What is a Mastiff?

While in Italy, we know the alans fought as Calvary for the Romans, and in 406AD, the Alans invaded and settled in France, but what of cattle dogs in Hungry?" The Alans settled in France, north Africa and Spain in the fifth century after wandering from southern Asia through Crimea, Hungary and Romania." THE MASTIFFS THE BIG GAME HUNTERS

The Alans, like so many were searching for grazing lands, while they wandered through Hungary, the related breed may just be the Kuvaz. "Most of the migrating peoples who came from Asia to populate eastern Europe were horse-riding tribes whose wealth was in large herds of cattle. Those who settled what is now Hungary brought their white guard dogs with them....The Kuvaz will continue to test his owner's dominance." THE ATLAS OF DOG BREEDS OF THE WORLD

This temperament, like that of the Rottie is completely opposite the Spanish Alano and Spanish Mastiffs as well as our WEB/BBs. As far as England not having a breed for cattle, they in fact had Alaunts (Most of which were likely imported from France starting with the Norman invasion in 1066.) and later became known as the Alaunt Butchers and even the shepherds' mastiffs. "It is easy to forget the shepherd's mastiffs of England until hearing of the prowess in one of these mastiffs breeds like this. The shepherds' mastiffs were big, tough, drovers' dogs, able to protect the herd or flock on the driveways or to pin wayward cattle in the market for the butcher. The mastiff breeds are working dogs and must have a construction and temperament which permits this." THE MASTIFFS THE BIG GAME HUNTERS

In France and England the Alaunt; in Spain and Italy the Alano. The original Douge de Bordeaux and Doguin de Bordeaux in France, the shepherds' mastiffs in England, the Alano and Spanish Mastiffs of Spain, and the Sicilian Branchero and Cane Corso of Italy - all mastiff breeds used for cattle, and fought in the arenas. From 1556 to 1649, a number of English Aluants were imported to Cuba to use in the arenas. Cuba is 90 miles from Florida, known then as La Florida, today's south of USA. The English settlers that forced out Spain had an excuse for calling the amalgamated breed the White English. Many think such breeds as today's Alano of Spain, the Cane Corso, the WEB/BB are rebuilt from APBTs. This is a very ignorant view since the APBT is mainly from Pit stock from these areas including England and Ireland. The use of cattle dogs in the arenas goes back thousands of yrs long before the new breed APBT. I'm not denying the possible out cross to the APBT in any cattle type mastiff breed, as the dogs for the arenas and cattle dogs are closely related from time before written history. This is the Mastiff!!!