The Broholmer, also called the Danish Mastiff, is a large
mastiff
A mastiff is a large and powerful type of dog. Mastiffs are among the largest dogs, and typically have a short coat, a long low-set tail and large feet; the skull is large and bulky, the muzzle broad and short ( brachycephalic) and the ears dr ...
breed of
dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
from
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
, recognized by the
Danish Kennel Club and the
Fédération Cynologique Internationale
The Fédération cynologique internationale (FCI) (English: International Canine Federation) is the largest international federation of national kennel clubs. It is based in Thuin, Belgium.
History
The FCI was founded in 1911 under the auspices ...
. It has been employed as a guard dog in the homes of the wealthy. The breed's numbers dwindled severely during World War II, but the dog made a successful return in the 1970s.
Description
![Picture of a male Broholmer](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Picture_of_a_male_Broholmer.jpg)
The Danish Broholmer is a dog that strongly resembles a
Mastiff
A mastiff is a large and powerful type of dog. Mastiffs are among the largest dogs, and typically have a short coat, a long low-set tail and large feet; the skull is large and bulky, the muzzle broad and short ( brachycephalic) and the ears dr ...
. It is large and powerful, with a loud, impressive bark and dominant walk.
A well trained Broholmer should be calm, good tempered, and friendly, yet watchful towards strangers. Females stand about and weigh in at . Males stand about and weigh in at . The body is built square and rectangular with a large and massive head. The width and length of the skull and the length of the nose should be of equal length. The head is generally not carried very high. The coat is short and harsh, and the color can be light or brownish yellow, or black. Some white markings on the coat are permitted, and a
black mask may be found. The average life span is around 7–12 years.
Historical note
The Breed was imported to the UK in 2009 with a view to being put on the
UK kennel clubs import list.
It was discovered in the recent years (2016) that the Broholmers that were imported into the United States were all afflicted with Degenerative Myelopathy (DM), a spontaneously occurring, adult-onset spinal cord disorder that affects dogs, and is similar to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig's disease in humans (1). With DM, there is degeneration of the “white matter” of the spinal cord and the peripheral nerves. The white matter tracts of the spinal cord contain fibers that transmit movement commands from the brain to the limbs and sensory information from the limbs to the brain. The first Broholmer ever to be imported into the United States with the intent to breed it, died in 2018 due to DM, and all other dogs imported have DM as well. These dogs were never presented and therefore never accepted by Broholmer Selskabet, the Danish main organization for the protection and the breeding of healthy Broholmers. One completely healthy male Broholmer, Bodholdts Bedste Bergthor, approved for breeding by the Broholmer Selskab, was imported into the US in 2010. He was, however, never bred in the US.
See also
*
Dogs portal
*
List of dog breeds
This list of dog breeds includes both Neontology#Extant taxa versus extinct taxa, extant and extinct dog breeds, Designer breed, varieties, landraces, and dog types. A research article on genomics, dog genomics published in Science/AAAS defines m ...
References
External links
BROHOLMER-315a
Fédération Cynologique Internationale
{{Mastiffs
Mastiffs
FCI breeds
Dog breeds originating in Denmark
Articles containing video clips