Alano Espanol information to those who want it. You should always check before buying a breed what the temperament, grooming, exercise, health problems and any other information before you buy a breed(this is with any dog/animal).

TEMPERAMENT:
Very dominant, serious but very comfortable with its owner. Very affectionate to its family and those whom it knows. Extremely patient and good with children. Reliable, stable, very obedient and bark very little however, the Alano will watch strangers with suspicion, attacking with little warning, only when the situation requires it. When in a fight it ignores pain or fear and will not surrender despite the size of the animal(unless told not to by its owner or if the task it is set is carried out). The Alano will fight to the death to follow orders, fighting the wild boar or the bull until the end. They are a fearless, loyal, devoted, hard working, well-balanced & stable, self-confidant with a very high pain threshold. Powerful and protective, but not aggressive. These charateristics are not fully apparent until it reaches full maturity, which happens at about 2 1/2 years old. It has been bred to work in a team so it is very sociable with other dogs but if it is challenged by them it will not back down. They should have a dominant owner who will show the dog who is boss. I would advise you not to let it near trees as it as the climbing ablity of a cat and they can leap to great distances from one spot. The alano espanol is hard to hous-break so it is best as an outside dog, male puppies tend to chew more and can be more destructive than female alano's.

HEIGHT AND WEIGHT:
Height: Dogs 23-25 inches (58-63 cm.) Bitches 22-24 inches (55-60 cm.)
Weight: Between 75-89 pound (35-40 kg.) Always showing harmony between size and weight.

LIVING CONDITIONS:
The alano espanol is a good outdoor dog as it can live in hot and cold conditions, dryness and humidity with no problem. The spanish alano will sleep outside with all these climates.

HEALTH PROBLEMS:
It is an ancient rustic dog that has been used to work hard in the country under rough conditions for ages, where only the fittest would survive. This may be the reason for the Alano Español being a very resistant, healthy breed, not prone to suffer from any disease in particular. The owner of Curro states, "When injured or ill, their recovering time is also outstanding. For example: At the age of 80 days Curro caught parvovirosis (Parvo virus in Spanish). The veterinarian gave me no hope for Curro to live more than a week after detecting the virus. It only took him 5 days to cure himself." Along with the Cane Corso, the Alano is one of the very few molosser breeds that do not drool, slobber or snore.

EXERCISE AND GROOMING:
If they are not being used as working dogs, but are a family pet, you need to give them a lot of daily exercise. At least three walks daily, one of them a bit longer in an open space where they can run and play, ideally in the country.
The Alano is a short haired dog that requires little grooming. An occasional brushing with a rubber brush will helping him to shed his coarse, rustic hair and will prevent him from dropping a lot of hair inside the house. However he is an outside dog and should be outside the house most of the time. Bath only when necessary as it will remove the natural oils in the skin. This breed is an average shedder.

LIFE EXPECTANCY:
The alano espanol will live to about 11-14 years.

ORIGIN:
There is not much known where this breed comes from because it is a very ancient but there is a lot of arguments about whether or not it is originally from Spain or brought in and bred there. The Spanish Alano, in the past, has been used in four basic purposes:
1) Wild or Half-wild Cattle handling.
2) Bullfights (this use was banned by the Spanish laws back in the 19th century)
3) Big-game hunting.
4) Guard and defense.
5) War
It belonges to the Mastiff group.