Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2023 0:26:00 GMT
Height: 22-26"
Weight: 65-110lbs
Country of Origin: England
Family: Gripping Dog
Type: Bulldog
Bullmastiffs come from tiny 30-40lb baiting bulldogs. They then crossed these with larger boarhounds to get the farm bulldog you started with. The Bullmastiff is used similarly to the Alano Espanol, for catching and working cattle.
The Bullmastiff is from England but features regularly in South Africa, where its working potential can be maximized. I’ve also heard of some good Bullmastiffs from Australia; those dogs are good too. Those countries test the mettle of these dogs in the field, and thus the wheat is sorted from the chaff.
Bullmastiffs were a “gamekeeper’s night dog” and this meant they would set these Bullmastiffs onto poachers. They didn’t “guard”, the gamekeeper would patrol at night with the dog and then upon seeing a poacher the dog would be set on them. There was public outrage due to the grotesque injuries and occasional deaths, so they then tried muzzling them so they would sprawl over the poacher. Eventually the practice fizzled out.
Bullmastiffs are good for subjugating game, but they cannot catch anything significant on the savannah. Guarding the homestead, it may nail a jackal, brown/striped hyena.
However, you cannot catch a warthog or other speedy common game with a Bullmastiff. There were some people who brought Australian boarhounds (much quicker than bulldogs and actual hunting dogs) to Africa to try and catch warthogs. The warthogs were constantly escaping into holes and they caught 4-5 only in a few weeks of trying.
Bullmastiffs are decent for bushpigs, bushpigs are more like boar and a bulldog can catch one fairly easily. However, they are usually used as drop dogs. In fact, always. They’re released after the bay dogs have the boar cornered.