Gaddi Kutta vs Giant Maso Mastiff - Breed Comparison

The Giant Maso Mastiff is a fairly new dog breed so you aren’t going to find much history on him.

The breed was only started in 2001 so as to create a mastiff dog that would have fewer health problems and therefore have the chance to live longer. The Giant Maso came about because of a mix between the Old English Mastiff and the Cane Corso Italiano.

As stated, breeding began in 2001 and the dog has inherited intelligence and protective instincts from both these dogs.

The Gaddi Kutta is mountain dog of the mastiff line from northern India. They are mostly found in the western Himalayas and Himachal Pradesh. It is also seen in Nepal and often named the Indian Panther Hound and the Mahidant Mastiff. They were bred to hunt but because of their strength and intelligence they are used to guard and herd goats and sheep. They are strong enough to defeat or scare off a panther or snow leopard and intelligent enough to work independently in finding strays and bringing them back to their pens. They have been known to protect herds of cattle from bears and leopards.3 or 4 of them working together can handle the guard duties for thousands of cattle.

Their reputation precedes them – as ferocious and courageous, unmatched in their instincts to protect what is theirs. In the line of the Mastiffs and Molosser, the Gaddi is powerful and agile, and considered to be of ancient heritage though no one is sure what their origin is. The local myth is that dogs were crossed with tigers. It is more likely that dingo-like wild hounds from the Himalaya were crossed with the Tibetan Mastiff to create the Gaddi Kutti. Also found in Pakistan, most lines of the breed have been crossed with others including the German Shepard and the Bully Kutta. Outside of the Himalayas there are not many if any pure lines. The Gaddi Kutta is a good family dog if you socialize him as a puppy. He will be gentle, calm and intuitive with his family, but aggressive toward strangers and other dogs.

The Giant Maso Mastiff is a large dog breed and can stand at between 67 to 70cm in height and weigh 60 to 90-kg.

He has a big square head with medium sized floppy ears and thick neck covered with loose skin. Muscular, he is a deep chested dog with powerful legs and long tail. The fur of the dog is short and sleek and can be a number of colors such as fawn, an apricot color, gray and black as well as brindle.

Temperament:

Intelligent, protective, self-confident, balanced and calm, the Giant Maso Mastiff may be quite an imposing looking dog but he is gentle-natured towards his family.

The large dog loves to please and receive praise from his human family. He is the perfect friend, getting on well with children in the home as well as with other dogs. Training and socialization is easy for this dog and it is important that he is trained if you want him to be an obedient pet.

He is gentle, intelligent, protective – simply known as a gentle giant, being calm, steady and amicable. This breed loves to please and needs lots of companionship from his human family, loving just to lie close by to them.

He isn’t a particularly active dog, but will still need to join you on a walk every day. It is why the Maso Mastiff can live in the city or in the countryside, because not being an overly active dog, he doesn’t need a large garden.

The Gaddi Kutta is a mastiff but he is athletic, has tremendous speed and stamina. He is muscular and deep-chested, leaner than most of the mastiff lines. Their ears can be either natural or cropped, on a very large head. One of the most important traits of the Gaddi Kutta is the massive, arched neck that protects them from predators. He is sturdy with a heavily feathered, thick tail curling over the back.

They are massive, wolf like dogs, fiery and huge but intelligent and faithful to their people. They are scary even when they are trying to be affectionate. The muzzle is strong, and the mane is thick. The Gaddi has long, heavy legs and very large feet that are feathered, making him even more intimidating.

There are two types of Gaddi Kutti – the longhaired and the shorthaired. The longhaired is the most common and has a fuller coat with long feathering on the tail, legs and chest and some feathering on the feet. They are all usually solid colors of yellow, fawn and cream or they could be piebald, brown or brindle. They have a woolly dense undercoat.

Your Giant Maso Mastiff is such a gentle giant of a dog. He is well behaved and gentle so that it almost seems unnecessary to have him trained and socialized and yet doing so will make him even more amicable.

Calm and gentle he makes the perfect pet for families where there are children as well as elderly people. He is quite frankly everyone’s friend, being a loving family pet. If you’re a family more into indoor games and TV watching than an outdoor, sporty kind of family, the Giant Maso Mastiff will suit you.

He will love to settle down and watch TV with you. He isn’t particularly active, although he will certainly need a walk every day.

Those who have owned a Giant Maso Mastiff will tell you that this is an excellent family pet, making a wonderful companion dog.

Children friendliness

They are not always great with children, but they will protect own children in their family. Do not leave unattended.

Special talents

They have the ability to bring down a wolf or even a bear or snow leopard.

Adaptability

Because of his size, temperament and coat he is not very adaptable. He is good outside in a colder region and with a lot of land to roam, but not in a hot region or in an apartment.

Learning ability

This breed is very smart, learns quickly on his own.

There has always been the concern with joint disorders in large breed dogs. Both hip- and elbow dysplasia can occur with your Giant Maso Mastiff, more so if you overfeed him as a puppy and he grows too fast.

With hip dysplasia, the long bone of the leg forms incorrectly. This can lead to pain and lameness with your pet.

Also check out bloat. This is a serious illness when the stomach fills with air and can twist. Gastric Dilatation-Volvolvus, is an emergency situation then which is found more often in large, deep-chested dog breeds.

If you see your dog with a bloated stomach and acting in a strange, lethargic way, get him to the vet immediately as bloat can be life threatening.

However, they are prone to some of the same issues that any big dog would have.

1. Hip/elbow Dysplasia
2. Painful and can cause lameness and arthritis.
3. Patellar luxation
4. This is a moving knee cap. Can be repaired or can cause lameness.
5. Obesity

The breed is prone to obesity if they do not get enough exercise or a decent diet.

Grooming:

As an average shedder, the smooth, shorthaired coat is easy to groom, and a good brush twice a week will be adequate.

The Giant Maso Mastiff has floppy ears and therefore these should be checked for ear infections. Wax build up and dirt will need to be checked and cleaned.

His nails will need to be clipped, especially if they don’t wear down on their own and his teeth will need to be cleaned 2 or 3x a week to avoid dental disease.

Diet:

With a large dog breed puppy such as the Giant Maso Mastiff, rapid growth is a risk factor for developing joint and bone conditions. The growth period can last till 12 months and puppies of large breeds should actually have their caloric intake adjusted during this growth period.

It is important to ensure that your puppy grows at a slow, steady rate. If you are feeding dog food from the commercially manufactured range, if you aren’t sure, speak to your vet about large breed dog foods. You want to be sure that this gentle giant of yours receives the best dog food there is, whether commercial branded dog food or your own home-made food. Good nutrition is imperative for the health of your pet.

Feeding the puppy

Should feed a high quality dry puppy food for large dogs. Give 1-2 cups per day split into 2-3 meals.

Feeding the adult

Again you want to feed high quality dry adult dog food for large dogs. Give 3-4 cups per day split into 2 meals. Watch for obesity and if your Gaddi Kutta is gaining too much weight, cut back.

Points for Good Health

The Gaddi Kutti seems to be immune to the most common of canine diseases.

Games and Exercises

This is a breed of very large dogs that need daily exercise by walking and running. However, since they have been fairly isolated in India and the Himalayas, he has not been exposed to organized dog play and exercise such as agility, dock jumping or field trials. He would probably succeed at all three.