Types of Bullmastiffs

The variations in the dog breed bullmastiff are very slim. However, breeders and champion shows do look for certain characters in size, color and appearance that define a certain type of bullmastiff. In addition, Brazilian breeders created their own strain of a bullmastiff that is similar to the bullmastiff but lacks the old English history of the traditional breed.

  1. Size and Appearance

    • The American Kennel Club (AKC) states that the general appearance of a bullmastiff displays traits from both mastiff and bulldog breeds. For size, a male bullmastiff is 25 to 27 inches at the withers, 110 to 130 lb. in weight. Ears are V-shaped and close to the cheeks, with a square appearance to the skull. The face has a fair amount of wrinkles. The muzzle or mouth of the bullmastiff is broad and deep. A bullmastiff with a lack of forehead or nostrils on top of the muzzle, very near a bulldog appearance, is undesirable.

    Colors

    • Bullmastiffs come in many colors. The nose is usually black, while the rest of its body color and markings take on tan to dark brown colors. The standard colors for a bullmastiff are fawn, fawn brindle, red, red brindle, red fawn an red fawn brindle. The black mask is preferable, meaning the nose and muzzle are black. However, masks also come in black and white, or fawn, however, these are alternate colorings.

    Gamekeepers

    • Traditionally, the bullmastiff were bred in England around 1860. Large estates used the bullmastiff as gamekeepers, where they stopped poachers from taking game off the farms. As such, a bullmastiff aids in guarding and hunting, because the dog can attack on command. Dogs who had a brindle color often worked at night, consequently earning the name "Night Dog." However, AKC states that a bullmastiff makes a great companion dog.

    Brazilian Bullmastiff

    • The Brazilian bullmastiff is a new breed. A cross between an American pit bull terrier and Tosu Inu, the breed started in south Brazil. In 1990, the breed mixed with mastiffs and bullmastiffs to create the Brazilian bullmastiff. As a result, the Brazilian breed is very large, and shows the same colors and markings of a traditional bullmastiff. However, a Brazilian bullmastiff lacks most of the wrinkles and the square head of their cousins.