3. The Bullmastiff
History of Bullmastiff
The Bullmastiff breed, as its name suggests, is a combination of the Mastiff and the Bulldog. It was
created in England in the mid-1800s; the only guarding breed to originate in England.
At the time of its creation, there were many large estates in England, the owners of which frowned
upon the game in their estates being poached. Gamekeepers were employed to oversee and protect
the game in the estates and they needed an able assistant; the poachers being a rather dangerous lot
since punishment for poaching was hanging. Mastiffs were tried but found to be somewhat slow and
to not have the drive necessary to down and hold a man. Bulldogs (a quite different type that we see
today) were tried, but the bulldog of that era was very ferocious and tended to tear the poacher up too
much.
So, crosses were made of the Bulldog and Mastiff until a ratio of 60% Mastiff/40% Bulldog was
achieved. This type of dog, eventually called the Bullmastiff, served the needs of the gamekeeper very
well. The dog could track a man in the forest at night; work quietly; and, when close enough spring to
a hard charge, knocking the man down and holding him there until the gamekeeper arrived. This was
no mean feat since the poachers used every trick and tool at their disposal to escape, knowing that
they faced hanging. The Bullmastiff had to be very brave and tenacious and more than one suffered
death at the hands of a desperate criminal. But, the breed was exactly what the gamekeeper needed
and they did their job well. There is a story about one highly trained dog name Thorneywood Terror
who toured England with his owner putting on demonstrations for crowds. The owner would muzzle
the dog; give a volunteer 10 minutes head start into the forest; and be any takers that his dog would
catch the man. Thorneywood Terror never failed to catch, down and hold his man and made much
money for his owner.
Such tenaciousness (stubbornness if you will) is still a trait of the breed and makes them a challenge
for the novice owner. You absolutely must not let them take an inch, for they will surely make it a mile!