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You shouldn’t fear the incredible large size of the English Mastiff because despite being massive, this dog is loving and gentle. Comparing its size to other animals, it will parallel that of a horse; its weight, parallel to that of a few dog breeds combined. Despite its gargantuan size, people are still magnetized to the charm and impeccable powerful yet gentle demeanor of this breed.

A male Mastiff weighs from 150 lbs to 250 lbs while the female may weigh from 120 lbs - 200 lbs. Measuring the length, a Mastiff has a typical length of 8.25 feet, from tip of the nose to the tip of the tail. The Mastiff is so unbelievably large that the record holder for Guinness Books of World Records for the heaviest dog of all time is a Mastiff named Zorba.

Generally, a Mastiff should have a black mask or a black colored nose, muzzle, ears and eye area. The coat is short and smooth and comes in a variety of color combinations such as apricot-fawn, silver-fawn, fawn, or dark fawn-brindle. Cleaning the Mastiff is quite easy as well for it only needs bathing when necessary, a frequent coat brushing and body wiping using a towel.

The Mastiff’s overly large size reflects its courage, dignity and calm disposition while it is an indistinct manifestation of its innate ability to be affectionate and protective. This dog is gentle, patient and calm and so it does well with children. Some Mastiffs are wary of strangers but there are those who are apt in welcoming prospective friends.

Naturally, a first impression on this breed must be great stubbornness and fatal ferocity, however, the Mastiff is far from such. In fact, this breed is all good bones because it is obedient, soft-hearted, calm, intelligent and self-assured. Despite having a great size, it only loves to stay indoors and skip exercise if it can.

Other great qualities of the Mastiff are its superb watching and guarding abilities. It protects its master, possession and territory from possible intruders by means of blocking its large body against the path of the unknown person while barking so incessantly loud and scary. The Mastiff, despite being good at this does not harm people but rather warns the intruder to back down only.

Because of this ability, the Mastiff ranked among the world’s top 5 best guard dogs. With the size of the Mastiff, it is surprising to know that it is not exorbitantly active but will likely stay indoors and be inactive. It only needs a fair amount of regular exercise such as walking in order to keep its mind and body healthy.

The history of this large breed also goes back to the ancient Greek’s giant dogs Alaunt and Molloser. In 16th century, they set foot in Britain and it was then and there that they were developed and bred to become fighters in the bloody and barbaric games of bull-baiting, bear-baiting and dog fighting. The name Mastiff allegedly came from the Anglo-Saxon word “masty” which means powerful and additionally, this breed is the main contributor of some of the world’s dog breeds of today such as the Boxer.

Tags: Dogs

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