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Broholmer

The Broholmer is a Danish mastiff, kept from the Middle Ages as a stag-hunting and guarding dog and named after Count Niels Frederik Sehested of Broholm, who worked to preserve it in the nineteenth century.

It effectively died out after the Second World War and was reconstructed from the 1970s using surviving dogs of the type.

It stands 70 to 75 centimetres, weighs 40 to 70 kilograms and lives eight to eleven years, with a short coat in yellow, golden red or black. Temperament is the breed's defining feature: Broholmers are calm, steady and notably good-natured for a mastiff, watchful without being sharp, and they move at a deliberate, unhurried pace.

Origin
Denmark; medieval, reconstructed from the 1970s
Size
70–75 cm; 40–70 kg
Lifespan
8–11 years
Coat
Short, in yellow, golden red or black
Temperament
Calm, steady and good-natured; watchful without sharpness
Health
Hip and elbow dysplasia, bloat; a reconstructed gene pool

2 broholmer photos, newest first

Broholmer feed
  • Bandit, a broholmer

    Bandit

    Bandit was promoted to baker guarding a runaway bread roll; unfortunately, one toy suitcase circles endlessly.

    FrostyOtter · 1 week ago

  • Bandit, a broholmer

    Bandit

    Somewhere under all that is Bandit.

    MerryBadger · 2 weeks ago

Living with a broholmer

The gene pool is narrow. The breed was rebuilt from a handful of dogs, and the Danish club manages breeding carefully — ask what a breeder does about diversity as well as about hip and elbow scores.

Grow puppies slowly on a large-breed diet. Rapid growth in a giant breed causes joint problems that last a lifetime.

Deep chest means bloat risk: unproductive retching, a swollen abdomen and restlessness are an emergency.

They are calm and need only moderate exercise as adults, but puppies should not be over-exercised while the joints are developing.

The short coat is easy. Expect drool, and expect a dog that takes up a great deal of room.

General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual dogs vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.

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