The Awesome American Bandog Mastiff

The Bandog Mastiff is a beautiful and magnificent dog even though it isn’t a "purebred" breed, officially. Not in the same way that some of the other mastiff breeds are. These simply wonderful dogs possess a heritage that is part American Pit Bull Terrier and part Neapolitan Mastiff. Currently, at the time of this writing, the breed isn’t acknowledged by any kennel clubs.

However this shouldn’t put you off from considering ownership of this most extraordinary canine. His history may not go back hundreds of years, but he possesses a great quantity of devotion and love.

Actually, the breed is only a just a bit over 40 years old. We have this breed today due to the perseverance of two American Mastiff breeders. In the 1960s, John Swinford, an American veterinarian, determined to breed the "ultimate" guard dog. He repeatedly bred a male American Pit Bull Terrier with a large, muscular Neapolitan Mastiff female. Joe Lucero, another American Mastiff breeder, also had contributed to the development of this breed. He distinctively refers to his dogs as American Bandog Mastiffs.

Variations of this breed may be found elsewhere but those developed by Swinford and Lucero make the most stable dogs. Their level temperament and superb qualities as a guard dog have brought them well deserved recognition and respect.

American Bandog Mastiffs are quickly recognizable by his well developed muscle structure in addition to the "athletic" look he carries with him. The majority of the dogs of this breed are black brindle, however, you can find some who are black, blue, red as well as tawny if you are diligent in your search.

Amazingly, these dogs are even tempered and even relatively docile. Even though these dogs are bred for protection, they have a calm, poised air about him. Do you think that because he is somewhere between 100 and 140 pounds or 45 to 63 kg has anything to do with his confidence?

More importantly than this the American Bandog Mastiff is an exceedingly bright dog. I’m sure if Dr. Swinford were living today he would be delighted in the knowledge that he indeed helped breed an excellent guard dog. Generally this breed does have a small, yet surprising shortcoming when it comes to the task of guarding: they’re disinclined to bark. Almost all dogs will bark a warning, not only for their masters to become aware someone is around, but also to alert the trespasser not to proceeded any farther.

Depending on your personality another drawback could be that they yearn for attention. As a faithful companion, they absolute hate to be away from their owners. If you want someone to confirm this, have a talk with the neighbor of one of these mastiff owners and see what they have to say. You would probably get a report that the Bandog Mastiff howls almost the whole time the master isn’t home.

Just like the lines from which they were bred, these giants desire more than anything to be at the side of their masters, to please them, and, of course, to protect them. Also the Bandog will get along with other four legged family members provided they have been brought up from "puppyhood" with them. They actually get along fine with kittens and cats. However if they haven’t been socialized with an particular animal they can be aggressive.

This breed, despite it’s size, does very well in any living environment. Even a small apartment or condo is fine as long as you take them out often to get plenty of exercise. These canine were bred to move so they definitely need to keep to a regular exercise program.

Grooming for these animals is a breeze too. In comparison to other breeds the American Bandog Mastiff is considered an "average shedder." Just give him a routine brushing to eliminate the dead hair and an occasional bath and you should have no troubles.

Choosing to bring an American Bandog Mastiffs into your home is choosing to him into your heart also. He will become a part of your family and all will enjoy numerous happy years together!