A few questions

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I'm new and have a few questions if I may ask about English & American Mastiffs. Sorry if I asked too much.

Are these Mastiffs as affectionate as Danes (I have one now) who are basically big lap dogs that never want to leave your side? Leaners?

Are they diggers or fence-jumpers?

Do these Mastiffs come in harlequin color like a Dane? I appologize if this is a dumb question.

Drool compared to a Dane?

Shed like a Dane? (I'm used to it so its not really a problem - just curious)

Hate water like most Danes?

Dremel nails like going a few rounds with Mike Tyson?

Intelligence? (My Dane is exceptionally smart).

Life expectancy (Not so good with Danes).

Need to tack stomach for bloat-tortion like with a Dane? (Mine is tacked).

Dog aggression?

General public aggression? (assuming propperly socialized)

Stubborn like a Dane?

Alpha tendencies? (This would be an issue of signifigance with my male Dane).

 

[seeknoxrun]

Hi.

- Very affectionate, and definitely "velcro" dogs. Knox (EM) especially loves to lay right behind my legs while I'm cooking or folding laundry and always plants himself on my feet anytime I'm sitting down.
- Not good jumpers due to their weight, but my two LOVE to dig in the yard. We've been working on that issue recently.
- They come in fawn, apricot, and brindle. Brindle is probably the closest you'd get to harlequin, but still very different looks.
- I now only consider my outfit complete if I have a drool rag tucked into my back pocket. Actually, my two aren't bad because they're still young... But I've moved their water bowl outside to keep a majority of the mess out of my house.
- They're decent shedders, but nothing regular grooming can't help.
- I can't say that I've ever seen a Mastiff jumping off the deep end for a leisurely swim, but the Mastiffs I encounter regularly enjoy lounging in a shallow kiddie pool, especially when it's warm out. I'm considering buying one for mine this summer.
- Personally, I've never tried a dremel tool. But mine are very tolerant of nail clipping, and I imagine with some counter-conditioning they would accept the dremel just as easily.
- Smart? Yes. Motivated? Only when they want to be.
- Life expectancy is similar to a Dane's... 9-11 years or so.
- Bloat and torsion are huge in Mastiffs, and many do recommended getting their stomachs tacked. I plan to when I get my two fixed.
- Generally, agression is not an issue in well bred, well socialized, and well trained Mastiffs.
- Can be stubborn, but it just comes down to finding the right motivator.
- With dominance, its really down to the individual. I've heard that higher energy dogs tend to be more prone to assertiveness and dominance, and as EM's are lower energy, more relaxed dogs I would assume its less of a problem... But that's just my own thought process, and I could be totally off. My male is the biggest baby ever, and submits no problem to any other person or dog. My young female, I think, is going to turn out to be much more assertive.

Great questions! And again, these are just my opinions - others might have something different to say. But all in all, Danes and Mastiffs seem to be very similar in qualities and characteristics. In my experience, Danes have a touch more energy than Mastiffs, but I'm sure it varies greatly from individual dog to individual dog.

 

[2 Learn More]

Thank you for the reply! Very informative. My Dane is not at all interested in water and avoids the water at the beach as well. I'd so much like to get a 2nd dog and I just love the giant breeds. Yes, they can be expensive to care for but if I had gone to a reputable breeder instead of a BYB, I likely would have faired better with the initial health. He's ok now but he had a touch-and-go-puppyhood. I am glad to hear EMs are velcro dogs and not so much jumpers. I don't want mine jumped on which Danes do to each other a lot. I have been watching some YouTube videos of EMs and there is one that really got me mad. Some grown woman is riding it! I would go through the roof if anyone did that to my Dane. Please tell me thats not acceptable for Mastiffs. I won't post a link because I find the video upsetting. It is obviously being crushed and falls down repeatedly. Oh, some people (or am I wrong to think this is harmful?). It certainly would be for a Dane - no doubt about it. Right or wrong, I won't allow it, not even for a toddler. I can deal with the wisecracks I get from the pulblic about my Dane but thats where it stops.

If a burglar broke into my house, do you think an EM would lick their face or defend the intrusion? A Dane would probably bark a lot and then go make friends. I live in a good area of town but still, you never know what could happen. There are no children in my household so I have no concerns with kids & large dogs. I would socialize the dog as I do not want un-needed aggression.

If I rescue, there are a couple of Mastiff rescues within the state. I can think of two rescues that would have Mastiffs. If I go for a puppy, it would have to be from a breeder that shows & health tests. No classsified ad puppies. Too many genetic risks for that. I've already learned my lesson the hard way with big vet bills that could have been avoided.

 

[Kelly]

You're not wrong to find that unacceptable, it is unacceptable, these are dogs, not horses. Thank you for not posting the link.

Mastiffs make good natural guardians, it's in their dna, but training and testing would be required if you really need serious protection. Not even sure if the EM would be the way to go for real personal protection, but from what Im sensing from you, it's not what you're looking for. A combination of the mastiff and Dane are probably enough.

Im sorry your dane has had such a rough go of it.

 

[NeoBull]

That's sick! It makes me mad to see videos of people letting their kids ride a dog, I can't imagine an adult!

 

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Thank you Kelly. Yeah, I thought it had to be impropper treatment. I hate to see dogs mistreated.

I am not looking for a protection dog. Too much of a liability. I trained my Dane to be gentle 100% of the time to everyone but he is still defensive of his turf enough to bark a lot. I'm thinking the sight of 2 giant breed dogs should make a would-be burglar really think twice about targeting my property.

Thanks for the thoughts about me Dane. He was not expected to live past 7 months old due to a developmental problem. He beat the odds while amazing his vet. I hate BYBs so much, I have a hard time putting my feelings about them into words. The breeder saw him as nothing more than an object to sell.

---------- Post added at 11:19 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:05 AM ----------

 

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That's sick! It makes me mad to see videos of people letting their kids ride a dog, I can't imagine an adult!

It makes others think its ok to try when they see that then the dog bites and gets thrown in the shelter for biting. I heard the dog cry out in pain just as the video ended. I can't imagine their vet bills or what quality of life that dog will have as a senior if it makes it that long. My guess would be a torn ACL, herniated disks, early arthritis, joint and hip damage.

 

[Kelly]

I just watched your video of your dane, what a beautiful video. You've really done right by him, I applaud you.

 

[chuckorlando]

Our Dane mix is a barker. But when Budda would stand up, the dane would stand up to. I figure it's like two brothers. The smaller one one runs his mouth but will run. But once big brother steps up little brother becomes a bear. Pack syndrom what some folks might call it. hahaha. 99% of the time I figure the bark alone will protect you sight un seen. The sight alone will just protect you. Once older they may not dig as much. They'll jump if you want them to but they wont hardly make it to your waist. Theres a vid on here of a mastiff diving into the water. If thats what you raise them to do they may love it. Mine think water is some kin to satan.

Dont much matter the breed, nothing like a mastiff in my opinion