Timid Mastiff:

[Aztecjaguar]

My Mastiff mix (Doge De Bordeaux} is everything I've ever wanted in a do. Extremely intelligent, very calm, doesn't wander and is huge. The only thing is I wish she was more aggressive when needed. My wife is alone daily while I'm at work. Lagethe "my dog" goes crazy when someone pulls in the driveway, knocks on the door and barks wildly. But when she is startled by a loud noise, she retreats timidly. The thing is I'm not sure what she would do if my wife or I were attacked. I wonder if anyone has the same dilemma? Or had an experience they could share? I know that most mastiffs are docile and I appreciate that. But I wonder if she would go into protection mode if provoked?

 

[Joao M]

DDB are a guardian breed and they know (even if we don´t) when they need to act.
My 6 y.o. bullmastiff (Lomu) is extrememly calm and gentle with everyone although not timid. The situation is not exactly the same but I´ll share an experience.

He is always very happy when someone comes to the house and welcomes everbody.
One day - he was only 2 at the time and we still lived in the city -, when my wife was alone at home, a guy came to the door selling something. My wife suspected something was wrong and didn´t want to open the door. The guy pushed the door and tried to force it.
Lomu sensed something was wrong and even without being called, entered into defense mode (looked like a lion, my wife said), came to the door and chased the guy down the stairs. He was lucky, because he had left the door of the building opened and was able to leave and close it behind him. My wife had never seen that behaviour and Lomu haven´t done anything similar since that day.

So, most likely the same would happen with your mastiff. they KNOW when they NEED to act. And they will act accordingly.
Don´t expect a DDB to necessarily guard the property, but they will protect their family. With their life, if needed.

 

[Boxergirl]

I agree with Joao M. My girl would have protected me with her life and that's not something I had to train her to do. It was just her breed. She was an English Mastiff. If Ella didn't like someone then there was a reason and I listened to her. I was never afraid to go for a walk at night or to be home alone when she was here.

 

[BattleDax]

Hi!

Just my thoughts: Your dog might just have a natural shyness of noises. This doesn't completely correlate to whether or not they would protect you, except if the bad guy made a loud noise, or one occurred during the time your dog would otherwise be protecting you. Many dogs are spooked by noises like gunfire. It's a test many dogs have undergone over the years – the dogs are tested to sensitivity to the noise of a gun. It's possible that desensitizing your dog to such noises could get rid of, or lessen, their averse reaction to them.