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).

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