American Mastiff

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American Mastiff - www.dogbreedinfo.com/americanmastiff.htm

The American Mastiff has a much drier mouth than other Mastiffs. The drier mouth is due to outcrossing the English Mastiff with Anatolian Mastiff, which occurred early in the development of the breed. The American Mastiff is a large, massive and powerful dog. The head is wide, heavy and rectangular in shape. The eyes are amber in color, the darker the better. The ears are rounded and set high on the head. The muzzle is medium sized, and well-proportioned to the head, which has black mask. The nose is black. It has a scissor bite. The neck is powerful and slightly arched. The chest is deep, broad and well-rounded, descending to the level of elbows. The ribs are well-sprung and extend well back. The back is straight, muscular and powerful, with well-muscled and slightly arched loins. The forelegs are strong, straight and set well apart. The hind legs are wide and parallel. The feet are large, well-shaped and compact with arched toes .The tail is long, reaching the hocks. Puppies are usually born dark and lighten as they grow older, some becoming very light fawn by age one; some retain dark hairs. Colors are fawn, apricot and brindle. White markings acceptable on feet, chest and chin/nose. Temperament: Dignity rather than gaiety; quiet, calm, loving and loyal. Protective, but not aggressive.

Temperament:
The American Mastiff loves children and is totally devoted to its family. It is non-aggressive except in those instances when its family, especially the children, are threatened. In those instances it becomes a courageous defender. The American Mastiff is wise, kind and gentle, patient and understanding, very loving with its own people, neither shy nor vicious. It is loyal and devoted. Since these dogs are of the Mastiff type and grow to be very large, this breed should only be with an owner who knows how to display strong leadership.The objective in training this dog is to achieve pack leader status. It is a natural instinct for a dog to have an order in its pack. When we humans live with dogs we become their pack. The entire pack cooperates under a single leader; lines are clearly defined and rules are set. You and all other humans MUST be higher up in the order than the dog. That is the only way your relationship can be a success.

Height, Weight:
Height: 28 - 36 inches (65 - 91 cm)
Weight: Males 160 to over 200 pounds (72 - 90 kg) Females 140 - 180 pounds (63 - 81 kg)
Life Expectancy: About 10-12 years.

Origin: Developed by Fredericka Wagner of Piketon, OH, at Flying W Farms by crossing the English Mastiff with an Anatolian Mastiff. The resulting puppies had a firmer, tighter lower lip line and did not drool as much as the average Mastiff; selective breeding thereafter kept the drier mouth.

[Spike]

American Mastiff

[Spike]

AM Mastiff

Read more at: wagwalking.com/breed/american-mastiff

The American Mastiff can only be described as a giant of a dog. This colossus canine grows to reach almost 200 pounds and can stand up to 36 inches tall. That is a lot of dog, but luckily, they have a mellow temperament and are not aggressive. They can be stubborn and like to have their own way, so they do need an experienced dog handler to raise them to achieve their best. A strong leader with a lot of patience is the best owner for this dog, otherwise, they can tend to take over and become demanding. But they have a heart of gold and adore their family. They are kind and gentle with children, showing patience and tolerance to their antics. As with all dogs, this one needs socializing at an early age to encourage positive interaction with strangers and other dogs. The American Mastiff has a dryer mouth than the English Mastiff, which means less drool - but not no drool. A huge dog means they do need a house or apartment that has that extra space for them, but luckily they are quite a couch potato and are relatively inactive inside and rarely bark. They make wonderful companions and great watchdogs.

The American Mastiff is a relatively new breed although the Mastiff dogs have been around for centuries. Originally they were bred as an English war dog, where they had the job of attacking the enemy soldiers. Ferocious and tenacious - they were a dog to be feared. Between wars, they guarded the rich and wealthy homesteads and were occasionally trained in the sport of bear baiting. Thankfully in recent years, the aggression has been bred out of the dog, and they mellowed into a gentle giant. Mastiffs came to America with their colonist owners on the ship the Mayflower and were used as protection for families, stock and property. Sadly, there were a lot of inbreeding issues which began to cause health complications and a breeder called Fredericka Wagner in Piketon, Ohio decided to breed a new Mastiff to overcome these problems. She began in the late 1980s and carefully combined the Anatolian dog with the Mastiff. The offspring was vigilantly regulated with who they were bred with and eventually Fredericka developed the dog that had a tighter lip line. The dog she named the American Mastiff had a drier mouth and drooled less than the parent Mastiffs. By the late 1990s, Wagner had stopped outcrossing and was breeding with her existing dog lines. Later in 2002, Wagner started allowing a few breeders to join her newly formed American Mastiff Breeders Council. This has widened the gene pool to just 11 breeder members and they work hard to ensure the health and temperament of their dogs. Debate still rages as to whether the American Mastiff is as good as the breeders claim, but the fact remains that they have achieved a gentle giant of a dog that so far excels in health and temperament.

The American Mastiff is a giant sized dog who can weigh in at up to 200 pounds. While they look similar to their English counterparts, they are much slimmer than the English Mastiff and have a longer muzzle, fewer wrinkles and seem to have a kinder expression. They have a solid rectangular head, floppy high set ears, and they have a drier mouth (less drooling) and a black nose. The body of this imposing canine is massive and is solid muscle, although they still have that athletic look to them. Their neck is thick with a slight arch that blends into the deep chest. A long straight back and solid powerful legs are completed with a set of massive padded paws. They have a long, muscular whip-like tail. This breed comes in colors such as fawn, brindle, and apricot and can vary in tone, as well as have complimentary white markings and a black mask that gives them a mysterious, almost forbidding look at first glance. That is until you see their warm brown eyes that twinkle with humor.