Mastiff Information

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(English Mastiff)The Old English Mastiff is one of the most massive and powerful dog breeds, with a very solid build. The head is heavy-boned and square, with a short muzzle, and distinctive dewlaps and flews ("the pendulous lateral parts of a dog's upper lip."). The medium-sized ears are pendant and fall just below the cheeks. The eyes are small and can be either dark or hazel, the teeth meet in a scissors bite, although a slight undershot bite is also acceptable in dog shows. The single coat comes in a variety of colors, from fawn to brindle to silver. Regardless of coat color, the face will always have a black mask. The tail is set high, and curves down, reaching to the hocks.

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The single coat variation comes in a variety of colors and can be hard to find.

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Character

The Mastiff is, like all very large dogs, self-confident and calm. It has a gentle nature, and is affectionate and playful, although toddlers should not be left alone with them. It makes an excellent watchdog, and will not let strangers into the home until a family member indicates it is all right. Mastiffs should be socialized as puppies, otherwise they will become dog-aggressive. Obedience training can be a challenge.

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Size

27 - 32 inches
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Weight

150 - 200 pounds
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General Health

As with all large dogs, they are prone to hip and elbow dysplasia. Bloat (gastric torsion) is also a problem. Other illnesses are Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD), a joint problem, ectropion (eyelid turns inwards), eye problems such as progressive retinal atrophy (PRA). And persistent pupillary membranes (PPM). Properly cared for, the Mastiff can live around 12 years.

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History

The English Mastiff is thought to have been brought to England by Phoenician traders around the 6th century BC. They were used in bull and bear baiting, as well as dog fighting, and also as a sheep guardian. The Mastiff is considered to be the oldest breed of English dog. They were introduced into North America via the Mayflower. The huge and hungry breed did not fare well in England during World War II, but was re-established with dogs sent from the United States and Canada.

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Maintenance

The Mastiff has a smooth, short‑haired coat, and is an average shedder. Brush on a weekly basis with a firm-bristle brush. Give a bath or dry shampoo only when necessary.

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Ideal Environment

The Mastiff have a tendency to be lazy, and so will do fine in an apartment environment, as they'll just laze around. Indeed, a house with a small yard will do just fine. However, in order to keep their weight down the Mastiff should be exercised frequently. They should also always be leashed. Let there be plenty of room in your home, since the Mastiff tends to wheeze and snore loudly.

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Dog Training!

If you're having problems training your dog or getting control, you should read our review of DogProblems.com. Adam will do whatever it takes to help you whip your dog into shape. I've used them to help with my Great Dane as well as help friends train their dogs. It's the first place I go to help answer users Questions. Many training issues are too extensive to answer in this forum, which is why I refer a lot of the load to his site. Update: I've been using and recommending DogProblems for three years now. I, as well as my users, value the techniques we've learned. I get weekly emails from users who have become better owners from the information they received.

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Mastiff Q&A

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How much should my 3 month old female mastiff weigh?

I would think around 20-25lbs. If your worried about her not being big, it's probably still to early to tell. A good comparision age is around 7- 10 months.

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How much should they weigh around 7 -8 months?

75-100lbs depending on her breed line. Some dogs are the exception and weigh less.

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My 5 month old Mastiff gets along well with my poodle but when on a leash at the pet store seems to become aggressive toward other dogs, raise his hair on neck. We have friends that bring their dogs over and he plays fine, is this because of the lease, I have heard dogs can be more aggressive on a leash due to the extention of their owner.

You dog may be nervous of strange dogs and many dogs feel the best defence is a good offence . in other ways if I act this way they will stay away . correct this behaviour , make him sit at heal when strange dogs are around and correct him if he barks etc. you need obedience classes for him he will get used to behaving around strange dogs at classes.

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My female mastiff is 31 pounds and is 12 weeks old. Does this indicate that she will be a large female?

yes it will, very large
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My 10 week male mastiff is "fluffy" and I was told he was brindle. However, there is no evidence of stripes, and he has become lighter. He has a full black mask, the undercoat is fawn with black tips. He has lost some of the fluffieness on his back. He and his sister were the only two in the litter to look this way. The others were fawn and apricot. Is this normal? Will he develope a brindle coat or turn fawn? What is silver? Help! I'm a new mastiff owner and my vet is stumped!

Silver is like a dark blue, almost black. The coat should turn fawn or brindle by the time he is a few months old. I'm sure. Trust me. This could happen. It's perfectly normal.
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My Male Mastiff is 165lbs at 10 months how much longer do you think he will continue to grow

A good sort of indication of a mastiff reaching the end of their peak growth rate is when their chest begins to protrude.

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at what age should my mastiff stop growing in height.......his parents were very tall and he is 12 months and 28 3/4 inch tall, he weights about 150-175 lbs..........what should he weigh at this stage......

Your mastiff will continue to grow until he is 3 years. He has most likely reached his full height, but will now fill out. If you can clearly see his ribs, feed more food. If you have a hard time feeling his ribs, cut back. You should be able feel them with relative ease, but not see them. His weight should be relative to his height.
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My 1.5 YO Female Mastiff. Lola, is very dog aggressive, to the point that I have to pull her off of other dogs, and as she is VERY large, this is getting harder all the time. These other dogs belong to us; they were here before she was! We acquired her from a private breeder at 4 months of age. She seems to be worst with two of our other dogs, both of whom are very submissive and gentle. If she even catches sight of them she will bolt for them and jump on top of them. Funny thing, she doesn't actually draw blood, or seem to harm them. The only real injury was when I pulled her off once and she was being particulary stubborn; when I pulled up she did not release her grip on the other's throat and caused a small puncture. Do I have to have her put down? Except for this, she is great. No aggression whatsover to children, adults, strangers, (just the occasional stray cat, but mostly she just holds them and drools). Please help!

I had the same problem with my Mastiff Cleo. We got her when she was 5 months old. Shes great with people and kids. She loves attention and is overly friendly at times. We also have 3 other dogs who were here before she was. About 4 months ago she badly attackedour 1 year old Doberman so we kept the Doberman in a separate enclosure to Cleo. Then 2months later she did the same thing to our boxer who is now kept with our Doberman. We think she was on heat when she attacked our boxer but the vet said that sometimes they can becomevery dominant and since we have four females all living together we should keep two and two together so now Cleo is enclosed with our Dalmatianand our boxer and Doberman are together as well and since then we have had no more fights. This way they wont fight because is will be one on one!Hope this helps but theres definitely no need to put her down. Theres always away around a problem. Good luck.
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How much should my 5 month old english matiff weigh?

I have a 61/2 month old that is weighing 110

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I have a 12 week old brindle female, however, there is a small white patch on two toes of both her hind paws. Is this a major fault?

No it's not a major fault. Not all, but alot of brindles have white patches. Where you describe the white patches and w/ her age her white patches may fade as she matures. I have a brindle girl and she had white on her feet and a white toenail, but now as a 5 y/o they are gone.

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