What kind of dog is this?

[HashRouge]

Possibly a pointless post as I'm going to ask the owner tomorrow, but I want to see if anyone can help me work it out before then!

So, he's very big - he's kept with a female rottie and he's slightly bigger than her, and very chunky with a massive head. He's a bit like a boxer or staffie in body shape but much bigger (looks like the sort of dog who could crush your head with his mouth!) and I think his ears flop over (if I remember right). He has a longish, thin tail, is short haired and a lovely chestnut colour with a white chest. I would guess that he's a purebred something, but don't know what!

Any ideas?

 

[AmyMay]

Mastiff?

 

[St Nicnaclaus]

What Amymay said - was thinking Neopolitan Mastiff if huge.

 

[HashRouge]

Possibly - the size and shape looks about right but I'm not sure he has the droopy face. Wish I had a picture! He's a lovely dog

ETA definitely doesn't look like the Neopolitan Mastiffs I've found on google, looks like he could be a bull mastiff although he doesn't have a droopy face (if that makes sense!).

 

[twiggy2]

google; Dogue de Bordeaux, sounds like what you are describing

 

[SpringArising]

Second the Dogue de Bordeaux/French Mastiff suggestion:

That's the only Mastiff type dog I can think of that will be red.

 

[Slightlyconfused]

Second the Dogue de Bordeaux/French Mastiff suggestion:

That's the only Mastiff type dog I can think of that will be red.

That is a stunning dog!

 

[GeeGeeboy]

Sounds like a Dogue de Bordeaux to me.

 

[twiggy2]

That is a stunning dog!

really?

 

[Clodagh]

Years ago a lady I worked for had a mastiff x ridgeback, it had a fancy made up name that I now can't remember. He looked like a mastiff but without the wrinkles.
I'm with Twiggy - that is one ugly dog! (Sorry, dog).

 

[Dry Rot]

Years ago a lady I worked for had a mastiff x ridgeback, it had a fancy made up name that I now can't remember. He looked like a mastiff but without the wrinkles.
I'm with Twiggy - that is one ugly dog! (Sorry, dog).

Me too!

When they think that is beauty, I can't help but wonder what their OH looks like!

 

[MurphysMinder]

It sounds like you're describing a Dogue to me too OP. And I'm afraid I have to go with the majority here, not a breed I find attractive.

 

[millikins]

I met a D de B/Irish Setter the other day, I had to ask as he looked like a breed.

 

[HashRouge]

I asked his owner today and it turns out he is a Boerboel! Which seems like an odd breed of dog to find in the Midlands, but there you go! He's a very attractive dog, I will try to get a picture of him. He does look like a Bull Mastiff, but without the wrinkly/ droopy face, which explains why none of the images I could find looked quite right!

 

[Slightlyconfused]

Me too!

When they think that is beauty, I can't help but wonder what their OH looks like!

Don't have one

I just think that he looks so proud.

 

[gunnergundog]

Over the last decade have only had experience of three south african boerboels: all were predominantly white with coloured patches as opposed to the solid DDB colouring that the OP describes = not sure if this has any relevance.

One of the above was pts due to aggression (human); one was rehomed to a remote part of northumberland due to dog aggression and latent human guarding; the third has been taken on and rehomed by a friend of mine - a braver person than I!

I house sat one of the above once for a weekend (in my house); the bitch was known to me and my house dogs as one of them had been used by a behaviourist as a stooge dog to help with socialisation/behaviour. In under 12 hours the bitch (not a fully mature adult) was displaying guarding behaviour/protection to me against my own dogs.

 

[HashRouge]

Over the last decade have only had experience of three south african boerboels: all were predominantly white with coloured patches as opposed to the solid DDB colouring that the OP describes = not sure if this has any relevance.

One of the above was pts due to aggression (human); one was rehomed to a remote part of northumberland due to dog aggression and latent human guarding; the third has been taken on and rehomed by a friend of mine - a braver person than I!

I house sat one of the above once for a weekend (in my house); the bitch was known to me and my house dogs as one of them had been used by a behaviourist as a stooge dog to help with socialisation/behaviour. In under 12 hours the bitch (not a fully mature adult) was displaying guarding behaviour/protection to me against my own dogs.

Yikes, I wouldn't like to meet an aggressive one, they are BIG dogs! This one is a lovely though - he is kept with two other dogs and a cat, is well socialized and tbh his only problem is that he doesn't always realize how big he is so he tends to charge into people and knock them off balance. Although he's getting much better at not doing this as he gets older! I've known him for almost a year, I've just never known what breed he was. The first time I met him I was pretty much terrified (I'm not the bravest with dogs) as he's so big and I couldn't get over the size of his jaws, but I've gotten to be quite fond of him in the intervening months .

 

[gunnergundog]

Yikes, I wouldn't like to meet an aggressive one, they are BIG dogs! .

Like all dogs, you just have to remember what these guys were originally bred for in their native south africa.......guarding livestock against big cats and other predators!

Hopefully temperament will be key in the on-going breeding of them in this country, but they do imo need bringing up by people experienced with guarding breeds as (in the very few that I have known) there was/is a very strong latent guarding instinct still, which didn't truly kick in until maturity.