clovenhoof
07-23-2003, 07:33
Another thread really helped fire my interest in this topic- something I am already very much into. Following is some information and links that you may find interesting.
http://www.boerboel.de/Neue%20Hundeseiten/Shop/Video/Cane%20Corso2.jpg
http://www.wtv-zone.com/Hahnsflyboys/pics/mara5.jpg
A little history:
The dog that most people talk about when talking about war-dogs is the Molossus. The Molossus gets its name from the Molossi, the ruling tribe of Epirus, a country of ancient Greece. The Romans conquered the area and being impressed with the Molossus, began to further breed and develop it. Above is a picture of the modern breed Cane Corso whom breeders tell us is the same dog the Romans developed from the Molosser: The Canis pugnax.
http://www.bc-mastiffs.com/bcmastiffpictures/herc10.jpg
http://wtv-zone.com/Hahnsflyboys/pics/gaulD16.jpg
Yet the Canis pugnax was not the perfect wardog and when the Romans fought in ancient Britain the encountered the celts own wardog- The Mastiff, picutred above. The Romans were so impressed by the dog that they took it to Rome and developed it further.
Historians and Cynologists agree that the Celts probably got the dog from Phonecian traders- long before the Romans came- and bred it on from there.
The Celts use of the Mastiff in battle- and the subsequent English use of the same- is extensive and very well documented.
The Mastiff is an ancient, ancient breed that has been all over the world. It is brought by traders or by war and usually bred with local breeds to develop the molosser or mastiff breeds we have today. Look at the proportion of the people to the dogs in the photos and compare them to the proportion of dog/peron in the depictions of the dogs- depictions that were made the same time the dogs were in such use. The proportions are almost identical.
The mastiff and the Roman Canis pugnax stem from the same roots. There is evidence of Mastiff-like giant dogs dating back as far as 2500 BC in the mountains of Asia. So when we talk about the history of dogs in war, we are essentially speaking about the history of the molosser as a family of breeds.
Looking at the weight, height and tempermental traits of modern breeds which are developed from the Molosser, we see that the dog can be as large as 250 pounds, can stand 6' on its back legs, are extremely extremely tough, and are amazingly tenacious. A properly trained and bred dog will not stop attacking unless it receives damage to its head or its heart or until it bleeds out. Police reports about k-9 officers being shot dozens of times and still not giving up as well as documented veternary reports from dog-fighting pits bear out the above as fact. Anyone who knows dogs will tell you truthfully that a good dog is better protection than a gun.
So there is a quick summary of the history of molossers- war-dogs. If you want to know more, and in more detail as far as actual battles and so forth check out these links:
http://www.mastiffweb.com/history.htm
http://www.mastiffgilardi.com/inglese/razza_sub/storia.htm http://mastiff.org/faq/mhistory.mv
http://www.canecorsoitaliano.net/uhist.htm
http://www.natas.nl/geschiedenis2.htm
and last but not least, the granddaddy of all Molosser sites:
http://www.moloss.com/
Molossers belong in anything like a historicaly accurate war game concerning pre-industrial times. While we probably shoulden't see perfect block-formation units of dogs marching around we should see at least some troops with mastifs at their sides. THAT would be historicaly accurate as most documented history concerning specific events in which war-dogs participated depict the dog as being at the side of an officer or commander or a person of nobility- a sign of status as much as an important tool and weapon.
Oh...this is a good link too, though it has nothing to do with dogs:
http://www.centenaryarchers.gil.com.au/history.htm
More pics:
http://www.mastino-von-der-alzau.de/Battaglia.jpg
http://www.mastino-von-der-alzau.de/16.jpg
http://www.boerboel.de/Neue%20Hundeseiten/Shop/Video/Cane%20Corso2.jpg
http://www.wtv-zone.com/Hahnsflyboys/pics/mara5.jpg
A little history:
The dog that most people talk about when talking about war-dogs is the Molossus. The Molossus gets its name from the Molossi, the ruling tribe of Epirus, a country of ancient Greece. The Romans conquered the area and being impressed with the Molossus, began to further breed and develop it. Above is a picture of the modern breed Cane Corso whom breeders tell us is the same dog the Romans developed from the Molosser: The Canis pugnax.
http://www.bc-mastiffs.com/bcmastiffpictures/herc10.jpg
http://wtv-zone.com/Hahnsflyboys/pics/gaulD16.jpg
Yet the Canis pugnax was not the perfect wardog and when the Romans fought in ancient Britain the encountered the celts own wardog- The Mastiff, picutred above. The Romans were so impressed by the dog that they took it to Rome and developed it further.
Historians and Cynologists agree that the Celts probably got the dog from Phonecian traders- long before the Romans came- and bred it on from there.
The Celts use of the Mastiff in battle- and the subsequent English use of the same- is extensive and very well documented.
The Mastiff is an ancient, ancient breed that has been all over the world. It is brought by traders or by war and usually bred with local breeds to develop the molosser or mastiff breeds we have today. Look at the proportion of the people to the dogs in the photos and compare them to the proportion of dog/peron in the depictions of the dogs- depictions that were made the same time the dogs were in such use. The proportions are almost identical.
The mastiff and the Roman Canis pugnax stem from the same roots. There is evidence of Mastiff-like giant dogs dating back as far as 2500 BC in the mountains of Asia. So when we talk about the history of dogs in war, we are essentially speaking about the history of the molosser as a family of breeds.
Looking at the weight, height and tempermental traits of modern breeds which are developed from the Molosser, we see that the dog can be as large as 250 pounds, can stand 6' on its back legs, are extremely extremely tough, and are amazingly tenacious. A properly trained and bred dog will not stop attacking unless it receives damage to its head or its heart or until it bleeds out. Police reports about k-9 officers being shot dozens of times and still not giving up as well as documented veternary reports from dog-fighting pits bear out the above as fact. Anyone who knows dogs will tell you truthfully that a good dog is better protection than a gun.
So there is a quick summary of the history of molossers- war-dogs. If you want to know more, and in more detail as far as actual battles and so forth check out these links:
http://www.mastiffweb.com/history.htm
http://www.mastiffgilardi.com/inglese/razza_sub/storia.htm http://mastiff.org/faq/mhistory.mv
http://www.canecorsoitaliano.net/uhist.htm
http://www.natas.nl/geschiedenis2.htm
and last but not least, the granddaddy of all Molosser sites:
http://www.moloss.com/
Molossers belong in anything like a historicaly accurate war game concerning pre-industrial times. While we probably shoulden't see perfect block-formation units of dogs marching around we should see at least some troops with mastifs at their sides. THAT would be historicaly accurate as most documented history concerning specific events in which war-dogs participated depict the dog as being at the side of an officer or commander or a person of nobility- a sign of status as much as an important tool and weapon.
Oh...this is a good link too, though it has nothing to do with dogs:
http://www.centenaryarchers.gil.com.au/history.htm
More pics:
http://www.mastino-von-der-alzau.de/Battaglia.jpg
http://www.mastino-von-der-alzau.de/16.jpg