Live Life Team
The Rafeiro do Alentejo is also known as the Alentejo Mastiff or the Portuguese Mastiff. This is an ancient breed which originates from the Portuguese area of Alentejo. While their ancestry isn’t known for certain, most scholars believe the Rafeiro do Alentejo came to Portugal when people migrated to the area from Central Asia thousands of years ago. Because of the appearance of the breed, some people believe that the Rafeiro do Alentejo is a descendant of the Tibetan Mastiff, although this cannot be proven.
Since the beginning of the breed, the Rafeiro do Alentejo has been used as a sheep herding dog. They are very good at this because they are protective by nature and will guard and herd the flock as it moves to its destination. Even now, the Rafeiro do Alentejo dog breed is usually used for this purpose. Still, some people have these dogs as pets rather than for working purposes. The Rafeiro do Alentejo is a very calm dog. They are not very energetic and instead tend to be slow and laidback. Like they are with a flock of sheep, Rafeiro do Alentejo dogs are also protective with their human family. Because of this, and their size, they make a fine guard dog.
Rafeiro do Alentejos are a large breed. They have an average height of 73 centimetres and an average weight of 47.5 kilograms. They have a short to medium length coat that can be yellow, fawn, black or white with a combination of any of these colours.
