Something to THINK ABOUT BY HELENE NIETSCH, BANSTOCK BULLMASTIFF
I t is fair to say that if nature bred Bullmastiffs they would eventually deviate more toward looking like a big mutt. In order to maintain a Bullmastiff’s nearly-square appearance, square head and muzzle with its punishing mouth, its size, substance and bone, and the need for structural soundness, breeders and judges alike must be meticulous in selecting for correct type, size, structure, temperament and health so that the breed both looks like a Bullmastiff and can perform like a Bullmastiff. Over the past 30 years, the overall conformation of the Bullmas- tiff has made great strides. This has not happened by chance and came about through the conscientious efforts of breeders using selective breed- ing to optimize quality traits and eliminate faults as outlined in the breed standard. There are a few areas where we need to focus more attention. Two of these areas are splayed feet and cow hocks. These two faults are the only serious faults in the AKC Bullmastiff Standard (we don’t have any disquali- fications). Splayed feet and cow hocks are not only faulted in the AKC stan- dard, but are also basic structural faults in most breed standards. There is a great deal of reasoning behind why these two faults are considered “seri- ous.” Neither splayed feet nor cow hocks can exist as simple fault charac- teristics. In other words, both of these problems affect other characteristics
Illustration courtesy of the American Bullmastiff Illustrated Standard
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