Pyrenean Mastiff

About the Pyrenean Mastiff

The Pyrenean Mastiff, the Mastin del Pirineo, guarded flocks on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees against wolves and bears, working in twos and threes and wearing heavy spiked collars for protection. Transhumance declined and the breed declined with it, before being rebuilt from surviving farm dogs from the 1970s onwards.

This is one of the largest breeds in the group: dogs stand from 77 cm and commonly weigh over 70 kg, in white with a well-defined darker mask and patches, most often grey, fawn, black or brindle. The temperament is noticeably calmer than that of many guardians, but sheer size makes a poor character unacceptable, and a stud should be tolerant, unhurried and easy to handle for someone it has never met.

Ask for hip and elbow scores and a current eye certificate; entropion and ectropion both occur where there is loose facial skin. Gastric torsion is a genuine emergency in a giant deep-chested breed, so ask what has happened in the line. Ask how long the stud's parents lived, since the giant breeds are short-lived, and ask about heart screening, which is a reasonable request at this size.

Health & breeding

We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.