Though I sincerely like a good number of dog breeds that is not to say that I am entirely satisfied with what is out there. Put simply I want to create my own dog breed or more realistically my own first generation of standardized mutts. And why not when one comes to think about it? After all most dog breeds we know today were developed off the whim of somebody’s need or plain flight of fancy!

I am sure there will be those who argue who am I to dare think of creating my own dog breed; what qualifications after all do I have to such an end? Well, even if I say so myself, I honestly believe that I am more than qualified enough to develop my own breed of dog. Not only do I know the a lot about dogs I have over 20 books about them. Several of those canine books are bona fide tomes that are steeped deep in the scientific aspects concerning our furry four-legged friends covering such topics like hereditary disease, genetics and breed etiology.

Okay now that we have established that I am more than qualified to design and develop my own dog breed let’s go ahead and etch out the criteria for this new breed. Perhaps if you are the observant type you would have certainly taken note of the title of this post, the Causian Dane Mastiff. Well let me clue you in if you hadn’t made some sort of double take over the header; at one point the header was going to be “ The Causian Wolfhound.”

Anyway as mentioned earlier let me spell out the criteria of this would-be breed:

Characteristics of the Causian Dane Mastiff

The first criterion for this dog breed is that the specimens have to be, if not massive, then large. And when I say large I mean LARGE! The male dogs must have a minimum weight of 150 lbs and the females no less than 130 lbs. Height-wise males should be a minimum of 32 inches at the shoulder while females should be no less than 30 inches. Let me put those stat requirements in a table for easier assimilation:

MALES                                          FEMALES

Weight:  150lbs – 190 lbs                       130lbs – 170lbs

Height:   32 inches – 36 inches +         30 inches – 34 inches +

Okay by now it is pretty obvious that we are talking about sizable dogs here. So let’s get to the next step which is what is the function of the Causian Dane Mastiff?

Function of The Causian Dane Mastiff

The size of this dog breed should give some clue as to its primary purpose. The Causian Dane Mastiff is primarily a protector and guardian and that is where it’s formidable size and power comes into play! Okay as we well know most purebred dog breeds of today were developed from a hodge-podge mix of already existent breeds and the Causian Dane Mastiff dog breed is going to be no different.

My original choice of dog breeds to cross to form this formidable new breed were the Caucasian Mountain dog and the Irish Wolfhound. Why?  Well firstly because I like both breeds and they more than satisfy the criterion of huge size. The Irish Wolfhound is the tallest dog breed in the world and in fact I was  perusing a litter of pups for sale whose father stands and impressive 37 inches at the shoulder while mama is no shortie herself at almost 33 inches!

I’m guessing by now you can see how I coined the name the Causian Dane Mastiff. If the cross was to involve the Irish Wolfhound then my new breed would be called the Causian Wolfhound.

Caucasian Mountain Dog vs. Irish Wolf Hound

Now why did I consider these two breeds other than the fact they are both massive breeds. Well the two dog breeds could not have more different characters and temperaments. The Caucasian Mountain dog is a livestock protection dog and is a very formidable predator deterrent. In this case strangers fall under the label of predator and this dog breed treats anything it considers a threat with unbridled violence and impressive fury! In fact according to the description on Wikipedia the Caucasian Mountain dogs “are truly second to none in their bellicosity towards strangers.”

Although along the line there is ample mention of the mastiff as a ferocious and courageous dog of war extending all the way back to the Roman Empire war machine (thereby suggesting that this huge dog breed originated from Ancient Rome). However the truth of the matter probably lies somewhere else, especially since when the Roman s first set foot on British soil they were terribly impressed by the Briton’s huge dogs.

That first great impression was further amplified when the Mastiff dogs thoroughly trounced the Roman dogs in the pit! Thus it is more likely that the mastiff dogs first originated from the Middle East (where they had been popular as royal dogs for a long) via trade exchanges with the Phoenician traders.

Unsurprisingly, on account of its massive size and immense power, the Mastiff has been used as the progenitor for many a dog breed. In fact there are only two dog breeds that are taller than the Mastiff; they are the Great Dane and the Irish Wolfhound. However tall though the Great Dane and the Irish Wolfhound in size they are no match for the Mastiff’s immense bulk.

Indeed, the title of greatest weight ever recorded for a dog is by the Guinness Book of Records belongs to an English Mastiff called Zorba. In 1989 at the middle-old age of eight years Zorba the Mastiff weighed in at 343 pounds and stood 37 inches at the shoulder. Thus it wasn’t farfetched when Zorba was described as being practically the size of a donkey!

In spite of its great size, strength and power the Mastiff is not an aggressive dog.

Certainly it’s had its fair share of playing the gladiator through the course of history but given its massive size and strength this in not surprising. The Mastiff’s career as gladiator traces its roots back to the Roman invasion of Britain when they first encountered it ands became duly impressed!

So impressed were the Romans by the English Mastiff that a special Roman Envoy was appointed to oversee the export of those fine dogs to the Roman capital where they were introduced as the only tame animals that were pitted in the Colosseum against wild animals like lions, bears and boars!

Before being dragged into the sordid world of dog-gladiator the Mastiff was bred as a property/estate guard par excellence. Fortunately its relatively brief career as dog-gladiator and bull-baiter was never enough to sully the breed with the viciousness and aggressiveness seemingly innate to other dog breeds developed for fighting, such as the Pit Bull, Presa Canario and Tosa Inu, to name but a few.

After all who really wanted to grapple with a 250 lb out of control canine monster? The only other dog bred for fighting that comes close to the sheer bulk and power of the Mastiff is the Japanese Tosa Inu which so happens to be banned in many a country.

The Mastiff makes for a great family dog if you don’t mind its inherent tendency to drool and voracious appetite. The Mastiff is great with kids, though obviously one should be on constant alert when a dog this size frolics with small children; it could inadvertently hurt a child with its size.

Article about the Mastiff written by Kayye Nynne

The Kangal dog is a large livestock protection dog that so happens to be the national dog of Turkey. The Kangal dog hails from the Kangal district of Sivas province which is in central Turkey.

The Kangal dog has developed over thousands of years as a flock protector keeping its wards save from wolves, feral dogs and other menacing elements that used to be common to the vast herds of livestock that once migrated across the Turkish landscape.

This powerdog displays a signature so-called black mask which refers to the characteristic black coloration found across a good portion of its head. In fact in England the Kangal dog was given the name Anatolian Karabash on account of its black facial mask (karabash means ‘black head’).

Although in Turkey where the kangal is strictly a working dog in other parts of the world the Kangal dog has gained traction as a companion and pet. The various breed clubs though are careful not to compromise the working status of this breed.

Typical of livestock protection dogs the Kangal is independent minded and inclined to make its own decisions with little guidance or input from any human. This would explain why efforts to utilize it as a military dog in the fashion of other dog breeds like the German Shepherd, met with little success. You see the thing was the Kangal dog just couldn’t be bothered to pursue activities that it deemed pointless to its existence.

The Kangal dog is fiercely loyal and protective of any creature it considers its family or ward, be that people or a flock of sheep.

The Kangal dog is the very definition of “restrained force” incrementally increasing the force required to deter a threat once it has judiciously assessed the situation. To this end these powerdogs have been introduced in Namibia to prevent cheetahs from attacking livestock and thereby aggravating the farmers into killing cheetahs whose numbers are already precariously low.

More often than not the Kangal’s impressive size and implied brute strength is enough to deter the average intruder, be it human or a four-legged predator, but if that doesn’t work then the Kangal dog will not hesitate to unleash unrestrained fury!

Unleashing Unrestrained Fury

Despite having Mastiff in its genetic makeup, the Kangal dog possesses a lighter build compared to the other dog breeds that developed by way of the Mastiff. This lighter build was favored by Turkish farmers since time immemorial since it accords the Kangal dog an agility, dexterity and speed advantage it either wise wouldn’t have.

What is more that speed and agility comes in a package perfectly equipped to efficiently dispatch a wolf. It has been said that a Kangal dog can do a 180 reverse spin whilst at full trot, no mean feat when you consider that this dog attains speeds of up to 30 mph (50 kmh).

To give you an insight into the sheer will, power and ferociousness of this dog breed (when the need arises) consider the following account:

1 flock of Sheep, 20 Coyotes and 3 Kangal Dogs Shared A Deadly Moment One Moonless Night In The Middle Of Nowhere!

One night in the deep heartland of the continental United States somewhere in the middle of nowhere, the peace and quiet of a moonless night was shattered by the sudden arrival of twenty hungry coyotes. The coyotes knew there were dogs abroad but they weren’t fazed since they had the strength of numbers on their side; they were 20 head strong!

By the time that bloody night was over 2 dogs were dead, 20 coyotes were massacred, no sheep were lost and a single remaining Kangal dog was found pacing a tight security perimeter over the sheep!

Now that in my book constitutes a powerdog!

Article on Kangal dog written by Kayye Nynne