Bullmastiff Dog Breed Information & Pictures

Bullmastiff dogs are well built dogs. Bullmastiff is a mastiff type dog and was first known around the time of the 19 th century. Mostly they are kept as guard dogs at the gates of the house or the entrance of the house. Bullmastiff dog is a crossbreed of old english bulldog and English mastiff. It originated in the United States.

The weight of the male Bullmastiff is around 50kg-59 kg and the weight of the female bullmastiff is around 41kg-54kg. Whereas the height of the male bullmastiff dog is around 25-27 inches and the height of the female bullmastiff is around 24-26 inches. The coat of the dog is short and resistant to weather. The colour of the dog is mostly in the shade of brindle, red or fawn. The life Span of the bullmastiff dog is 8-12 years. The black mask on the nose of the bullmastiff is called a muzzle.

Physical Features

The bullmastiff dog is described as a brachycephalic breed. Bullmastiff dog faces are flat with short muzzles. Bullmastiff dog heads are not big as other breeds of the dog. Bullmastiff dogs do not have any breathing problems. The black muzzle nose is actually a mark known for bullmastiff dogs especially. These dogs are tall dogs with enough courage to scare people off easily. They do not get scared easily. They were usually estate guards in history. These dogs do look big in size but they are very nice and sweet in nature. They do not bark much nor do they bite. They just try to scare people in order to put people out of the places they are not allowed. They are healthy and trustworthy dogs. They are considered as the best company. They are playful dogs making them one of the best dogs in the world.

These dogs are considered the best kissers among the other breeds of dog. They actually got popular after being featured in a number of Hollywood movies. Bullmastiff males should be 64-69 cm in height and 110-130 pounds in weight whereas female bullmastiffs are 61-66 cm in height and 100-120 pounds in weight.
Dogs more than the desired weight and height either male or female breed are not considered as healthy and are not easily adopted by people. The acceptable colours of bullmastiff dogs are red, fawn and brindle. Red coat of the bullmastiff could vary between light red and dark red. The Fur coat of the bullmastiff dog could vary from light brown to red brown which is called Fawn colour. They are good listeners, they potentially listen to the commands of their owners.
People who have bullmastiff dogs should have a healthy environment so that they can easily communicate with the family and have a happy stay with their family. They do not harm anyone unless they are teased or touched unnecessarily. They are really helpful in nature. They do look strong but they are actually sensitive dogs.
They like obedience and tracking exercises. They have a good built body that is why they are considered to be best in terms of guardians of the house and their owners as well. They have a flexible body, can run very fast and can easily catch if there is a thief in the house. They have good balance, can easily participate in a number of outdoor activities.
These are not only guardians of the house but also a family dog. They happily communicate with the members and play with them. They do not have many health issues. They have minimal coat shedding. They used to easily catch poachers in the middle 18th century in England. Bullmastiff dogs are actually cross breeds of bulldog and mastiff.
They are not as large as mastiffs. Tall as 64-69 cm they do look like a big dog who could scare you easily. At first look, seeing a bullmastiff does give an impression of a large dog. Dark eyes of bullmastiff give a brooding look. Triangle shaped ears give look of them being alert and active all the time.
The black mask called muzzle gives an image of a ninja high alert reading to pounce at an outsider. They are considered to be smart dogs and walk with confidence, always ready to protect their family and companion to play and do activities with. With correct training they can be easily controlled through commands.

Daily Needs

Bullmastiff dogs do shed from season to season, but it is minimal. If there is more shedding than normal it is considered as a problem. They should be groomed from time to time so that they look neat and clean all the time.
Grooming minimises the shedding so that the environment they are living in could be kept tidy and fresh. For a healthy good looking coat, a good diet is required full of vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients. Grooming from time to time can help in managing shedding and dogs should be given bath frequently with products.
Dryness on the skin and or oiliness on hair should be checked from time to time. It can make the coat of the dog dirty. If there is, then it could be because of an unbalanced diet and allergies. Dogs should also be brushed from time to time. Balanced diet full of protein should be given so that they can have a healthy body and skin. Non vegetarian items like meat, fish and chicken should be added to provide a proper amount of protein. Bullmastiff dogs are energetic dogs therefore they should be given a proper diet. The posture of the dog should be proper, they should be given training and exercise. Walking your dogs can help in giving a proper digestion process. It can also help in agility and flexibility of the dog.
They have short faces, but their head is bigger to provide a protector look. It was considered a purebred dog in 1924 by English Kennel club. The dimensions of the bullmastiff dog should be according to the report of the American Kennel Club.
You need to clean his ears, brush his coat and trim their nails from time to time.

Exercise

Bullmastiff dogs work fearlessly and at home they are docile. Bullmastiff dogs like exercises, bullmastiff dogs are mostly a mixture of sedentary and active in nature. But they do enjoy simple exercise from time to time. Walking and playing outdoors is their favourite activity of all the time. But fencing should be done in the house so that they are safely inside the house. Bullmastiff dogs can provide harm to strangers therefore fencing should be properly done. They do like running but they do like walking, they are good walking companions. Over exercise is not considered for these dogs when they are in growing age. They need extra energy for their growing processes. Therefore a balanced diet should be ensured during their growing period.

Diet

Bullmastiff dogs should be given dog food in the category of adult food of dogs or big breed dog food into to provide a balanced diet full of protein and other essential nutrients for healthy growth. Giving small meals is considered good for them and two meals daily should be ensured for full grown dogs.
Providing large meals can stomach aches in bullmastiff dogs. Small meals can be easily digested after intervals. Large meals can often cause bloating. Bloating can affect dogs immensely.
It is a serious problem therefore proper and effective treatment should be provided in a particular period of time. Otherwise it can hamper the life of the bullmastiff dogs. Bloating is called gastric dilation volvulus. It is not easy to understand the symptoms of these bloating conditions and should be taken to a veterinarian. Bloating can cause death in bullmastiff dogs.
There could be swelling in the dog’s abdomen, tiredness, uneasy feeling, dogs whine when they feel pain in the abdomen. Bloat can come suddenly. The cause could be over exercise after eating, eating a lot, or drinking lots of liquid after eating.
This gastric dilation can cause volvulus to occur in bullmastiff. It is a very serious condition. It can cause pressure on lungs, which can lead to difficulty in breathing in dogs. It can compress the stomach causing the blood flow to stop. Nearly 50% dogs can die from gastric dilation volvulus even after getting treatment. Deep chest dogs have higher risk of getting bloating.

Training and Socialisation

Bullmastiff dogs should be given early training; it will also help in early socialisation. These dogs are strong. You can even enroll dogs in many training classes they are beneficial for dogs as well as the owner. Bullmastiff have excellent agility and they can easily work with finding scents, they are good trackers as well. Training also helps in keeping a good communication bond between the owner and the dog.
You can easily teach him many things that you want the dog to learn. Positive reinforcement makes the process of training the dogs easy. You should handle the dog training when he is young so that the dog can become accustomed to the equipment, otherwise later those equipment can scare them off.
Along with training you should teach them what are appropriate behaviours and what are inappropriate behaviours. This can be easily done when the dog is young. When he complies with your command you should definitely reward him.
When bullmastiffs are small they will go through a socialisation process that will make their personality and how they will adapt themselves with the environment when they grow up. They will communicate with a variety of people, will go to many places and how they will act in different situations.
This helps them in making a good personality. The handling of the dogs at a younger age should always be gentle and you should give a positive experience to the dog and he will start communicating with the owner sooner. They should feel loved and safe with their owner and the environment in which they are living in. They should be given experiences of car rides, going to parks and other public places. Socialisation will help them in identifying smells and sounds.
They will not feel scared around strangers and outsiders. They should enjoy interacting with family members and friends. While they are learning socialisation they should be praised and given positive reinforcement. The steps in the process should be small so that they easily learn them. Rules should also be made to maintain obedience.

Health Issues

A survey found a median age of 7.5 years of bullmastiff dogs. They physically grow till 2 years of age after birth. But there are also health issues like hip and elbow dysplasia, bloat, retinal atrophy and cancer. They have incidence of lymphoma and cell tumours. Therefore you should be aware of the symptoms. It is always beneficial to do treatment as soon as possible.

Conclusion

Bullmastiff dogs drool as well after eating and drinking. You should carry a towel when you’re around them. These dogs form deep bonds with their family members. These dogs are very loyal companions. Bullmastiffs are considered to be gentle around kids but since these dogs are big in size and they can easily scare off children. So owners should be always cautious. If you have a baby, you should wait until they grow up to be safe around bullmastiff. If you’re thinking about getting a dog, bullmastiffs dogs are the perfect choice. They are well mannered. They are also known as the ‘silent watchdogs’.

Did you know?

In older times, these dogs were known as ‘ The Gamekeeper’s night dog’. This all meant that they were kept as night guards of estates and homes. They are big and proud. They could easily scare off poachers during the night. There were even exhibitions and competitions where owners would show off their bullmastiffs dogs. These shows for dogs were very popular in England. The bullmastiff breeds are 60% mastiff and 40% bulldog. A diamond mining company called De Beers imported bullmastiff dogs to South Africa to guard mines in 1928.