Grooming an Old English Mastiff

Hair type: The coat of the Old English Mastiff is tight, dense, short and close to the body. The skin is loose. The colours of the Mastiff coat are differently described by various kennel clubs, but are essentially fawn or apricot, or those colours as a base for black brindle. A black mask should occur in all cases. The fawn is generally a light “silver” shade, but may range up to a golden yellow. The apricot may be a slightly reddish hue up to a deep, rich red. The brindle markings should ideally be heavy, even and clear stripes, but may actually be light, uneven, patchy, faint or muddled.

Daily coat care: The smooth, short-haired coat is easy to groom. Brush with a firm bristle brush and wipe over with a piece of towelling or chamois for a gleaming finish. Bathe or dry shampoo when necessary. This breed is an average shedder.

Recommended groom frequency: As this dog is an easy to care for and low maintenance breed, it requires very little in the way of professional grooming. It is at the discretion of a responsible dog owner to decide when the dog should receive a professional grooming. However, it should receive regular checks of its eyes, ears and nails as well as its skin and fur.

At Petmania Grooming Studios we have a full range of treatments available for your Old English Mastiff. If you get puppy, we recommend our Puppy’s First Visit at around four months, once your puppy has received all his vaccinations.

Diet

Depending on the size and age of your Old English Mastiff, you will need to feed between 550g and 730g of high-quality dry food a day, divided into two meals.

Our pet advisors in-store can help you find the most appropriate food for your dog, while you can find out more about the different dog food brands we stock here.

Activity Level

The Mastiffs are generally laidback dogs. This breed does well with moderate amount of exercise. A long walk daily takes care of most its exercise needs. Occasional jogging or running in an open but secure area helps in having a well behaved dog. However, long walks should be avoided when the dog is young as it can hamper their development. It tends to gain weight quickly so should not be overfed. Small frequent meals are recommended instead of a large meal. It is sensitive to very high or very low temperatures so should be adequately protected.

Where to get an Old English Mastiff

There are lots of places offering dogs or puppies for sale in Ireland, but we would always ask that you consider adopting a dog first. Our animal rescue partners have 100’s of rescue dogs and puppies seeking a forever home and would be delighted to introduce you to them.

However, if a rescue dog is not for you, we do recommend that you choose a registered breeder and seek Irish Kennel Club registration papers which will confirm that the dog has been bred to their strict code of ethics.