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What is the origin of the Bullmastiff ? The Bullmastiff originated in England in the mid-1800s and they are the only guarding breed to originate from the UK.
What were they bred for? They were bred to work with the gamekeepers to oversee and protect the game in their master's estate from being poached. 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.
Is the Bullmastiff a banned breed? No. They are a pure bred dog, recognised by the Australian National Kennel Council and in each state of Australia's governing canine control bodies, ie Canine Control Council, Queensland.
How much does a Bullmastiff cost to purchase? The price varies from breeder to breeder although the fair and reasonable price is between $1,000 to $1,500 anything under that would be from a "backyard breeder". Any price over that is purely crazy and extremely greedy! Just because you pay over $1500 does not mean you are getting a better quality dog or puppy!
What are they like with children? In general, Bullmastiffs get along very well with children. They have a high pain tolerance, and are not likely to snap in reaction to a pulled tail or tugged ear. It is imperative, however, that Bullmastiffs be taught to respect children, and that children be taught to respect Bullmastiffs. Never leave a child unattended with your Bullmastiff, or any dog. The most important thing is to raise your dog appropriately, and use common sense.
How much does a Bullmastiff cost to feed? It depends on what you feed them. We feed our dogs a diet of chicken frames, chicken necks, veggies & kibble... we estimated it would cost an average of $5.00 per dog per day. Prices vary from state to state and we all know, prices of products increase regularly! If you are feeding supplements, the prices will increase accordingly.
How much does a Bullmastiff eat? There is no straight forward answer to this question. Ideally your puppy should eat about 2% of its body weight per day. This is difficult to gauge in a young puppy. Just make sure that your puppy is not too fat or too skinny. Weight is proportional to height, so any weight gain will be relative to that.
What does a Bullmastiff eat? If you have a Bullmastiff puppy or about to purchase one, the puppy's breeder should have given you a food sheet recommending what they have been feeding the pups. Otherwise, Bullmastiffs eat just about anything... chicken frames, chicken necks, chicken wings, beef, lamb, roo meat, mince, veggies, fruit, table scraps, plain yoghurt, cottage cheese, etc.
How much does an adult Bullmastiff weigh? The females weight can vary from 50 to 60 kilograms. Males weight can vary from 60 to 70 kilograms size but I have heard of some males being much larger and around the 80 kilograms mark!
How long does a Bullmastiff live for? Unfortunately, not long enough! Their average life span is between 8 to 10 years. Rarely they live up to 12 or 13 years.
What colours do they come in? Standard colours are fawn, brindle & red. Although the brindles can be either red brindle or fawn brindle. NB: Brindle was the preferred original colour of the Bullmastiff which made them more difficult for the poachers to see at night.
How much grooming do they require? Fortunately the Bullmastiff’s coat does not need heaps of work. They are what I like to call the “wash and wear” variety! There is no need to wash your Bullmastiff every week as this will only remove the natural oils from his coat and make his skin dry and potentially cause skin problems. Once a month would be sufficient for an all over shampoo.
Regular brushing of the coat once or twice a week will keep your Bullmastiffs coat looking healthy and shiny. You can use a shedding blade for change of coat prior to Winter and Summer then use a rubber grooming mitt weekly. Both the shedding blade and rubber grooming mitt will remove dead hairs and promote new hair growth.
How much exercise do they require? If you have a Bullmastiff puppy he/she does not need vigorous amounts of exercise. They will get all the exercise needed from playing with you and with a few toys in the back yard or running around on its own and exploring the yard. When your puppy is tired they can simply stop and have a rest or a sleep.
If your puppy is living with other or older dogs or children ensure that your puppy is not played with excessively and supervise when playing with other animals or children. Your growing puppy has very soft bones and over exercise at a young age can cause bone problems and lameness.
It is recommended that you wait until your puppy is 12 months old before you take him/her out for long walks. At this stage their skeleton is much more developed and stronger, start out with short 10-15 minute walks, you can increase these after about 4-6 months. Try not to constantly walk on concrete areas such as footpaths, a nice walkway or grass playing field or dog exercise area is ideal.
The most important thing is to have limited and controlled exercise with your dog on a lead.
Are they aggressive? No, they shouldn't be aggressive. They should be taught boundaries and limitations the day they arrive in your home. Just as you would teach children that if they touch the stove they are going to get their fingers burnt etc.
Bullmastiffs needs to learn that the human is the alpha in their pack. This can be established by the following examples:-
Bullmastiffs need suitable socialisation and training which needs to begin ASAP with puppy school, agility, obedience, show training etc. Remember the first 16 weeks of their life is extremely impressionable.
Owning a Bullmastiff is to be taken seriously because as adults they are a large and cumbersome dog to own. Remember, Bullmastiffs are not suitable for everyone.
The interesting thing about the Bullmastiff, even as a guard dog, is that they were bred to pin and hold, not to attack and maul. I have read some interesting stories about people, robbers / thieves etc having suffered at the hands of a slobbering Bullmastiff's jaws holding them down until their owner came home to release them!
Are they easy to train? Really it depends what mood they are in. Sometimes they can be stubborn and only do things when they are ready, they like to think and decide for themselves. You have to convince them that it was their idea in the first place - usually food helps in this circumstance.
Occasionally you hear Bullmastiff owners discussing their dogs selective hearing... they only hear what they want to know about, especially if it involves food!
So if you are training a Bullmastiff, keep this in mind and train them in short sessions, say 5 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes in the afternoon. Most of all, remember their favourite treat!
Do they slobber and if so how much? Bullmastiffs mostly slobber after they've had food or water or if its summer and they are panting a lot (they can sometimes get "foamy" around their jowls). It's probably worse when you are eating in front of them. Some dogs are worse than others and puppys don't start drooling until 4 months old. Its always a good idea to keep old towels around the place.
Compared to the amazing 8 years (or more hopefully) relationship you can have with a Bullmastiff, drool is such a inferior downside.
What are they like with other animals? If they are raised with these animals from a young age, they can get along with any animal. Having said that, I know of cases when cats etc have been introduced into the household when the dog is older. I have also heard of cases when the cat has been literally eaten by the dog. So its all about the human being the alpha in the household and being dog savvy.
Should I purchase a male or female? That is not an easy question to answer. Really it boils down to personal preference and what you intend to do with the animal. Some people prefer males to females. Males which are intact can be territorial, marking trees, anything in their yard, verandah etc with their "scent". Females come into season every 5 months or so and you have to deal with their hormonal issues and any accidental pregnancies, (which we hope responsible dog owners will avoid!!!)
Both sexes are excellent guard dogs, family members and foot warmers. Its best to be discussed with your family, partner etc and meet as many Bullmastiffs and their owners as you can.
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