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Mastiff - Frequently Asked Questions |
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What is a Mastiff? What is an American Mastiff?
Are Mastiffs easy to Train? Keep training sessions short (10-15 minutes) and frequent (several times a day) because in addition to their stubbornness, Mastiffs have sensitive feelings and if they get frightened, hurt, or confused, they cannot be budged. One of my favorite stories is my friend, Kelly Rae, telling how Vesta, my mastiff laid down in the show ring and would not get up! It was her first show and she got confused, so the safe thing to do was to lie down and hide her eyes. We never got mad - we just convinced her it was fun and she made a fabulous showdog. Use lots of treats (Mastiffs love to eat!), and make training a game. Use a happy excited voice and lots of praise. You have to be consistent and firm to train effectively. For any dog to be well trained, it needs practice on a regular basis. Dogs like to be trained, it gives them a job to do, and they want to please their beloved owners. Once trained, a Mastiff never needs a stronger correction than a stern voice. Are all Mastiffs the Same? How does the Bullmastiff differ from a Mastiff?
A typical Mastiff's temperament, by nature, is one of gentle demeanor. However, as with any breed, A Mastiff can become aggressive for varying reasons. Typically, aggressive behavior is established due to the environment as a “learned response” and/or results from a lack of proper socialization during the dog's developmental stages. A certain percentage of dogs may be genetically unstable and inherit aggressive tendencies. For this reason, before you purchase a puppy, it is best to ask the breeders about the temperament of the sire and dam and try to see both if at all possible. If you are experiencing a problem, consult your Mastiff's breeder, your veterinarian, and/or a trained animal behaviorist before the problem can become serious. Are Mastiffs shy? Are Mastiffs good watchdogs? Mastiffs tend to react in predictable ways when faced with a threatening person and it's owner is present or when a tense situation arises between a stranger and their owner. Mastiffs view themselves as a giant protector and move between the threat and the owner. No sane mugger would dare reach over a guarding Mastiff. Several years ago while at a dog show, a man walking by the rings was swinging his arm with a bar in hand. As he approached me, but before he could hit me, Taz rose from the floor and pushed the man back with his head. Never bit, never growled, never got mad - just moved him away. Of course, it scared the man witless, but he learned an important lesson - don't walk by the Mastiff ring swinging a bar. Mastiffs don't like for family members to fight and will often try and protect the party on the receiving end of the disagreement. Tuffy would never let my daughters fight; he would push them apart. How are Mastiffs with Burglars, muggers, and other miscreants? Because of the instinctive protective nature of the Mastiff, training it as an "attack dog" is not necessary and to do so may be detrimental to its temperament. Mastiffs are not suitable for attack training or dog fighting, and if raised with loving human kindness and socialized properly, it will be a strong, loving companion who will protect you, your family and your home when necessary. When your puppy is young, never let repairmen come into your home when you are not present. This teaches the dog its "OK" for other people to come in your home when your are away. Many Mastiffs, when mature can recognize when people have unpleasant motives, and are watchful or will get between you and that person. If your dog gets between you and a stranger in question, always trust your Mastiff. My Grandfather always said - never trust a man that dogs and little kids don’t like! A Mastiff left alone for long extended periods of time, tied out, or kept in a fence yard with too little human contact, will either pine away or develop destructive behaviors out of loneliness and anxiety. Denied the needed time with the human family, a Mastiff may be much LESS protective because it isn't sure it belongs to that family. A normal well adjusted Mastiff will protect its family, but only if the need arises. You do not want an aggressive Mastiff that protects you from friends and family. The ideal temperament is one where you never know that you are being protected unless a true situation arises where a Mastiff's services are needed. Baron loved people. When I would give a party, he would come inside make his way around the room and greet each individual. Once at a party, while, I was sitting on the couch next to a causal male aquaintance, Baron came over, sat down, and looked the man straight in the eye. "What does he want?" he asked. I told him Baron was thinking, "You can sit next to my momma, you can talk to my momma, but don't you mess with my momma". As I said this out loud, Baron reached up with his paw and placed it on the man's knee and quietly said, "Woo woo woo." Every one burst out laughing. There was no doubt in any one's mind that he agreed with what I said. Are Mastiffs protective? By nature Mastiffs are gentle and protective with young children providing that they have been raised with children and are accustomed to them. Small children should not be allowed to play roughly with young dogs -i.e. "riding the horsey"-because rough handling can permanently traumatize a Mastiff puppy. My daughters and now my grand daughters have all played with and around my Mastiffs. Mastiffs make great floor pillows for naps and watching TV. Just be prepared for them to take their turn lying on you! How are Mastiffs with young children and Strangers?
A Mastiff who hasn't been exposed to cats, chickens, or farm animals may treat them as prey or as furniture, depending on the temperament of the individual dog. Once again, by using temperament testing and choosing a dog with low prey drive will help you in the training of your Mastiff. I have raised Mastiffs with cats, chickens, geese, ducks, goats, and horses. I socialized my dogs and trained them from a young age on what behaviors were acceptable. Mattie would let the baby goats sleep in her doghouse with her. Baron and JeeBee would not let other dogs chase our cat, Spencer. Taz would patrol our property at night keeping stray dogs away from our goats and chickens. Zena is my prize possum catcher and protector of the henhouse. Some of my Mastiffs were grown when exposed to other animals, other were raised with them. But in each case, I had temperament tested my dogs and I knew what behaviors I could expect. Are Mastiffs Fighters? How big do your Mastiffs get? How much does a Mastiff eat and do they chew much? Do Mastiffs dig much?
My first Mastiff was a rescue dog who lived to please us. My husband was a long distance jogger and would take Baron for 3-5 mile runs daily. Poor Baron had hip dysplasia (we didn't know!) and one day he could not stand and walk without crying. When I took him the Vet and found out he had hip dysplasia; I was horrified that we had let him run. Of course the running was out, and he got to take only short walks each day. He would stand at the window and whine when my husband left on his runs - he still wanted to go. Puppies should not be allowed to get over weight either. Proper weight and exercise is important for correct growth. Keeping a puppy crated for long periods of time isn't good either. I have found that yard exercise allows a puppy to play and rest to it own schedule. Of course, walking your dog several times a day is also an option. Just remember that if the walk is to long and your puppy gets tired, you may end up carrying it home! Do they roam? Do Mastiffs bark much? Do Mastiffs make good housedogs? Do they slobber, snore, shed, smell or pass gas? They snore like a freight train. They can't help it - it's genetic. Some worse than others. I keep two inside at once, that way I have stereo. They shed twice a year like most dog breeds. A good daily brushing will prevent accumulation of hair around the house. I also vacuum about every other day so that loose hair is not a problem. Baron would stand while I vacuumed him too. Mastiffs need an occasional bath, but since they have a short coat, they dry quickly. Drooling can smell bad if there is a problem with their teeth. There are a few other health problems that may cause foul odors. If your Mastiff continues to have a bad odor after bathing, then an examination by a Vet is in order. Do they have gas? Like a beer drinking, bean eating Bubba. Actually, it depends on the dog, what you feed him and how his digestive tract handles his food. Feeding a good dog food that your dog can digest easily can help eliminate this problem. Sometimes excess flatus can be a sign of parasites (whipworms), but an exam by your Vet can nail this problem. If your Mastiff should get gas in spite of all your efforts, roll down the windows and pull out the air freshener. It is overpowering. How long does a Mastiff Live? Do Mastiffs live indoors or outdoors? Seriously, Mastiffs have an instinctive need and desire to be as close to their human family as possible. When more than one is inside, they will divide up and each will have their own "person" to guard and watch. It was a standard rule at our house that a Mastiff was in each part of the house; one with me, one with the kids, and one with my husband. Keeping your Mastiff outside deprives him of the closeness he needs to develop proper emotional bond with you and can stunt their emotional growth. Mine take turns inside, and each easily learns the house routine. Zena loves to sleep all day by my bedside when I work nights. Vesta keeps the house guarded at night when I'm away. Wasn't that a Mastiff in…?
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A Mastiff is a giant breed of dog descended from the ancient Alaunt and Molossur breeds. Today, mastiffs used to describe many different breeds around the world, all descended from the same rootstock. In the USA and other English speaking countries, Mastiff is used to refer to the Old English Mastiff (OEM), developed in England and nearly extinct after WWII. With that in mind, Mastiffs (OEMs), are generally very large dogs; fawn, apricot, or Brindle in color; all with a black mask and ears; possessing a medium to short coat with very little white (which if it appears, should be confined to the chest but often appears on the toes as well). There is no upper height limit—they may range from the minimum of 27 inches to 36 inches for the exceptionally tall ones. There is no weight range in the Mastiff standard - they can
weigh anywhere from 100 lbs. to the world's record of 343 lbs. Most Mastiff males weigh around 160-230 lbs. and females weigh 120-170 lbs. This breed is suppose to be very broad with a huge head, wide chest and large bone, and is longer in body than in height. Mastiffs should have a calm, self-assured temperament, and be devoted to its family and friends. Mastiffs should be steady, gentle, eager for affection, good with children, calm and self-assured.
heart disease, and hip or elbow dysplasia, spondylosis, immune disorders, etc.
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