Colors of a Mastiff

Mastiffs are large domesticated family dogs. There are currently more than twenty recognized mastiff breeds. All of them have similar size and stature, but different colors, patterns and markings. However, the only mastiff breed referred to simply as mastiff by the American Kennel Club is the English mastiff. These mastiffs come in three different color variations and have distinct markings on the face.

  1. Head Markings

    • All purebred mastiffs have what the American Kennel Club refers to as a black mask. This is dark-colored fur on the muzzle and nose. Close to black and black are best. The ears and around the eyes should be dark as well. This is less noticeable in brindle mastiffs and some non-English mastiffs, such as the Neapolitan mastiff. It is not present in some non-English breeds, such as the Argentinian, French and Brazilian mastiffs.

    Apricot

    • Apricot is one of the three colors that mastiffs can have. Apricot is a reddish, orange or brownish-yellow coat. It should cover the entire body, except for the black or blackish parts of the head. Some may have a white patch on the chest, though this should be small on well-bred mastiffs.

    Fawn

    • Fawn coloring is similar to apricot, only lighter. Fawn mastiffs are reddish or brownish light yellow. Other types that may have fawn coloring are Spanish mastiffs, bull mastiffs and American mastiffs.

    Brindle

    • Brindle is a coat color pattern that involves a light base color and a dark top color that appears in a stripe or swirl pattern. In well-bred mastiffs, the base color is apricot or fawn. The darker, preferably black, fur should appear in stripes all over brindle mastiffs. The darker hair can be so prominent as to make the dog look almost black. Dogs that have this coloring are brindle so long as they base color is there, no matter how prominent the dark coloring.

    Faulty Coloring

    • A mastiff that is not well bred or pure bred may show signs of it in its coloring. Anything more than a small patch of white on the chest is indicative of poor breeding. There should not be any other white marks on the rest of the dog's body. If there are no dark markings on the head, or the markings are too light, that also indicates poor breeding. This does not mean that the mastiff will not make a good pet. It just means that it is not a show dog.