Spanish Mastiff

The history of the Spanish Mastiff goes back 1,100 years to the 10th century, when shepherds began using them to defend migrating herds against grey wolves and other predators. Spanish Mastiffs are powerful canines with long legs, heavy bones, and muscular bodies, but they have surprisingly docile temperaments. In their homeland, Spain, they are also known as the Mastín Español and Mastín de España. The American Kennel Club classifies these canines as working dogs.

While these dogs are good-natured and exceedingly intelligent, they can be hard to train because they’re firmly convinced that they are the true alphas of any group they’re in, and it can be hard to disabuse them of this notion. For that reason, they don’t make great pets for first-time dog owners. Spanish Mastiffs are Spain’s national dog; approximately 24,000 of them live in their native country, but there aren’t very many of these dogs outside Spain.

3 Pros And Cons Of Owning a Spanish Mastiff

Types Of The Breed

The Spanish mastiff comes in two different types — the Heavy Mastiff (Mastin Pescado) and the Light Mastiff (Mastin Ligero). The Pescado, the larger of the two, is a bigger and heavier mountain type of dog, while the Ligero is a more refined, lighter steppe variety.

Size And Weight

Spanish Mastiffs are enormous dogs. Adult males stand 30 to 35 inches tall and weigh anywhere between 160 and 220 pounds. Adult females are significantly smaller; they range in height between 28 and 35 inches, and they weigh between 110 and 170 pounds.

Puppies are just under a pound when they are born, but if they receive proper nutrition, they grow quickly. By three weeks of age, males may weigh as much as 15 pounds, and females may weigh as much as 13 pounds. By six months of age, males may weigh as much as 100 pounds, and females may weigh as much as 90 pounds. These dogs typically reach their adult height and weight between 12 and 18 months of age.

Common Health Issues

The typical lifespan of these dogs is 10 to 12 years. Obesity can be a significant issue with these canines, particularly if you don’t make a point of implementing a healthy eating routine with your pet while he or she is a puppy. You don’t want to encourage these dogs to beg for table scraps.

Like other large dogs, they are prone to musculoskeletal problems that include hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia. Immature dogs can also be affected by eosinophilic panosteitis, which is a painful inflammation of the long bones in the legs. If this condition commences, you’ll begin seeing it when your puppy is between six and 10 months old. While eosinophilic panosteitis doesn’t cause permanent damage, it can be extremely painful and cause your dog to walk with a limping gait.

Because they drool so much, they are also prone to developing dental disease. If you own this breed, it is essential to brush your dog’s teeth regularly at home and to bring him or her to the vet for regular teeth cleanings.

Temperament

These dogs have placid, mellow temperaments. Their personalities are very relaxed, so long as they don’t feel like they have to compete for their owner’s attention. Territoriality is a strong behavioral trait in them, however. While they can be socialized to share the roost with another dog or even a cat, they prefer not to. They do best as only dogs.

Though loving and loyal, Spanish Mastiffs are independent dogs. They don’t mind spending time by themselves. They’re very intelligent, and this means that if they are not trained well, they may get into mischief if they’re off enjoying time on their own. They naturally assume that they’re the leader of the pack, and it is up to you, as the owner, to teach them differently.

How To Take Care Of Spanish Mastiffs

Because of their huge size, these dogs have some specialized needs when it comes to diet and exercise. Their short, dense double coats require some specific types of attention as well. Here are some tips for the types of care that will keep your dog healthy and happy.

The Best Dog Food

These dogs typically consume four cups of high-quality kibble a day. As big dogs, they have a tendency toward bloat, so it’s safest to divide their feedings into at least two meals a day. Because they are prone to dental issues, definitely opt for dry dog food as opposed to wet/canned.

Maintenance And Grooming

These dogs have a dense, medium-length double coat and are prone to shedding. If you don’t want to add dog hair to your indoor decorating scheme, they need to be brushed at least twice a week vigorously with a pin brush and a metal comb. During the spring and fall, when they shed their coats, you may need to brush them daily.

Their nails are strong and grow quickly, so you’ll need to trim them regularly to prevent overgrowth and splitting. Their long, flat ears need to be checked for mites and cleaned regularly, too. As an excessive drooler, this breed is prone to dental disease, so brushing your dog’s teeth several times a week is highly recommended.

Training

They are very smart dogs, but training can be a challenge, particularly for inexperienced dog owners. These dogs prefer to think for themselves, and they’re very stubborn. You’ll need to begin training and socialization activities early and reinforce that training over the course of their adult lifespan. Socialization is particularly important because its large size means that it can cause damage without intending to. Spanish Mastiffs respond best to positive reinforcement. They’re especially motivated by treats.

Exercise

Despite their size, Spanish Mastiffs are not high-energy dogs. Left to their own devices, many of them would cheerfully forgo exercise. A responsible Spanish Mastiff owner will not allow this, though. Plan on taking your dog for at least one 45-minute walk a day. Spanish Mastiffs are most active in their young adulthood, so they may need additional exercise during this time.

Puppies

Spanish Mastiffs retain many of their puppy-like behavior well into the third year of their lives. They typically have large litters of up to 10 puppies, and since they only weigh one pound at birth, breeders must take particular care to prevent a mother from inadvertently squashing and injuring her pups. It’s extremely important to feed a puppy specially formulated food so that he or she doesn’t grow too fast, which will place excessive strain on their joints.

Spanish Mastiff And Children

These dogs love children, and children love Spanish Mastiffs. Problems arise, however, when your dog forgets how big it is and accidentally causes a small child injury. This is one of the reasons why socialization is so important for this breed. Even with a well-socialized Spanish Mastiff, it’s wisest never to leave them unsupervised around children younger than 10 years old.

Dogs Similar To Spanish Mastiffs

Great Danes, Neapolitan Mastiffs, and Tibetan Mastiffs share traits in common with these dogs.

• Great Danes: Like Spanish Mastiffs, Great Danes have affectionate natures and drool a lot. Though they are big dogs and measure up to Spanish Mastiffs in height, they only weigh about half what a Spanish Mastiff weighs. Their lifespans are generally shorter than the lifespans of Spanish Mastiffs.
• Neapolitan Mastiffs: Neapolitan Mastiffs are similar in size and weight to Spanish Mastiffs, but while both breeds are protective, Neapolitan Mastiffs are known for their loyalty and calm demeanor rather than increased aggression.
• Tibetan Mastiffs: Tibetan Mastiffs aren’t quite as large as Spanish Mastiffs. Though they were bred to protect livestock, DNA studies have confirmed that they’re not true mastiffs but are more closely related to mountain dogs like St. Bernards.