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We had to have our rottie put too sleep this last summer(bad hips) and we miss having him quite abit..The town I live in is very small and they have a hangup about pits and rotts so I would rather get something that is less controversial. How are these dogs with kids and other dogs. I do have an older male border collie right now.We have a large family with 4 kids (2 older and 2 younger). And we are home all the time(homeschool).
One of my biggest concerns is the health aspect of the breed..I had so many problems with our rottie. Very bad hips and lots of skin allergies and I dont want this to happen again. Is there a way to make sure the dog wont have these problems, since they seem to only show up after the dog is older?
Sorry so many questions..Thanks Cece

A lot depends on the breed of mastiff that you're thinking about and the age of your kids. No matter how sweet the dog may be they are huge and don't know their own strength most of the time, especially puppies.

As for health problems you need to find a responsible breeder that has tested both parents for such problems. The adult offspring of the parents means a lot too. You'll pay a considerable amount of money for this but it will save you in vet bills later.

Then you need to make sure that you're feeding the proper food. Giant breeds never get puppy food as it makes them grow too fast and their bones and joints can't take the rapid gain in weight and bone mass. There are large breed puppy foods but you would be much better off with a food like Canidae or Innova, made entirely of human grade meats and these kibbles have 50% more meat in them than other kibbles. The Canidae is an all life stages formula, so he'll eat it his entire life. It's a bit more expensive than the other "premium" brands but it's known to help heal and prevent skin problems (including allergies) and hundreds of other things.. He'll also eat less of it because other foods have grains and fillers that just pass right through his system. An adult 100lb dog will eat 4 cups a day of the Canidae, or up to 7 cups of pedigree.

www.canidae.com
http://www.petperfectexpress.com/feedingcomparison.html

Then you need to do some research on vaccinations. A lot of the current research is saying that annual vaccination is causing lots of health problems in dogs, such as skin problems, chronic ear infections, tear duct problems, and the foot licking habit some dogs develop. Depending on what serum your vet uses you will likely only have to vaccinate every 3 years (after all the original puppy shots and boosters) and for many things that vets vaccinate for once in your dog's lifetime is enough..

I hope that gives you a starting point, anyway.. good luck..

>>We had to have our rottie put too sleep this last summer(bad hips) and we miss having him quite abit..The town I live in is very small and they have a hangup about pits and rotts so I would rather get something that is less controversial. How are these dogs with kids and other dogs. I do have an older male border collie right now.We have a large family with 4 kids (2 older and 2 younger). And we are home all the time(homeschool).
>>One of my biggest concerns is the health aspect of the breed..I had so many problems with our rottie. Very bad hips and lots of skin allergies and I dont want this to happen again. Is there a way to make sure the dog wont have these problems, since they seem to only show up after the dog is older?
>>Sorry so many questions..Thanks Cece

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Reducing the size of the dog reduces some of those giant-breed orthopedic and health issues. For a large family, you might consider a Golden or a Lab. Still a big dog, still need to check out the health, but generally more longer-lived than a giant breed. Might also consider a Flat-Coated Retriever.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com

I don't know what things are like around where you live but I personally would never want to own a golden or a lab. Maybe a similar dog, but both goldens and labs are so popular (at least in my province) that they've been horribly inbred and I've only met one golden in this area that didn't have aggression problems. All seem to have minimal intelligence. I know they're known as great family dogs but it's their popularity that's made them such an awful breed around here..

Be very careful about the breeder that you choose and look thoroughly into the lines the puppy is coming from..

>>I don't know what things are like around where you live but I personally would never want to own a golden or a lab. Maybe a similar dog, but both goldens and labs are so popular (at least in my province) that they've been horribly inbred and I've only met one golden in this area that didn't have aggression problems. All seem to have minimal intelligence. I know they're known as great family dogs but it's their popularity that's made them such an awful breed around here..
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>>Be very careful about the breeder that you choose and look thoroughly into the lines the puppy is coming from..

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A breed of dogs is not a "brand name." The dog is part of a bloodline, and there are many, many well-bred Labs and Goldens. Just because you've met a lot with problems doesn't mean the whole breed should be written off. And intelligence? Both breeds are in the top 4.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com

I dont understand why people push these dogs so much. Im under the impression more people are bitten by labs then other dogs..Anyway I dont particularly like labs or goldens..I love Rotties and great danes and mastiffs..Ive been leaning towards the Great dane but my hubby really wants a Bull Mastiff..My rottie was 125lbs and yes he stomped our toes on occasion and also knocked over the boys when they were little but a lab can get quite large also so this wouldnt make a difference there..So why would a lab or golden be so much better than a mastiff? I'd really like to hear the reason mastiffs are not good family dogs..

>>I dont understand why people push these dogs so much. Im under the impression more people are bitten by labs then other dogs..Anyway I dont particularly like labs or goldens..I love Rotties and great danes and mastiffs..Ive been leaning towards the Great dane but my hubby really wants a Bull Mastiff..My rottie was 125lbs and yes he stomped our toes on occasion and also knocked over the boys when they were little but a lab can get quite large also so this wouldnt make a difference there..So why would a lab or golden be so much better than a mastiff? I'd really like to hear the reason mastiffs are not good family dogs..

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They're fine. If your husband wants a Bullmastiff, that is another AKC breed.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com

After all this talk of Mastiffs my dh decided it sounded like too much money and work(good thing we did our homework)....Sheesh so I've decided since I had a long haired Chi that died from eating rat poison a few years back(the neighbors dog was poisened too but was a rat terrier and after 2000 dollars at the vet she made it.) BTW I dont use the stuff I have cats it was another neighbor..Anyway Ive decided to get another one...Talk about going from huge to small...I already know all the care involved and we have since gotten a fenced yard so I dont have to worry about it eating something unwanted..Im sooooo Excited I cant wait....Thanks all for your help..