Rafeiro do Alentejo

Today the Rafeiro do Alentejo is most often kept as a companion and guard dog.

Rafeiro do Alentejo are of the very ancient molosser type that migrated with humans from Central Asia.

Origins of the Rafeiro do Alentejo (in Portuguese)

The Rafeiro do Alentejo is of the livestock guardian dog type, and the name refers to its area of origin, Alentejo, in south-central Portugal.

The Rafeiro do Alentejo or Alentejo Mastiff, also called the Portuguese Mastiff, is a breed of dog that originated in Portugal.

The Fila Brasileiro is believed to have been evolved from a number of breeds,the Mastiff, the Bulldog, Bloodhound & The Rafeiro do Alentejo.

The Rafeiro do Alentejo (Alentejo Mastiff) is recognised by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale in Group 2, Section 2.2 Mastiffs, Mountain Type, Portugal (breed number 96).

The Associação Dos Criadores Do Rafeiro Do Alentejo is the official breed club for the Rafeiro do Alentejo in Portugal.

It is more likely that their size results from the introduction of large Rafeiro do Alentejo, brought to the island by many generations of Portuguese fishermen, who had been fishing the Grand Banks of Newfoundland since the 1400s.