Spanish Mastiff History

Spanish Mastiff is a very old race. Most probably it appeared on Iberian peninsula before Roman invasion, brought by Greek’s and Phoenician over 2000 years. First mentions about a mastiff from Iberian peninsula appears in notes of Virgilius and come from about the 30th year A.D. Virgilius in Georgics shows the way of the Iberian mastiff’s nourishing so as it would be the best guardian and defender of the herd. Succeeding records we can find in works dating the first century of our era. The Roman agronomist, Kolumela, the author of work from the sphere of agriculture pt. "De re rustica", said about mastiffs:"...being suitable to cattle mastiffs are white in colour mostly for to distinguish them better from wolves with which they have to fight in darkness of dawn". The meaning of the word MASTIF can descend from two sources. First, it can come from the "masuentus" that is gentle, domesticated, or from "mastibe" what means – the shepherd of herd. Both sources derive from Latin, which can make up the conformation of pre-Christian pedigree of Spanish Mastiff.

The role of mastiffs grew indeed in the 10th century age, when the best organized guided farming of animals in Europe became the pedigree of sheep in Spain, and the state economy based on production and elaboration of wool. The top of development falls on the 12th century, when started the breeding of the new genre of sheep – merinos. Those animals usually spent winter on the south of Spain, moving at the beginning of the summer to the mountain slopes of the north. In 1273 Spanish nobles called to life the organization called "La Mesta". The protection of large herds of wandering sheep was their main problem against wolves, bears and different robbers. The migrations of herds became the measure on a big scale. The historical sources quote, that in 1526 about 3.5 million sheep were safeguarded by "La Meste". The wandering herds of sheep were accompanied by about 40 thousand shepherds and on every hundred sheep there was at least one mastiff for shepherd’s defense as well as the herd. Such enormous migrations made on Spanish culture a mark and we can read about Spanish Mastiff in literary works as well as admire it on paintings of Velazquez. By then, these dogs characterized as resistant towards climate conditions as well as by the large dose of independence and instinct of defender, which permitted them almost independent fulfilling their duties.