Beethoven

Beethoven is a cross between a Mastin Español, which is known in English as a Spanish Mastiff, and a German Shepherd.

  • Mastins can grow to be 50-65kg in weight but the German Shepherd part of Beethoven makes him smaller. This is a good thing because it means he is faster and more agile than a pure Mastin and will not have the same health problems when he is older. Beethoven weighs 48kg but although he is small for a Mastin he is still a big dog compared to most others. 
  • He is very intelligent (which he gets from both breeds) and he has a bronze award certificate from the obedience class that he goes to. He will soon be entered for the silver award once he has had enough practise.
  • Beethoven is very friendly and likes to go on walks where he can meet people and other dogs. He likes lots of attention and he especially likes going to the vet where they make a big fuss of him. The downside to this is that when he gets really excited he tends to trump. Which is bad. Very bad. Especially in a car with the windows closed.
  • Mastins need lots of space, because of their size, and Beethoven is no different. If he doesn't get enough exercise (like when it is raining) then he starts jumping around the house and getting underfoot, but when he has lots of room to run around he can burn off some of his excess energy and is calm again. One of his favourite exercises is to chase after a quad bike in the countryside. He is very well-behaved, and generally quiet, but he does have a booming voice and if he barks inside then it feels like the buiding is shaking.
  • Beethoven is allergic to the protein found in most meats so it means that he cannot eat tinned dog food. The big baby has to be cooked for because he can only eat lamb, rabbit and duck. He eats a mix of special dry biscuits, rice, one of the meats he can eat and gravy. He has expensive tastes and really looks forward to dinner time!
  • The Spanish Mastin can handle extremes of heat and cold but to make Beethoven more comfortable he has his hair shaved really short in summer. Below you can see his different hair lengths throughout the year.