The Bullmastiff Basics

The Bullmastiff was created by breeding Old English Bulldogs with English Mastiffs, and recognized as a separate breed by the English Kennel Club in 1924 and the American Kennel Club in 1933. It is now becoming popular as a family dog, although it was originally bred as a working dog meant to help gamekeepers catch poachers. Because of this, they tend to be agile, fast, and strong and to have a lot of endurance.

In appearance, the Bullmastiff should be red, brindle, or fawn, although a small amount of white on the chest or black on the head is considered acceptable. Their coats are short and dense. They are between 25 and 27 inches tall, and weigh between 90 and 130 pounds. They are not meant to be any larger since this would interfere with their original purpose of helping track and catch poachers.

The temperament of the Bullmastiff tends to be a bit reserved, though they can be very loving toward their owners. They need to have proper socialization early in life so that they will deal well with children, strangers, and other animals. They should be supervised when they are with children since they might accidentally knock them down, especially smaller children. They also need to have an owner who can be firm and show them who is the pack leader. They are normally gentle and calm, however. They are not as likely to bark as some dogs, which means that usually if they bark it is worth looking into the reason. They are not likely to attack people, though if they are provoked they might knock over the person and hold them down.

The Bullmastiff tends to drool and snore. They are also somewhat prone to certain diseases, including hip displasia, elbow displasia, cancer, bloat, hypothyroidism, arthritis, entropion, and progressive retinal atrophy.

Proper care for these dogs includes keeping an eye on what they eat since they are prone to weight gain. Giving them multiple smaller meals will help with possible bloating problems. They need to get some exercise, so they should be walked. They need to be rubbed down or brushed to get rid of dead hairs, but bathing should be limited only to when it is necessary.