Hello,
My family and I are considering buying a Bullmastiff as a guard dog for a house in Brazil with a large 3200m2 (about 3/4 of an acre) well-fenced yard. The weather in these parts is not overly hot - generally not more than 32 degrees Celsius and rarely lower than 10. We expect the dog to live outside and we'll be building him or her a kennel at the back of the yard.
We've also been considering a German Shepherd. For me that BM seems a better fit for my family, while we'll always have time for the dog, the BM seems a little lower-maintenance than the GS and with a presence that should still deter intruders. A Fila Braseira is also an option, however I'm reluctant to have a beast in my house that can potentially kill someone.
A few questions:
Given the size of our yard - how often do you think it will be necessary to walk the dog? Will throwing a ball or a stick suffice most of the time?
Are female dogs more attentive/alert and protective as we've heard?
My wife and I love plants and although we've yet to move to house (we hope to this month) we've been planting mainly fruit trees in the yard. I also have a raised vegetable garden. What tips do you have to prevent the dogs from destroying the plants? There is a BM breeder in our city and he has suggested putting dog poo at the base of vulnerable plants and covering it lightly with soil. This is not an option for the vegetable garden where I may need to build a fence! Any suggestions or tips please?
The dogs have a historical reputation as a guard dog that is often repeated online, but does anyone have any first-hand experience of a BM confronting an intruder? Here, bandits often enter the house when the owner is returning home or leaving the house. I expect the dog to be loose in the yard at these times - and will need to train it not to run after the car when leaving. Any thoughts?
Our local breeder suggested "defensive" training for the dog rather than attack training. Sounds wise to me. Any suggestions on this front?
Thank you.
My family and I are considering buying a Bullmastiff as a guard dog for a house in Brazil with a large 3200m2 (about 3/4 of an acre) well-fenced yard. The weather in these parts is not overly hot - generally not more than 32 degrees Celsius and rarely lower than 10. We expect the dog to live outside and we'll be building him or her a kennel at the back of the yard.
We've also been considering a German Shepherd. For me that BM seems a better fit for my family, while we'll always have time for the dog, the BM seems a little lower-maintenance than the GS and with a presence that should still deter intruders. A Fila Braseira is also an option, however I'm reluctant to have a beast in my house that can potentially kill someone.
A few questions:
Given the size of our yard - how often do you think it will be necessary to walk the dog? Will throwing a ball or a stick suffice most of the time?
Are female dogs more attentive/alert and protective as we've heard?
My wife and I love plants and although we've yet to move to house (we hope to this month) we've been planting mainly fruit trees in the yard. I also have a raised vegetable garden. What tips do you have to prevent the dogs from destroying the plants? There is a BM breeder in our city and he has suggested putting dog poo at the base of vulnerable plants and covering it lightly with soil. This is not an option for the vegetable garden where I may need to build a fence! Any suggestions or tips please?
The dogs have a historical reputation as a guard dog that is often repeated online, but does anyone have any first-hand experience of a BM confronting an intruder? Here, bandits often enter the house when the owner is returning home or leaving the house. I expect the dog to be loose in the yard at these times - and will need to train it not to run after the car when leaving. Any thoughts?
Our local breeder suggested "defensive" training for the dog rather than attack training. Sounds wise to me. Any suggestions on this front?
Thank you.
