Mastiff

FCI-Standard N° 264  / 18. 04. 2007/ GB

MASTIFF

ORIGIN : Great-Britain.

PATRONAGE : FCI.

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 06.03.07.

UTILIZATION : Watch and security dog.

CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. :  Group 2 Pinscher and Schnauzer-Molossoid breeds-Swiss Mountain and Cattle Dogs and other breeds.  Section 2.1       Molossoid breeds, Mastiff type.  Without working trial.            

GENERAL APPEARANCE : Head, in general outline, giving a square appearance when viewed from any point. Breadth greatly desired; in ratio to length of whole head and face as 2/3.  Body massive, broad, deep, long, powerfully built, on legs wide apart and squarely set.  Muscles sharply defined.  Size a great desideratum, if combined with quality.  Height and substance important if both points are proportionately combined.  Large, massive, powerful, symmetrical, well-knit frame.

BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : A combination of grandeur and courage.  Calm, affectionate to owners, but capable of guarding.

HEAD

CRANIAL REGION :

Skull : Skull broad between ears, forehead flat, but wrinkled when attention is excited.  Brows (superciliary ridges) slightly raised.  Muscles of temples and cheeks (temporal and masseter) well developed.  Arch across skull of a rounded, flattened curve, with depression up centre of forehead from median line between eyes, to halfway up saggital suture.

FACIAL REGION :

Nose : Nose broad, with widely spreading nostrils when viewed from front, flat (not pointed or turned up) in profile.

Muzzle : Face or muzzle short, broad under eyes, and keeping nearly parallel in width to end of nose; truncated, i.e. blunt and cut off squarely, thus forming a right-angle with upper line of face, of great depth from point of nose to under jaw.  Length of muzzle to whole head and face as 1/3. Circumference of muzzle (measured mid-way between eyes and nose) to that of head (measured before the ears) as 3/5.

Lips: Lips diverging at obtuse angles with septum, and slightly pendulous so as to show a square profile.

Jaws/Teeth : Under jaw broad to end.  Canine teeth healthy; powerful and wide apart; incisors level or lower projecting beyond upper but never so much as to become visible when mouth is closed.

Jaws/Teeth : Under jaw broad to end.  Canine teeth healthy; powerful and wide apart. Scissors bite, pincer bite (edge to edge) or slightly undershot.  Lower incisors never visible when mouth is closed.

Eyes : Small, wide apart, divided by at least space of two eyes.  Stop between eyes well marked but not too abrupt.  Colour hazel brown, darker the better, showing no haw.

Ears : Small, thin to touch, wide apart, set on at highest points of sides of skull, so as to continue outline across summit, and lying flat and close to cheeks when in repose.

NECK : Slightly arched, moderately long, very muscular, and measuring in circumference about one or two inches less than skull before ears.

BODY : 

Back and loins : Back and loins wide and muscular; flat and very wide in bitch, slightly arched in dog.

Chest : Chest wide, deep and well let down between forelegs.  Ribs arched and well rounded.  False ribs deep and well set back to hips. Girth one-third more than height at shoulder.

Belly : Great depth of flanks.

TAIL : Set on high, and reaching to hocks, or a little below them, wide at its root and tapering to end, hanging straight in repose, but forming a curve with end pointing upwards, but not over back, when dog is excited.

LIMBS

FOREQUARTERS : Legs straight, strong and set wide apart; bones being large.

Shoulder and arm : Shoulder and arm slightly sloping, heavy and muscular.

Elbows : Elbows square.

Pasterns : Pasterns upright.

HINDQUARTERS : Broad, wide and muscular.

Second thigh : Well-developed second thighs.

Hock : Hocks bent, wide apart, and quite squarely set when standing or walking.

FEET : Large and round.  Toes well arched.  Nails black.

GAIT / MOVEMENT  : Powerful, easy extension.

COAT

HAIR : Short and close-lying, but not too fine over shoulders, neck and back.

COLOUR : Apricot-fawn, silver-fawn, fawn, or dark fawn-brindle.  In any case, muzzle, ears and nose should be black round orbits, and extending upwards between them.

FAULTS : Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.

SEVERE FAULTS

Incisors visible when mouth is closed.

ELIMINATING FAULTS

Aggressive or overly shy.

Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.

N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.