Anyone have a Mastiff?

[doyle033]

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.

[Holbeird]

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!

[frankykeno]

Is there a lot of difference between the English Mastiff and the Neopolitan Mastiff as far as health issues, temperment, ease of training, etc.?

[Laooda]

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 at age 16 I trained and showed my male, and never had authority issues. *** I'll see if I can find some pix*** 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!

Hope some of this helps! Please keep us posted!!!

[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.

[Laooda]

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.

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 This is me on the left w/ mama T back when we didn't sag as much!

I'd love to own another one one day........ I'm all teared up looking at these pix!

[frankykeno]

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).

[Shadowspider]

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.
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.
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

[littleindiangirl]

Yup, totally great advice, thanks