Description of Massive English Mastiff :-
The English
Mastiff, referred to by most Kennel Clubs simply as the Mastiff, is a breed of
large dog perhaps descended from the ancient Alaunt through the Pugnaces
Britanniae. Distinguishable by enormous size, massive head, and a limited range
of colours, but always displaying a black mask, the Mastiff is noted for its
gentle temperament. The lineage of modern dogs can be traced back to the early
19th century, and the modern type was stabilised in the 1880s. Following a
period of sharp decline, the Mastiff has increased its worldwide popularity.
With a massive
body, broad skull and head of generally square appearance, it is the largest
dog breed in terms of mass. Though the Irish Wolfhound and Great Dane are
taller, they are not nearly as robust.
The body is
large with great depth and breadth, especially between the forelegs, causing
these to be set wide apart. The AKC standard height (per their website) for
this breed is 30 inches (76 cm) at the shoulder for males and 27.5 inches (70
cm) (minimum) at the shoulder for females. A typical male can weigh 150–250
pounds (68–110 kg), a typical female can weigh 120–200 pounds (54–91 kg), with
show specimens tending towards the upper ranges. The former standard specified
the coat should be short and close-lying (though long haired Mastiffs, called
"Fluffies", are occasionally seen) and the colour is apricot-fawn,
silver-fawn, fawn, or dark fawn-brindle, always with black on the muzzle, ears,
and nose and around the eyes. The Mastiff has a distinctive head with dewlap
and flews. The black mask is visible even on this brindle.
The colours of
the Mastiff coat are differently described by various kennel clubs, but are
essentially fawn or apricot, or those colours as a base for black brindle. A
black mask should occur in all cases. The fawn is generally a light
"silver" shade, but may range up to a golden yellow. The apricot may
be a slightly reddish hue up to a deep, rich red. The brindle markings should
ideally be heavy, even and clear stripes, but may actually be light, uneven,
patchy, faint or muddled. Pied Mastiffs occur rarely. Other non-standard
colours include black, blue brindle, and chocolate (brown) mask. Some Mastiffs
have a heavy shading caused by dark hairs throughout the coat or primarily on
the back and shoulders. This is not generally considered a fault. Brindle is
dominant over solid colour. Apricot is dominant over fawn, though that
dominance may be incomplete. Most of the colour faults are recessive, though black
is so rare in the Mastiff that it cannot be certain if it is recessive, or a
mutation that is dominant.
The greatest
weight ever recorded for a dog, 343 pounds (156 kg), was that of an English
Mastiff from England named Aicama Zorba of La Susa, although claims of larger
dogs exist. According to the 1989 edition of the Guinness Book of Records, in
March 1989, when he was 7 years old, Zorba stood 35 inches (89 cm) at the
shoulder and was 8.25 feet (251 cm) from the tip of his nose to the tip of his
tail, about the size of a small donkey. After 2000, the Guinness Book of World
Records stopped accepting largest or heaviest pet records.
The Mastiff
breed has a desired temperament, which is reflected in all formal standards and
historical descriptions.
Sydenham Edwards, wrote in 1800 in the
Cynographia Britannica: "What the Lion is to the Cat the Mastiff is to the
Dog, the noblest of the family; he stands alone, and all others sink before
him. His courage does not exceed his temper and generosity, and in attachment
he equals the kindest of his race. His docility is perfect; the teazing of the
smaller kinds will hardly provoke him to resent, and I have seen him down with
his paw the Terrier or cur that has bit him, without offering further injury.
In a family he will permit the children to play with him, and suffer all their
little pranks without offence. The blind ferocity of the Bull Dog will often
wound the hand of the master who assists him to combat, but the Mastiff
distinguishes perfectly, enters the field with temper, and engages in the
attack as if confident of success: if he overpowers, or is beaten, his master
may take him immediately in his arms and fear nothing. This ancient and
faithful domestic, the pride of our island, uniting the useful, the brave and
the docile, though sought by foreign nations and perpetuated on the continent,
is nearly extinct where he probably was an aborigine, or is bastardized by
numberless crosses, everyone of which degenerate from the invaluable character
of the parent, who was deemed worthy to enter the Roman amphitheatre, and, in
the presence of the masters of the worlds, encounter the pard, and assail even
the lord of the savage tribes, whose courage was sublimed by torrid suns, and
found none gallant enough to oppose him on the deserts of Zaara or the plains
of Numidia."
The American
Kennel Club sums up the Mastiff breed as "a combination of grandeur and
good nature as well as courage and docility." Domesticated Mastiffs are
powerful yet gentle and loyal dogs, but due to their physical size and need for
space, are best suited for country or suburban life."
0 comments:
Post a Comment