Picture of Molosser dog

Molosser is a type of large, solidly-built dogs comprising several breeds, probably all descended from the same root stock. The name derives from Molossia, a subregion of ancient Epirus, in North-West Ancient Greece. [wikipedia]

Picture of Molosser dog

Molossers are sometimes called "mastiffs". The proper noun "Mastiff", however, is used to refer to the English Mastiff, a breed that originated in England over two thousand years ago. Other terms include "Mastín" (Spanish), "Dogge" (Germanic), and "dogue" or "dogo" (Romance languages).

Molosser dog photo

The first known record of a molosser-type dog was in 1121 BC, when a Tibetan mastiff trained for hunting was given to a Chinese emperor. The mastiffs would later be imported to Mongolia, Mesopotamia and Central Asia where they would mix with local dogs, resulting in a loss of long hair and colour uniformity.

Molosser dog image