The Bullmastiff breed, as its name suggests, is a combination of the Mastiff and the Bulldog. It was created in England in the mid-1800s; the only guarding breed to originate in England.

At the time of its creation, there were many large estates in England, the owners of which frowned upon the game in their estates being poached. Gamekeepers were employed to oversee and protect the game in the estates and they needed an able assistant; the poachers being a rather dangerous lot since punishment for poaching was hanging. Mastiffs were tried but found to be somewhat slow and to not have the drive necessary to down and hold a man. Bulldogs (a quite different type that we see today) were tried, but the bulldog of that era was very ferocious and tended to tear the poacher up too much.

So, crosses were made of the Bulldog and Mastiff until a ratio of 60% Mastiff/40% Bulldog was achieved. This type of dog, eventually called the Bullmastiff, served the needs of the gamekeeper very well. The dog could track a man in the forest at night; work quietly; and, when close enough spring to a hard charge, knocking the man down and holding him there until the gamekeeper arrived. This was no mean feat since the poachers used every trick and tool at their disposal to escape, knowing that they faced hanging. The Bullmastiff had to be very brave and tenacious and more than one suffered death at the hands of a desperate criminal. But, the breed was exactly what the gamekeeper needed and they did their job well. There is a story about one highly trained dog name Thorneywood Terror who toured England with his owner putting on demonstrations for crowds. The owner would muzzle the dog; give a volunteer 10 minutes head start into the forest; and be any takers that his dog would catch the man. Thorneywood Terror never failed to catch, down and hold his man and made much money for his owner.

Such tenaciousness (stubbornness if you will) is still a trait of the breed and makes them a challenge for the novice owner. You absolutely must not let them take an inch, for they will surely make it a mile!

However, they are also docile, easygoing, very loyal and devoted to their family, intelligent, and accepting of strangers welcomed by their owners.

Bullmastiffs are large dogs, although not truly a giant breed. The AKC Standard of the breed calls for males to be between 25 and 27 inches at the withers and 110 and 130 lbs. Females to be between 24 and 26 inches at the withers and 100 to 120 lbs. Many rescue dogs are small compared to the Standard. Colors are fawn, red and brindle; all having a black mask which covers the muzzle and extends up over the eyes. Brindle is black striping over a base color of fawn or red. Brindle was the desired color of the original dogs used in England; it being very hard to see in a forest at night.

However, as the large estates were broken up and the need for the services of Bullmastiffs dwindled, they were bred for home and family companions and the brindle color fell out of favor to the fawns and reds. Color is a personal preference, and all good Bullmastiffs are a joy to own. Their coat is short and smooth.

Downsides of the breed are: short-lived (8 to 10 years); slobbery; stubborn; expensive to acquire if buying from a breeder; expensive to maintain. They are beset with various health problems such as hip dysplasia; elbow dysplasia; interdigital cysts; entropian and ectropian (eye problems); and early death from cancer.

Upsides of the breed are: mellow and easygoing not requiring a great deal of exercise; intelligent; quiet; loyal; guardy, yet not vicious; sensitive and willing to please. They take their cue from their owner in a situation, accepting those people their owner accepts, and standing down those people the owner doesn't accept.

A typical Bullmastiff action would be: you go to answer the doorbell; the dog accompanies you and stands beside you to see who is there. If you welcome the person and let them in, the dog welcomes them. If you do NOT welcome the person in, but the visitor tries to open the door and come in anyway, the dog will put him/herself between you and the visitor and do whatever is necessary to change his/her mind about entering your home.

Generally, there isn't much discussion about it as most people respect the countenance of a 100 pounds of muscle who is not in a welcoming frame of mind. And, yes, they will bite. Some people think that since they are able to down and hold a person using their very muscled body, they won't/don't use their mouth. That is somewhat ridiculous since I'm sure they used whatever they needed to do their job.

The reasons Bullmastiffs end up in rescue is as varied as there are situations. Interestingly, I've never had one surrendered by an owner because it got bigger than they anticipated. Usually, it is because owners are moving and can't (won't) take the dog; divorce; can't have in apartment but got one anyway and now need to get rid of it; and, from shelters where they wind up after being picked up as strays. Generally, as with nearly all breeds, because of stupid owners.

In placing a Bullmastiff I look for adopters who have had experience with large guard type dogs, but who are NOT macho types; who have some dog knowledge and common sense and are willing to learn; who preferably have a house with a fenced yard, but I will consider a responsible person in a townhome or apartment. Interestingly, Bullmastiffs do not make bad apartment dogs if the owner is willing to walk them on a leash religiously. They do not have a high energy level and are quiet dogs.

They get along well with animals in their own household if they are socialized to them early on, but as adults are generally dog aggressive with dogs strange to them, especially in their own territory. As with all dogs, early socialization is essential to having a well adjusted, easy to live with pet. Bullmastiffs need a strong-willed, dominant owner who is consistent in his/her expectations and can bestow discipline and love equally.

Breed standard FCI

General appearance - Powerful and harmonious build. Very strong, despite its' weight. Sound and active dog.

Characteristics - Powerful, active, reliable and very enduring.

Temperament - High spirited, alert and faithful.

Skull - skull large and square, viewed from every angle. Fair wrinkles when interested, but not when in repose. Circumference of skull may be equal to height of dog measured at the withers. Skull is broad and deep with well-filled cheeks. Pronounced (stop).

Muzzle - short. Distance from tip of nose to stop approximately one third of length from tip of nose to centre of occiput. Muzzle broad under eyes and sustaining nearly same width to end of nose. Blunt and cut off square, forming right angle with upper line of face, and at same time proportionate with skull. Underjaw broad to end.

Nose - broad with widely spreading nostrils. Rounded, neither pointed nor turned up in profile. Flews not pendulous, never hanging below level of lower jaw.

Eyes - dark or hazel. Set apart the width of muzzle with furrow between. Light or yellow eyes are highly undesirable.

Ears - V-shaped, set on high and fit to head. Set on wide at level of occiput giving square appearance to skull, which is very important. Small. Deeper in color than body. Point of ear is level with eye when alert. Rose ears highly undesirable.

Jaws/teeth - level bite is desired; slight undershot is allowed but not preferred. Canine teeth large and set wide apart. Other teeth are strong, even placed.

Neck - well arched, of moderate length, muscular; almost equal to skull in circumference.

Body - back is short and straight, but not so short as to interfere with activity. Back gives a compact carriage to a dog. Roach and sagged backs highly undesirable. Loin is wide and muscular, with fair depth of flanks. Chest is wide and deep, well let down between forelegs. Front of chest is deep.

Tail - set high. Strong at root and tapering to the tip, reaching to hocks. Carried straight or slightly curved, but not hound fashion. Crank tails (bulldog fashion) highly undesirable.

Forequarters - Forelegs powerful and straight, well boned. From the front legs are straight and set wide apart. Shoulders are sloping, powerful, muscular, not overloaded. Pasterns straight and strong.

Hindquarters - hind legs are strong and muscular, not cumbersome. Shanks are well developed and expedite. Hocks moderately bent. Cow hocks highly undesirable. Feet well arched. Cat-like, with rounded toes, pads hard. Dark toe nails desirable. Splayed feet are highly undesirable.

Movements - indicating energy and sense of purpose. When moving straight neither front nor hind legs should cross or plait. Right front and hind legs rising and falling at the same time. A backline unimpaired by powerful thrust from hindlegs denoting a balanced and harmonious movement.

Hair - short and coarse by touch. Weather resistant. Lying flat to body. Long, wavy or silky coats highly undesirable.

Color - any shade of brindle, fawn (yellow-brown) or red. Color to be pure and clear. A slight white marking on chest permissible. Other white markings undesirable. Black muzzle essential, harmonizing with black markings around eyes contributing to expression.

Size and weight - dogs 63.5-68.5 cms (25-27 ins) high at withers, bitches 61-66 cms (24-26 ins) high at withers. Dogs 50-59 kg (110-130 lbs) of weight. Bitches 41-50 kg (90-110 lbs) of weight.

Faults - any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

Note - Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.