The American Bandogge Mastiff
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The word "Bandogge" is the generic name for any Bulldog Type Mastiff breed. The Bandogge has a very prominent musculature and an angulation that gives the dog a very athletic and agile look. Most are black brindle but others colors include black, blue, red, and tawny.
The American Bandogge is not a purebred dog, in the way we know the word "purebred". Their ancestry is of American Pit Bull Terrier and Neapolitan Mastiff. There are some kennels who do produce Bandogs successfully in many generations, without adding blood from other breeds, and have gained a homogeneous type. In the late 1960's a veterinarian by the name of Swinford began a breeding program which was ultimately to produce the greatest of all protection dogs. Though breeders of Bandogs today disagree on just what breeds went into Swinford's original breeding scheme, the general compromise is that it was 50 % American Pit Bull Terrier and 50 % very large molosser. The most common method employed to produce a Bandog is to cross a good game male American Pit Bull Terrier with a large and strong Neapolitan Mastiff bitch. Another somewhat common method used in breeding the Bandogs is to cross an English Mastiff with an American Pit Bull Terrier. Also a similar cross is the Pit Bull Terrier and the Bullmastiff cross, however this cross is not called Bandogs but rather a Pit Bullmastiff. The name Bandog was used in the old England by the Saxons and comes from the word Banda,-a Saxon word for chain. It was common practice to tie the dog by day, and release him at night to enable him to carry out his guard duties.
The Bandogge is an extremely intelligent dog. Confident and very docile. Like all mastiffs, they should have an owner who is fairly dormant. Although not bred as fighting dogs, they are on the whole very dog aggressive, making them not a good choice for first time dog owners, as well as those who have not owned a dog-aggressive dog in the past. Some people, mainly on the East Coast, still use this dog as a fighting dog. Luckily, there are more folks breeding these dogs for protection than for combat. As a protection dog, they are as a whole excellent. They have a great deal of drive and are very tractable. The only temperament draw-back to protection work is their unwillingness to perform the "bark" portion of the "bark and hold". As they are borne of fighting extraction, most dogs from this lineage do not bark as a warning, this is typically a difficult task. The American Bandogge is a breed that loves attention. They are very loyal and do not like to be left alone. Some, when left alone, will howl the entire time their owner is gone. They are happy to receive any attention and gladly accept whatever you give them. They prefer to be with their owners and live to please and protect them. Loving their families and protecting their domain. Bandogge can get along with other animals if they are raised with them including kittens, cats, and other dogs, but can they be aggressive with animals they haven't been socialized with. They will protect themselves and their families to the end. Confident and very obedient, they are excellent with children. Bandogge seem to have a sense of when to be gentle. They are excellent family members as well as an intruder's worst nightmare. They are said to be "The Silent Peacekeepers". This breed tends to drool and slobber.
