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Anyone have a Mastiff?

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  • 09-17-2007, 03:02 PM
    littleindiangirl
    Anyone have a Mastiff?
    I'm thinking about getting one next spring, I just think they are awesome. I was looking to hear about peoples experiences with them.
  • 09-17-2007, 04:56 PM
    wolfy-hound
    Re: Anyone have a Mastiff?
    I've dealt with mastiffs, and I have a few friends that own them.
    They are BIG.
    They eat a LOT. They drool a LOT.
    Be sure you can provide tons of exercise. Letting one into a small yard is not enough exercise. Be aware of the health issues, like bad hips, bad knees etc. Get yours from a acreditted breeder, who can show you documented good hips on the ADULT breeding dogs. Any puppy can get a clear cert, go for the adults.
    Don't let them get overweight. Do train them early. Do keep them properly contained. Do be sure you have the space, time and mentality to deal with a large(huge) unruly dog.
    Wolfy
  • 09-17-2007, 08:55 PM
    slartibartfast
    Re: Anyone have a Mastiff?
    Yup, what Wolfy said. They are huge, and you don't appreciate how huge they are until you have to move one that has collapsed and can't get up. That (in addition to the drool) ruled them out for me.

    Getting one from a good breeder is paramount. Don't take their word for it that the dogs are healthy. Insist on seeing the hip and elbow scores, and make sure that the parents were older than two years when the tests were performed. Also ask about family history of demodex; we've seen a lot of badly bred mastiffs with that.

    If the breeder acts offended that you ask those sorts of questions, don't walk away, run! A good breeder will be proud of their dog's scores, and be happy to show them off. They will appreciate that you care about the ethics of breeding. As animal lovers, we have a responsibility to purchase wisely. That means not putting your money into the hands of an unethical breeder, no matter how cute the puppy is, or how bad the surroundings look.

    Other factors to consider:

    One of the primary old-age issues in big dogs is arthritis, and having a dog you have to lift up to walk outside multiple times a day becomes overwhelming when that dog weighs more than you do. I have known several very vibrant mastiffs who have been euthed due to management issues...their owners physically couldn't maintain them in the face of increasing joint debilitation. I don't ever want to be in that emotional space, where you feel like you failed them because you couldn't keep up with the care they needed, and I see that a lot with owners of giant breed dogs. Working at the medical end of things has been amazingly eye-opening with respect to a lot of breeds I thought I wanted.

    Research "bloat" in giant breed dogs, and make sure you have an emergency plan in place for it if(when) it happens. That's a $1500-$2000 vet bill to be prepared for...have the cash put back, so that you don't have to make a horrible decision.

    Also, your flea & tick medication and heartworm prevention can easily cost you $40 or more a month; medications for even a minor infection can put you back hundreds of dollars simply due to the tremendous size of these animals. There are no small expenses associated with them, and that's something a lot of people don't realize when they bring home the 8lb puppy.

    Oh, and kudos to you for doing your research ahead of time. :-)
  • 09-17-2007, 09:22 PM
    Holbeird
    Re: Anyone have a Mastiff?
    I've had English Mastiffs in the past, and I love them, currently I have a St. Bernard and he's awesome as well, but they're a huge responsibility due to their size, health issues, and food requirements.
  • 09-18-2007, 03:38 PM
    littleindiangirl
    Re: Anyone have a Mastiff?
    Right, this is good stuff. Aside from obvious health concerns and size issues, how are they for training? This is really what i'm looking for; This dog will be a country dog, do they have wander lust? Or will proper training take care of that? How are they in a family? How trainable are they. I've had big dogs before, mostly German Sheperds and a giant poodle, very easy to train... any comparisons???
  • 09-18-2007, 03:49 PM
    doyle033
    Re: Anyone have a Mastiff?
    i had a neopolitan mastiff for about eight years before my divorce (even tho we both wanted her, the wife kept her as she grew up in that house). she was the best dog i have ever had hands down. we got her from a reputable breeder, but you still run into a small problem now and again. and yes, maintenance meds like flea drops and heartworm pills are a bit expensive. BUT she was a joy to train, on a par or smarter than most breeds. very even tempered, very mellow and slow to anger. great with my kids. if someone came to visit she always stayed between unknown people and the kids, very protective but she never growled or yapped like some breeds. that annoys me to death when you go to visit someone and their yapper is still going strong two hours after you arrive. she was with my kids for all of their toddling years, she was pulled, poked, ridden on, dressed up, you name it, she endured it. she never minded it a bit. if you dont mind alot of love, and alot of slobber, they are a great dog.
  • 09-18-2007, 04:47 PM
    Holbeird
    Re: Anyone have a Mastiff?
    I haven't noticed the Mastiff having too much of a problem with wanderlust. We had a fenced in yard so I'm not 100% about that, but I took him off leash all of the time, and he never made a break for it. My St. Bernard is the same way. Could be due to the breed, could be the training, although I think I might lean more towards the breed because our Shiba Inu will bolt at the first chance she gets!
  • 09-18-2007, 08:09 PM
    frankykeno
    Re: Anyone have a Mastiff?
    Is there a lot of difference between the English Mastiff and the Neopolitan Mastiff as far as health issues, temperment, ease of training, etc.?
  • 09-18-2007, 09:16 PM
    Laooda
    Re: Anyone have a Mastiff?
    I've also owned Neos.... absolutely the BEST dogs I've ever dealt with. Both were from top notch breeders, and I was very lucky to have no hip, skin, or temperament problems. Doyle003 is spot on in his description. 1,000 years ago :8: at age 16 I trained and showed my male, and never had authority issues. *** I'll see if I can find some pix*** :D They are a very ancient untampered with breed. Amazing breed history... Basically what you see is what you get, and their sole purpose in life is to make mom (or dad) safe and happy. We did have an incident with a goat charging me, as goats will do... and my male took the cue to take the goat out.... it took 30 min. myself, and 3 grown men to get him off... so that is something that I will warn against... if they take a notion that you are in danger, they will act.... they have also recently been excepted into AKC... so I'm very interested to see what changes, (hopefully NONE) will evolve.


    Oh, and that scene in Turner and Hooch... where the Bordeaux shakes his head and slime hits the ceiling.....


    It happens. Daily! :oops:

    Hope some of this helps! :) :sunny: :) Please keep us posted!!!
  • 09-18-2007, 09:44 PM
    littleindiangirl
    Re: Anyone have a Mastiff?
    That is excellent!! This is what I've been hearing from everyone; big, lovable spit slinging pups. I'm fortunate to have some breeders in MI that are associated with the Mastiff Club of America. I only ever buy from a registered breeder, so I hope they can help me choose the new lucky member of our family in the spring. Thanks everyone, i will def post some pics in a few months, God willing we can get one. :sunny:
  • 09-18-2007, 09:53 PM
    Laooda
    Re: Anyone have a Mastiff?
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by littleindiangirl
    That is excellent!! This is what I've been hearing from everyone; big, lovable spit slinging pups. I'm fortunate to have some breeders in MI that are associated with the Mastiff Club of America. I only ever buy from a registered breeder, so I hope they can help me choose the new lucky member of our family in the spring. Thanks everyone, i will def post some pics in a few months, God willing we can get one. :sunny:

    I really hope you do!!!! I went looking for pix and couldn't find the album with my male in it... but I found a few of my female... remember.... these are OLD!
    lol :D This is me on the left w/ mama T back when we didn't sag as much! :8:

    I'd love to own another one one day........ I'm all teared up looking at these pix! :oops:
    http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...ters/041-3.jpg
    http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...ters/043-2.jpg
    http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...ters/045-2.jpg
  • 09-18-2007, 10:09 PM
    frankykeno
    Re: Anyone have a Mastiff?
    There was a lady back in Petoskey, MI that bred the most wonderful English Mastiffs. I remember one in particular, just the most lovely female, so gentle and dignified, really a gentle giant. I couldn't believe it when she told me it was just a "big pup" really, not an adult at all as I had assumed from its great size. Lovely, lovely dog and she sure knew the breed (a literal fountain of info).
  • 09-19-2007, 11:06 AM
    littleindiangirl
    Re: Anyone have a Mastiff?
    You had a black brindle? Those are really gorgeous! I would either go with the traditional apricot, but I would love the black brindle. Or even the nice chesnut/brown color. (don't know term) I'm very excited at the idea, the bf is really looking forward to it as well. I should really get of my arse and start talking to some breeders here.
  • 09-19-2007, 11:38 AM
    Kristy
    Re: Anyone have a Mastiff?
    I LOVE Mastiffs and will have one someday. When we buy a house. We thought about getting one but went with a smaller dog instead. Well medium sized dog. We live in a townhouse though so it would have been miserable for a dog that size.

    I don't just want your normal Mastiff although I do love them. I want a Dogo Mastiff. They fascinate me. They are pretty rare actually and beautiful dogs.

    They do require a firm but gentle handler though and do require training. They are incredible dogs though.
  • 09-19-2007, 03:07 PM
    slartibartfast
    Re: Anyone have a Mastiff?
    Kristy, do you mean a Dogo Argentino? I saw a neat program on Nat. Geographic the other day that went into the breed history in depth, which I was unaware of. I have a friend with one that he just adores.

    littleindiangirl, Laura's dogs were Neopolitan Mastiffs, an Italian breed that is a bit different from the English Mastiff. You would probably be most familiar with them from Harry Potter...Hagrid's dog Fang is a Neo. They most commonly come in black and blue, although some shades of brown and brindling are seen less commonly.
  • 09-19-2007, 03:10 PM
    Kristy
    Re: Anyone have a Mastiff?
    Yes thats the one. They are incredible dogs. I didn't get a chance to watch that though, sorry I missed it. I have been reading about them for a while now. I would love to have one of those dogs, especially in North Idaho, lots of outdoors stuff to do.
  • 09-20-2007, 08:14 PM
    Shadowspider
    Re: Anyone have a Mastiff?
    We had a mastiff years back and are going to be getting another one pretty soon. We "rescued" him from a neighbor who left him chained up outside in the back yard. :mad:
    As was already said, they get HUGE and drool a lot. Having drool rags handy in every room of the house and in your vehicle is essential... unless you like slime everywhere.
    They can eat a lot but should not eat a ton. Do NOT feed them cheap-o store brand food and NO "puppy" food. If you get a puppy, feed it adult food, even the "large breed puppy" foods contain too much protein for them and you *don't* want your puppy to grow too quickly, that will only encourage elbow and hip displasia.

    They should *NOT* be over exercised as that too can encourage displaisa. 30 minutes a couple times of day of fetch or frisbee is sufficient. They are *not* jogging companions. They should *not* have to climb a bunch of stairs on a daily basis nor should they be allowed to jump into or out of a truck, van, SUV, ect. that is high off the ground.... get a ramp for them. They should not be allowed on the beds or other furniture (that's a no brainer come adulthood ;) )
    Even healthy mastiffs from reputable breeders are susceptible to hip and/or elbow displasia and excessive exercise, climbing, and jumping only serve to encourage it.

    They NEED to be indoor dogs.... period!!!!!!!
    If you do not have the room to have a 3 foot tall, 280 lb. dog following you around from room to room every day or are the type of person who keeps your dogs tied up outside at night or when you are not at home, DON'T get a mastiff. They are instinctual protectors and are extremely social dogs. They *need* to be around their family for proper psychological development, otherwise they will feel that they have no family and will serve you no purpose other than to be a huge, growling, eating machine. They are NOT "unruly" IF they are properly socialized and trained starting at 10 weeks of age and as long as that socialization and training are consistent.
    Mastiffs and "unruly" are two words that don't even belong in the same sentence, seeing as how mastiffs are actually quite lazy and would much rather just lay around under the air conditioner rather than go for a walk around the neighborhood. ;)

    They are exceptionally good with children, just watch their tails. They can be great with other animals as long as they are properly introduced to them. However, with that said, males do tend to have dominance issues with other male dogs. They are not nearly as high strung as Great Danes, nor are they as forward in their "protectiveness" as Doberman Pinschers.... however, if/when the need arises, they *will* protect "their" people and property.

    Do not EVER train a mastiff to be aggressive.... that's a disaster and lawsuit waiting to happen. Their size alone is enough to scare away all but the most intoxicated, insane individual. Oh, and do not *ever* strike or allow anyone (even and especially a child) to strike a mastiff.... not a good idea at all. ;)

    They are awesome dogs, but yes, they are giants, drooling giants, drooling, love and attention demanding giants. :D
    Oh, and here's a link to a great site dedicated to the OEM. I don't know if it was already posted in this thread, I haven't read the whole thread.Mastiff Club of America
  • 09-20-2007, 08:27 PM
    littleindiangirl
    Re: Anyone have a Mastiff?
    Yup, totally great advice, thanks
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