origin, but developed in different ways. However, crossings of both breeds have always taken place. You also can suppose that the early British Molossers looked more like today’s Bullmastiff than today’s Mastiff in type and stature.
Bulldogge Jack & Mastiff Elder’s Maid
Bulldog of old type and Mastiff at the end of the 19th/beginning of the 20th century
Already in the 19th century there existed Mastiff/Bulldog breeds, which were called “Keeper’s Nightdog” or “Mastiff with a dash of Bull”. Therefore six dogs were shown in the “Yard or Keeper’s Nightdog Class” on the Crystal Palace Show in 1871.
Bullmastiffs 1893; painting by Wright Barker (1864 – 1941)
The term “Keeper’s Nightdog” or “Gamekeeper’s Nightdog” derived from the dog’s duties. They were used for personal protection against poachers by the gamekeepers. They should be able to pull a poacher to the ground, but not injure him, at which they preferred the brindle dog, as this color melted better with the darkness and the poacher couldn’t see the dog.
Generally Mr. S. E. Moseley is regarded as the creator of the modern Bullmastiff, using 60% Mastiff and 40% Bulldog. However, other breeders too, like Thorneywood Kennels, W. Burton, J. H. Barrowcliffe, J. H. Biggs, V. J. Smith only to mention a few, have been important for the breeding of the modern Bullmastiff. Finally, in 1924, the Bullmastiff has been recognized as a breed.
Bullmastiff Ch. Brum in the 1920’s
The reason to create the Bullmastiff was to combine the guarding capability of the Mastiff with the courage of the Bulldog, being faster and more agile than the Mastiff, although the Mastiff has been more agile in former times than today.
The Bullmastiff is a reliable watch dog, very affectionate to his family and can distinguish between friend and enemy. At work he shows great stamina.
The Bullmastiff belongs to the smaller Molossers, he is very muscular and more compact than the Mastiff. He is very powerful, has heavy bones, a wide and deep chest. The head shall be big and square, with not too much wrinkles. Level mouth, undershot permitted, but not preferred. The color is brown, red or brindle. The male’s weight ranges from 110 to 130 lbs., with females from 90 to 110 lbs.
Bullmastiff in the 1960’s
BULLENBEISSER
| W |
ith the Germanic tribes and until the Middle Age in the area of today’s Belgium, Holland, Germany and Poland have already existed strong, broad muzzled dogs, being called depending on their use boar catchdogs, bull or bear biting dogs.
A powder-bottle with carved big bear biting dogs and small bull biting dogs (Bullenbeißer) hunting wild boar, second half of the 17th century
Three Bullenbeißer by Johan E. L. Riedinger (1698 – 1767)
Johan E. L. Riedinger (1698 – 1767) of Augsburg has been known for his portraits of the German Molosser. He also described them as follows:
“The main part of the old German hunting packs consisted of rough haired, large dogs with a shaggy tail and wolf-like heads. The farmers supplied with these dogs the Court in great numbers, because there were high losses with hunting. On the other hand the mastiffs and Bullenbeißer knew instinctively how to catch the game from behind and to hold, so that they wouldn’t be injured severely and the hunter could kill it. Therefore they were more valuable for hunting. They were high praised and bred carefully.”
H. F. von Fleming describes detailed in his work “The perfect German Hunter and Fisher” (Leipzig, 1719-24) the bear biting dogs and Bullenbeißer and their use:
“From this big type of English dogs exists a special sort of medium, but sometimes strong size, with a wide chest, with short and thick head, short raised nose, stiff, erected, cut ears, double bite, so that they can get fanged, and a wide forehead between the eyes. These dogs are corpulent, strong and don’t run agile. They catch furiously and with grim, so that they begin to tremble and can be hardly broken up. The same dogs you’ll find at the butcher’s in Danzig …
Still another type, also medium, but somewhat lower, but almost in all limbs similar to the previous, exists in Brabant, they are called Bullbeisser, they almost have the same condition as the before mentioned, only they are smaller, as told. Usually one uses to breed oneself for want of the previous mentioned type. They get secretly cropped ears and tail in their youth and are led on collars; in the beginning they are tried on moderate boars until they are used to the boars. Finally, they are put on small bears and taught to catch it on the ears. If they don’t succeed immediately and they could catch hard, you have to tickle them with a packing-stick or better with a strong, rugged quill or a small stick in the throat, so that they let loose. Now you can discipline them so that they take a better hold the next time, at which you talk friendly to them. Through that they will be more enthusiastic and pinch, frighten and bother the bear, so that it retires into a corner until the dogs got tired and the mastery gets weary of it.
Where the bears are rare, some mastery uses to course stares, oxen or bulls, but which is an exercise, more for the butchers than the hunters, and unknown to me, because I only want to write about wild animals. However, I’ve seen in Brabant, that the stare is bound to a long rope and coursed by such dogs, mostly attacking the nose or the throat, and because they have a strong bite, as already mentioned, they take a hold and stay there without any movement, until they let loose, when they got tired.
Otherwise these dogs are the most usual as good yard and chain dogs, because they are of bad manner, strong and have a rough barking. They are very watchful and attack all with fierce, what they notice, although they are smaller than the English dogs and their dwarfs.”
In Germany one distinguished two kinds of Bullenbeisser, that was the Great or Bullenbeisser of Danzig and the Small or Bullenbeisser of Brabant.
Great Bullenbeisser or Bullenbeisser of Danzig
Duke
