AKA: Alentejo Mastiff, Portuguese Mastiff, Mutt of Alentejo

Description: The Rafeiro do Alentejo is a large dog, with a bear-like broad head and strong robust body. Its eyes are dark and its ears are small to medium sized and folding downwards. Its neck is strong and has the regular dewlap, and its chest is broad and deep. Its legs are strong and upright, and its body ends with a long and curving tail. The Rafeiro do Alentejo’s coat is of medium length and thick and straight.

Dynamics: The Rafeiro do Alentejo is an excellent and confident guard dog. It is calm, courageous, but not aggressive. It is also an independent and intelligent dog, and very watchful. It gets suspicious of strangers, especially after dark, which makes it a very valuable guard for our homes. It is more for defense rather than for attacking, and gives out a low, deep bark.

The Rafeiro do Alentejo is affectionate with its family despite its reserved nature with strangers. It can get sensitive to reprimands and is also eager to please. Training and socializing this dog has to be done at puppyhood. It is also important that the training is consistent. This is a serious dog that does its job seriously. The Rafeiro do Alentejo is a very noble breed this way. This breed may be reserved with strangers but gets along nicely with children.

Breed Group: Guard

Weight: males 110-132 pounds (50-60 kg), females 100-121 pounds (45-55 kg)

Height: males 27-28 inches (66-75 cm), females 25-28 inches (64 – 70 cm)

Color: The Rafeiro do Alentejo has a coat of the colors black, wolf-like, tawny, or yellowish, draped in either a fair, striped, or white-spotted paterrn.

Country of Origin: The Rafeiro do Alentejo comes from Portugal, but it is often claimed that the breed was descended from huge dogs on the Tibetan highlands ages ago.

Activities: The Rafeiro do Alentejo is a serious dog made for real work. It does not usually exert energy on unnecessary tasks and instead focuses on getting serious with its real job of guarding herds and properties. This dog may not need any heavy exercise but it still needs to be walked everyday.

Grooming: The Rafeiro do Alentejo is a low-maintenance dog. Brushing its coat daily is enough. Bathe only when necessary.

Other Info: The Rafeiro do Alentejo has a life expectancy of 12 years. This dog is not made for life in an apartment. It likes having an open and large yard, and owners should take care to put a secure fence around because it is very suspicious of strangers.

AKA: Alapha Blue Blood Bulldogs

Description: The Otto Bulldog is tall and very strong, with broad chest legs are muscular and straight. Feet are like cat and large. Male Otto Bulldogs are much heavier than females. Females do have much more feminine looks that could easily be distinguished. The tail is long and never docked. Their ears are regular in length and triangular in shape. Their coat is short and compact that is even on their body. Eyes are like marble with a combination of blue and brown. They are very known to have black mask on their face and patches on their eyes.

Temperament: This breed is a genius, friendly and refine that could be a good companion to their owners. They are also very protective of their owners and could be trained for them to socialize with cats and other dogs in the family. They are a dominant type of breed so they should be trained well. They are also good for children as pet and be also introduced to their playmates for them to be able to know them better and avoid misunderstanding.

Activity: They are required to have long walk everyday and a romp in a secured area they are an athletic dog so they need to regain their energy and be healthy.

Health: Usually some of them may suffer from entropian a condition that lower eyelid rolls inward that may result to eye infection that should be treated to avoid blindness. Life span is about 12-15 years.

Grooming: Easy to groom breed since they have short coat. Brushing them with stiff bristle brush to avoid dead hair. They are an average shedder so only a regular grooming is required for this breed. Bathe them only when necessary.

Group: Mastiff
Color: Blue, Grey, or Merle. Black
Height: 22 inches (55 cm.)
Weight: Males average 80 pounds (36 kg.). Females average 65 pounds (29 kg.).
Country Of Origin: US

Dynamics: In 1980, this breed was maintained by Lana Lou Lane until she was burned in her house. This breed were also used in large plantation in Georgia to guard the slaves working in the plantation and some gate crashers that would attack. This kind of breed has all the appearance of a bulldog but are taller compared to bulldogs.

Photo by Werner

AKA: English Mastiff, Mastiff
Description: Old English Mastiffs is a heavyweight breed, has broad skull and square shaped structure. They are a very powerful dog that creates strong impression on people. Forelegs are wide set apart. Their black mask on their eyes and nose is prominent on them. Their hazel eyes are dark and small that goes along with their small ears too. Their coat comes in various colors. Teeth are in scissors bite and tail is set high reaching the hocks.

Temperament: Known as a dignified and courageous breed. They are a loving dog especially to their master. Also calm but could also protect their owner against harm, capable to be a guard dog that could give protection to their owner especially with those suspicious strangers. They are an easygoing and gentle dog too and very loyal to their owner and very dedicated towards their family, small dogs and children.

Activity: A daily exercise is required for them as they tend to be lazy. Daily walks and jog will keep them healthy and fit as long as owners should impose that they should heel beside their owner during walks and jog to instill in their mind who their leader should be.

Health: Hip dysplasia is common to them also prone to bloat, gastric torsion,ectropion, vaginal hyperplasia, elbow dysplasia. Life span is about 10-12 years.

Grooming: They are easy to groom since they have short hair and does not shed heavily. They needed to be brushed to remove dead hair and wipe with towel to make their coat shine and soft to touch. Bathe them only when necessary.

Breed Group: Mastiff, AKC Working
Color: golden fawn, light fawn, brindle, silver, tiger, and apricot
Height: Dogs from 30 inches (76cm) Bitches from 27 inches (69cm)
Weight: Dogs about 160 pounds (72kg) Bitches about 150 pounds (68kg)
Country Of Origin: Britain

Dynamics: The Old English Dog Belongs to the World’s top 5 guard dogs. That is why they could be an excellent guard dog to their owners. They belong to the mastiff group which is known as powerful and been delegated as the arena gladiator in a bloody sport of bull.

Photo by BLikly

Description: The Nebolish Mastiff is considered the most agile dog of the Mastiff breeds. Its body is muscular, structured with large bones. Its head is broad, its chest is wide, and its jaws form a scissors bite. Its coat is usually short or medium-length. But there are also Nebolish Mastiff dogs with long coats. Its body ends with a tail that can be docked.

Dynamics: The Nebolish Mastiff is a fearless, alert, and intelligent breed. It is known to be stubborn if it thinks that its owner cannot handle it well. Once a part of the family, however, it becomes a oyal and very protective companion. It brings about an air of dignity, and is good natured, patient, and even tempered. It can be playful with children and get along with them well. Socialization is important, of course, to void destructive behavior in the dog.

In training the Nebolish Mastiff, the owner has to achieve sort of pack leader status. He or she has to be dominant over the dog, otherwise the Nebolish Mastiff will belittle you and not follow you. It is intelligent this way. The training also has to be consistent and firm, with the line between the leader and the follower clear between the owner and the Nebolish Mastiff.

Breed Group: Mastiff, Working

Weight: 95-200 pounds (43-90 kg)

Height: 27-36 inches (79-90 cm)

Color: The coat of the Nebolish Mastiff can be either fawn or brindle, of any shade of the colors, including a rare silver. The coat can also have markings, although it is preferred that the dog not have any markings at all. The markings can be a black mask or any white markings on the body.

Country of Origin: The Nebolish Mastiff is one of the rarest breeds of the Mastiff types. The breed was developed in the Northwest and Canada, back in the late 1960s. There have been many reports on the exact breakdown of the breeding program of the Nebolish Mastiff, all still just claims and with no certainty.

Activities: The Nebolish Mastiff loves to run and swim, and so this dog should be taken out everyday for its daily delights. Walking everyday with a little play session can suffice for those owners who do not have much time on their hands. When walking out, the Nebolish Mastiff should be made to heel beside or behind the owner, as a sign that you are the leader and the dog should follow you. Otherwise, it will ignore you and take off on its own to have fun.

Grooming: Combing or brushing regularly is enough as a grooming routine for the Nebolish Mastiff. Bathe only when necessary.

Other Info: The Nebolish Mastiff has a life expectancy of 10 to 14 years. It is generally a very healthy breed, developed to be agile and free of genetic defects. This breed is not fit to live in an apartment, as it likes to explore and occasionally romp around. This breed loves warm climate, and loves the water.

Photo: Boxers of Whiteface Ranch

AKA: Mastino Napoletano, Italian Mastiff, Mastino, Italian Bulldog, Neo Mastiff

Description: The Neapolitan Mastiff is a powerful dog that looks intimidating and serious. It has a rectangularly proportional body, with a wrinkled face, a massive head, and a muscular limbs. Its wrinkles usually go from the face to the chin and continues to go down the neck, forming a prominent dewlap. The skull is broad, somehow emphasizing its intimidating look. Add to that that the Neapolitan Mastiff walks with a loose and cat-like gait.

The nose is black, and the jaws form a scissors bite. The ears can be cropped, and the Neapolitan Mastiff’s tail can be docked. But these are painful for the dog, and so many prefer the natural look of the breed. The eyes of the Neapolitan Mastiff is blue at first, at puppyhood, but as it grows darker as it grows up. They usually vary with the dog’s coat color.

Dynamics: It may have a vicious and intimidating appearance but the Neapolitan Mastiff is actually a calm and peaceful dog. When provoked or threatened, however, they become fearless and overprotective. It is a highly intelligent breed that is loyal and devoted of its owner or family. It is serious and quiet, but suspicious of strangers.

In owning the Neapoiltan Mastiff, one has to be dominant and show some leadership skills. The Neapolitan Mastiff is not for the meek people. It should be trained consistently and confidently, with you as a leader and the dog as an obedient companion. Socialization is also important for this breed, beginning at puppyhood. This breed gets along well with non-canine pets if socialized with them early on. It also does well with children but the children also has to know how to be dominant over the dog.

The Neapolitan Mastiff was once used for fighting, and so the breed has grown tolerant of pain. It is also a natural guard dog even without the necessary training. Excessive barking will not be a problem with the Neapolitan Mastiff as it is usually a calm animal.

Breed Group: Mastiff

Weight: Up to 165 pounds (74 kg), but there have been cases where a male Neapolitan Mastiff went up to nearly 200 pounds (90 kg)

Height: males 26-30 inches (65-75 cm), females 24-28 inches (60-70 cm)

Color: The coat of the Neapolitan Mastiff can either be solid or brindle, and blue is the most common color. Black is also very common among the breed. A chocolate Neapolitan Mastiff is rare. There are dogs with a little white on the chest and toes and this is acceptable. However, there should be no white markings on the face.

Country of Origin: The Neapolitan Mastiff comes from directly from the line of the Roman Molossus, but it is commonly acknowledged that all European mastiffs descended from the Tibetan Mastiff. The first Asian mastiffs were said to have been brought to Greece by Alexander the Great, and then the Greeks introduced the dogs to the Romans. The Romans then trained and used the dogs in combat and fighting, and from the first of these dogs descended the Neapolitan Mastiff. It became a prominent breed of Italy in 1946.

Activities: The Neapolitan Mastiff, as a pup and in its growing up years, should be limited in its exercises and play sessions. This is to reserve their energy for healthy bones and muscles. When it becomes old enough, it will need a great deal of exercise and long walks.

Grooming: The coat of the Neapolitan Mastiff is short, and therefore easy to groom. Bathe only when necessary, and groom regularly with a rubber brush.

Other Info: The Neapolitan Mastiff has a life expectancy of up to 10 years. Its massive body make sit prone to physical ailments like hip dysplasia and pano-ostiosis (growing pains). It is also prone to the “cherry eye,” where the eye tissue protrudes too much and becomes irritated and inflamed. The Neapolitan Mastiff can live in an apartment as long as it is exercised everyday.

Photo: Lisa M. Herndon