Quick Links: Table of Contents
- Spanish Mastiff Breed Overview
- History of the Spanish Mastiff Breed. Where Spanish Mastiffs came from
- What the Spanish Mastiff Looks Like
- How Much is the Spanish Mastiff Puppy?
- Best Spanish Mastiff Breeders
- Spanish Mastiff Growth
- What Colors do Spanish Mastiffs Have?
- How Long Spanish Mastiffs Live
- Spanish Mastiff Litter Size
- Health Problems in Spanish Mastiffs and How to Prevent Them
- How to Take Care of Spanish Mastiff
- Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Spanish Mastiffs
- Other Things to Know About Spanish Mastiffs
Spanish Mastiff Breed Overview
The Spanish Mastiff is a giant-sized dog.
The adult Spanish Mastiff stands 26 to 35 inches.
The Spanish Mastiff belongs to the Working Dogs group.
Dogs in the Working Dogs group, like the Spanish Mastiff, 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 Spanish Mastiffs belong to the Working Dogs group is one of the reasons why Spanish Mastiffs have the personality and temperament that they have.
The temperament of the Spanish Mastiff is generally described as:
- Affectionate
- Determined
- Intelligent
- Noble
- Self-assured
History of the Spanish Mastiff Breed. Where Spanish Mastiffs came from
Spanish Mastiffs are one of the oldest breeds of dogs, with a history that dates back to ancient times.
The Spanish Mastiff is thought to be a descendant of the Molosser, a type of dog that was popular in ancient Greece and Rome.
The Spanish Mastiff was used as a guard dog and for hunting large game such as boar and bear.
Spanish Mastiffs were also popular among Spanish nobility, and they were often given as gifts to important guests.
Spanish Mastiffs remained a popular breed throughout the Middle Ages, and they were introduced to other parts of Europe in the 16th century.
Today, Spanish Mastiffs are still prized for their guarding abilities, and they make loyal and loving family pets.
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What the Spanish Mastiff Looks Like
Spanish Mastiffs are large dogs, stocky dogs, with a deep chest and muscular limbs.
The head is large and square, with a short muzzle and erect ears.
The coat is thick and dense, ranging in color from light gold to dark brown.
Spanish Mastiffs are gentle giants, known for their loyalty and protective nature.
They make excellent guard dogs and are often used as livestock guardians.
Spanish Mastiffs are intelligent dogs, but they can be stubborn and require firm training.
With proper socialization, they make wonderful family pets.
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How Much is the Spanish Mastiff Puppy?
The average price of a Spanish Mastiff puppy is $1050. The price of a Spanish Mastiff puppy ranges from $1000 to $1050.
A lot of factors determine the price of the Spanish Mastiff. These factors include what health records the Spanish Mastiff puppy has, the lineage of the Spanish Mastiff puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.
To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy Spanish Mastiff based on the many factors that determine the price of the Spanish Mastiff puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the Spanish Mastiff 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 Spanish Mastiff 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 Spanish Mastiff Breeders
We have researched reputable Spanish Mastiff breeders that you can buy a puppy.
Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Spanish Mastiff 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.
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Moore Family Newfoundlands and More
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Spanish Mastiff Growth
New Spanish Mastiff owners need to know about the growth of their Spanish Mastiffs. This will help them plan their living spaces accordingly.
Also, knowing the typical growth pattern of the Spanish Mastiff will help new owners catch the abnormal growth of their Spanish Mastiff early.
See our calculator for predicting how big your Spanish Mastiff puppy will get. You will also learn about the typical weight of the Spanish Mastiff at different ages and how to catch abnormal growth in your Spanish Mastiff
What Colors do Spanish Mastiffs Have?
Spanish Mastiffs come in the following beautiful primary colors:
Spanish Mastiffs come in the following lovely secondary colors in addition to their primary colors:
How Long Spanish Mastiffs Live
The lifespan of the Spanish Mastiff is typically from 10 to 12 years.
Spanish Mastiffs live long if they eat well, drink well, exercise well, and visit the veterinarian regularly.
Spanish Mastiff Litter Size
Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science did a study where they counted the numbers of puppies in 1 different Spanish Mastiff birth litters.
From this study, the researchers found that the average number of puppies that Spanish Mastiffs can have is 13 puppies. Also, the Spanish Mastiff can have as few as 13 puppies per litter and as many as 13 puppies per litter.
The number of puppies that the Spanish Mastiff will have depends on factors such as the age of the Spanish Mastiff, the method of pregnancy, etc.
Click here to see our calculator for predicting how many puppies your Spanish Mastiff will have and how the litter size of the Spanish Mastiff compares to the litter size of other dog breeds.
Health Problems in Spanish Mastiffs 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 Spanish Mastiff 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 Spanish Mastiff puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Spanish Mastiff 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 Spanish Mastiffs for:
You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Spanish Mastiffs here.
How to Take Care of Spanish Mastiff
To take good care of your Spanish Mastiff, you need to make sure that you groom your Spanish Mastiff regularly.
Secondly, you need to find a veterinarian in your area that will routinely check the health status of your Spanish Mastiff regularly, and give you appropriate recommendations on your Spanish Mastiff`s preventative care.
Thirdly, you need to commit some time to exercise your Spanish Mastiff daily. Regular exercise helps improve the health and quality of life of your Spanish Mastiff.
Also, you need to feed your Spanish Mastiff high-quality dog food, and the food should be of the right amount to prevent your Spanish Mastiff from getting overweight or underweight.
See our recommendations on what to feed the Spanish Mastiff and how much food to feed the Spanish Mastiff at different life stages.
Finally, you need to make sure that your Spanish Mastiff has access to clean water all the time. See our recommendations on how much water your Spanish Mastiff needs to drink at different ages.
Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Spanish Mastiffs
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 Spanish Mastiff.
We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Spanish Mastiff:
- Akbash (78 percent match with Spanish Mastiff). Learn more about the Akbash here.
- Estrela Mountain Dog (75 percent match with Spanish Mastiff). Learn more about the Estrela Mountain Dog here.
- Hovawart (81 percent match with Spanish Mastiff). Learn more about the Hovawart here.
Other Things to Know About Spanish Mastiffs
Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Spanish Mastiff that you need to know about the Spanish Mastiff breed: