Saturday, April 30, 2011

Significant Information About Spanish Mastiffs

By Fabio Garcia


The Spanish mastiff is known as Mastn Espao in Spain. This large sized dog was bred for its skill and strength to work as a guard dog while tending to sheep in the pastures. The brave dog is recognized to protect and defend different livestock from predatory wolves and other animals that attack herds of livestock.

It is commonly thought that the Spanish mastiff is a descendent of the Greek dogs that were introduced to Spain in 1000 BC. These dogs were mainly introduced by the Phoenician and Greek Marine traders who frequented the Iberian Peninsula in that time. The Greeks were known for utilizing similar dogs for their large size and strength during warfare and battles.

While the conquest of South and North America went on, the people of Spain employed the Spanish mastiff and other Molossers in their warfare against North American tribes like the Mayans and Aztecs among other tribes. As these dogs were strong, fierce and trained for combat, the native Indians feared them.

Visually, the Spanish mastiff seems to be an awesome, huge animal. Its appearance is much like that of other varieties of mastiff and its head is big with loose folded skin in addition to the common double dewlap on its neck.

The wither height of male Spanish mastiffs is usually around thirty inches. Their weight averages between 110 to 140 pounds. Female Spanish mastiffs are able to attain the height of 28 inches and they weigh between 110 to 130 pounds typically. However, it is common to find huge Spanish mastiffs, that are double this size.

The muzzle of the Spanish mastiff is longer in comparison with that of other mastiffs. Other than that it has drop ears that are shaped like triangles and very small eyes. The general color of the coat is fawn or reddish but it may also range towards black, brindle and the color of a wolf's fur coat. The woolly texture of the fur keeps the dog warm along with the dense layer underneath.

The Spanish mastiff is short but strong and healthy. Its chest is like that found on animals with a lot of weight and the shape of its body is rectangular with adequate muscles and heavy, strong bones. The Spanish mastiff shares the double dewclaw characteristic of the hind feet with the Great Pyrenees breed. This dog has a low tail which has a fringed texture. This is very agile dog that moves smoothly disregarding the truth that it is large in size.

There are basically two kinds of Spanish mastiff one that is the heavy mastiff and the other that is the light mastiff called Mastin Pesado and Mastin Ligero in Spanish.

The heavyweight Spanish mastiff is the kind of mountain dog that comes from Spain's northern region and it is also a show dog because of its impressive appearance. The lightweight mastiff is fast and agile and lives in Spain's southern region. People do not consider these mastiffs as individual breeds but as regional breeds that differ from the other Spanish mastiff slightly.




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