São Miguel	São Miguel Cattle Dog Saint Miguel Cattle Dog Azores Cattle Dog Azores Cow Dog	Portugal	Cattle-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	Uruguay	Guard dog
Continental Bulldog	Swiss Bulldog	Switzerland	Companion dog
Dogo Argentino	Argentine Dogo Argentine Mastiff	Argentina	Guard dog, big-game hunting, dog fighting
Dogo Guatemalteco	Guatemalan Dogo Guatemalan Bull Terrier Bullterrier Guatemalteco	Guatemala	Guard dog, formerly bull-baiting
Dogue Brasileiro		Brazil	Guard dog
Dogue de Bordeaux	French Mastiff Bordeaux Mastiff Bordeaux dog	France	Guard dog
English Mastiff	Old English Mastiff Mastiff	United Kingdom (England)	Guard dog
Fila Brasileiro	Brazilian Mastiff Cão de Fila Brasileiro	Brazil	Guard dog
French Bulldog	Bouledogue Français	France	Lap dog
Great Dane	Deutsche Dogge German Mastiff German Boarhound	Germany	Big-game hunting
Kurdish Mastiff	Pishdar dog Assyrian Shepherd	Iraq	Guard dog
Neapolitan Mastiff	Mastino Napoletano	Italy	Guard dog
Olde English Bulldogge		United States	Modern-day re-creation of the extinct Old English Bulldog
Perro de Presa Canario	Canary Mastiff Canary Catch Dog Presa Canario Dogo Canario	Canary Islands	Guard dog, catch dog
Perro de Presa Mallorquin	Ca de Bou Majorca Mastiff Perro Dogo Mallorquin	Spain	Bull-baiting
Rottweiler		Germany	Guard dog
Serrano Bulldog	Buldogue Serrano	Brazil	Herding dog, butcher's dog
Tosa	Tosa Inu Tosa Ken Tosa Tōken Japanese Mastiff Japanese Tosa Japanese Fighting Dog Tosa Fighting Dog	Japan	Dog fighting

Extinct breeds

Breed	Alternate name(s)	Country or region of origin	Era	Use	Image
Alaunt	Alaunt de Boucherie	Europe, Central Asia	Classical antiquity the Middle Ages	Big-game hunting, guard dog, dog fighting
Bullenbeisser	Bärenbeisser German Bulldog	Germany	to World War II	Bull-baiting (as Bullenbeisser), bear-baiting (as Bärenbeisser)
Córdoba fighting dog	Córdoba dog Córdobese dog Perro de Pelea Cordobés	Argentina	to the 1920s	Dog fighting
Dogo Cubano	Cuban Mastiff Cuban Bloodhound Cuban Dogo Cuban Dogge	Cuba	16th – late 19th C	Recapturing runaway slaves, bull-baiting, dog fighting
Fila da Terceira	Terceira Mastiff Cão de Fila da Terceira Rabo Torto	Portugal	to the 1970s	Catch dog
Molossus	Molossian Hound Epirus Mastiff	Southern Europe	Classical antiquity	War dog, guard dog, big-game hunting, dog fighting
Old English Bulldog		Great Britain and Ireland	17th–19th C	dog fighting
Toy Bulldog	Miniature Bulldog English Toy Bulldog	United Kingdom (England)	18th – early 20th C	Lap dog

References

Bibliography

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mastiffs.

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• 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.