{"id":40,"date":"2025-08-20T18:44:49","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T18:44:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/divonmastiffs.ca\/?page_id=40"},"modified":"2026-02-25T16:43:51","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T16:43:51","slug":"about-the-breed","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/divonmastiffs.ca\/?page_id=40","title":{"rendered":"About the Breed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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ABOUT ENGLISH MASTIFFS<\/h2>\n

Frequently Asked Questions about our English Mastiffs & Puppies<\/h2>\n

What Is A Mastiff?<\/h3>\n

A Mastiff is a giant breed of dog descended from the ancient Alaunt and Molossur breeds.\u00a0 Today, mastiffs is used to describe many different breeds around\u00a0the world, all descended from the same rootstock.\u00a0 In the USA and other English speaking countries, Mastiff is used to refer to the Old English Mastiff (OEM), developed in\u00a0England and nearly extinct after WWII.\u00a0Mastiffs are very large dogs; fawn, apricot, or brindle in color; all with a dark mask and ears; possessing a medium to short coat.<\/p>\n

How Big Is The Mastiff?<\/h3>\n

There is no upper height limit.\u00a0 Mastiffs may range from the minimum of 27 inches to 36 inches for the exceptionally tall ones.\u00a0 There is no weight range\u00a0in the Mastiff standard – they can weigh anywhere from 100 lbs. to the world’s record of 343 lbs.\u00a0 Most Mastiff males weigh from 160-230 lbs. and females weigh 120-170 lbs.\u00a0\u00a0This breed is supposed to be very broad with a huge head, wide chest and large bone, and is longer in body than in height.\u00a0 Mastiffs should have a calm, self-assured\u00a0temperament,be devoted o family and friends, steady, gentle, eager for affection, good with children, calm and self-assured.<\/p>\n

What Are Mastiffs Good For?<\/h3>\n

Mastiffs excel as companions, family members, therapy workers, and watchers of the home.\u00a0 Mastiffs have also done well, when properly trained\u00a0and conditioned, at carting, agility, obedience, conformation showing, search and rescue (SAR), and weight pulling.\u00a0 And of course, puppy-sitting and child-watching.<\/p>\n

Are Mastiffs Easy To Train?<\/h3>\n

Both easy and difficult.\u00a0 Mastiffs are smart, and they live to please you.\u00a0 However, they can go through phases where they are also stubborn, and\u00a0these phases can last anywhere from a couple of weeks in puppyhood to (in some cases) most of the dog’s lifetime.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A lot depends on the owner’s wisdom and perception of the\u00a0dog’s needs.\u00a0Keep training sessions short (10-15 minutes) and frequent (several times a day) because in addition to their stubbornness, Mastiffs have sensitive feelings and if they get\u00a0frightened, hurt, or confused, they cannot be budged.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Example: Vesta laid down in the show ring and would not get up!\u00a0 It was her first show and she became confused, so the\u00a0safe thing to do was to lie down and hide her eyes.\u00a0 We never got mad at her – we just convinced her it was fun and she became a fabulous showdog.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Use lots of treats (Mastiffs love to eat!) and make training a game.\u00a0 Use a happy excited voice and lots of praise but be consistent and firm.\u00a0 Practice on a regular basis.\u00a0 Dogs like\u00a0to be trained, it gives them a job to do, and they want to please their beloved owners.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Once trained, a Mastiff never needs a stronger correction than a stern voice.<\/p>\n

How Does The Bullmastiff Differ From a Mastiff?<\/h3>\n

The Mastiff is an ancient British breed and its history can be traced back over 2,000 years.\u00a0 The Bullmastiff is a relatively recent\u00a0breed developed from crossing the Mastiff (60%) and Bulldog (40%) stock.\u00a0 The most noticeable differences are temperament, the conformation of the body and heads and the\u00a0overall size of the dogs.<\/p>\n

Are Mastiffs Aggressive?<\/h3>\n

A typical Mastiff’s temperament, by nature, is one of gentle demeanor.\u00a0 However, as with any breed, the Mastiff can become aggressive for varying\u00a0reasons.\u00a0 Typically, aggressive behavior is a “learned response” and\/or results from a lack of proper socialization during the dog’s developmental stages.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Are Mastiffs Good Watchdogs?<\/h3>\n

Mastiffs are excellent watchdogs.\u00a0 They go to the door and bark, their hackles stand up, and they look formidable but as a breed, Mastiffs are not\u00a0trigger-happy.\u00a0 They have a gentle, rather than aggressive, nature. Mastiffs tend to react in predictable ways when a tense situation arises between a stranger and their owner.\u00a0\u00a0Mastiffs view themselves as a protector and will move between the threat and the owner.\u00a0 No sane mugger would dare reach over a guarding Mastiff.<\/p>\n

How Are Mastiffs With Young Children And Strangers?<\/h3>\n

By nature Mastiffs are gentle and protective with\u00a0young\u00a0children providing that they have been raised with children and\u00a0are accustomed to them.\u00a0 Small children should not be allowed to play roughly with young dogs, i.e. “riding the horsey” because it can permanently traumatize a Mastiff puppy.<\/p>\n

How Are Mastiffs With Other Dogs And Animals?<\/h3>\n

By nature a Mastiff is friendly but aloof toward other dogs.\u00a0 As with any dog they must be properly socialized around other\u00a0dogs from early puppyhood.\u00a0 When you have two or more dogs, a “pecking order” will develop.\u00a0 Each dog will have his or her place in the “pack hierarchy”.<\/p>\n

Bringing Your New Mastiff Puppy Home<\/h3>\n

Make sure you and your family commit yourself to training your puppy.\u00a0 Research your local training facilities and beginning at about 12\u00a0weeks old sign up for puppy classes.\u00a0 This will help with socialization and early training of your new puppy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Move to more advanced classes when your dog is about six months\u00a0old.\u00a0 Make sure you stay motivated and knowledgeable an untrained Mastiff can prove to be an unacceptable family member.\u00a0 Make sure you work with your new puppy\u00a0everyday.<\/p>\n

Do not ask to much from a young Mastiff Dog physically, such as jumping and long runs while your pup is growing.\u00a0 This can be too hard on the growing joints.\u00a0 Your Mastiff\u00a0should be about 12-18 months old before any heaving physical demands should be placed on them.<\/p>\n

Expose your puppy to as many different experiences as possible, but do not allow your puppy to be traumatized.\u00a0 Remember to protect your puppy, if you protect them at a\u00a0young age they will protect you for the rest of their lives.<\/p>\n

We highly recommend that you use crate training to house train your new Mastiff Puppy.\u00a0 We have found that this works the best as puppies do not like to mess where they\u00a0sleep.\u00a0 You will find that the crate will become a safe place for them to go, lay down and relax when they are tired.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ABOUT ENGLISH MASTIFFS Frequently Asked Questions about our English Mastiffs & Puppies What Is A Mastiff? A Mastiff is a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-40","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/divonmastiffs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/40","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/divonmastiffs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/divonmastiffs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divonmastiffs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divonmastiffs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=40"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/divonmastiffs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/40\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":254,"href":"https:\/\/divonmastiffs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/40\/revisions\/254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/divonmastiffs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=40"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}