Giant Maso Mastiff vs Bolognese - Breed Comparison

The Bolognese has already been on record since the 13th century, being particularly popular among the aristocracy during the Renaissance. The breed hails from Italy. He belongs to a family of dogs that include the Maltese and Bichon Frise, all with similar temperaments and looks. Even though there are these similarities the Bolognese is a breed on its own – a distinctive breed.

The exact ancestry of the Bolognese isn’t altogether clear. The dog breed was brought to England in 1990 by Liz Stannard and it was in 2001 that the breed was shown at dog shows. He is classified as a toy companion breed.

The Giant Maso Mastiff is a fairly new dog breed so you aren’t going to find much history on him.

The breed was only started in 2001 so as to create a mastiff dog that would have fewer health problems and therefore have the chance to live longer. The Giant Maso came about because of a mix between the Old English Mastiff and the Cane Corso Italiano.

As stated, breeding began in 2001 and the dog has inherited intelligence and protective instincts from both these dogs.

The long, flocked white coat doesn’t have an undercoat and the large, round, dark eyes peer out of a cloud of white hair. His hair sheds very little and some owners of the Bolognese like to keep the woolly hair texture trimmed. He has black nails and a largish black nose. He is a small dog, with the male standing between 27–30cm and the female being slightly smaller.

These little dogs weigh in at about 4kg. A toy breed, he is considered to be a true companion dog. He is compact and squarely built with his floppy ears set high on his head. The long tail is carried curved over the dog’s back.

He is a friendly, social dog and can very easily become a typical lap-dog because he just craves human companionship. He wants to be with you and close to your side, whether you live in the city or in the countryside – he adapts to life wherever you are.

The Giant Maso Mastiff is a large dog breed and can stand at between 67 to 70cm in height and weigh 60 to 90-kg.

He has a big square head with medium sized floppy ears and thick neck covered with loose skin. Muscular, he is a deep chested dog with powerful legs and long tail. The fur of the dog is short and sleek and can be a number of colors such as fawn, an apricot color, gray and black as well as brindle.

Temperament:

Intelligent, protective, self-confident, balanced and calm, the Giant Maso Mastiff may be quite an imposing looking dog but he is gentle-natured towards his family.

The large dog loves to please and receive praise from his human family. He is the perfect friend, getting on well with children in the home as well as with other dogs. Training and socialization is easy for this dog and it is important that he is trained if you want him to be an obedient pet.

He is gentle, intelligent, protective – simply known as a gentle giant, being calm, steady and amicable. This breed loves to please and needs lots of companionship from his human family, loving just to lie close by to them.

He isn’t a particularly active dog, but will still need to join you on a walk every day. It is why the Maso Mastiff can live in the city or in the countryside, because not being an overly active dog, he doesn’t need a large garden.

The Bolognese is an easy-going, playful, intelligent little dog who will respond well to training and socialization. He can actually become calm and docile dog, although never dull as he can sometimes act like a clown and be quite entertaining. He makes a wonderful pet and becomes a loyal and devoted companion to adults and children.

Non-aggressive by nature, he will be friends with other pets in the home too. He is a small dog, so he isn’t going to be highly active and therefore won’t need loads of exercise, although he will love to go for a walk with you. He’ll also want to have games with the ball. He is such an amicable little dog and will easily adapt to life in the city or country, so long as he can be loved and cherished by his owners.

Your Giant Maso Mastiff is such a gentle giant of a dog. He is well behaved and gentle so that it almost seems unnecessary to have him trained and socialized and yet doing so will make him even more amicable.

Calm and gentle he makes the perfect pet for families where there are children as well as elderly people. He is quite frankly everyone’s friend, being a loving family pet. If you’re a family more into indoor games and TV watching than an outdoor, sporty kind of family, the Giant Maso Mastiff will suit you.

He will love to settle down and watch TV with you. He isn’t particularly active, although he will certainly need a walk every day.

Those who have owned a Giant Maso Mastiff will tell you that this is an excellent family pet, making a wonderful companion dog.

Because this particular dog breed is uncommon, you won’t find many details on his health problems. When he is well looked after, he can reach 14 years of age. The Bolognese is from the Bichon Frise family so you can expect similar health problems, and also because he is a pedigree dog.

Skin problems – battling with itchy skin conditions are a typical problem with the Bolognese.

Ear infections are common because of a lot of hair in the ear which can collect dirt.

Eye diseases - cataracts which can eventually lead to blindness.

Other health problems to watch for are heart disease, and epilepsy. Periodontitis is something you want to keep an eye on too because the small jaw is prone to developing periodontal infection which can lead to tooth loss.

Remember if you don’t want your Bolognese to be a parent, neutering and spaying provides major health benefits for your dogs.

There has always been the concern with joint disorders in large breed dogs. Both hip- and elbow dysplasia can occur with your Giant Maso Mastiff, more so if you overfeed him as a puppy and he grows too fast.

With hip dysplasia, the long bone of the leg forms incorrectly. This can lead to pain and lameness with your pet.

Also check out bloat. This is a serious illness when the stomach fills with air and can twist. Gastric Dilatation-Volvolvus, is an emergency situation then which is found more often in large, deep-chested dog breeds.

If you see your dog with a bloated stomach and acting in a strange, lethargic way, get him to the vet immediately as bloat can be life threatening.

His Coat

The little Bolognese isn’t a big shedder so he isn’t a high maintenance pet. His long cloud of white hair can’t just be left though, because it will become tangled and dirty. Get the right grooming tools because his hair will require a good brushing every 2nd day or so. Professional grooming will also be required to keep his coat in tip-top condition.

Feeding your Bolognese

You may want to use commercially manufactured dog food from leading brands recommended by your vet for small breed dogs. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but just like you want some variety in your diet, so does your pet.

Rice, meat and vegetables can be added into his food now and then as well as ensuring he has some raw meat in his diet. This is important if you want to ensure the health of your dog. Never leave your pet without a constant supply of fresh, cool water.

Clean your pet’s ears

You can actually buy pet ear cleaners but you have to very careful not to go too deep into your pet’s ears as this can cause damage.

Teeth

Brush your dog’s teeth a couple of times a week. Never use human toothpaste. You can buy special dog’s toothpaste and toothbrush.

Grooming:

As an average shedder, the smooth, shorthaired coat is easy to groom, and a good brush twice a week will be adequate.

The Giant Maso Mastiff has floppy ears and therefore these should be checked for ear infections. Wax build up and dirt will need to be checked and cleaned.

His nails will need to be clipped, especially if they don’t wear down on their own and his teeth will need to be cleaned 2 or 3x a week to avoid dental disease.

Diet:

With a large dog breed puppy such as the Giant Maso Mastiff, rapid growth is a risk factor for developing joint and bone conditions. The growth period can last till 12 months and puppies of large breeds should actually have their caloric intake adjusted during this growth period.

It is important to ensure that your puppy grows at a slow, steady rate. If you are feeding dog food from the commercially manufactured range, if you aren’t sure, speak to your vet about large breed dog foods. You want to be sure that this gentle giant of yours receives the best dog food there is, whether commercial branded dog food or your own home-made food. Good nutrition is imperative for the health of your pet.