Quick Links: Table of Contents
- Bullmastiff Breed Overview
- History of the Bullmastiff Breed. Where Bullmastiffs came from
- What the Bullmastiff Looks Like
- How Much is the Bullmastiff Puppy?
- Best Bullmastiff Breeders
- Adopting or Rescuing the Bullmastiff
- Bullmastiff Growth
- The Temperament of the Bullmastiff
- How Long Bullmastiffs Live
- Bullmastiff Litter Size
- How Fast Bullmastiffs Can Run
- Good Names for Bullmastiffs
- How Intelligent are Bullmastiffs?
- How Popular are Bullmastiffs with New Dog Owners?
- Health Problems in Bullmastiffs and How to Prevent Them
- How to Take Care of Bullmastiff
- Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Bullmastiffs
- Other Things to Know About Bullmastiffs
Bullmastiff Breed Overview
The Bullmastiff is a giant-sized dog.
The adult Bullmastiff stands 24 to 27 inches at the shoulder.
The Bullmastiff belongs to the Working Dogs group.
Dogs in the Working Dogs group, like the Bullmastiff, were developed to assist humans in some capacity – including pulling sleds and carts, guarding flocks, guarding homes, and protecting their families.
Breeds in the Working Group are known for their imposing stature, strength, intelligence, and fearless.
Because of their size and strength, working dogs require a structured home life and firm, fair, consistent training by someone who can provide leadership without resorting to anger or physical force.
The fact that the Bullmastiff belongs to the Working Dogs group is one of the reasons why Bullmastiffs have the personality and temperament that they have.
The temperament of the Bullmastiff is generally described as:
- Alert
- Calm
- Courageous
- Devoted
- Docile
- Loving
- Loyal
- Powerful
- Protective
- Reliable
- Reserved
History of the Bullmastiff Breed. Where Bullmastiffs came from
The Bullmastiff is a massive, powerfully built dog, but it is not a heavy animal.
The shoulders are muscular and sloping, and the hindquarters are broad and proportionate.
It has a large, wrinkled head, a broad, deep muzzle that is usually a darker color than the body, and a wide, black nose with large nostrils.
The jaws are strong, and the teeth frequently come together in a level or undershot bite.
The Bullmastiff`s eyes are medium in size and a deep dark hazel color, with an alert expression.
Their v-shaped ears are carried close to the cheeks and set high and wide, giving the head a square boxy appearance.
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What the Bullmastiff Looks Like
The Bullmastiff is a massive, powerfully built dog, but it is not a heavy animal.
The shoulders are muscular and sloping, and the hindquarters are broad and proportionate.
It has a large, wrinkled head, a broad, deep muzzle that is usually a darker color than the body, and a wide, black nose with large nostrils.
The jaws are strong, and the teeth frequently come together in a level or undershot bite.
The Bullmastiff`s eyes are medium in size and a deep dark hazel color, with an alert expression.
Their v-shaped ears are carried close to the cheeks and set high and wide, giving the head a square boxy appearance.
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How Much is the Bullmastiff Puppy?
The average price of a Bullmastiff puppy is $2230. The price of a Bullmastiff puppy ranges from $1500 to $3000.
A lot of factors determine the price of the Bullmastiff. These factors include what health records the Bullmastiff puppy has, the lineage of the Bullmastiff puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.
To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy Bullmastiff based on the many factors that determine the price of the Bullmastiff puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the Bullmastiff puppy based on what you want in the puppy.
When looking to buy a puppy, look at buying a puppy only from well-established breeders that breed puppies primarily for the love of the Bullmastiff breed, and secondarily for profit. Do not buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills mass-produce puppies in bad living conditions for maximum profit.
You may also consider adopting instead of buying a puppy. Adoption costs are very low compared to the price of a puppy.
Best Bullmastiff Breeders
We have researched reputable Bullmastiff breeders that you can buy a puppy.
Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Bullmastiff breeders in various states in the United States.
On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.
A few of these breeders are listed below.
Tiffany Stalker
Puppy Price: $1,200.00
Heidi Faulkner Bullmastiffs
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Fusion Bullmastiffs
Puppy Price: $2900.00
Linda McDonald
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Jack Smith
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Adopting or Rescuing the Bullmastiff
You may consider adopting a dog instead of buying a puppy. Many dogs, Bullmastiffs included, are currently available for adoption in your local dog shelters.
These helpless but adorable dogs are waiting in dog shelters hoping that someday someone will rescue them. Dog adoption costs are lesser than the cost of a new puppy. Dog adoption costs are usually around $300 or even less.
In addition to your local dog shelter, another good place to find dogs that are available for adoption is petfinder.com.
Below is an adorable Male Bullmastiff named Fl – Botosi/Jacksonville that is currently available for adoption on Petfinder.com. You can find other lovely Bullmastiffs like Fl – Botosi/Jacksonville on pefinder.com.
Theodore is the name of another Bullmastiff (Male) on petfinder.com that is looking for a new forever home.
You can find more Bullmastiffs that are available for adoption on petfinder.
Bullmastiff Growth
New Bullmastiff owners need to know about the growth of their Bullmastiffs. This will help them plan their living spaces accordingly.
Also, knowing the typical growth pattern of the Bullmastiff will help new owners catch the abnormal growth of their Bullmastiff early.
See our calculator for predicting how big your Bullmastiff puppy will get. You will also learn about the typical weight of the Bullmastiff at different ages and how to catch abnormal growth in your Bullmastiff
The Temperament of the Bullmastiff
The temperament of the Bullmastiff based can be summarized as in the table below.
The table shows the scores of the Bullmastiff for 13 important dog behavioral factors.
We obtained these scores by analyzing raw data from the C-BARQ dog personality survey tool. The higher the score of a dog for a factor, the worse the temperament of the dog regarding that factor.
The C-BARQ tool was developed by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, and it is a scientific tool that is used worldwide for reliably measuring the temperament of dog breeds.
See our complete analysis of the temperament of the Bullmastiff here.
| Factor | Score |
|---|---|
| Dog Directed Aggression | 68.7 percent |
| Prey Drive | 58.3 percent |
| Attachment Attention Seeking | 52.2 percent |
| Stubbornness | 40.8 percent |
| Energy Level | 40.1 percent |
| Nonsocial Fear | 33.2 percent |
| Separation Related Behavior | 33.1 percent |
| Stranger Directed Aggression | 30.7 percent |
| Dog Rivalry | 30.7 percent |
| Stranger Directed Fear | 24.8 percent |
| Excitability | 24.2 percent |
| Touch Sensitivity | 21.6 percent |
| Dog Directed Fear | 16.5 percent |
| Owner Directed Aggression | 14.0 percent |
How Long Bullmastiffs Live
The lifespan of the Bullmastiff is typically from 8 to 10 years.
Moreover, a few years back, veterinarian researchers performed a scientific study to determine the lifespan of the Bullmastiff. In this study, the scientists collected data on how long 96 pet Bullmastiffs lived.
From the study, it was found that Bullmastiffs have an average lifespan of 7.46 years. Furthermore, the study found that it is not uncommon for Bullmastiffs to live as long as 13.5 years.
Note that you need to put in some effort if you want your Bullmastiff to live long.
Bullmastiffs live long if they eat well, drink well, exercise well, and visit the veterinarian regularly.
There are also dog supplements that you can give your Bullmastiff to improve your Bullmastiff`s quality of their life.
Click here to learn more about how to make your Bullmastiff live long.
Bullmastiff Litter Size
Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science did a study where they counted the numbers of puppies in 16 different Bullmastiff birth litters.
From this study, the researchers found that the average number of puppies that Bullmastiffs can have is 6 puppies. Also, the Bullmastiff can have as few as 1 puppies per litter and as many as 20 puppies per litter.
The number of puppies that the Bullmastiff will have depends on factors such as the age of the Bullmastiff, the method of pregnancy, etc.
Click here to see our calculator for predicting how many puppies your Bullmastiff will have and how the litter size of the Bullmastiff compares to the litter size of other dog breeds.
How Fast Bullmastiffs Can Run
How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.
Based on our analysis of the speeds of 55 different Bullmastiffs, the average speed of the Bullmastiff is 22.2 mph (35.7 kmph).
The fastest speed on AKC record that the Bullmastiff ran in a race is 27.57 mph (44.4 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a Bullmastiff is 10.48 mph (16.9 kmph).
Click here to see how the speed of the Bullmastiff compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.
Good Names for Bullmastiffs
Here are some really good names that are typical for the Bullmastiff ranked by popularity:
- Hercules
- Joey
- Pipsqueak
- Chase
- Hank
- Buddy
- Bear
- Moose
- Kona
- Mojo
How Intelligent are Bullmastiffs?
| Bullmastiff | |
|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 69 out of 130 dog breeds |
| Trainability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 40 To 80 Repetitions! |
According to Prof. Stanley Coren, a Canadian psychology professor/dog trainer, the total intelligence that a dog demonstrates is the addition of three types of intelligence. These intelligence types are:
- Instinctive Intelligence: This is the natural intelligence that comes from instinct. For example, dog breeds that have been historically bred to be guard dogs will have a high `guarding` intelligence compared to dogs that were not bred for guarding.
- Adaptive Intelligence (learning and problem-solving ability): This indicates what a dog can learn to do for himself or herself. Adaptive intelligence is specific to each dog, and not breed specific. You can improve your dog`s adaptive intelligence by investing time to train your dog.
- Working/Obedience Intelligence: This type of intelligence is breed-specific. Certain dog breeds tend to have higher working/obedience intelligence than some other breeds. This intelligence is the closest to what we might call school-learning ability and it is based upon what the dog can learn to do when instructed by humans. This type of intelligence can be measured for each dog breed and compared to that of other dog breeds.
Professor Stanley Coren measured and ranked the working intelligence of about 130 different dog breeds.
Prof. Coren found that the Bullmastiff has an obedience intelligence rank of 69 out of 130 dog breeds. Thus, Prof. Coren put Bullmastiffs in the `Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Bullmastiffs tend to learn new commands after 40 to 80 repetitions!.
However, we should mention that a dog should not be judged based on its intelligence alone. There are other important factors you need to consider when deciding on which dog breed to get. These other factors include sociability, adorability, and compatibility of the dog breed with your lifestyle.
See the intelligence ranking of some other dog breeds below:
| Breed | Intelligence Rank |
|---|---|
| Labrador Retriever | 7 |
| Pembroke Welsh Corgi | 11 |
| English Springer Spaniel | 13 |
| German Shorthaired Pointer | 17 |
| Chesapeake Bay Retriever | 27 |
| Airedale Terrier | 29 |
| Manchester Terrier | 32 |
| Affenpinscher | 37 |
| American Foxhound | 46 |
| Scottish Deerhound | 47 |
| Chinese Shar-Pei | 51 |
| Dandie Dinmont Terrier | 62 |
| Old English Sheepdog | 63 |
| Saint Bernard | 65 |
| Chihuahua | 67 |
| Beagle | 72 |
| Pekingese | 73 |
| Chow Chow | 76 |
| American Bulldog | 77 |
| Afghan Hound | 79 |
How Popular are Bullmastiffs with New Dog Owners?
Every year, the American Kennel Club (AKC) publishes information on how popular a dog breed is in that particular year. The AKC gets the popularity information of a breed from how many dogs of that breed the owners register with the AKC every year. The AKC collects this data for about 200 dog breeds.
The graph below shows the popularity trend of the Bullmastiff.
The popularity of the Bullmastiff averaged over the years is Number 49 out of about 200 dog breeds.
Do not get a dog breed just because it is a popular dog breed. And do not reject a dog breed just because it is an unpopular breed.
Health Problems in Bullmastiffs and How to Prevent Them
Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.
The Bullmastiff is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.
From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.
Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.
If you want a Bullmastiff puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Bullmastiff breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.
The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen Bullmastiffs for:
You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Bullmastiffs here.
How to Take Care of Bullmastiff
To take good care of your Bullmastiff, you need to make sure that you groom your Bullmastiff regularly.
Secondly, you need to find a veterinarian in your area that will routinely check the health status of your Bullmastiff regularly, and give you appropriate recommendations on your Bullmastiff`s preventative care.
Thirdly, you need to commit some time to exercise your Bullmastiff daily. Regular exercise helps improve the health and quality of life of your Bullmastiff.
Also, you need to feed your Bullmastiff high-quality dog food, and the food should be of the right amount to prevent your Bullmastiff from getting overweight or underweight.
See our recommendations on what to feed the Bullmastiff and how much food to feed the Bullmastiff at different life stages.
Finally, you need to make sure that your Bullmastiff has access to clean water all the time. See our recommendations on how much water your Bullmastiff needs to drink at different ages.
Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Bullmastiffs
If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the Bullmastiff.
We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Bullmastiff:
- Black Russian Terrier (70 percent match with Bullmastiff). Learn more about the Black Russian Terrier here.
- Mastiff (70 percent match with Bullmastiff). Learn more about the Mastiff here.
- Redbone Coonhound (73 percent match with Bullmastiff). Learn more about the Redbone Coonhound here.
Other Things to Know About Bullmastiffs
Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Bullmastiff that you need to know about the Bullmastiff breed: