North American Mastiff

About the Breed 

Breed Standard

Colors : Black, Fawn, Chocolate, Red, Buckskin, Blue, Tawny, 

Coat Patterns: Solid, Merle, Brindle, Piebald

Females range from 90-150 lbs (40-68kg)

Males range from 120-180 lbs (54-81kg)

Personality: Very laid back family orientated but protective of their surroundings. Agile and muscular in stature but yet still mobile with a ball/prey drive.

Head structure: Block style but with slight wrinkles. Not to exaggerated.

Ears: Short show crop

Bite: Preferably scissor cut bite some may have a slight not overexaggerated under bite. Tails natural.

THE NORTH AMERICAN MASTIFF IS A BREED WITH HEAVY BONE, WHO IS 
MUSCULAR AND POWERFUL BUT VERY AGILE.
HEIGHT AND SUBSTANCE WITH LARGE BONE PREFERRED BUT IN
GOOD PROPORTION.  

THE FIRST THING ONE NOTICES ABOUT THE NORTH AMERICAN MASTIFF 
IS THE SIZE AND THE OVERALL BALANCE WITH EVERY PART OF THE DOG 
BEING IN PROPORTION.

THE NAM OR NORTH AMERICAN MASTIFF IS AN IMPRESSIVE LARGE VERY 
MUSCLED AND AGILE DOG THAT CLEARLY GIVES THE IMPRESSION OF 
INTELLIGENCE AND ABILITY.

SERIOUS FAULTS- KINKED TAILS,  DOCKED TAILS,

EXAGGERATED UNDERSHOT JAW, OVERSHOT JAW, GAIT BEING

UNCHARACTERISTIC OF THE MOLOSSUS BREEDS, OVERLY EXCESSIVE

WRINKLED DOGS AND OVERDONE DOGS.

  SHOW STANDARD

HEAD - WIDE AND FLAT BETWEEN THE EARS WITH THE STOP BEING WELL DEFINED.

 NOSE TO STOP CAN BE SLIGHTLY SHORTER THAT STOP TO OCCIPUT.

THE PLANES OF NOSE TO STOP ARE PARALLEL WITH 
THE PLANES FROM STOP TO OCCIPUT.
SERIOUS FAULT UNEVEN PLANES.
EYES - TRIANGULAR OR GIVING THE APPEARANCE OF ALMOND SHAPE DUE 
TO HEAD WRINKLE
EYE COLOR - SHADES OF AMBER OR BROWN IN ACCORDANCE TO THE 
COAT COLOR FOR EXAMPLE MERLE COLORED DOGS BLUE OR GREEN EYES.
EARS - SET HIGH ON HEAD AND CROPPED SHORT
NOSE -   LARGE AND WELL PIGMENTED BUT IN ACCORDANCE TO THE 
COAT COLOR OF THE DOG. THE NOSTRILS ARE LARGE AND WELL OPENED.
LIPS - THICK AND LONG BUT NOT EXCESSIVE OR GIVING THE 
APPEARANCE AS PENDULOUS.
THE TOP LIP SHOULD COVER THE BOTTOM NO MORE THAN ¾ OF AN INCH. 
THE BOTTOM LIP SHOULD NOT BE LOOSE OR FLESHY.

        SERIOUS FAULT EXCESSIVE LIP

BITE – THE JAW IS STRONG AND TAPERS SLIGHTLY FRONT TO BACK. A 
SCISSORS BITE IS PREFERRED AN EVEN OR SLIGHTLY UNDERSHOT BITE 
SHOULD NOT BE PENALIZED.

      SERIOUS FAULT OVERSHOT OR UNDERSHOT MORE THAN 1/4 INCH

NECK - STRONG, WELL MUSCLED AND NOT TOO SHORT
GIVING A BALANCED APPEARANCE TO THE HEAD AND BROADENING FROM 
THE BASE OF THE SKULL AND NICELY FITTING INTO THE SHOULDERS.  
DEWLAP - NEITHER EXCESSIVE OR PENDULOUS
ELBOWS  -TURNING NEITHER IN OR OUT BUT PARALLEL TO THE BODY.
RIB CAGE - WELL SPRUNG AND WELL FILLED IN   
FRONT LEGS - THE FRONT LEGS CARRY THICK BONE, WITH WELL DEFINED 
AND HEAVY MUSCLE THE FRONT LEGS ARE VERSICLE WITH NO BOWING 
AS SEEN FROM THE FRONT AND SIDE.
FRONT PASTERNS - THE FRONT PASTERNS ARE SHORT, THICK AND 
STRONG AND ARE IN PROPORTION TO THE LENGTH OF THE FORELEGS.
FEET – WELL PADDED BUT TOES ARE NOT KNUCKLED NOR COMPACT AND  
SLIGHTLY EAST WEST

               BACK, HINDQUARTERS COLOR SIZE AND GAIT

BACK - WIDE AND STRONG. HIGHEST PART OF SHOULDER BLADE BARELY 
RISING ABOVE THE STRONG, LEVEL TOPLINE OF THE BACK.
TOPLINE - STRAIGHT
CROUP - BROAD AND STRONG WITH HAS WELL-DEFINED MUSCULATURE. 
SEEN FROM THE SIDE, IT DROPS SLIGHTLY.
TAIL - THE TAIL IS STRONG, SET RIGHT OFF THE CROUP TAPERING 
SLIGHTLY TO THE END. WHEN IN REPOSE CARRIED LOW WITH A SLIGHT 
CURVE.  WHEN ALERT CARRIED LEVEL WITH THE BACK WITH A SLIGHT 
CURVE

SERIOUS FAULTS  KINKED TAIL OR DOCKED TAIL
                             

HINDQUARTERS

HINDQUARTERS - STRONG AND MUSCULAR BUT IN PROPORTION TO THE 
REST OF THE DOG

UPPER THIGHS - WIDE/DEEP WELL SHAPED, AND VERY MUSCULAR AS 
SEEN FROM THE BACK OR SIDE  
SECONDARY THIGHS/GASKINS -  WELL DEVELOPED WITH PROMINENT 
MUSCULATURE.
STIFLES - STRONG AND FIRM WITH THE CORRECT ANGULATION AS SEEN 
IN THE SHOULDERS
HOCKS - TURNING NEITHER IN OR OUT

         SERIOUS FAULT: COW HOCKED OR SICKLE HOCKS

HIND FEET - SLIGHTLY SMALLER THAN THE FOREPAWS, WELL

PADDED AND POINT STRAIGHT TO THE FRONT.
GAIT - ROLLING BUT GROUND COVERING AND STRONG. 
PACING IS ACCEPTABLE. THE OVERALL APPEARANCE IS A DETERMINED 

POWERFUL GROUND COVERING GAIT.

     

COLORS -BLACK, FAWN, CHOCOLATE, RED, BUCKSKIN, BLUE, TAWNY 

COAT PATTERNS: SOLID, MERLE, BRINDLE, PIEBALD

ALSO MERLE MODIFIERS OF COLORS OF THE MERLE 
FEMALES -  UP TO 150 LBS. SOME FEMALES CAN BE AS LARGE AS MALES 
LARGER IS PREFERRED BUT SMALLER IS ACCEPTABLE AS LONG AS MASS 
AND PROPORTION IS THERE
MALES -  RANGE FROM UP TO 170 LBS .BUT GREATER WEIGHT IS USUAL 
AND PREFERABLE AS LONG AS CORRECT PROPORTION AND FUNCTION 
ARE MAINTAINED.
THE ABSENCE OF MASSIVENESS IS TO BE SO SEVERELY PENALIZED AS TO 
ELIMINATE THE DOG FROM COMPETITION.