Combining the Mastiff and the Bulldog was a stroke of genius by the English back in the mid 1800's, with the result being our beloved Bullmastiff that we have today and the only breed of guard dog to be produced in England.

The English estate owners were rather displeased with their game being poached, and employed gamekeepers to protect their properties and its inhabitants full time, and with the poachers being quite dangerous (with the penalty for poaching being death by hanging), the gamekeepers needed a suitable 'partner' in their choice of dog.

It was found that Mastiffs were rather slow and were not really up to the task of chasing down and holding the poachers, and the Bulldogs, who in that era were rather fierce and did quite a bit of damage to their target.     Both breeds had their faults for the job at hand, so it was decided to cross the two, and determined that the 60% Mastiff, 40% Bulldog was the ideal mix!

This mixture was eventually called the 'Bullmastiff' and suited the gamekeepers extremely well and were brilliant at their jobs.    They were able to track men through the forest at night, they could work quietly and had enough strength, weight and agility behind them to be able to sprint for a short distance after their intended target and bring him down, holding them there til the gamekeeper was able to catch up - but did not do too much damage to them!     

Poachers were known to use every trick under the sun to try to escape as they knew that if caught - the result would be final - at the end of the 
hangman's noose!

The life of a Gamekeepers Dog was not one for the faint hearted, the Bullmastiff had to be full of courage and sadly, dogs were killed by the poachers who were trying anything in their power to escape.     The Gamekeepers were extremely pleased with the breed as they performed the tasks required well and with an experienced handler, were easy to train.     

For those who are perhaps a novice at training and handling dogs - they have the smarts to take advantage if they feel their human is not as confident as they need to be about their training abilities.     Having said that - they are a very docile, easygoing, loyal and devoted dog, and if their owners are welcoming to strangers - the Bullmastiff will welcome them too - if not - they will protect their family.

Whilst not a 'giant breed' - Bullmastiffs are large dogs - both in height and stature.    The Breed Standard expects the males to be between 25 and 27 inches at the withers, and between 110 and 130 lbs in weight.   Females are slightly smaller - between 24 and 26 inches and 100 - 120 lbs in weight.  The Bullmastiff comes in a variety of colours - all having a black mask covering the muzzle and up over the eyes, they are found in Fawn, Red and Brindle.      

The Brindle being the colour favoured by the Gamekeepers due to them being well camouflaged at night in the forest!

Over time, the large estates were divided and the need for the Bullmastiff as a gamekeepers companion dwindled.    As this occurred, they were bred for famly companions and the brindle colour became less popular and the fawns and reds came into fashion.     All three colours are 'correct' for the breed - and it is a matter of personal choice and preference these days, and any dog of good conformation, with a short, smooth coat, meeting the breed standard is perfectly acceptable and are wonderful companions!