Mastiff Breed Standard   The writers of this article (representatives of both the Judges Education and Members Education Committees) have been asked to clarify a couple of statements in our Breed Standard. The first and most important is the last sentence under General Appearance: “A good evaluation considers positive qualities of type and soundness with equal weight.” This is a crucial and EXTREMELY important statement, as it is discussed repeatedly in our Judges and Members Education programs. Judges and breeders need to evaluate the dogs by giving equal weight to their structur ..read more

  How to Judge the English Mastiff Dog Breed   The Mastiff is a large, massive, symmetrical dog with a well-knit frame. The impression is one of grandeur and dignity. Dogs are more massive throughout. Bitches should not be faulted for being somewhat smaller in dimensions while maintaining a proportionally powerful structure. A good evaluation considers positive qualities of type and soundness with equal weight. The height of the dog should come from the depth of body rather than from the length of leg. Proportion is rectangular, the length of the dog from the forechest to the rump i ..read more

This series is a discussion about the natural tension that exists between how we view show dogs, field/working dogs and dual-purpose (show and work/field) dogs. The dog grouping last discussed was the all-around farm/watch/draft and rescue type dogs of the Working Group. This month, we will explore those questions for other functional groupings within the AKC Working Group. How does the evolved morphological form relate to past and/or current function? How and why is it that some breeds have developed different types for field/work and show? What are the actual or perceived similarities and d ..read more

Showight June 2020 Issue  Where do you live? What is your occupation? How many years in dogs? Do you have any hobbies or interests apart from breeding and showing dogs? How did you first become involved with the Mastiff? Are there any special requirements for breeding such a large breed? For showing? At what age do you start to see definite signs of show-worthiness (or lack thereof)? Can you speak to the importance of soundness in the breed? In the show ring, is the Mastiff a “showy” dog? At home, does the breed make a good family pet? What are your hopes for the future of the breed? For ..read more