Alano Espanol
I became passionate about Alano's many years ago after seeing pictures of these rustic dogs working wild Spanish cattle. Looking at an alano you can see that it's a dog bred purely for function, and you can't help but think all dogs should be bred this way. In my opinion the alano is one of only very few genuine working mastiffs left in the world today. On researching the alano I was intrigued to find that due to its unforgiving breeding based on performance alone, it has been moulded into a remarkable dog in many ways. Firstly its health is unlike any mastiff breed that I am aware of… this is a mastiff that can comfortably live 15 years (sometimes more) - unheard of in mastiff circles. They also suffer no known defects or illnesses, due to their breeding background issues such as HD (Hip Dysplacia) just aren't an issue; and when you see them in the flesh it becomes apparent why - they are remarkably tightly put together, and move with the grace of a powerful wild cat. Furthermore I have been repeatedly told of their remarkable recovery times from illness and injury, supposedly a fraction of the time of normal dogs. Being so fond of mastiffs and working dogs the breed attracted me no end.
Unfortunately acquiring an alano is no easy task as they are such a rare breed; there are supposedly only 300-400 worldwide (for comparison consider that about 45,000 Labradors are registered per year in the UK alone)! …. And you can count the number of proper breeders on one hand. So acquiring top-notch alano's is a heck of a task.
After a few years of research, speaking to the right people and a heck load of money I managed to buy 5 wonderful alano's. I feel extremely grateful and privileged to be allowed to buy such wonderful dogs and I give all of my thanks to Paco from Alanos de las Tinieblas kennel in Spain. Paco is extremely knowledgeable and has been a superb help. He is one of the few breeders who actively works his dogs on both wild Spanish cattle and hunting wild boar, and this shows in the quality of dogs that he has, and continues to produce.
Physically the alano is superb in every way, possessing phenomenal speed and agility that blows you away. Their ability to shift almost as fast as a whippet and to instantly change directions on a dime at top speed just has to be seen with your own eyes to believe. Their legs seem to be spring loaded, as they will jump several feet above each others heads whilst running at a pace is like a ballet to watch as they move with effortless grace. Their movement at a trot is light and springy, very similar to a fox though when they turn the thrusters on they run in a remarkably similar way to a racing greyhound with front and rear legs crossing over mid pace; as Paco eloquently puts it, they are infatiguable. When they put their minds to it their jumping ability is great and I can't help but think they would excel at this competitively. With a scramble my alano's have jumped over 7 feet untrained, and jump a 6ft fence from a standing jump. They have a very high power to size ratio and on the one time I tackled Nitro speed whilst playing he hit me with the force of what felt like a 240lb American footballer tackling me - I lost every ounce of wind in me and Nitro took great pleasure in giving me a big kiss whilst I was flattened out. They are naturally extremely tough dogs and stoic in nature.
In terms of personality, they are full of life and enthusiasm for whatever they are doing. They are very fond of affection from friends and family and will mob you for strokes and cuddles. They really like to be with you, though not to the extent of the neapolitan. They are superb with friend's children and have a very gentle and caring nature around them. They are particularly fond of playing fetch and are great fun to watch their acrobatics as they twist, turn, run and jump to catch the ball. They will run and jump of each other's backs to get an extra boost, and its all part of their fun. Towards their own family they are very protective and they can be very aloof in nature, they have no interest in meeting strangers off the property though will do so if you insist. They are very quick to become defensive if the perceive a threat and they are a superb dog for a lady to walk. I feel 100% confident that my fiancé is totally safe wherever she goes when she takes one of the alano's with her, yet they are very intelligent and easily recognise non threats so when socialized they can be walked anywhere with absolute confidence. They have an interesting personality in that they are very passive and submissive with their own family yet very very brave when they perceive a threat. On their property they are fiercely territorial and will not allow intruders, guests however are treated as if they do not exist. They are very intelligent and superb at knowing when to guard, as it has been inbred into them for centuries. In terms of territorial and protective nature, I would liken them to an aloof Doberman from working lines, yet with drive somewhere between a performance bulldog and a malinois. To me one of their most appealing attributes is their lack of dog aggression that so many mastiff breeds show. Due to them being a pack dog they have to get along with their fellow canines. They are not unlike a husky in the sense that they are dominant and have a very high alpha drive, though do not wish to cause each other genuine harm. They all instinctively know their place in their pack and that all of them are beneath their human master. I find them unusual (and refreshing) in that they do not challenge their owner for the alpha position like a husky, or indeed many mastiff breeds might.
To add balance to this portrayal one needs to remember that there is no such thing as a perfect dog and the alano is no exception. So I would like to add any potential flaws: Firstly this is a driven breed, it's not like owning a lazy bullmastiff - it is a performance dog that requires a special type of owner. I see the alano as suited to energetic people who like to go for jogs/runs/country pursuits, people who want to get involved with agility training, perhaps protection sports such as schutzhund, working on a farm, a dog to keep you company whilst horse riding, or any form of hunting … the list is endless, but the point being that they aren't a dog for just sitting around a living room 24 hours a day. BUT, if you love performance breeds then I consider the alano Espanol to be the crème de la crème. Another consideration is that they are prey driven, so like the greyhound one has to be responsible with where they are exercised off leash. Raised correctly they will be perfect gents, yet if they are kept as working dogs for lets say rabbiting then they should be controlled when in public so that they do not mistake the local bichon frise. As with all working dogs, responsibility is the key. Finally you have to ask does the alano fit your needs and why do you want one, if you want a big impressive dog to cover your insecurities then your money would be better spent on counselling. If you want a dog to just look the part, then there are a plethora of more suitable breeds that are more suited to a more sedentary lifestyle. The alano is first and foremost a hunting dog, and a guard second. It has the potential to excel in many roles though it needs an active lifestyle to do it the justice it deserves, and the people who can offer this are the only type who I would consider selling to.