War dogs and holding dogs

"If the history of anything is to be studied, then look hard and read all sides of the story before drawing your own conclusions." The Story of the Real BulldogLet us proceed..."When Roman invaders came into Britain, they were met by a people who owned and bred the fiercest dogs in the known world. The invaders, for whom Britain was the last place on the known earth to fall, were already well acquainted with war dogs and fighting dogs...The Roman writer, Gratius Falliscus, states that there were two types of British Pugnaces...It is also known that the early Britons took fierce and formidable dogs into battle with them and that the Gauls purchased 'bulldogs' from them to use along with their native breeds as war dogs." The Story of the Real BulldogThe word 'bulldog' was not used until medieval times, long after the Romans, who simply referred to them as 'pugnaces'. What's interesting and important is that this author refers to these pugnaces as bulldogs, a widley accepted practice by fanciers. What they seem to miss is the meaning of the word 'pugnace'. The word 'pugnaces' was the Roman word for fighting dog. Pugnace being a Latin term for fight. Today we have the words pugnacious, pugilist, and even repugnant, all deriving from the Latin term pugnace. The Chinese breed 'Pug' called as such by the English as it was at one time a very capable and effective fighting dog, quite dissimilar to it's modern form, as it was a larger, leggier dog that was bantamized by the Chinese, ironically much like what was done to the English Bulldog. As quoted above, the Romans recognized them as fighting dogs and used them as fighting dogs, both in battle as well as the arenas. Other people of Gaul, (western Europe) used them in battle as well. These were in fact fighting dogs, the predecessors to England's Mastiffs and Bulldogs. However, we cannot assume that England is THE source for all mastiffs and bulldogs...quite the contrary. "If any source is to be quoted as the origins of mastiffs, it should be the area of the Fertile Cresent of 7000BC, when the first domestication of cattle, sheep, and goats replaced hunter/gathers in the advancement of civilization. As well, the Alans did border the Germantic tribes even in battle, thus the early Celtic type Pugnances of Britian were chosen to fight the Mollosis in the Roman Apitheaters where they proved far superior." Ray LaneNowhere has it been found that the Romans called or considered these dogs as catch / holding dogs. The fighting / war dogs fought to the death in battle, unlike the holding or catch dogs, which bite and hold. Throughout history and locale, their has been clear distinction between the fighting dogs and holding dogs, and which derive from the fighting dogs. The Alaunt aka fighting dogs and the Alaunt veanture aka hunting dog. 'So, the brave original war dog was turned into the essential, brave hunting dog.' Fighting Dog Breeds Dr. Dieter Fleig'These dogs were used principally to guard the herds, but they were also superbly suited as war dogs. Aparently in peacetime, the white dogs stayed with the herds." The APBT, a somewhat modern fighting dog, was greatly advanced through heavy inbreeding and hard culling to produce a fighting dog that not only would not bite a man but was not bred as a kill dog, rather for it's willingness to continue in battle, i.e. it's gameness. A kill dog would quickly eliminate it's opponent, quite contrary to it's breeding / gameness.It is from the fighting / war dog stock of the steppe nomads that mastiff and bull breeds arose.

An expanded version of this article is soon to be published on our site under 'White Englsih Mastiffs'. We'll post a link when it's published.