Spanish Mastiff

Originating from the Iberian Peninsula, some references attesting to its existence date back to the fourteenth century. It probably descends from grip dogs imported by barbarian peoples after the fall of the Roman Empire. Its golden age spans from the Middle Ages to the nineteenth century, when its popularity as a grip dog for hunting large game and for cattle made it the favorite breed of many illustrious figures in Spanish history, who left behind them eloquent testimonies bibliographic and artistic of its importance.

In the exercise of its traditional functions, the Spanish Alano has always worked in packs with adult dogs of the same breed or with other breeds such as the Villano and the podencos. It is therefore a gregarious and sociable molossoid, which cohabits easily with other dogs. It possesses a great capacity for learning and excellent aptitudes as a working dog, combining functionality, beauty, and an innate affection for human beings. As a family dog it is easy to educate, very affectionate and patient with children. All the seriousness of its external appearance is translated internally by a noble and balanced character.

The Spanish Alano is a rustic molossoid of medium size. It is lighter than most other molossoids, it has a runner's construction, which allows it to be fast and enduring. It is a very agile dog, known for its feline movements. It is recognizable by its piercing and serious gaze characterized by an eye color that is yellow, amber or hazelnut. The nose is always black. There are several coats. The fawn and brindled, which are accepted in all their shades. The black and brindled, which has the same distribution as the coat called black and tan on other breeds, but which most of the time is black and brindled on alanos, although it also exists in black and fawn but more rarely. The charring and black mask are possible on all coats. White is accepted only on the chest, neck or extremities. Its coat is short and dense. Its ears are folded toward the face. The male measures between 58 and 63 cm at the withers for a weight between 30 and 40kg. The female measures between 55 and 60 cm at the withers, for a weight between 25 and 35kg. Otectomy (ear cropping) for non-medical purposes has been prohibited since 2004 in France.