Pyrenean Mastiff

The Pyrenean Mastiff, or Mastin del Pirineo, is a giant Spanish livestock guardian from Aragon and the southern side of the Pyrenees. It developed to protect sheep from wolves and bears while moving with flocks through rugged mountain country. The breed is massive but not meant to be sluggish, with a strong frame, deep chest, heavy bone, and a thick white coat marked with a well-defined mask and patches of color. It is separate from the Pyrenean Mountain Dog, also known as the Great Pyrenees, though both share guardian roots in the same broad region.

This is a slow-maturing working dog that needs space, secure boundaries, and steady socialization from puppyhood. A Pyrenean Mastiff may be calm with its family yet highly serious about unfamiliar people, dogs, or predators near its property or stock. Growth management is important: giant-breed nutrition, controlled exercise during development, and attention to hips, elbows, and bloat risk all matter. The coat sheds and collects mud, especially around feathering and the heavy tail. In farm or estate homes, placement should match the dog's guardian instincts rather than expecting instant obedience like a smaller companion breed.

Colors: Albino, Apricot, Bicolor, Black, Black and Tan, Black and White, Black Mask, Blue, Blue and Tan, Blue Merle, Blue Roan, Blue Tick, Brindle, Brown, Brown and Tan, Brown and White, Chocolate, Cream, Dapple, Domino, Fawn, Fawn and White, Gold, Gray, Grey, Harlequin, Irish Marked, Leucistic, Liver, Liver Mask, Mantle, Mask, Melanistic, Merle, Mottled, Parti-Color, Piebald, Red, Red and White, Red Merle, Red Roan, Red Tick, Reverse Brindle, Roan, Sable, Saddle, Silver, Speckled, Spotted, Tan, Ticked, Tricolor, Tuxedo, White, Yellow