It’s nice to speak to a fellow Algerian. Yes, you are right that the original Algerian Mastiff was indeed much larger but unfortunately I can’t find dogs of that size yet. My relatives in Algeria also suggested the Douar area but I couldn’t find any evidence of Algerian mastiffs there. If you find anything in that area I would be very grateful if you share it with me. It’s such a pity that Algeria has almost lost these dogs. My father once told me that his grandmother used to go to sleep at night listening to the roar of lions in the distance and that they used to send large dogs out to protect the flocks and villagers. My father also grew up with the Algerian Mastiff, he described them as large dogs that looked similar to a hyenas in appearance. The dog’s you pictured look similar to the Kabyle dog and some Bedouin dogs. Here is a picture of a dog that is similar. http://a34.idata.over-blog.com/3/38/20/20/RETOUCHE/moutons-de-guerbez.jpg Some dogs on this boar also look similar. This is a photo taken in Algeria. Who knows what these dogs are. If only the photographer was more interested in his dogs and not the sand! http://a21.idata.over-blog.com/600x337/3/38/20/20/formis.jpg