meet the... American Mastiff

Head

• General Appearance: Somewhat brachycephalic skull-type that is broad, deep, full, moderate-sized, and in proportion to the rest of the body. Overall, the head is rectangular in shape and somewhat clean cut, without excess pendulous skin. The topskull is broad, as broad as long (from stop to occiput). From the front, the skull appears flat between the ears. In profile, the forehead may appear slightly arched. A median furrow that begins at the stop and runs upward toward the occiput may be visible in mature dogs. This furrow is enhanced by strongly developed temporal muscles. The brows are slightly prominent. The head should never appear elongated, narrow, snipy, or resembling in any way that of a Great Dane, nor should it be coarse like that of a Bullmastiff. The head is relatively clean-cut without excess skin or wrinkles.
• Expression: Kind, calm, noble, watchful, intelligent, and alert.
• Stop: The stop is definite and well-developed.
• Skull: The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio is between 2:3 and 1:2, with the topskull slightly longer than the muzzle.
  The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis may be either parallel or convergent.
• Muzzle: Of moderate length and size, well-developed, broad, deep, and full, always in proportion to the head. The upper and lower jaws have good bone substance, are strong and well-developed, and never appear snipey or weak. The muzzle never tapers but instead ends rather bluntly, forming a right angle, as opposed to appearing rounded.
• Lips or Flews: Thick, well-pigmented, and well-fitted, yet sufficiently loose enough to allow for the muzzle to appear squared in profile. Never excessive or overly pendulous as to extend well beyond the lower jaw and appear like that of a Neapolitan Mastiff.
• Nose: The nose is well-pigmented and black. The nostrils are well-opened.
• Cheeks: The cheeks are powerfully muscled without appearing chiseled or coarse.
• Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, and white teeth. The bite may be level, scissor, or reverse-scissor. Contact must be made between the top and bottom incisors. Missing or broken teeth due to routine work are not to be penalized. The teeth should never be visible when the mouth is closed.
• Eyes: Moderate size, set well apart, and open-almond to oval shape. The eyes are set well under the brows. The eye rims are well-fitted and darkly pigmented, without any looseness, excess skin, or visible whites or haw. Absolutely no sign of entropion or ectropion. Eye color may range from hazel-brown and amber to dark brown; the darker, the better. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes.
• Ears: Somewhat small to medium in size, set high on the skull and well apart at the highest and widest corners of the skull. The ears are dropped and v-shaped, with rounded tips. The ears are never long, overly large, or broken. The inner edge of the ears should lie close to the head when alert.

Body and Tail

• General Description: Powerful, deep, substantial, and solid at maturity. The body should never appear racy or refined. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
• Neck: Moderate in length and powerfully muscled with a slight arch. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck should be dry for the most part, without excess skin or pendulous dewlap; however, the skin may be just slightly looser on the throat and neck area.
• Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows.
• Topline: Level from somewhat prominent withers to croup. The back is broad, straight, firm, strongly muscled, yet supple. The loins are strong and broad, and may be straight and level with the back or slightly arched. The topline is never overly long, swayed, roached, or sloped in either direction.
• Croup: Just slightly sloped.
• Underline: A slight tuck-up may be present, or the underline may run parallel to the topline. The underline is taut and firm, without any indication of sagging or excess weight.
• Ribs: Long, well-sprung, well-laid back, oval-shaped, never barrel-chested or slab-sided.
• Tail: Set high on the croup, thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. Carried according to the dog’s mood and energy level, but never tucked or carried up over the back. Tails are medium in length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. The tail may be straight or gently curved.

Forequarters and Hindquarters

• Forequarters: The forequarters are always in balance with the hindquarters and well-angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. Shoulder blades are approximately equal in length to the upper arm and forearm.
• Elbows: The elbows are close to the body. The point of the elbows is approximately half the dog’s height at the withers.
• Forelegs: Frontal View: Straight, of good muscle and moderately strong bone, and parallel to one another.
  Side View: The forelimbs appear straight with strong pasterns.
  
• Pasterns: Never weak or broken.
• Hindquarters: The upper and lower thighs are equal in length, strong, sturdy, of good muscle, and moderately strong bone.
  Rear View: When viewed from the rear, the rear pasterns are parallel to one another.
  Side View: Good angulation will allow the rear toes to align with the point of the rump or within one to two paw-lengths behind the point of the rump, with the rear pasterns remaining perpendicular to the ground and parallel to one another.
• Stifle Joint: Well-angulated with a good bend to well-let-down rear pasterns.
• Stifle Joint: The angulation of the hindquarters is always in balance with the angulation of the forequarters.
• Feet: Oval to round, compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.

Coat

• Skin: Rather well-fitted, yet pliant and supple. The skin should never obstruct the outline of the dog.
• Coat Type: The American Mastiff comes in two coat varieties: the standard smooth coat and the fluffier long coat.
  
  Smooth coat variety: The coat is short, smooth, dense, and close to the body throughout. The texture is soft and glossy. The coat may have a very slight ruff on the neck and slightly longer hair on the tail. No fringe or feather is permissible.
  
  Long-coat variety: The coat is short on the face, forehead, and front of the forelimbs and hindlimbs. The coat is longer on the neck, ears, rear of the front and hindlimbs, feet, and tail, forming well-developed fringe and furnishings.
• Coat Color or Pattern: All shades of fawn, including very light to apricot (ranging from light tan to dark reddish tan) or brindle, always with a black melanistic mask that extends up the entire muzzle and around the eyes, sometimes beyond.

Movement

In movement, the gait denotes power and strength; the rear legs drive while the forelegs track smoothly with good reach. The American Mastiff should move effortlessly, efficiently, and without any sign of encumbrance. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither moving in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the center line of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and a good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.

Temperament

The American mastiff is a combination of grandeur, good nature, and gentleness. Dignity rather than gaiety. They are neither shy nor vicious. The well-trained American Mastiff is calm, controlled, and confident. Understanding, patient, and loving with their family, especially children. A well-socialized American Mastiff is friendly yet sensitive and alerts to changing situations. They are not aggressive by nature but will defend their family if necessary. They respond to threats with judicious warnings and courageous action if needed. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.

Faults

All dogs should be in proper healthy condition, free from disease or defect. Any departure from this description is considered a fault. Unless altered, all male dogs should have two fully descended testicles.