English Mastiff... Are we crazy?

[Guest Anonymous]

After waiting for for many years, my wife and I have decided to finally get a dog. We were both raised in families with dogs as kids, but neither of us has owned a dog as an adult, primarily because we were both students who lived in apartments in the city.

Well, we still live in the city, but now we have our own house with a good-sized fenced backyard. We have an 18 month old baby girl and are currently caring for our 7 year old nephew. We also share our place with two neutered, male cats who have each lived with us for about 4 years.

We want a big dog. Not for protection or anything like that. We just think big dogs are cool. Which brings us to the English Mastiff. We have read all the Mastiff books in our library, have reviewed the Mastiff Club of America (MCOA) Web site, the Mastiffweb website, and the dog-o-mania website. We are really attracted to the characteristics of this breed.

We have registered with MCOA to adopt an abandoned dog and are currently waiting for a good match. We let them know that we have a toddler and two cats, and that we wanted a dog with a known history of being socialized with kids and cats. We understand we may have a long wait. Their local rep paid us a visit a few days ago to check us and our place out, and brought 3 of her dogs with her. OMG, you can look at pictures but to see one of these magnificent beasts lumbering across your yard towards you! Her dogs were so beautiful and of such great temperment it made us want one even more!

We understand that if we are to own one of these dogs that it must be fully socalized with our family, and that we must attend obedience training with the dog. That's fine, that is what we want to do. We may not allow the brute on our bed, but thats about it. I am confident that I can handle a large breed. My wife is pretty confident, and is completely game to trying. I have a home office and am home most of the time. My wife just graduated from college and she is home all the time now too, although she will probably go to work in the months ahead. All in all, I think we understand what we are getting into.

Well, eventually MCOA will find a dog for us, and we'll have to decide for sure, one way or the other. I was hoping that some of you folks here could help us decide if the English Mastiff is really the breed for us. I worry about my child and the purr-purrs. I know the breed is supposed to be great with kids and as good as any with cats, but jeez they are huge. Ethically, we want to rescue, but I worry about the potential unknowns associated with a rescued dog, how much can be really known with certainty? Should we think about waiting and buying a puppy of rock-solid, known lineage?

Any advise would be greatly appreciated!

Jon

[Carolk9s]

I agree with Connie, sounds like you have really done your homework and weighed the pros and cons. I too think rescue is the way to go, getting an adult, settled dog will probably work out MUCH better than a pup who has to go through adolesence along with normal puppy shenanigans.
I believe that many large breed dogs that are raised right are calmer and much more laid back than smaller more energetic dogs.
Best of luck to you and your family on finding the dog that will be a perfect fit for you, your wife and the kids.

[Guest Anonymous]

[quote name='K']...and slobbered on every item of clothing...[/quote]

Oh yeah...as K was saying, don't forget the slobber factor with a big breed with big lips! :wink:

[Smooshie]

nope....not much to add here either except a HUGE pat on the back to you for considering a rescue dog :D ......there are SO many that need good homes! I'm sure that Mastiff Rescue will find the perfect match for your family.
Another nice thing about adult rescue dogs is that there are usually NO surprises about temperament/personality.......the rescue volunteers are very careful about testing and socializing the dog before allowing him to be adopted,so that they can place him in a suitable "forever" home....and stargaze is right....breed rescues usually offer long term support because they want every placement to be a success for both owner and dog.
I (like K) am very fortunate....my rescue dog is an absolute joy.He is the happiest, most appreciative,eager to please dog I have ever owned...I can't believe his previous owners just tossed him away....but their loss is definately my gain :wink:

I wish you luck on your search...please keep us posted !! :D

[Guest Anonymous]

Thank you for your advice and comments! We have pretty much decided to go for it... We'll keep you posted!

Jon

[Guest Anonymous]

Great! Can't wait to see pictures!

[Shannon_C]

CONGRATULATIONS!!! Hope you have many wonderful, happy, slobbering days to come with your Mastiff :BIG:

Look forward to seeing all those photos.

[Guest Anonymous]

hi im new here and i just read your post. we have a 7 mo old male english mastiff and he is so funny. they are great dogs. huge but great. we have three children ages 3-8 and they love him and he loves them, he has a wonderful temperment and loves to be in the house, but puppy english mastiff are huge and clumsy, he is always knocking over something but he is so funny. he tries to go under our outdoor table and usually ends up dragging it with him if we dont help him!!! we have two other dogs and he loves to play with them although he is much bigger. the only thing i can warn you about is that sometimes big mastiffs tend to knock people down, not meaning to but by accident . we used to have a bull mastiff and he was always knocking people down, our english mastiff favorite thing to do is to come up and lay on your feet when your sitting down, it can be painful but is so funny. so i hope you get your mastiff soon and enjoy him because they are very fun dogs. and do not let them get used to laying on the couch either or you will never have a place to sit lol

[Barbiro]

Congratulations for being a good pet owner and doing your homework so thoroughly. There's not much that I can add other than what everyone else said. I also feel rescue is the way to go, but if you absolutely must have a puppy, make sure it's from a reputable breeder who can vouch for the puppy's health and temperament. Let us know what you decide. Would love to see photos.

[JackieMaya]

I don't have any personal knowledge of mastiffs, but I have heard that they make wonderful family dogs and are great with children.

I too applaud you for wanting to get a rescue dog. :bigok: I adopted both of my dogs from a rescue shelter where they were fostered in homes as opposed to in a shelter kennel. Getting a dog who has been in a foster home gives you a pretty good idea of how they are in a home setting, with other animals, etc. Everything they told me about both of my dogs was right on. If I ever get to the point where I want to get another dog, it'll be another rescue!

Keep us informed of how things are going in your dog search!

[alicat613]

What a well thought out post! It really appears that you have put a lot of thought and research into this.

I too am a BIG dog lover, and I can tell you that these giant breeds have giant hearts and giant personalities!

I have an 8 month old Great Dane, my first Dane and my first giant, and he has really won not only my heart but the heart of everyone around him. He is the biggest sweetie!

My friend also has a 10 month old Dane, and a 2 year old, 200 lb English Mastiff, as well as a 4 year old and a baby on the way. Their dogs are great with the little girl and both are total loves.

We also have a 3 year old bull mastiff friend who has a little human 'brother' who is 13 months old. The dog and baby just love each other!

All of the above dogs are great with kids, extremely obedient and very loving, and all are intact males, with no territorial or aggression issues.
I do not advocate not neutering, all of these dogs will be neutered soon, but for differing reasons (one has not dropped a testicle, showing, etc) have not yet.

Not that owning, er, being owned by, one of these giants is simple, there are things you should be prepared for. Like sharing your couch! Big dogs need to lie on soft cushy surfaces for their joints as well as to keep them from developing hygromas (like big awful calluses). You need to be informed about bloat and other health issues - nutritional needs, not overexercising, etc. Also be aware that many dogs have issues with big dogs, and be prepared. Despite the fact that a little dog may be attacking your dog, when your giant roars back, it's your dog people will think is aggressive. Oh and drool...even the least drooliest of them drool. My pup is not a big drooler, but you have to be ready after they drink or when they are excited with a drool towel! And be prepared to rethink where you keep things. I'm lucky that my dog is not a stealer, but I do have to watch where I set butter, and I have heard of other people's big dogs stealing dinner as it cooked right off the back burner!

And boy, walking these guys! Talk about attention getters! If you don't like people or children, get something else LOL. I joke that we are the neighborhood pied piper because of the gaggle of children we attract on a walk. People actually stop in their cars and get out to see our dog!

Health preparation - you may want to think about any joint supplements, these dogs carry a lot of weight on their bones! As I mentioned earlier, learn all you can about bloat and be prepared and have a plan. You may want to have a stretcher for emergencies. Incapacitated dogs this size are a bit of a problem, as I have learned the hard way!

Well that's all I can think of for now! I can't wait to hear about your new family member! I think mastiffs are just great and I know the mastiff rescue will work very hard to make sure they find just the right one for you.

Here is my pup at about 4 months with his friend Carbon, the 2 year old 200 lb English mastiff -
Carbon went and sat like that on his own. My pup looks up to him so he decided to copy! They are such funny dogs!
[img]http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid61/p5c633ec2d6ef2233bdd6546360d66d39/fc39bbf2.jpg[/img]

[Guest Anonymous]

Well I think you already have all of the answers and you definitely did your homework! Well, speaking from experience, my boyfriend has a 3 yr old English Mastiff, and a year ago I moved in with him along with my 12 and 4 year old girls and we now have a 10 month old baby and Philo is wonderful with all of them. He likes cats and we've also introduced a new dog (my Great Dane). He loves the companionship.
As for the drooling, Philo is trained to sit down after he drinks and wait for someone to wipe his mouth. The only time he drools is when he drinks and when he's hot. And we don't allow him to get hot, so that's not a problem!
He is, I have to say, the best behaved dog I have ever had the pleasure of living with! Unlike my naughty Dane puppy! He is so sweet and everyone who meets him falls in love with him.
He's not allowed on the furniture, but he knows when I'm the only one around, he can sneak up there. And I'm home all day, so there you have it! About 3:30 in the afternoon, he knows everyone comes home and he gets down....too funny!
As big as they are....you never even know that they're there because they lay around so much!
I would recommend this breed to just about anyone that wants a laid back, affectionate dog that's good with kids and has an all around protective yet friendly disposition.
Be prepared when someone knocks at the door though.....I can't answer the door anymore without a 150 pound mastiff between me and the person knocking!
Also, about the "rescue dog". There's something about the personality of a rescue dog that makes you feel like they are so thankful for rescuing them. I aopted a rescue Great Dane 3 years ago, and he was SO well behaved, I never regreted it and I never figured out why someone let him go. I would do it all over again. I remember thinking before we brought him home from Animal Control (where he was 2 days past their normal "kill schedule" because he was such a nnice dog) I was thinking...what am I in for? Well, it was a very positive experience and I know you won't regret it...and hopefully...no potty training!

Good luck, and I hope they find one for you soon! :wink:

[IYPChrissie]

As everyone else has said, I applaude you in doing your research and knowing what you want!

I don't have an English Mastiff but I do have a Bullmastiff. She is great, clumsy, kinda scared of stuff but none the less great. She is GREAT with my almost 3 year old, very gentle. We also have an 11 and 9 year old and she is just wonderful. She also loves to sit on your feet as someone else mentioned above.

Dakota, has skin allergies and she is a chewer but nothing we can't deal with. I just warn you that when they are this big they tend to chew larger items :o . But considering your going with an adult, you just might get lucky :wink: Honestly, she doesn't slobber too much.

Good Luck and please do keep us posted!