History

The Bullmastiff was originally called the “games keeper’s dog” when it was bred in the early 1700s. This was due to the original purpose of the animal. It was meant to be a guard dog and companion to the games keeper. The games keeper’s job was to keep the serfs and the thieves from poaching the deer and other game from the lands of the kings and nobles of Great Britain.

Though some people believe that the Bullmastiff was bred to be vicious, simply because it is a guard breed, this is not the case. The games keeper’s dog was of course a companion, but even in its work as a guard dog it was not meant to attack. The Bullmastiff was meant to track the poacher down and catch him by knocking him down and literally sitting on him until the games keeper arrived. It was definitely preferred that the dog not maul or kill the thief. This way the thief could be punished in public, generally by hanging, to hopefully dissuade others from committing the same crime.

Mr. S. E. Mosley started specifically breeding what we know of today as the Bullmastiff by creating a dog that was 60% mastiff, for size and strength, and 40% bulldog, for tenacity. This was achieved by a regimented breeding program. With this specific breeding record the Bullmastiff was accepted as an official breed by the United Kennel Club in 1924.

Color

The accepted colors of the Bullmastiff are brindle, red and fawn. There can be many varying shades with these three colors. The crucial element in the coloration of a Bullmastiff is that the facial mask is black across the muzzle and up around the eyes. A small amount of white is allowed on the chest, but is considered a major fault if it is a large amount or is found anywhere else on the body. Black coloration, a ‘smoky’ Bullmastiff, on a red or fawn dog is considered a minor fault. It is believed by some that this coloration comes from the brindle genetics manifesting themselves, as brindle is the dominant color gene. In the original breeding of Bullmastiffs brindle coloring was preferred to provide camouflage in the evening.  As the years have progressed and the Bullmastiff’s job has become more of a companion, the red and fawn colors have become more popular. It has been very uncommon for a brindle Bullmastiff to achieve high standards in the conformation shows, but in the last few years they have made definite strides in this area. For instance, the number one Bullmastiff in Canada and number 5 dog, all breeds, for 1996 was a brindle male. This was a definite first that has received world recognition.

Training

The Bullmastiff is not a breed for everyone. They are a stubborn breed that requires much patience and consistent training. In the book, “The Intelligence of Dogs,” they are rated 69th for working intelligence. In comparison to a Border Collie or Australian Shepherd they do seem quite slow and lazy. I have found that it is more that you have to convince a Bullmastiff that a given task is something they want to do. Once it is something that they have learned, repetition is not usually very effective as they tend to get bored fast. The Bullmastiff must be constantly stimulated during training with each achievement recognized and then you must move on quickly. I like to say that is not so much that they are not intelligent, but that they are smart enough that you can’t fool them into doing something that they really don’t want to do.

Family

As a family dog, the Bullmastiff is known throughout the world as a huge success.

Once again this is only accomplished through work and discipline. The Bullmastiff is generally quite happy to integrate itself into the whole family and is not generally considered a ‘one-person dog.’ They love people and are especially fond of children. This does not mean that the Bullmastiff, or any dog, should be left alone with small children! Any number of horrible accidents could happen with this scenario. The Bullmastiff is a large dog and could inadvertently knock a child over or scratch them with their nails. Also, if strange children are around, the dog will not be able to discern between play wrestling and/or screaming and an actual threat to their child. Being a natural guard dog, the Bullmastiff could have problems with other dogs or animals entering their territory and should not be left alone with other small animals, though they may be friendly with them.

 Summary

Anyone considering a Bullmastiff should be prepared for a whole lot of love and a whole lot of dog. You should be able to physically contain them in an emergency. You must be prepared for slobber, adolescent acne and 120 lb. dog that insists on sleeping on the bed or couch - whichever you are on at the moment - preferably on top of you as a nice warm, crushing blanket.

-         Treena K. Kennedy

as published for the Grande Prairie Regional Kennel Club Newsletter, October 1998

“... a dog... who combines the wonderful pluck and endurance with the gentleness of a lamb, and whose only aim, if necessary to be allowed take its death serving its master or mistress. One cannot buy devotion, but the next best thing is to buy a Bull-Mastiff.”                            - excerpt from ‘The Mastiff and Bullmastiff Handbook’ by Douglas B. Oliff as a quote from the article by Count Hollander writing to ‘The Kennel Club’ in 1911 asking for recognition of the breed.

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Last modified: November 22, 2004