Create Your Bullmastiff's Shop
Bullmastiff Breed Summary
Courageous, Protective, Loving and Devoted
These dogs are very powerful looking in appearance and are the result of crossing an Old English Mastiff with the Bulldog. They were originally used in tracking down poachers. They are popular both here in the UK and across the world.
Their intelligence and alertness also makes them relatively easy to train. However, they will only respond to commands if they know why they are doing something, so this needs to be taken into consideration when training.
Fun Fact: One of these dogs starred alongside Sylvester Stallone in Rocky!
Kennel Club Group | Working |
Lifespan | 8 - 10 years |
Height (at the withers) | Males 64cm - 69cm, Females 61cm - 66cm |
Weight | Males 50kg - 59kg, Females 41kg - 54kg |
Coat | The Coat is a Short, Hard and Close-Lying |
Colour | Brindle, Brindle With Black Muzzle, Fawn, Fawn With Black Muzzle, Red, Red With Black Muzzle |
Eye colour | Dark or Hazel |
Common health issues | Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome, Cancer, Hip dysplasia, Elbow dysplasia, Persistent pupillary membrane (PPM), Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA-rho), Canine multi-focal retinopathy (CMR), Dominant Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA-D), Bloat/gastric torsion, Entropion, Skin Allergies - eczema, dermatitis, alopecia, muzzle pyoderma, Kidney Stones, Cervical Malformation |
Bullmastiff's still retain their bold and assertive personalities but always in aim to please their 'hoomans'. They are natural watchdogs and will respond almost instantly to any signs of threat, although it is very unlikely that they will bark at anything or anyone, having been bred to keep their mouths closed! However, they have and always be fierce protectors. In order to remain well-rounded dogs, they need to be socialised and trained from a young age. This way, they will get used to strangers and other interesting sounds and smells! They're not exactly high-energy dogs and are more than happy to have just a few short walks a day. For this reason, they can also live in smaller homes – just make room for them on the sofa!
The Bullmastiff is a fairly new breed, having been developed around 1860 by English Gamekeepers. They were created in response in need of a dog that was large in size but also both discreet and courageous. It's thought that the breed was experimented with for a while, but ultimately a Bulldog crossed with a Mastiff created a dog most according to the requirements wanted. They developed a nickname as the 'Gamekeepers Night-dog' and worked both alongside their masters as well as their families as well. As the popularity of poaching declined, the dogs changed their jobs to guard dogs and nowadays, they are more likely seen as family pets.