CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. :   Group   2      Pinscher and Schnauzer- Molossoid breeds- Swiss Mountain and Cattle Dogs and other breeds.
                                               Section 2.2   Molossoid breeds, Mountain type.
                                               Without working trial.

GENERAL APPEARANCE : It is a dog of great size, hypermetic, of medium proportions and of sub-long line structure.  Well balanced,  very powerful and muscular.  Compact bone structure.  Massive head and a body covered with a semi-long coat.  Most important are balance and functional harmony in the dog standing as well on the move.  His bark is raucous, low pitched and deep, very sonorous, audible from a considerable distance.

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS :
The length of the body exceeds the height at the withers.  The relation between the length of the skull and that of the muzzle must be 3/2.

BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : It is a very intelligent dog, not without beauty, whose expression manifests both these qualities.  Rustic, affectionate, kind and noble, he is very determined when facing dangerous animals and in front of strangers, especially when he has the opportunity to defend and protect farms or cattle.  In his behaviour, one can see it is a dog sure of himself, determining his strength because he is aware of his enormous power. 

HEAD : Big, strong and shaped like a truncated pyramid with broad basis. The whole of the skull and muzzle, seen from above, must be square and well linked, without a very marked diminution of width between the base of the muzzle and the temporal bones.  The facio-cranial axes are moderately divergent.

CRANIAL REGION : 
Skull : Broad, strong, profile sub-convex.  The width of the skull should be equal or superior to its length.  Frontal sinus accentuated.  Occipital crest marked.
Stop : Slightly sloping, not very accentuated.

FACIAL REGION :
Nose : Black, wet, big and broad.
Muzzle : Straight nasal bridge.  Seen from above, the muzzle appears moderately rectangular, tapering gradually in width towards the nose, but still keeping an appreciable width.  In no case it should be pointed.
Lips : The upper lip largely covering the lower lip; the lower lip with slak mucous membranes forms a very loose labial commissure.  The mucous membranes must be black.                   
Jaws/Teeth : Scissor bite.  Teeth white, solid and sound.  Big, pointed canines assuring a good hold of prey.  Molars solid and powerful. Incisors rather small. All premolars should be present.  Palate black, with well marked ridges.
Eyes : Small in comparison with the skull, almond shaped, preferably dark, of hazel colour.  The look is attentive, noble, soft and intelligent, very hard in front of strangers.  Eyelids of thick tissue, with black pigmentation.  The lower lid allows a part of the conjunctiva to be seen.
Ears : Of medium size and hanging; triangular shape, flat. Attached above the eye-line.  At rest, hanging close to the cheeks, without being too close to the skull.  In attention, they come away from the cheeks and are partially pricked in the back part of their top third.  They must not be cropt.

NECK : Trunk shaped, broad, solid, muscled, flexible.  Skin thick and loose.  Double dewlap amply developed.

BODY : Rectangular.  Stocky and robust, showing great power; yet supple and agile. 
Topline : Straight, horizontal including while on the move.
Withers :  Well marked.
Back : Powerful, muscled.
Loin :  Long, broad and powerful; its dimensions decreasing down towards the flank.
Croup : Broad and solid.  Its inclination to the horizontal is of some 45°.  The height at the croup is equal to the height at the withers.
Chest : Broad, deep, muscled and powerful.  The point of the sternum marked.  Ribs with wide intercostal spaces, rounded, not flat.  The minimum thoracic perimeter exceeds by about 1/3 the height at the withers.
Belly and flank : Belly very moderately tucked-up; the flank let down and very ample.
 
TAIL : Very thick at its root and set at medium height.  Solid, supple and covered with hair longer than that of the rest of the body.  At rest it is carried low, distinctly reaching the hock; sometimes forms a curve in its last quarter.  When the dog is moving or animated, he will raise it sabre fashion, with a curve at its tip, but never curved in all its length nor carried over the croup.

LIMBS

FOREQUARTERS : Forelegs perfectly vertical, straight and parallel seen from the front.  The length of the forearm should be the triple of that of the pastern (metacarpus).  Bone structure solid, with powerful metacarpus.
Shoulder : Oblique, very muscular, longer than the forearm.  The scapular-humeral angle is near the 100°.
Upper arm : Strong, of similar length to that of the shoulderblade.
Elbows : Close to the thorax.  Humeral-radial angle close to 125°.
Forearm : Solid, with vertical bone.
Pastern : Seen from the side slightly oblique.  Is pratically in the extension of the forearm.  Solid bone.
Forefeet : Cat feet.  Toes close, solid, well arched.  Nails and pads strong and resistant.  Interdigital membranes of medium development and covered with hair.

HINDQUARTERS : Powerful, muscular.  Lateral view : adequate angulations in form of big articular angles.  Correct limbs, seen from GO BACK TO LIST and from the side; hocks not deviated; they must be capable of transmitting the impulsion of the dog with ease, strength and elegance.
Thighs : Solid and muscular. Femoral-coxal angle nearly 100°.
Stifle :  Femoral-tibial angle nearly 120°.
Lower thigh : Long, muscular, solid bone structure.
Hocks : The open angle of the hocks is nearly 130°.
Metatarsus  : Well marked, with the Achilles tendon clearly visible.
Hind feet : Cat feet, very slightly oval.  Dewclaws present or not, may be simple or double; their removal is permitted.
 
GAIT / MOVEMENT  : The preferred gait is the trot, which must be harmonious, powerful and without tendency towards lateral rolling.  No ambling.

SKIN : Elastic, thick, abundant and pink coloured with darker pigmented areas.  All mucous membranes must be black.

COAT

HAIR : Dense, thick, medium length, smooth, distributed all over the body down to the interdigital spaces. Two types of coat are distinguished : covering coat on the back and an other protecting type on the ribcage and the flanks.  Shorter on the legs, longer and silky on the tail.

COLOUR  : Indifferent.  The colours most appreciated being the self-coloured like yellow, fawn, red, black, wolf colour and deer-colour; also appreciated are the combined colours like brindle, parti-coloured or dogs with a white collar.

SIZE  :  There is no upper limit of size, the subjects of greatest size being the ones most highly thought after providing they are of harmonious proportions.
Height at the withers :   Minimum size for males :      77 cm.
                                                         for bitches :    72 cm.
It is desirable that these measurements be amply exceded; the size in males should be over 80 cm, and in females over 75 cm.

FAULTS : Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

SLIGHT FAULTS :

• Roman nose, without excess.
• Pincer bite; lack of any premolar.
• Weak lumbar-dorsal line, having lost its straight line and ondulating on the move.
• Pasterns, rear-pasterns and feet weak, without excess.
• Timidity, not too accentuated.

SERIOUS FAULTS :

• Exaggerated frail or lethargic appearance.
• Pointed muzzle.
• Moderately overshot mouth.
• Absence of various molars or canines, not from traumatic origin.
• Excessive entropion or ectropion.
• Cropping of the ears.
• Tail resting on the croup.
• Sway back.
• Height at the croup noticeably superior to the height at the withers.
• Docking of the tail.
• Incorrect legs, weak or deviated.
• Cow-hocked either standing or moving.
• Lateral displacement of the legs when moving.
• Wavy coat, curly or of excessive length.
• Unbalanced temperament, excessive timidity or exaggerated aggressiveness.

ELIMINATING FAULTS :

• Aggresive or overly shy.

• Nose or mucous membranes depigmented.

• Split nose.
• Undershot mouth of whatever degree; excessively overshot.
• Light eyes.

Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.

N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

Automatic translate from inseparabile.com

Historical signals

It is thought comes down like nearly all molossoidi from the coming from molossi from Syria or dallIndia introduced in the Iberian peninsula from the fenici merchants two thousand years before Christ.

In the Spanish literature of XII the century possible to trace accurate descriptions of molosso that it would be similar a very allattuale mastiff even if of corporatura po' devout snella.

These giants of the species (the standard does not preview height limits) came uses you in various functions, from the boar-shooting and to other selvati us of great dimensions, to the guard of the small farms and the villas of campaign.

In the Mean, these frightening guardiani were also and above all used protect from men and beasts and not to lead the herds of bovines and the crudes oil of sheep merinos. One says that they have been uses you also for combats against other animals in the arenas. Famous Bench from centuries and regularly introduced in the canine exposures end dallinizio of the century, the first standard of the Mastiff Spanish be written up single in 1946.

Description

The Mastiff Spanish a sturdy and powerful dog.   Much wide one and rather along with a voluminoso thorax, a powerful dog.
  The body would have to be rectangular, very muscoloso and with strong unossatura.   Voluminosa head and very proporzionata with one has one rhyme   deep boccale, of the strong jaws, labbra full and one giogaia much obvious one.   The Mastiff Spanish has the double spurs on posterior legs, one characteristic of this common race with that one of the Dog of the Pyrenees.   The dense and nearly lanuginoso short cape straight with a sottopelo.   The skin would have to be abundant and lassa.   The colors include the yellow, the red one, the black one, the gray-lupo and the brown rossiccio, spotted or to only ink.   The white man would not have too much to be dominant.   The part centers them posterior and the tail is covered from a hair devout along.   The eyes are small, putting in extension an extended and rilassata expression that mask its always careful and instead alert look.

The ears are appuntiti and falling.   The sfrangiata and held tail towards   low.   Even if a race much heavy one, the movement would have to be melted and flessuoso.   Two types of Mastiff Spanish exist: one devout large, devout heavy, from mountain known like the Mastiff Pesado (Mastiff heavy) and one devout light, devout   refined called Mastiff Light. Mastiff heavy the type that participates frequently devout to the exhibitions and the contests poich devout impressive gives   to watch and devout present in mountains of the North of Spain. It has a large head devout, devout bony mass, skin devout lassa, devout "Mastiff", has devout giogaia and pu to weigh well beyond 90 Kg.   While agile and athletic the type light devout fast, devout and devout common in the Meseta and Andalusia (in the south of Spain).   However, these two types are not from considering themselves breeds but rather they are varying regional   of the same race and they often come intercrosses between loro(il heavy type of the north and the devout light type to you present in the center south of the country) indeed better to perhaps say that true the mastiff Spanish that light while heavy state only selected of recent favoring of the enormous dimensions, and ipertipizzando the standard that one does not preview of it   ransom of the maximum weight. This selection has made that new the mastiff one is not devout in a position to carrying out fully its function of dog from guard to the flock in how much would make much hard work to follow it in the long transumanze.

Temperament:

Like character and function, the Mastiff Spanish a classic dog from guard of the cattle and much similar one in many senses to its cousins Anatolian Shepherd Dog (Dog from Shepherdesses dellAnatolia).Come the greater part of the dogs from cattle, the Mastiff Spanish, in a generalized manner enough independent and pu to be left to tightened contact with the nature, and rather classified, also towards the same owner.   Moreover not excessive expansive.