Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi, i do not have a mastiff, but i do have questions that i would like to know the answers to before i make my decision on weather or not,this breed is right for me. my situation is that i am in the AirForce and sometimes i have to be gone for weeks at a time, which leaves my wife alone and etc. my reason for wanting a mastiff is for security for my wife. will this dog make her feel secure while i am gone? also how does this dog tolerate heat?cold? asking because being in the military i move around evry 3-4 years. i read on this board that mastiffs can have expensive vet bills? why so? besides the normal vet checks and etc? i have done lots of research on this breed, and truely think it is the breed for me and my wife. but i wanted to ask people who have this breed what they thought of it and etc, because it is one thing to read about a breed and whole other thing to talk to people who have the breed right now. also how bad is drooling with this breed? i realize large dogs drool but to what extent? thank you for your time and answers.

Some Mastiff breeds are very aggressive to the point of being scary. The Bull Mastiff and the English Mastiff are huge and tend to be laid back. I had a Bully and the dog was great to look at but a bit lazy when it comes to guarding. I have not run into a "mean" Bully but I am sure there are some out there.

I will tell you some common sense pointers in finding the right dog. Make sure you has access to both mother and father, whatever your puppy will be like as an adult will depend largely on what the parents are like.

If you cannot approach one or both of the parents its a sign that you might be investing in a law suit.

Isolate the puppies and jingle your car keys around the the puppies head. If the puppy goes after the keys it may grow up to be too outgoing and possibly aggressive. If the puppy backs away it might indicate that it will become a fear biter. The puppy that shows interest in the jingling keys but remains calm may be the right one for you.

Robert,
First off let me thank you for looking into the proper breed for your family before just jumping in and getting a pup. I have French Mastiffs which are a little smaller and not as laid back as the English but are very similar in most of the ways that you are questioning and I have spent quite a bit of time around most of the mastiff breeds.
English mastiffs are basicly very laid back, but just their size and sound can be a deterant to people. If a pup shys from noises such as banging a pot, it does not mean they are fearful but just more sound sensative/reactive and will need lots of socialization to noises while they are growing up. Here are the web sites for a couple of temperament tests- http://www.tiarapoodles.com/temperament.html
http://www.american-bulldog.com/temperament_testing_puppies.htm
Although they list a breed this testing is appropriate for all breeds realizing that a more laid back breed will be more laid back in the responses. Also a good breeder will be able to tell you about the temperament of each puppy, what it's strong points are and it's weaknesses.
Also when talking to breeders most will not have the male on the property as the best match for breeding will most likely not be the stud he has in his kennel. A good responsible breeder will have all info on the male and female, such as pedigree, health screenings and titles and awards the dogs have earned. One of the best ways to decide if this is the breed for you is to go to a few dog shows and meet some dogs. You can find shows near you by going to www.AKC.org for a full listing. Also you might try contacting Masitff rescue in your area as they may have a wonderful dog for your family although probably not a puppy.
Now as for expense, part of it is just do to their size. Medications such as Heartguard or antibiotics have to be given in larger doses which cost more. Also mastiffs are not a long lived breed and are prone to many health problems. It can be heartache to loose these guys at a younger age but I can tell you it is worth it.
Then there is that last big question DROOL - yes these guys drool alot, it is due to the shape of the mouth and bottom lips. If you or your wife is a picky housekeeper then this breed is probably not for you. But you would learn some tricks to help keep down the mess. We keep drool rags easily available and try to catch the dogs after eating or drinking to wipe their mouths. Drooling is always at it's worst when water or food is involved or when they are excited.
As for them tolerating the weather, I know of people in all climates that have happy mastiffs. Because of their shorter muzzles they are quite sensative to heat and should never be expected to live outdoors. I live in a desert area and mine do fine as they live in the house and we limit their activity to mornings and evenings during the summer. Both of mine train and compete all year round we just make sure that they do not over do it in the heat.
Good luck in your search and I hope this has helped you a little bit. If you have more questions feel free to post them or you can email me just put English Mastiff in the subject line.

the link listed is for the photo albums of my dogs.

Val.
Link

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Val.
proudly owned by
Majic the Rotten
Purl - the Nottweiler (Dogue de Bordeaux)
Quest - the otherweiler (DDB)
Chrissy & Tina who have earned their wings

thank you for your replies, i really do think this dog breed is the right type of breed for me and my family. i am still doing more research on them and haven't decided just yet when we will get one but hopefully soon? now is there a difference in temperment between males and females? or do they have the same attitude? again thank you for any replies.

-Robert

as for difference in temperament by sex? well I have found that if spayed/neutered so that hormones are not an issue there is not much difference. A lot depends on the bloodline and there again a good breeder can tell you about their bloodline. With the line I have with the French Mastiffs the girls tend to be the better workers for obedience but tend to have a higher aggression to same sex dogs (other females) while the boys are more clownish and even laid back and lazy around most other males. Now if they are not spay/neutered that will change the whole dynamics as then hormones will control alot of the temperament.

Val.
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Val.
proudly owned by
Majic the Rotten
Purl - the Nottweiler (Dogue de Bordeaux)
Quest - the otherweiler (DDB)
Chrissy & Tina who have earned their wings

I have owned and experience with several working breed dogs.
Working breed males tend to want to wonder, they can be more aggressive. Males in some breeds cannot tolerate other male dogs. Some males tend to try to establish dominance over you.

On the other hand males are bigger have more muscle and generally look cooler than females. In an English Mastiff there might be as much as a 70lb difference between male and female. This is not always the case as there are some huge females.

When I was younger I prefered males (and fast cars), now that I am a bit more mature I must say that females are much less trouble, and they are equally protective.

For most of its life a English Mastiff will not be moving. They are big heavy dogs and they just lay there and do not move much. The main difference will be the size between the male and female.

Hi Robert! Thanks for coming to the Mastiff boards here to inquire about the breeds. Mastiffs are huge love sponges!

Genetics will play a big part in how your dog acts and reacts. The bigger Mastiffs, English & Bulls, will be the bigger and yes probably a bit more lazy than some of the other mastiff breeds like the DDB.

I haven't been around many of the other mastiffs but think that in general they all make good family dogs. The key, IMO is proper training. When you invest in the bigger more musclular and powerful breeds, it's essential for the owners to go through obedience training with the dog from puppyhood on up. Many of the concerns that people have owning a large breed dog is not being able to control it. Not 100% of the time but most of the time people are attacked and bitten by dogs that have not been trained and the owner and dog do not know how to communicate.

I'm sure that this isn't much help but hopefully it will help you down the road.

Drool.......... yep they do drool. However, I haven't noticed that my Rotties or my DDB drool excessively. Like Val said, it's mostly present when food and water are present or during periods of excitement. It's something you learn to live with when you take the mastiff breeds into the home. Just like barking is with smaller dogs like poodles.

Feel free to check back and ask as many questions as necessary to make an educated decision.
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PHRottn
HRottn@PetHobbyist.com" target="_blank">My Email

Rott-N-Dogues make excellent best friends!