GENERAL APPEARANCE 
Head, in general outline, giving a square appearance when viewed from any point. Breadth greatly desired: in ratio to length of whole head and face as 2/3. Body massive, broad, deep, long, powerfully built, on legs wide apart and squarely set. Muscles sharply defined. Size a great desideratum, if combined with quality. Height and substance important if both points are proportionately combined.
 

CHARACTERISTICS 
Large, massive, powerful, symmetrical and well knit frame. A combination of grandeur and, courage.
 

TEMPERAMENT 
Calm, affectionate to owners, but capable of guarding.
 

HEAD AND SKULL 
Skull broad between ears, forehead flat, but wrinkled when attention is excited. Brows [superciliary ridges] slightly raised. Muscles of temples and cheeks [temporal and masseter] well developed. Arch across skull of a rounded, flattened curve, with a depression up centre of forehead from median line between eyes, to half way up sagittal suture. Face or muzzle, short, broad under eyes and keeping nearly parallel in width to end of nose; Truncated, i.e., blunt and cut off squarely, thus forming a right-angle with upper line of face, of great depth from point of nose to under-jaw. Under jaw broad to end. Nose broad, with widely spreading nostrils when viewed from front, flat [not pointed or turned up] in profile. Lips diverging at obtuse angles with septum, and slightly pendulous so as to show a square profile. Length of muzzle to whole head and face as 1/3. Circumference of muzzle [measured mid-way between eyes and nose] to that of head [measured before the ears] as 3/5.
 

EYES 
Small, wide apart, divided by at least space of two eyes. Stop between eyes well marked but not too abrupt. Coloured hazel brown, darker the better, showing no haw.
 

EARS 
Small, thin to touch, wide apart, set on at highest points of sides of skull, so as to continue outline across summit, and laying flat and close to cheeks when in repose.
 

MOUTH 
Canine teeth healthy, powerful and wide apart; incisors level, or lower projecting beyond upper but never so much as to become visible when mouth is closed.
 

NECK 
Slightly arched, moderately long, very muscular, and measuring in circumference about one or two inches less than skull before ears.
 

FOREQUARTERS 
Shoulder and arm slightly sloping, heavy and Muscular. Legs straight, strong and set wide apart; bones being large. Elbows square. Pasterns upright.
 

BODY 
Chest wide, deep and well let down between forelegs. Ribs arched and well rounded. False ribs deep and well set back to hips. Girth one-third more than height at shoulder. Back and loins wide and muscular; flat and very wide in bitch slightly arched in a dog. Great depth of flanks.
 

HINDQUARTERS 
Broad, wide and muscular, with well-developed second thighs, hocks bent, wide apart, and quite squarely set when standing or walking.
 

FEET 
Large and round. Toes well arched up. Nails black.
 

TAIL 
Set on high, and reaching to hocks, or a little below them, wide at its root and tapering to end, hanging straight in repose, but forming a curve with end pointing upwards, but not over back, when dog is excited.
 

GAIT/MOVEMENT 
Powerful, easy extension.
 

COAT 
short and close lying, but not too fine over shoulders, neck and back.
 

COLOUR 
Apricot-fawn silver-fawn, fawn or dark fawn-brindle. In any case, muzzle ears and nose should be black with black around the orbits, and extending upwards between them.
 

FAULTS 
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded in exact proportion to its degree.
Note: Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum
 
 

Printed by permission from 
The OLD ENGLISH MASTIFF CLUB (OEMC) of England
 

We at Rockport Mastiffs acknowledge and accept the original Breed Standard published in 1903  by the Old English Mastiff Club (OEMC) of England as the correct standard for this breed.