Spanish Mastiff
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| Other names | Spanish Mastiff Mastín español de campo y trabajo Mastín ganadero Mastín Leonés Mastín Extremeño |
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| Origin | Spain | |||||||||||||||||
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| Domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Traits | |||
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| Weight | 40–80 kg (88–176 lb) | ||
| Height | Male | 80 cm | |
| Female | 75 cm | ||
| Classification / standards | |||
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| FCI | Group 2, Section 2.2 Molossian: Mountain type #91 | standard | |
| AKC | |||
| The AKC Foundation Stock Service (FSS) is an optional recording service for purebred dogs that are not yet eligible for AKC registration. | |||
| UKC | Guardian Dog | standard | |
The Mastín Español or Spanish Mastiff, is a giant breed of dog, originating in Spain, originally bred to be a guard dog whose specialized purpose is to be a protecting flocks (and occasionally herds) from wolves and other predators. The Mountain dog type has a heavier coat.
Transhumance in Spain is very ancient, like the primitive populations of those lands and, consequently, the Mastiff-Transhumance binomial. In the Iron Age of the Castilian Plateau it found skeletons of dogs of enormous dimensions. Also is assumed that already in the Neolithic existed molossers in Central Europe.
In different parts of the globe, appeared simultaneously various types of cattle dogs of molosser type, one of these places was Spain considering the natural characteristics of the peninsula. Specifically the Spanish Mastiff was originated in the territories of Asturias, Cantabria, León and Zamora.
Th Indo-Europeans, some groups composed of warriors herders and nomadic transhumans, led to large herd molossers dogs the valleys and areas conducive to grass. In the seasons of transhumance it had to walk about thirty kilometers or more per day, which gathered other nine for grazing; without the ebb and continued during monitoring.
With the birth of the farming system, the dogs became indispensable. There was probably external influences acting on the base structure of the native dogs. Through centuries of selection and specialization, and thanks to this ecological ring pressent in many countries of the world (man, sheep, dog and wolf), it gave life to a specimen of a physical and a useful dog.
After, in Medieval times, during centuries, the Mastín Español has accompanied the herds of transhumans sheeps that ran cañadas reales crossing from north to south Spain, defending the cattle of attack of wolves and other vermin; the Mastín had the protection of carlancas or carrancas, chunky metal necklaces with skewers. Its function was primarily protective, unlike its fellow Carea Dogs, whose function is grazing, driving the herds in response to indications of the shepherd In some places it is known as perro merinero by accompany the Merino sheep breed.
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Wikipedia