Dog Breeds > Bullmastiff
The Bullmastiff
The Bullmastiff is a reliable and trustworthy guard dog, pet and companion. This large sentinel is a friendly and protective pet that would surely make your hearts melt at the very sight of it. Often mistaken to a Bulldog, this breed would fascinate you, your friends and your family members every day.
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Fascinating Facts
The Bullmastiff is a crossbreed of Bulldog and Mastiff. This breed was primarily used by gamekeepers to capture and apprehend poachers. The original color of this breed is black because it was used during night time operations. However, when the gamekeepers felt that there is no need to use the Bullmastiff breeders began to mix other colors to the Bullmastiff. Records as early as 1795 supported the claim that the Bullmastiff already existed.
Physical Appearance
The Bullmastiff measures and weighs about 25 – 27 inches and 110 – 133 pounds. This massive dog has a large skull with wrinkled skin in the forehead and wide muzzle. The nose is black and has wide nostrils. The eyes are dark hazel in color and medium sized. The ears are hanging closely to the face.
The coat of the Bullmastiff is thick, short and rough. Coat color includes brindle, red and fawn. There are times that black markings can be shown on the head.
Grooming
The rough and short coat of the Bullmastiff should be easy to groom. Use a brush with firm bristle and bathe only if needed. Regularly check the ears, skin and feet for fleas or burrs that might give this dog skin infection.
Mood
The Bullmastiff is a large but extremely loyal and talented dog. Although this dog’s height gives one the impression that it might attack anybody, it never bites apprehended strangers. Despite its size and powerful movements, this dog is affectionate and friendly and constantly needs human leadership.
This breed can live harmoniously with other dogs and other animals. It has to be trained properly so that it would remember that the humans are the alpha or the leaders around the house. In order to make this breed friendlier with strangers, it should be socialized regularly so that it would not attack any passing strangers.
With Children
The Bullmastiff is lenient and friendly with children. Make sure that you supervise your children when playing with the Bullmastiff so that they would not be accidentally got hurt while interacting with the dog.
Training & Exercise
The Bullmastiff is a dog that should always meet its primal instinct to migrate. The suggested exercise for this breed is 2 – 3 hours of long daily walks in order to prevent it from developing behavior problems.
Training is not a problem for Bullmastiff because this breed likes to learn new things. It likes to engage in new adventure together with its master. Despite of its great size, this breed is sensitive to the tone of the trainer’s voice. Use calm and gentle words or instructions when communicating with the Bullmastiff. Food reward can stimulate the dog to do and perform more.
Health & Life Expectancy
The normal lifespan of the Bullmastiff is about 10 years. This breed is very susceptible to bloat. Many owners/breeders/handlers feed this dog one big meal every day. This increases that chance for the Bullmastiff from having bloat. The suggested serving per day is three small meals so that it would not put too much strain on its stomach.
Another health related problem of the Bullmastiff that you should be aware of are hip dysplasia, cancer, eye problems and tumor. Make sure that you visit a veterinarian to regularly monitor the dog’s health condition. Also ask for advice about the kinds of vaccination this dog should have.
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