Welcome to Florida Sentinel Bandog!
Cane Corso / Italian Mastiff / Canis Pugnax
Florida Sentinel Bandog
Florida Sentinel Bandog
FLORIDA SENTINEL BANDOGS
Protection
Protection
Protection
Canines have played a role in the protection of life, property and livestock since the dawn of man. Thousands of years of genetic refinement have created the Florida Sentinel Bandog. The most serious and proven line of working mastiff today, defending home and family as the pack.
Catch
Protection
Protection
Survival to sport, dogs have helped hunt everything from coyotes to hogs. The Florida Sentinel Bandog is bred ready for catching big game and mitigating large pests. These canines possess relentless will and stamina coupled with superior power and athleticism.
Companion
Protection
Companion
Friend to man is the trademark of all great dogs. It took many millennia of intertwined lives and histories to develop such a deep symbiotic relationship. The Florida Sentinel Bandog is first and foremost a loyal friend and trusted partner. They bond deeply with their pack family.
FLORIDA SENTINEL BANDOGS PROTECT
Home & Family
Florida Sentinel Bandogs are one of the most effective security measures for any type of property. They are a formidable line of defense, starting with being a visible deterrent to anyone looking to incite violence or steal. The Florida Sentinel Bandog can also provide personal protection against carjacking, mugging and assault. Exceptional intuition, Herculean strength and a bite force of more than 700 psi, make these working mastiffs a capable, safe and practical defense solution.
Pets & Livestock
Living in an area with dangerous wildlife or feral animals can be deadly for small pets and livestock. The Florida Sentinel Bandog is a practical way to mitigate predators, strays and others threats.
FLORIDA SENTINEL BANDOGS CATCH
Game
Predators
Predators
Florida Sentinel Bandogs are genetically predisposed to catch and hold wild boars and other big game. Their prey drive, power and ferocity, coupled with their desire to please puts them among the best catch dogs on the planet.
Predators
Predators
Predators
The physical structure, strength and fearless determination of the Florida Sentinel Bandog can be put to use deterring, catching and terminating threats. Coyotes and other invasive or aggressive animals are no match for these dogs.
Vermin
Predators
Vermin
Once trained to exterminate pest animals, the Florida Sentinel Bandog approaches the task as an exciting game. Hound-quality scent tracking means rodents, iguanas, armadillos and other vermin can be easily dug out and destroyed.
Florida Sentinel Bandog
Guard & Personal Protection
The Florida Sentinel Bandog is born ready and willing to guard and protect. These canines are capable of any type of sentry work, from ranches and farms to single family homes. Deep territorial instincts, heightened alertness and uneasiness with strangers, make the Florida Sentinel Bandog the ideal protection dog.
Hog Catch & Coyote Mitigation
Florida Sentinel Bandogs are game bred, fearless and eager to hunt. No matter the quarry; wild hogs, coyotes and other vermin are no match for the speed, strength and tenacity of these dogs. Their heightened prey drive and physical profile make them mission capable, even over extreme terrain and in hard conditions. Molosser bite force and catlike athleticism make the Florida Sentinel Bandog the embodiment of a catch dog.
Companion & Pack Member
To a Florida Sentinel Bandog, the family and pack are one. Their natural will to guard and protect lends well to being a great family dog. These canines bond deeply with their human and animal companions. No matter whether a threat be from man or beast, these dogs will stop at nothing to protect the pack. Their bravery and brawn is balanced with a desire to please and be praised. Despite their imposing appearance, Florida Sentinel Bandogs are quite affectionate with their family and packmates.
FLORIDA SENTINEL BANDOGS
Strain
The Florida Sentinel Bandog is a contemporary strain of working Italian Mastiff developed for its tremendous strength and versatility. The genetic makeup is purebred Cane Corso (Canis Pugnax). Performance based breeding over decades has produced a powerful, fearless and intelligent companion that possesses fierce protective instincts and superior prey drive.
Size
Florida Sentinel Bandog Males Shoulder Height: 26-28"
Florida Sentinel Bandog Females Shoulder Height: 25-27"
Florida Sentinel Bandog Males Weight: 110-135 lbs.
Florida Sentinel Bandog Females Weight: 100-118 lbs.
While size does matter, too much mass severely limits the speed, agility, stamina and longevity of a working dog. Oversized dogs suffer greater hip and elbow dysplasia as well as being prone to slobber and overheat. Conversely, dogs too small in size are less capable of adequate man-stopping or catching big game. The Florida Sentinel Bandog height, length and weight are ideal to maximize potential and limit deficiency.
Build
Long and heavy boned with a large head, alert expression and rippling muscles. Paws are broad and webbed with thick rigid ankles and solid forearms leading into well defined shoulders or hindquarters. Powerful bearlike structure with contours and movement resembling that of a panther.
Coat
The short, straight, medium-dense coat is the same length, sheen and smoothness all over the body.
Colors: Black or Grey
[may have white dusting]
Mask is Black
[may have white dusting]
Florida Sentinel Bandogs
Working class canines
GAME BRED WITH PURPOSE
Guard Dogs
Protective and territorial, uneasy with strangers, dominant, civil aggression
Catch Dogs
Palpable prey drive, eager to hunt and work, relentless will and high stamina
Family Dogs
Loyal pack members, formidable and vigilant, loving and playful, pet tolerant
“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.”
Florida Sentinel Bandogs
Evolution of the Bandog
Canis Molossus
Olde World Bandogge
Olde World Bandogge
Canis Molossus or the Molossian Hound was a large powerful breed from what is now western Greece, with bloodlines dating back to ancient Sumeria. These dogs were bred for a wide range of duties including protection, hunting and blood sports. The ancient Molossian people kept dogs of two distinct types, a broad muzzled hunting dog and a large fierce dog for guarding livestock. Aristotle noted that, "mixing these Molossian Hounds with the Laconian dogs created an animal of remarkable courage and endurance for hard labor." Perhaps the earliest notions of game breeding the mastiff type dog with a determined terrier. Once the Romans invaded Greece the Molossian Hounds were game bred for specific military service and other working dog duties. The knowledge, mission and resources of the Roman Legions refined the most menacing domestic canine on the planet into an unmatched dog of war. These weaponized animals became deadly Roman soldiers used as both warriors in battle and as sentries guarding installments and outposts.
Olde World Bandogge
Olde World Bandogge
Olde World Bandogge
During the conquests of the Roman Empire, Molossian War Dogs (Canis Pugnax) were deployed across Western Europe to countries like modern day Italy, France, Spain and England. There they were interbred with regional dogs to create the various early European Mastiffs. Dogs developed from these Molossian War Hounds were used as holdfasts to bring down big game. After the quarry was tracked by sight or scent hounds, a dog kept on a leash or band - a Bandog, would be released to catch and hold the animal until the hunter was able to dispatch it with a spear, dagger or bow. In the towns and villages at the time, the Nights Watchmen would release Bandogs to patrol the streets and squares. The Bandogge nomenclature is from the Olde English spelling of this highly regarded class of working dog. By the 1300's, estates across Europe were using these regal mastiffs for catching game, poachers and as a symbol of nobility.
New World Bandog
Olde World Bandogge
New World Bandog
By the 1800's, the estates in Europe led to the territories of the Americas, which created a new need for the now refined Bandog. The Olde World Mastiff dogs had been bred with a more limber and versatile Bulldog stock. This addition of speed and utility, developed a canine better fitted for the New World and the different animals and terrain it would present. The migration to the Americas also brought with it the bulldog terrier crosses. The descendants of these bulldog-terriers would go on to become an important part of the Bandog story. As the New World was settled, the farms and plantations gave way to cities and suburbs. The need for a large game bred Bandog greatly diminished as kennel club breeds were introduced into American life.
American Bandog
Florida Sentinel Bandog
New World Bandog
Throughout the 1960's, American veterinarian Dr. John B. Swinford's goal was to create a "super mastiff" possessing all the functionality and protectiveness of their Molossus ancestry, while maintaining obedience and loyalty to their human companions. He set out to accomplish this by introducing game bred American Pit Bull Terrier bloodlines into the powerful English Mastiff. After generations of neglect, the Bandog had been recreated and restored with drive, athleticism and longevity. For nearly sixty years, the Swinford Bandog aka American Bandog has been the closest thing to that "super mastiff" vision. However, the inconsistency and lack of breeding standards has become a "wild west" of genetic splatter.
Florida Sentinel Bandog
Florida Sentinel Bandog
Florida Sentinel Bandog
The inconsistency of the American Bandog became motivation for a return to the original Molosser lineages. During the late 1970's the decedent's of arguably the most formidable and documented Roman combat dog, Canis Pugnax, were rediscovered in southern Italy. A group of breeders and historians worked together to locate these nearly forgotten gladiators from Italian farms and homesteads. Through selective breeding the species was revived with its unmatched physical prowess intact. The drive, athleticism and functionality Dr. Swinford searched for a decade earlier, was found to be prominent in the millennia old super mastiff, the pure bred Cane Corso. After 50 years of improvement, with a return to the size and form of it's ancestors, the original Bandog, Canis Pugnax has been recommissioned for service as the Florida Sentinel Bandog.
Contact Us
Reserve a Florida Sentinel Bandog Puppy
Each Bandog puppy is health tested, warrantied and ready for service.
Cane Corso puppies in Florida (Canis Pugnax)
United States
Apex protection, catch and companionship dogs. Game Bred.
Florida Bandog Stories
Protects our little dogs from all the Coyotes
"There have been a bunch of coyote attacks in the area. People's dogs were mauled/taken/eaten. My mom has small Yorkies that she loves like children, so we got a big Florida Bandog we named Grit for the yard to watch out for them. He battled with the coyotes at least a couple times. During the lockdown he fought off two, "shaking out" one until it let out a high pitched yelp and he chased the other, biting it on the back as it ran away. The coyotes are all in the hills around the neighborhood. No doubt we would have probably lost one of our dogs by now if Grit wasn't out there regulating."
Eddie G.
Rancho Cucamonga, California
RV Life suites Jack well
"Our FLA Sentinel Bandog, Jack has been traveling across the US and Canada with us in our RV. Since we are are getting older and the world is getting scarier, we wanted a protective dog breed to replace our Maltese, Sugar who passed away after 14 years. Not only do we feel much safer stopping in random places and sleeping in the RV, but Jack has just as much personality and charm as Sugar did! He even acts like a lap dog looking to cuddle up, until he hears someone outside, then he turns right into the guard-on-duty, letting out a loud grumble like he is flashing an audible policeman's badge. Though he is very protective, he is overall easy going, even with children. But make no mistake about it, when we take him for a walk or if someone approaches, he is all business."
Francine & Ted W.
Ocala, Florida
Best hog dog I've had in Florida
"Back in Bama, I had a good hog dog, a pitbull - blue lacy - catahoula mix, but since I moved here, I had to leave him behind. I am used to working with pitbulls and curs, but since moving to FL I have become a big fan of the FL Sentinel. I never seen a dog that would hit the hog full speed like this girl. I joke that she must have been wronged by a pig in her last life, cause when this girl hits that hog, you feel impact. She thinks like a bay dog but has the power like a pitbull. She's bigger than a pit though and has no problem holding a good size boar on her own. Most dogs bite on a hog's ear and hold on, this girl goes for the throat. She bites to hurt. Plenty of war dog in her blood, no doubt."
JP
Dover, Florida
I work with a Malinois and live with a Florida Bandog
"I am in law enforcement and the dogs my department uses are all Belgian Malinois and Dutch Shepherds. They are great dogs, but don't have the man stopping capability that my 100+ pound FS Bandog does. The bite pressure is not even comparable either. I've almost had my wrist broken through the sleeve when working my bandog. The shepherds are like wrestling with kids compared to the tremendous power of the real man stopper. I also feel the intimidation factor is big too. The size and look of the Florida Sentinel Bandog is much more of a deterrent."
Chad L
Seminole, FL
Growls & Kisses
"After my separation from a violent psychopath, I needed protection. The gun laws in my state suck and put me at a disadvantage defending myself. I bought a pair of Florida Sentinels to feel secure in my own home, knowing someone who I once trusted and knows everything about me was trying to hurt me. Thankfully they have never had to take a bite out of him, but I know that if he shows up here again they will. Neither one lets anyone enter the house without a thorough inspection and the Amazon guys never make it down the driveway before the dogs are both chomping and the bit to get to through the door. I had a Rottie growing up and I would say these two are even more alert and attentive, but still affectionate like good dogs are."
Kasia Z
Chicago, Illinois
Jumped through a plate glass divider
"I know, if it's not on video it didn't happen, but I saw my sister's Florida Sentinel Bandog smash through a plate glass room divider chasing a tennis ball and it not even phase him. The dog blasted through it head or shoulder first and didn't even flinch. Us all gasping and the sound of the glass shattering got his attention more than the force of the collision. With a gash on his forehead and a cut on his jowl bleeding like a faucet, he brings the ball back to her like, "throw it again". These dogs are brutes, a lean Cane Corso on steroids."
Perry B
Tampa, FL
