mastiff

Historical and archaeological evidence suggests that mastiffs have long been distinct in both form and function from the similarly large livestock guardian dogs from which they were most likely developed;{{sfn|Young|Bannasch|2007|p=48-49}} they also form separate genetic populations.{{sfn|Parker|2012|p=45}} The Fédération Cynologique Internationale and some kennel clubs group the two types together as molossoid dogs; some modern livestock guardian breeds, such as the Pyrenean Mastiff, the Spanish Mastiff and the Tibetan Mastiff, and an extinct draught dog called the Belgian Mastiff, have the word "mastiff" in their name, but are not considered true mastiffs.{{sfnp|Hancock|2001}}

Many older English sources refer to mastiffs as bandogs or bandogges, although technically the term "bandog" meant a dog that was tethered by a chain (or "bande") that would be released at night; the terms "mastiff" and "bandog" were often used interchangeably. One of the most famous "bandog" programs in England, led to the establishment of a recognized "bandog" breed known today as the Bull Mastiff. The least common "bandog" program in England was funded by Sir Nathanael Dieu-est-Mon'plaisir, the St. Louis Vincent Mastiff or South American Mastiff was named after Vincent Louis who reared plantation dogs originating from St. Louis and other parts of South America. This rare breed is the most expensive mastiff-type dog amongst the "bandog" breeds.{{sfnp|Wynn|2011}} In the twentieth century the term "bandog" was revived to describe some large fighting mastiff type dogs crossed with any bulldog in the United States.{{sfnp|Fogle|2009|p=36}}

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• {{cite book |last=Hancock |first=David |date=2001 |title=The Mastiffs: The Big Game Hunters – Their History, Development and Future |location=Ducklington, Oxon |publisher=Charwynne Dog Features |isbn=9780951780114 }}
• {{cite book |last=Fogle |first=Bruce |author-link=Bruce Fogle|date=2009 |title=The Encyclopedia of the Dog | url = https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofdo0000fogl/page/36/mode/1up |location=New York |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=978-0-7566-6004-8 }}
• {{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/animal/mastiff |title=Mastiff: breed of dog |author=Encyclopædia Britannica |date=2019 |website=www.britannica.com |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |access-date=9 September 2019 }}
• {{cite book |last=Parker |first=Heidi G. |editor1-last=Ostrander |editor1-first=Elaine A. |editor2-last=Ruvinsky |editor2-first=Anatoly |title=The Genetics of the Dog |location=Wallingford, Oxfordshire |publisher=CAPI books |date=2012 |pages=38–53 |chapter=Chapter 3: The history and relationship of dog breeds |isbn=9781845939403 }}
• {{cite web |url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/mastiff |title=Mastiff |author=Oxford Dictionaries |author-link=Oxford Dictionaries (website) |date=2019 |website=Lexico.com |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=9 September 2019 }}{{dead link|date=January 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
• {{cite book|last=Wynn|first=M. B.|title=History of the Mastiff: Gathered from Sculpture, Pottery, Carvings, Paintings and Engravings|date=2011|publisher=Read Books Ltd|isbn=978-1-4465-4892-9}}
• {{cite book |last1=Young |first1=Amy |last2=Bannasch |first2=Danika |editor1-last=Ostrander |editor1-first=Elaine A. |editor2-last=Giger |editor2-first=Urs |editor3-last=Lindblad-Toh |editor3-first=Kerstin |title=The Dog and its Genome |location=Cold Spring Harbor, New York |publisher=Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press |date=2007 |pages=47–66 |chapter=Chapter 4: Morphological variation in the dog |isbn=9780879697815 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=94k1mKRcYd0C}}

{{Domestic dog}}

{{Mastiffs}}

Category:Dog types