Introducing the Bullmastiff

By Leslie Brown, Chief Editor, JonesTV

There are a variety of reasons that people give for choosing the dogs that they do. Generally, how much they drool is not one of the reasons. However, if you’re going to be sharing a home with a Bullmastiff, you’d better keep a large towel handy--or a wetsuit.

“Jack,” a 12-month old Bullmastiff, is companion to Thomas Chase Jones, President of JonesTV. A present for Tom’s son Mike, Jack follows Tom around the house, and has become a mascot of sorts for the staff of JonesTV. Jack is likely to be found in the studio among the hustle and bustle of the start-up company’s multi-channel website development.

Most people are not prepared for how much the Bullmastiff slobbers and drools, especially after eating or drinking. When they shake their heads, you will find yourself toweling the saliva and slime off of your clothes, furniture, walls, and quite possibly the ceiling.Young Bullmastiffs will romp around your house with a lack of coordination that might be cute—until they rearrange your furniture just by bouncing off of it. If left alone, any pup can become bored and destructive, however, the powerful jaws of a bored Bullmastiff can turn your entire living room into a giant chew toy in no time!

Once you’ve considered these traits, you also need to know that a properly raised and socialized Bullmastiff will be cheerful and confident, yet quite docile. He’ll be extremely loyal and loving with his pack family, and will be gentle with children. He can appear to be serious, but can also be a good-natured goofball. Due to their size and weight, Bullmastiffs can be somewhat clumsy, but they are also very muscular, athletic, incredibly fast, and agile.

He is brave and protective, saving his deep bark for only the most challenging of situations. The Bullmastiff was breed to be independent, and therefore likely to make his own decisions. He can be quite willful, stubborn, and obstinate. He also will want to be the boss, so you need to spend extra time and effort to raise and socialize him properly.

The Bullmastiff stands at 24 to 27 inches tall, and weighs between a hefty 110 to 130 pounds. Because of his short face, the breed snorts, grunts, and snores loudly. They shed more than you might think, and their short, coarse hairs come off on your hands when you pet them, sticking tenaciously to carpeting, couches, and clothes.

Before rushing out to get a Bullmastiff (and that wetsuit!), keep in mind that they were originally bred to serve as guard dogs. When a properly trained and socialized, the Bullmastiff is friendly, but he still has a very strong tendency to take control of a situation. He’s likely to be standoffish with strangers, but very affectionate with his owner. Despite their large size and tough-guy good looks, Bullmastiffs are best as family companions who live indoors.

If you have any stories to tell about a Bullmastiff, we invite you to share your comments here.