UKC Guardian · FCI standard 249

Majorca Mastiff.

FCI 249: UTILIZATION Watch and Guard Dog; Group 2 (Pinscher and Schnauzer, Molossoid breeds, Swiss Mountain and Cattle Dogs), Section 2.1 Molossian, Mastiff type; without working trial. UKC: quiet by nature, courageous and brave when challenged, at ease with people and devoted to his master; an excellent watch and guard dog, very self assured. History per UKC: in Spain this mastiff type dog was often used as a hunting or bull fighting dog, hence the name Ca de Bou, or bull dog. Wikipedia (English): historically kept on Mallorca for the blood sports of bull-baiting and dog fighting; a catch dog; in 2026 among sixteen Spanish breeds the Real Sociedad Canina de Espana considers vulnerable. Wikipedia (Spanish): used by the butchers' guild to grip cattle until slaughter; now a guard and family dog. No source read here states any legal restriction on the breed..

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

0INHeightdogs null, bitches null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.

66–84LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 77 to 84 lb; breed bitches 66 to 75 lb.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 21.5 to 23 in · bitches 20.5 to 21.7 in

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club

Span covers UKC and FCI (cm converted at 2.54). Center blank.

Weight

dogs 77 to 84 lb · bitches 66 to 75 lb

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club

Span covers UKC and FCI (kg converted at 2.2046).

Coat

FCI 249: hair short and rough to the touch; colour brindle, fawn and black in that order of preference (dark tones preferred in brindle, deeper shade in fawn); white patches on front feet, chest and muzzle up to 30% of the coat; a black mask is permitted; skin rather thick. UKC: short and rough to the touch; brindle, fawn and black, white up to 30% of the dog, black mask permitted. Wikipedia (English): short and rough, typically brindle, fawn or black.

Breed clubFCI-Standard N° 249, 1997

Heat tolerance

4 of 5 · FCI 249: coat short and rough to the touch. UKC: coat short, and rough to the touch. Neither standard mentions an undercoat. Wikipedia (Spanish): a hardy dog that adapts well to changes of temperature and bears bad weather well.

DerivedFCI-Standard N° 249, 1997

Derived from a short rough coat with no undercoat described (4: short and dense class; the standards do not say single coat). No measured data. The Spanish line is editorial.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

Wikipedia (Spanish): apartment life can suit the dog if time is devoted to it and it gets the chance to exercise regularly. It describes the dog as hardy and adaptable. Wikipedia (English): selective breeding for the show ring has softened the temperament; now biddable and affectionate, retaining the tenacity and alertness of its forebears.

EditorialWikipedia (Spanish)

Editorial, no duration printed, so no exercise_need_min row.

Grooming load

2 of 5 · Wikipedia (Spanish): a simple weekly brushing with regular ear and eye cleaning.

EditorialWikipedia (Spanish)

Scored 2 (weekly brush) from the Spanish Wikipedia line; no RKC or club grooming band was found. Editorial, one source.

Grooming

Wikipedia (Spanish): coat care is a simple weekly brushing with regular cleaning of the ears and eyes. FCI 249 and UKC: short, rough coat.

EditorialWikipedia (Spanish)

One editorial source for the brushing frequency; no kennel club grooming band was found.

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

Breed clubFCI-Standard N° 249, 1997

Primary game

UKC history: in Spain this mastiff type dog was often used as a hunting or bull fighting dog (no quarry named). Wikipedia (Spanish): used by the butchers' guild to catch and hold cattle until slaughter. Wikipedia (English): a catch dog of Mallorca, kept for bull-baiting.

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club

Historical use as the sources state it; none describes present-day hunting.

Also used on

Wikipedia (Spanish): cattle dog (perro boyero) adapted to the climate, guardian of livestock and property, and an excellent companion. FCI 249: watch and guard dog. UKC: watch and guard dog.

EditorialWikipedia (Spanish)

Field trial standard

FCI 249: without working trial. No UKC or other working test was found.

Breed clubFCI-Standard N° 249, 1997

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 3 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called: Ca de Bou, Perro de Presa Mallorquin, Majorcan Bulldog, Majorcan Mastiff

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