Wondering if a mastiff is right for me...

[BlackCrowFarm]

Hello,
I am looking for a large sturdy breed, maybe a mastiff, to train as my personal service dog. I suffer from arthritis in both knees to the point where I do fall quite a bit when I work outside, I refuse to stop enjoying my gardens & small homestead! I have tried using a cane but it gets in the way when feeding animals &
planting/harvesting the garden. Since I am usually working outside alone my daughter suggested a large breed as a service dog to help me be able to get up after I fall. The dog would be fitted with a harness that I would use to help me stand.
I am looking for a large sturdy breed of dog that would be my lfe long companion, I wouldn't have to worry about strangers & children coming up to in public & would get along with anyone & everyone. And other dogs.
Would a mastiff breed be a good fit for me?

Years ago I trained & showed dogs in obedience & conformation, I have worked with many different dog breeds, large & small, plus other species of animals.

Thank you for any help you can give me.
Robin

 

[Max's mom]

Personal opinion based on less than a year with a mastiff:
Maybe not a good choice. Lots of training goes into a service dog of this nature. They take a long time to grow up. Mine is clumbsy as hell! They are predisposed to orthopedic problems...if your dog is hurt/having problems, how can you help him? Tranport problems...big dog, big vehicle. Many people don't understand that big does not equal mean/bad. Mastiff? Which kind? EM is what I have and he loves everyone. Others with different breeds have some different stories about protective nature. Even with EM, if you were in need of emergency responder help, would the dog let them near you?
There's a lot to think about and some other folks here may give different opinion...
I might consider lab or golden. Both are strong/sturdy and often do well in the service line. Strong enough with custom harness to help support and stabilize full grown adult. Generally speaking, longer life expectancy than one of the giant breeds. There are pit owners who may chime in and suggest due to their strength, but then you have to deal with idiots in the public not understanding. Good luck in your search and I am interested in the responses that others will post.

 

[TricAP]

A good friend of mine has a similar situation. He ended with a Newfoundland as his service dog due to his size and the pull strength needed to help him our of his chair or when he fell. Took a while to complete the training but worked well for many years.

I 2nd Max's mom on thinking about a lab. They can get quite large (I personally have had 2 that were over 100 lbs) and are wonderful as service dogs and family companions.

Best wishes in your search!

 

[musicdeb]

Welcome aboard, Robin

 

[BlackCrowFarm]

Thank you for the answers & help, musicdeb thank you for the welcome.

I don't want this to be taken in the wrong way but I am not a lover of either the Lab breed or Goldens, trained a few years ago & just never took to the breeds.
I have been considering a newfie, I've met a few & just love them but before making a decision I wanted to learn more about Mastiff's. If I did go with a Mastiff it was suggested that EM would be the best mastiff breed to go with, temperament type.

I do understand how long a big breed dog takes to "grow up" mentally & physically, I had a Kuvasz that I showed. They are much the same in growing as a mastiff.

At this time I am learning about a few breeds that I was interested in & wanted to talk with people who actually owned & lived with the breeds. I do also understand the amount of training that is involved & like I stated before I have trained & shown in both obedience & conformation, working with many different breeds.
Being retired I have time to devote to a new canine friend.

 

[hdlayton]

Greater swiss mountain would be another breed to look at. Very large, sturdy and live a bit longer than an EM. As far as a service EM I would offer that they can be a bit slow to react to commands. My EM boy will follow my directions but does not react with the same eagerness as my labs. For what that's worth.

 

[WyomingWild]

My only mastiff experience so far is our Boerbel. Now, I wouldn't recommend a boerbel because of their temp. They can be protective and not friendly towards people they don't know. However, our Boerbel loves everyone (which isn't typical). But I do think that she would make a great service dog because of her strength size, and frankly, she loves being right next to me. She is very smart too. I don't have experience with EM's or any other mastiff so I won't recommend them. I'm just kind of surprised that they wouldn't be recommended. But like I said I don't have one. I think a Newfie would be awesome too! Never owned one but they seem very sweet and they are used frequently for search and rescue and water rescue which takes strength. I raised Guide Dogs for the Blind and we had labs. The labs for guide dogs tend to be bred smaller but our "career changes" lab is strong, and really easy to train.

 

[DMikeM]

My trainer was crippled with a broken back for 3 years and she had a Great Dane trained as her support dog. Now she is training Boerboels for this task. Contact her @ 909.585.8889 Her name is Angelique and we currently have 7 pups on the ground and I think 3 adults that are in training.

 

[BlackCrowFarm]

DMikeM, Thank you for the suggestion & contact information. After reading about the Boerbeols I don't think they are right right breed for my situation. They seem to be more of a guard dog & a one person only breed, much like the Kuvasz I had years ago.