The Gentle Guardian is
possibly the most
appropriate description
one could give to the
Bullmastiff. This
relatively little known
breed of dog maybe the
best choice for the
family that wants good
dependable protection
for the family members
and their home.
Currently there are many
breeds of dogs that are
very popular as
watchdogs, however the
majority of these breeds
are used for home
protection or watchdogs
because they are vicious
by nature. The problem
with this type of dog is
that he doesn’t only
attack burglars, thieves
etc. but is also likely
to bite friends of the
family or relatives or
even children that may
come into the yard,
because he is just plain
vicious or possibly a
fear biter.
This is where the
Bullmastiff differs from
most of the other
breeds. The Bullmastiff
is a very gentle dog by
nature, his goal in life
being to please his
master and family, and
he becomes devoted to
them and will protect
the family and their
property if he feels
there is a genuine need
for his intervention.
The Bullmastiff will
accept and lavish all
the petting of
neighborhood children
and friends of the
family he can get
however if his master or
family shows genuine
apprehension or is
actually attacked, the
Bullmastiff will defend
them not because he is
vicious but because he
devoted to them and this
protective instinct is
born in him and requires
no special training.
Some Bullmastiffs have
been trained to attack
on command as can many
breeds of dog if trained
correctly, however many
people familiar with
dogs trained to attack
will tell you that the
only place for such dogs
is in the hands of an
expert handler and has
no place in the hands of
an ordinary citizen as
there have been to many
tragedies caused by
attack trained dogs
getting into the wrong
hands or getting out of
control.
The Bullmastiff has been
recognized as a true
breed for a relatively
short time as compared
to some of the other
breeds of dogs and was
first accepted for
registration in England
where the breed
originated in 1924 and
was accepted for
registration by the
American Kennel Club in
1933. This basic type or
breed of dog has been in
existence for possibly
several hundred years in
England according to
some dog historians,
they were called by
different names during
different periods of
time, and early
reference to dogs called
"Mongrel
Mastiffs,""Small
Mastiff,""Strong
Bulldogs" etc, were
believed to refer to
this basic breed.
Finally in the
mid-nineteenth century
the crossing of the
large Mastiff and the
early day Bulldogs which
little resemble today’s
Bulldogs, became quite
popular with Gamekeepers
that were charged with
keeping down poaching on
game preserves and large
estates in England. The
dog created by crossing
the two breeds seemed
ideal for the
requirements of the
Gamekeepers as they
wished to have a dog
what would protect them
from the poachers who
often ambushed and
killed the Gamekeepers
if given a chance.
As the poachers usually
worked at night it was
only natural that a good
dog would be of great
assistance. The dogs
resulting from the
Bulldog and Mastiff
cross resulted in an
active but compact and
powerful dog, large
enough to down the
poacher and hold him to
allow the Gamekeeper to
take him into custody.
These dogs inherited the
best characteristics of
the two breeds it
originated from and came
up with some qualities
not possessed by either
of its parent breeds.
This Bulldog and Mastiff
crosses became so
popular as helpers of
the Gamekeepers that
they were commonly known
for many years as the
"GAMEKEEPERS NIGHT
DOGS’. There were many
incidents recorded
during this era telling
of these "Keepers Night
Dogs" being able to take
armed men down and
holding them, some of
these incidents were in
the Gamekeepers actual
work, while other such
incidents took place at
exhibitions to
demonstrate the
qualities of the dogs
produced by the various
breeders of the day.
During some of the
exhibitions and even on
some occasions in the
field, the dogs were
called upon to down
armed men while muzzled
and were able to do so,
which gives some idea of
the strength and
determination these dogs
possessed when aroused.
Many of the gamekeepers
gave their dogs credit
for saving their lives.
After the passing of
this era the breed has
been used mostly as a
watchdog and companion
dog in many countries
and became quite popular
in Africa during the
early 1950’s due to the
Mau Mau uprisings and
were imported to that
continent by the white
settlers who found them
not only good for
protection against the
Mau Mau but also
beneficial in protecting
livestock from predators
such as lynx, leopard,
baboons and other such
animals.
Bullmastiffs are good
all around dogs and
enjoy hunting, and other
outdoor activities their
master may pursue as
they are a very
versatile breed of dog.
The Bullmastiff is an
upper medium size dog
not a giant breed. Most
Bullmastiffs will stand
from 24 to 27 to inches
in height at the
shoulder and weigh from
90 to 130 pounds when
mature. The dogs have a
heavy bone structure and
are very muscular in
build and are heavy for
their size as they are
compactly built. A
Bullmastiff weighing 130
pounds will appear to be
a much smaller dog than
most other breeds in
this same weight class.
Bullmastiffs may be any
shade of fawn or
brindle, with fawns
being more popular
today, however the
brindles were much more
in demand in the old
gamekeeper days as they
were impossible to see
after dark as the
brindle coloring has a
camouflage effect after
dark and currently the
somewhat rare brindles
seem to be making a
comeback.
The Bullmastiff’s ears
are not cropped, his
tail is not docked and
he has a short coat so
he requires no special
grooming or preparation
as there is nothing
artificial or false in
his makeup which is
quite a contrast to many
other more popular
breeds that do receive
various forms of surgery
or special trimming or
grooming to look their
best, and looks are
changed in order to
allow them to do well at
the dog shows. In the
Bullmastiff breed,
performance and
soundness are considered
more important than a
racy appearance.
Ideally a person that
purchases a Bullmastiff
should have a fenced in
yard, and a person
should not get a
Bullmastiff unless he
wants a dog to take in
just like another member
of the family, as the
Bullmastiff responds
best to this type of
treatment.
Young Bullmastiffs
should be allowed to
socialize with friendly
dogs and other pets at
an early age and should
never be taken around
other dogs that will
starting fights as after
a few such encounters
the Bullmastiff is
likely to find out how
tough he really is and
start to enjoy
fighting,(people often
laugh at a scrappy small
dog such as a terrier or
the like, however when
you have a dog with the
power of a Bullmastiff
that have been known to
kill baboons and other
large predators
single-handed, it’s no
laughing matter to have
him turned into a
habitual fighter) it is
therefore very important
to get the Bullmastiff
socialized with friendly
dogs at an early age, if
so conditioned the
Bullmastiff is as
tractable on neutral
territory as any other
breed, but they usually
resent strange dogs
coming into their home
or yard as they figure
this as their personal
territory.
As with many fairly
large dogs, it’s best to
start obedience training
at an early age. The
bullmastiff is quick to
learn and his main
desire is to please his
master and praise
coupled with firmness
will give you a will
disciplined dog if you
are consistent in you
application of both.
Bullmastiff’s often do
not gain their full
confidence until they
are about two years old
so the owner should not
expect him to really
come into his own until
he reaches this age.
After he matures he is
one of the best if not
the best watchdog
available if a situation
arises that requires his
intervention.
Many people who see a
bullmastiff playing with
children or other
friendly persons just
cannot believe this
breed can be anything
but friendly, however if
the need arises the
Bullmastiff can quickly
take on about a 180
degree change in his
personality and can
change from a friendly
clown into the most
determined attack dog
imaginable, and
punishment that would
case some of the other
breeds of dogs (that are
famous for their
viciousness) to let out
a yelp and run for cover
would just anger a
Bullmastiff to a greater
degree as he will fight
any man or animal unto
his death if necessary,
To protect his master to
whom he is so devoted.
Because this breed is so
friendly and stable but
brave and powerful if
the need arises, he may
be the dog that is best
suited in today’s
society to help cut down
on the soaring crime
rates especially assault
cases, without having to
read about so many
children having half
their faces bitten off
by vicious watchdogs in
newspapers.
This breed like any
breed is not a miracle
dog and will certainly
not fill the
requirements of every
household, however a
family that really likes
and understands dogs and
wishes a steady
dependable home
companion and have room
for an upper medium size
dog may wish to check
into the Bullmastiff,
The Gentle Guardian.
This article was written
by Conie R. Robertson