A mastiff is a large and powerful type of dog. Mastiffs are among the largest dogs, and typically have a short coat, a long low-set tail and large feet; the skull is large and bulky, the muzzle broad and short (brachycephalic) and the ears drooping and pendant-shaped. European and Asian records dating back 3,000 years show dogs of the mastiff type. Mastiffs have historically been guard dogs, protecting homes and property, although throughout history they have been used as hunting dogs, war dogs and for blood sports, such as dog fighting, bull-baiting, bear-baiting, and even lion-baiting.
History Historical and archaeological evidence suggests that mastiffs have long been distinct in both form and function from the similarly large livestock guardian dogs from which they were most likely developed; they also form separate genetic populations. The Fédération Cynologique Internationale and some kennel clubs group the two types together as molossoid dogs; some modern livestock guardian breeds, such as the Pyrenean Mastiff, the Spanish Mastiff and the Tibetan Mastiff, and an extinct draught dog called the Belgian Mastiff, have the word "mastiff" in their name, but are not considered true mastiffs.
Many older English sources refer to mastiffs as bandogs or bandogges, although technically the term "bandog" meant a dog that was tethered by a chain (or "bande") that would be released at night; the terms "mastiff" and "bandog" were often used interchangeably. In the twentieth century the term "bandog" was revived to describe some large fighting mastiff type dogs crossed with any bulldog in the United States.
List of mastiff breeds Extant breeds Breed Alternate name(s) Country of origin Use Image Alano Español Spain War dog, bull-baiting, big-game hunting Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog United States Guard dog American Bulldog United States Guard dog, catch dog, farm dog Boerboel South African Mastiff South Africa Guard dog Boxer Germany Guard dog, big-game hunting Broholmer Denmark Guard dog Bulldog United Kingdom (England) Companion dog, formerly bull-baiting Bullmastiff Gamekeeper's Night Dog United Kingdom (England) Guard dog Bully Kutta India and Pakistan Guard dog, big-game hunting, dog fighting Campeiro Bulldog Brazil Catch dog, butcher's dog Cane Corso Italy Guard dog, catch dog Cão Fila de São Miguel Portugal Cattle-herding dog, catch dog Chongqing dog China Guard dog Cimarrón Uruguayo Uruguay Guard dog Continental Bulldog Swiss Bulldog Switzerland Companion dog Dogo Argentino Argentina Guard dog, big-game hunting, dog fighting Dogo Guatemalteco Guatemala Guard dog, formerly bull-baiting Dogue Brasileiro Brazil Guard dog Dogue de Bordeaux France Guard dog English Mastiff United Kingdom (England) Guard dog Fila Brasileiro Brazil Guard dog French Bulldog Bouledogue Français France Lap dog Great Dane Germany Big-game hunting Kurdish Mastiff Iraq Guard dog Laizhou Hong China Companion dog, working dog, guard dog Neapolitan Mastiff Mastino Napoletano Italy Guard dog Olde English Bulldogge United States Modern-day re-creation of the extinct Old English Bulldog Perro de Presa Canario Canary Islands Guard dog, catch dog Perro de Presa Mallorquin Spain Bull-baiting Pyrenean Mastiff Spain Guard dog Rottweiler Germany Guard dog Serrano Bulldog Buldogue Serrano Brazil Herding dog, butcher's dog Spanish Mastiff Spain Guard dog Tosa Japan Dog fighting
Extinct breeds Breed Alternate name(s) Country or region of origin Era Use Image Alaunt Alaunt de Boucherie Europe, Central Asia Big-game hunting, guard dog, dog fighting Bullenbeisser Germany to World War II Bull-baiting (as Bullenbeisser), bear-baiting (as Bärenbeisser) Córdoba fighting dog Argentina to the 1920s Dog fighting Dogo Cubano Cuba 16th – late 19th c. Recapturing runaway slaves, bull-baiting, dog fighting Fila da Terceira Portugal to the 1970s Catch dog Molossus Southern Europe Classical antiquity War dog, guard dog, big-game hunting, dog fighting Old English Bulldog Great Britain and Ireland 17th–19th c. Bull-baiting, dog fighting Toy Bulldog United Kingdom (England) 18th – early 20th c. Lap dog
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