Mastiff Dogs
A mastiff is a giant breed dog. There are many types of mastiffs. When i say mastiff i am talking about The original mastiff, also known as the English mastiff. There are three different color of mastiffs. Brindle which is like a tiger strip dog, apricot and fawn. there are many different shades within these 3 colors. All mastiff will have a black mask and black ears. there will be very little white on them, mostly white can be found on there belly.
A mastiffs temperament are Good. They are known as the gentle giants. This type of dog does not growl or bark to often. With their size there is no need to try and scare someone off with a mean bark. They will protect their owners and their territory like most animals. However they will take biting as the very last result. Mastiffs do not need to be Hit or punished. If you give them a disappointed look that crushes them more then anything. Keeping your mastiff well socialized will make his temperament better.
Training a mastiff can be pretty hard at times. They are very stubborn animals. Again this probably has something to do with size. During training i would highly recommend starting as a young pup. They are more alert and They are smaller. I don’t know about you but i don’t want a 200 pound animal that doesn’t understand the basic commands. This could be dangerous for you and your animal. Chewing is a hard thing to train. Main reason for this is there size. You cant pick up the stuff on the floor and place it on the table because guess what he is just as tall.
Mastiffs do not need a huge yard and a huge house. Although it might be preferred it is not necessary. They are not outside animals. Please do not buy this type of animal only to place outside and forget about them. you will not be happy with the results your get. I am a firm believer that mastiffs do not know they are a dog. They think they are human just like you. They want to lay on the couch with you, and on you. They want to sit with you. They are wherever you are. Just like children they follow you around.
Mastiff’s can become quite costly. They are pretty pricey from the start. Since they are a larger breed you will need the largest crate you can buy. Which will cost double the money. There toys are more expensive to to the size and durability you will need to buy. Most of your shots and medicines are priced due to weight. These can get to be very costly. They will eat more then a medium size breed animal so your food bill will be higher. If they hit a chewing binge which they will as all dogs do, this will be more costly also, they are stronger and can chew some things you would not even think about.
Bad habits are another factor on these animals. Mastiffs will slobber a lot. Most owners carry rags in their back pocket and have them placed around the house for this reason. If you don’t like slobber this is not the animal for you. You can not get rid of the slobber, it comes with the animal. They snore very loudly at times. This also can not be controlled. Mastiffs have a long soft palate. This is the reason they snore. Some night can be worse then others. They also pass some bad smelling gas once in a while. They are just like humans so it all depends on what they eat. limiting their table scraps, which is not good for them, will limit the amount of gas.
Mastiffs are a great breed of dog. If you have the time and patients for this animal you will have a best friend for years to come. you must take the time to train your animal and socialize them. If you don’t , you will not like this animal to much.
