About English Mastiff Dogs

English Mastiff, or just simply Mastiff, Dogs are extremely large dogs. They are distinguishable by their enormous size, massive head, and a black mask. They are also noted for a gentle and loving nature.

Most likely they are descended from ancient Alaunt and Pugnaces Britanniae Dogs, with a significant input from the Alpine Mastiff in the 19th century; however, the modern type was established in the 1880s and refined since. Throughout its history, the Mastiff has contributed to the development of a number of dog breeds, some generally known as Mastiff-type dogs.  

English Mastiff are found in a limited number of colors. While the colors are described differently by various kennel clubs, but basically the colors are: fawn or apricot, or those colors as a base for black brindle. A black mask occur in all cases. The fawn is generally a light "silver" shade, but may range up to a golden yellow. The apricot may be a slightly reddish hue up to a deep, rich red. The brindle markings should ideally be heavy, even and clear stripes, but may actually be light, uneven, patchy, faint or muddled. Pied Mastiffs occur rarely. Other non-standard colors include black, blue brindle, and chocolate (brown) mask. Some Mastiffs have heavy shading caused by dark hairs throughout the coat or primarily on the back and shoulders. This is not generally considered a fault. Brindle is dominant over solid color. Apricot is dominant over fawn, though that dominance may be incomplete. Most of the color faults are recessive, though black is so rare in the Mastiff that it cannot be certain if it is recessive, or a mutation that is dominant.

  The greatest weight ever recorded for a dog, 343 pounds (155.6 kg), was that of an English Mastiff from England named Aicama Zorba of La Susa, although claims of larger dogs, including Saint Bernards, Tibetan Mastiffs, and Caucasian ovcharkas exist. According to the 1989 edition of the Guinness Book of Records, in March 1989, when he was 7 years old, Zorba stood 37 inches (94 cm) at the shoulder and was 8 ft 3 in (251 cm) from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail, about the size of a small donkey. After 2000, the Guinness Book of World Records stopped accepting largest or heaviest pet records.