Considering a mastiff, is it the right dog for me and my family?

[SeaNile]

Newbie here with a few questions. I've done a bit of searching and looking on here for a few weeks but figured it's time to ask a few questions.

I've had dogs all my life growing up from mutts to labs to an Irish Water Spaniel. My boys are now 4 & 8 and although my wife is not a big fan of dogs we do discuss how it would be a great experience for the kids...and me since I love dogs. We've got plenty or room inside, about 5500 sq/ft but not a huge yard, about 1/3 of an acer. We would definitely get an invisible fence because of the neighborhood we live in.

In thinking about the the first dog that came to mind was a labrador retriever, how american right! After really thinking about the energy level, amount of serious exercise required, the insane about of scratches in the hardwood floors as the dog chased the kids around the house and finally the shedding I do believe the lab is not the best choice. We can immediately rule out any small dogs as I just don't like them as much as larger dogs.

Rewind about 3 weeks ago and as we are coming out of PetSmart for fish food we are greeted by a 16 month old EM. OK, first reaction was MY GOD that is huge and would kill everyone. The owner answered a few questions for us (he was out for his weekly stroll with the EM for socialization) and the dog literally just sat there, very well behaved as we talked and we all pet the dog. Not once did the EM jump up, tackle us do do any of these Labrador stereotype actions. I was really impressed with the beauty and disposition of the EM.

So here I am doing some research and come to find the EM does seem to meet a lot of our requirements. I suppose some of my questions are about the upkeep, really meaning drool, and I know each dog may be slightly different and also the vet health issues. Aside from the yearly checkups my previous dogs were completely healthy and were inexpensive in the healthcare dept.

Thanks for all the help.

John

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

Welcome John, lots of folks here have EM's. Some dogs are more work than others the main thing is to remember that having such a large dog is expensive! If that don't scare you, you'll do fine.

 

[SeaNile]

Thanks. One other question, is there a link that shows the difference in the dog? I see abbreviations such as EM,DM, DDB, etc and I am clueless!

 

[ruthcatrin]

Well, keep in mind that EM's do shed too. And I'll bet the owner of that dog has put an insane amount of work into him as they go through spastic puppy stages TOO. And its worse when the spastic puppy is twice the size of an adult Lab....having said that you don't generally need a huge yard for them, but I don't know how well an efence would work with them, some mastiffs have a tendancy to go right through them.

Thank you very much for doing research FIRST!

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

EM= English Mastiff
BM= Bull Mastiff
DDB= Dogue de Bordeaux ( French Mastiff)

Are the more common around here although there are others.

TM= Tibetan Mastiff
GM=German Mastiff

 

[ruthcatrin]

Thanks. One other question, is there a link that shows the difference in the dog? I see abbreviations such as EM,DM, DDB, etc and I am clueless!

Lol! Not really, so don,'t be afraid to ask. We abreviate an awefull lot here....

EM-english mastiff
BM-bull mastiff
TM tibetan mastiff
DDB- dogue de bordouex

 

[Sadies Mom]

Welcome, John. The EM you saw at PetsMart probably has had a lot of training. It does take a lot of time, patience and consistency to get these guys trained, they are not born that way. A well exercised and trained Lab will also sit next to you and not jump on people. They can be VERY mouthy as puppies, I have a 10 month old EM and I have struggled with that since day one. ALL mastiffs drool, some more then others, but be prepared to bring some drool to work, LOL. These guys are very loyal and attached to their families and do not do well being alone for long periods of time. Your hard wood floors will get scratched up from heavy paws and thick nails. Vet bills can get expensive, since this is a giant breed = giant vet bills, giant food bill, giant everything You said you have small kids, puppies and young mastiffs are not aware of their size and can easily knock them over. You might want to look into some mastiff rescues, they have great dogs available for adoption. I am not saying all this to scare you, they are awsome dogs, but they do require a lot of work and attention. Grooming is a breeze....

 

[Rugers-Kris]

Hi, John! Welcome to the forum. I have an English Mastiff puppy who 9 months old (Ruger) and I wouldn't trade him for anything in this world and can't imagine life without him now. Having said that, I am glad you are doing your research. Yes, every English Mastiff is different. I think the biggest thing to understand is that a giant dog makes for a giant puppy and when you go through the "puppy stages", it does make it much more interesting. Puppy having a fear stage? There is a big difference between getting Fido (small to medium puppy) to keep moving, stop moving, calm down and attempting to to the same with a 130 pound 8 month old puppy. Being that these babies are indeed giants....You need to commit to training and lots of attention. Speaking of attention, they are called velcro dogs for a reason, they love thier people, needs lots of attention and if you would be unhappy being followed EVERYWHERE by a large drooling pup, they are not the dog for you. Since you ask about droll, I can tell you that all EM's are different but if Ruger drinks water and gets away without getting his mouth wiped, there will be a trail (gooey) leading to wherever he went next as well as some gooey drool placed on several places (Cupboard doors, Couch, Rug, people, etc.) that he passes after he gets his drink on. I hear some folks on here say that thier EM drolls a lot less but with my boy, it works like this:


Eating = major drool

Drinking= Massive drool

Watching you eat = Watery puddles of drool

Playing with his toys outside = fair amounts of dirty drool with a leaf or stick hanging out that he isn't even aware of

Basically, if he isn't sleeping or seriously resting there is some drool... Shedding, Initially there is the puppy coat that must be shed at about 6 months (At least in my case) and that is HORRIFIC...After that, EM's shed much more than I thought they would but if you kept them brushed or combed it isn't too bad after that puppy coats your house for a month or so. Mastiff's have a tendency to be allergic to a lot of stuff. Apparently, most are allergic to chicken and grains (I am very grateful that Ruger is not) in dog foods. So, quality kibble is a big deal, which of course is not cheap and as you grow your giant it gets pretty expensive to keep them in food. It is the way to go for these guys, though, not only because it is better for them but because messy bowels movements seems so much worse when they are 10 times the size of a normal dog. Training is very important because giant is a big deal and you don't want to have 200 pounds of dog that doesn't obey you or that acts a fool and jumps on folks and knocks down all the little people. Ok, so I rambled on forever but I will end on this note.....Ruger is the most awesome dog that has ever owned me, he is one hundred percent dedicated to me and my immediate family, he is a great guard, loves the little human babies (All little kids, regardless of who they belong to can do anything they want to him and he seems to enjoy it) He is sweet, handsome, intelligent and just plain AWESOME! Oh, he is also HILARIOUS!!! I have experienced things with him that I never saw coming (Some frustrating) that just makes me literally LMAO! Good luck on your research and I am hoping you find the puppy/breed that best suits your family.

 

[Smokeycat]

Welcome. My EM is 10 months now and from what I've read on here he has been atypical for a puppy so I don't know how much my experience maybe relevant. I have found him to be very laid back, as in I didn't see any typical puppy behaviors until he was 6 months and even now he acts like a puppy only a few times a day but when he does I have 140 lbs of dog flying around bumping into things. He can be very stubborn has proven to be much harder to train than my Irish Setter x in both house training and obedience. He needs a food that has no poultry source at all and between both dogs it costs ~$250 a month with Kryten eating about 3/4 of the food. Thankfully I haven't had any vet bills beyond vaccinations yet but even medications for parasites cost more simply due to his size and that is only getting worse as he continues to grow. On the positive side I love having a dog that just wants to cuddle on the couch and tries to make sure the house is free from invaders, even if those invaders are snowflakes. In my mind the financial hit is well worth having him in my life.

 

[SeaNile]

Great info so far, thanks. How would I go about spending more time around these dogs? My experience with them is vey limited. i'm not looking to take one home for a weekend, but spending some time around either a pup or an adult dog would be priceless. I'm in the Philadelphia sururbs.

John

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

John that's a fantastic idea! In fact many of us do the exact same thing before we settle on a breed. Its good to see the breed you want in person before you take the dive, lol. I agree remember just because a dog appears well behaved remember training was involved in there somewhere. These guys grow fast, and can be quite testy.

 

[ruthcatrin]

Check and see if theres a breeder in your area who'd let you visit. Or a mastiff rescue. Some rescues WILL let you do "overnight" fosters actually, assuming you fit their qualifications. Either way it would be a good way to meet a variety of the dogs.

 

[ravendarat]

Ok Ill chime in now. My EM is 7 months old and is named Mufasa. From the sounds of it I got lucky. He is 7 months old and has been by far the easiest puppy I have ever had in my entire like. I have had a couple labs, a golden retriever and a couple mutts but this guy is top of the pile for sure. Housebreaking? About 5 days total and he had that down. Chewing? Never chewed anything that I didn't give him to chew on. Basic Obedience? Pretty easy going on that front although recall has proven to be tricky, food is the key to Mufasa's training.

Energy level was perfect for what I wanted, walk him once 20 minutes a day, play in the yard for half and hour or so and let him sleep for the remaining 23 hours and 10 minutes and he is a happy puppy. When it comes to shedding, out of all my dogs his is the easiest to manage by far. Drool, this one sucks no matter what I think however it comes down to being prepared and attentive. I have hand towels hanging strategically through out the house to nab him but for the most part there is no searching for him after he drinks. He has learned that after he drinks he comes directly to see me so I can wipe his face before he goes about his business.

They do make a lot more waste than most dogs you've dealt with and when it comes for food, they eat a lot but its not proportional to their size. Mufasa eats 6 cups a day and I think thats probably the top of the scale for what he will eat in his life. My food bill is roughly 130 bucks a month for basic food then 10-20 for treats. When it comes to the vet, there are many problems they can have and they are, from my research, the top end of the most expensive dogs to have pet insurance for but this is where careful research in where you get your dog from will factor in. Of course things can happen and any dog can get sick or develop problems but when looking for a breeder inquire into any health problems in the line, what their conditions led to the deaths of the dogs further up their bloodlines and ask if they do genetic heath testing and if so look at the results. I spent the better part of two years and went through 2 breeders before getting my puppy but it was worth all the research I put in.

---------- Post added at 07:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:41 PM ----------

P.S. They fart and are shameless about when and where. ;-)

 

[ravendarat]

P.S. They fart and are shameless about when and where. ;-)

 

[Smokeycat]

P.S. They fart and are shameless about when and where. ;-)

It also is very potent and can clear a room.

 

[Sadies Mom]

Great info so far, thanks. How would I go about spending more time around these dogs? My experience with them is vey limited. i'm not looking to take one home for a weekend, but spending some time around either a pup or an adult dog would be priceless. I'm in the Philadelphia sururbs.

John

Take a vacation and go to Rxgoforth's house in Oklahoma and help with both puppies and adult EM's!!!:lolbangtable: All kidding aside, look into local mastiff groups, rescues, shows etc. I am in Dallas, but we have a little group that meets up once or twice a month and you might have something like that around you.

 

[ruthcatrin]

Take a drive by your local dog parks too, EMs generally stand out.....

 

[ruthcatrin]

Take a vacation and go to Rxgoforth's house in Oklahoma and help with both puppies and adult EM's!!!:lolbangtable:.

Heh, I almost said that too lol, just don't let her talk you into taking home Gus, he's gonna be an "interesting" pup to raise

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

How could I forget the gas. We were at a Parade today and a girl said something stinks I pointed to the culprit.....everyone laughed.

 

[SeaNile]

Farting is the one thing I can't bring up to the kids. That will be the deal breaker. If they know about how bad the farting is they will want the dog the next day.

I'm regretting telling my wife about the "slingers."

Trying to find an EM or two to visit in the relatively near future to we can get a better feel for the breed.