The Mastiff dog has a long history; these dogs have been domesticated for more than two thousand years. The Romans bred the ancestors of modern Mastiff dog breeds for use as guard dogs and hunting dogs and in brought these dogs to the British Isles in the 6th century when they conquered Britain. These dogs, already favorites with the Romans (including Julius Caesar, by many accounts) quickly became popular in Britain as well and became the ancestors of the modern English Mastiff. Mastiffs also were part of the war party when Hannibal crossed the Alps and were a favorite of the Kublai Khan, who kept a kennel of thousands of the dogs.

The Mastiff dogs remained a favorite of British royals, guarding castles and estates. Mastiffs were used for bear baiting between the 12th and 19th century. This was a very popular sport at the time. The dogs were used to attack chained bears, tigers and bulls.

The first Mastiff breed came to America with the Pilgrims on the Mayflower, though they didn't become popular there until the 1800s. Used during the World Wars to pull heavy munitions carts, they fell out of favor during these lean times because of their great appetites. Growing again in popularity today, Mastiff dogs are used as search and rescue dogs, companions, show dogs, guard dogs and police dogs.

Today, he is still the largest breed of dog, often reaching a weight of 220 pounds and a shoulder height of 30 inches. They should appear massive and powerful, with a black mask and ears highlighting a pale coat of silver, apricot, fawn or brindle short hair.

If you'd like to bring a Mastiff dog into your household, be ready for a little drooling and snoring. These are minor faults, however compared to their incredible loyalty and companionship. Mastiffs make natural guard dogs, something they need little or no training to do. While they don't generally bark, their size alone is enough to deter most intruders and they will commonly keep an interloper cornered until the authorities arrive or they are told that the intruder is a friend. For families with children, these are excellent dogs. Very young children should be supervised, but Mastiffs are very patient, loving and gentle with children, often caring for them as they would their own puppies.

Adults love Mastiffs too and vice versa. If you have a Mastiff, you have a friend for life this is a dog which wants to be where you are, whether you're relaxing or going for a run. Mastiffs prefer the company of their families above all else.

These dogs are often shy when meeting new people and will usually just sit quietly until being formally introduced. Mastiff dogs usually get along with other pets, as long as they've been properly socialized as pups. If your Mastiff dog hasn't learned how to behave around other animals, you'll need to teach them or simply keep them away from other animals unless they will be closely supervised.

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Written by Eric Salson using tags: dog breeders, Dogs, family and home, mastiff breeders, mastiff dog, Pets