|
PROTOTYPE
OF THE SPANISH MASTIFF Denomination
of the breed: Spanish
mastiff. Synonymy: Mastiff
From Leon, Extremaduran Mastiff, Mastiff from La Mancha. Diffusion: On
the whole of Spain, especially in mountains and mountain passes in
Asturias, León, Cantabria and Extremadura, and generally in all those
regions affected by the period of seasonal cattle migration. We must
treat the Aragonese and Navarre Pyranees and the migratory region of The
Monegros apart as it is a major zone of distribution of the Pyraneean
Mastiff. Subspecies:
Molozoide.
Type B.
a)
General description:
Dog
of great size, massive and well-proportioned. Very powerful and muscled.
Compact skeleton. Very large head and body with semilong hair.
Affectionate, tame and noble, it turns out to be a dog of great firmness
when confronted with enemies and strangers, especially when defending
and guarding properties and cattle. His bark is hoarse, grave and deep,
of great intensity, being perceived at a considerable distance. It
is a very intelligent dog not devoid of beauty. His expression shows
both qualities. We can see from his behaviour that he is a dog sure of
himself, and he is able to measure his strength as he very well knows
how powerful he is. b)
Height at the withers: There
are no maximum height limits although the highest dogs are clearly
preferred to the rest, provided they are proportioned. Minimum
limits: Males:
77 cm. Females:
72 cm. Greater
height is desirable and males should preferably measure over 80 cm., and
females over 75 cm. c)
Formation:
Longitudinal
diameter superior to the height at the withers. Proportionality and
functional harmony must be looked after, both in rest and in movement. d)
Usefulness:
This
is a breed for cattle guarding and defending. Coward, timid and
unbalanced dogs should not be used for reproduction. This
breed is intimately related to the seasonal migration especially of
sheep, which have been accompanied by mastiffs since the Middle Ages and
defended from wolves and other predators throughout all their migrations
in different locations. Nowadays the mastiff accompanies a good number
of flocks both settled and migratory recovering his ancestral function.
He likewise recovers his guard's function defending people and
properties in general.
a)
General description:
Large,
strong and with a broad base. The relation between the length of the
skull and that of the face should be 6/4. The union of the skull and the
foreface, seen from above, should be square and uniform and without a
very marked decrease between the base of the foreface and the temporal
bone. Skull
and face lines diverge moderately. b)
Skull:
Wide,
strong and with a subconvex profile. The width of the skull will be the
same as or superior to its length. Occipital bone strongly marked. c)
Stop: Soft, slightly accented.
d)
Face:
Straight
profile. It turns out rectangular seen from the back, gradually
narrowing towards the muzzle with still considerable width. In no case
sharp-pointed. e)
Nose:
Black,
damp, large and wide. f)
Lips:
The
upper lip will cover widely the lower; the lower, with black mucous
membranes, forms a loose lip juncture. g)
Teeth:
White,
strong and healthy. Large, sharp and with good grip canines. Molars are
strong and powerful. However, incisors are rather small. Scissor’s
bite. All the premolars exist. h)
Eyes:
Small
in relation to the skull, almond shaped, preferably dark, hazelnut
colour, attentive, noble, sweet and intelligent expression, of great
fierceness before a stranger. i)
Eyelids:
With
black, bulky skin. The loweer eyelid allows part of the conjunctive
tissue to be seen. j)
Ears:
Medium
dropping ears, triangular in form and flat. Rooted abovethe line of the
eyes. At rest, falling flat against the cheeks and not too close to the
skull. At attention, separated from the face and partially put up in its
upper part. They should not be cropped. k)
Palate:
Black
with marked crests.
Lone
shaped, wide, strong, muscular, flexible. Heavy and loose skin.
Weel developed double dewlap.
a)
Overall appearance:
Rectangular,
strong and robust, denoting great power, but flexible and agile. b)
Withers:
Well
marked. c)
Back:
Powerful,
muscular. Wide spaced ribs and rounded, not flat. The relationship
between the thoracic perimeter and the height at the withers will be
approximately 1/3. Long,
wide and powerful loin narrowing at the flank. d)
Croup:
Wide
and strong. Its slope is about 45 °in relation to the dorsal line and a
horizontal one to the floor. Height at the croup equals height at the
withers. e)
Dorsal / Top Line:
Straight,
horizontal and even in movement.
f)
Chest(breast):
Wide,
deep, muscular and powerful. Marked brisket. g)
Abdomen and flanks:
Moderate
tuck up, low with wide flanks.
Very
wide basem medium tailset. Strong, flexible and well coated with more
hair than in the rest of the body. At rest it is carried low, reaching
the hocks and slightly curved in the last quarter. When excited or
running, raised saberlike, curled at the end but never totally doubled
or resting on croup.
a)
Overall apperance:
Absolutely
straight down to the pasterns. Straight and parallel from the front. The
length of the forearm is triple the length of the pastern. Strong bones
with powerful metacarpus. b)
Shoulders:
Oblique,
very muscular. Shoulder blade longer than the upper arm. c)
Scapula Humerus Angle: Close
to 100 °. d)
Radius Humerus Angle: Close
to 125 °. e)
Pastern:
Seen
laterally with a slight inclination. It is practically the continuation
of the forearm. Strong bones. f)
Feet:
Cat
like. Tight fingers. Strong, high and well arched digits. Robust and
hard nails and pads. Moderate interdigital membrane with hair.
a)
Overall appearance:
Powerful,
muscular with moderate inclination. Wide articular angles. Straight down
hocks capable of driving
the dog with ease, strength and elegance. b)
Thighs:
Strong
and muscular. c)
Pelvis angle: Close
to 100 °. d)
Legs:
Long,
muscular and strong boned. e)
Femur-Tibia angle: Close
to 120 °. f)
Hocks:
Well
marked with clear appraisal of the tendon.
g)
Hock angle:
Open.
Close to 130 °. h)
Feet:
Cat
feet, slightly oval. Mastiffs may or may not have dewclaws, which can be
simple or double and its cropping being admitted.
The
preferred gait is the trot. It has to be harmonious, powerful, with no
tendency to lateral movements. Withour pacing.
Elastic,
thick, abundant and rosy coloured, with dark pigmentations. The mucous
membranes are black.
Thick,
heavy, semilong, smooth, over all the body to the interdigital spaces.
Two types of hair are distinguished: one over the back and the other
protecting the ribs and the flanks. Shorter on the quarters and longer
on the tail.
Indeterminate.
Uniform colors are preferred: yellow, tawny, reds and blacks, wolf and
fawn colours. Likewise combined colours: tiger-striped and dappled.
SLIGHT Profiles
of the foreface sheeplike, without excess. Lack
of one or few premolars Level
bite. Weak
topline, distorting or waving in movement. Weak
pasterns and feet but not in excess. Not
excessively marked coyness. SERIOUS They
exclude the rating of excellent Snipy
foreface. Moderated
overshot mouth. Absence
of several premolars or canines unless due to accident. Sweptback. Height
at the croup notably superior to height at the withers. Weak
legs or not straight. Weaving movement. Cow
hocks in movement or at rest. Wavy,
curled and excessively long hair. Entropion
or ectropion in excess. Unbalanced
character. Excessive coyness or excessive aggressiveness. Fragile
or lymphatic aspect in excess. Tail
carried over the back. DISQUALIFICATIONS Ineligible
for confirmation of purebred and biotype Crooked
nose. Any
degree of undershot mouth. Excessive
overshot mouth. Nose
and mucous membranes dispigmented and accompanied by light eyes.
|
