Children and first time owner

[tmricciuto]

Right on the stubbornness. Bella will sit out in the sun and just date me to come get her...of course I do cuz i wig


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[tmricciuto]

Wuv her


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[tmricciuto]

And the snore is pretty monumental as well.


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[babyjoemurphy]

Farts too

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[Pastor Dave]

Hi, Tlov. I am the owner of a nearly 8 month old English mastiff. Just wondering about your dog....does he have stiffness when he walks? Our dog, Chevy, can be active in the yard for a few minutes, but generally, he likes to lie around, and seems kind of "stiff" and clumsy. Are you experiencing the same? Let me know, and thanks. Pastor Dave

 

[tlov]

Hi, Tlov. I am the owner of a nearly 8 month old English mastiff. Just wondering about your dog....does he have stiffness when he walks? Our dog, Chevy, can be active in the yard for a few minutes, but generally, he likes to lie around, and seems kind of "stiff" and clumsy. Are you experiencing the same? Let me know, and thanks. Pastor Dave

I haven't really noticed what I would call stiffness. She stretches when she gets up after she's been sleeping awhile. She will be active in the yard chasing a ball and running around with the kids and she goes for a decent walk everyday. Have you asked the vet about it?


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[Oscar'sMom]

Farts too

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Yes. X2. Like audible and wakes himself up.

 

[babyjoemurphy]

Yes. X2. Like audible and wakes himself up.

Makes a grown man smile, causes windows to be open and evacuation of the house lol

OK not that bad but sure makes kids giggle

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[tmricciuto]

My girls are still silent and deadly. Thank goodness they don't happen often and I'm hoping the raw diet will keep that from ever happening.

 

[JWarren]

Thanks again for all the replies! It is definately giving me tons of information and things to think on and read up about. I haven't really dealt with dog stubborness with any of our current/past dogs. Would it be comparable to an independent, stubborn toddler. I'm hoping to pin down a couple of good choices and really start trying to learn as much as I can and hopfully get some hands on time with them. Trainability maybe my biggest concern right now. I'm worried about having my dog dart out the door after the UPS man and can't get them to return to me. I can handle stubborn, but not dangerous and unpredictable. Our neighbors dogs visit sometimes so we definately plan on socializing well with the neighbors. I'm running out of children friendly dogs with a slight protective instinct. When I say protective, I'm mainly after a bark or just the pure intimidation factor. I truly feel better having a dog close. We lost our GS/rottie mix a few years ago to old age, I just never really noticed how much safer I felt with her around. Just her presence gave me peace of mind. Dogs are for a lifetime, so I'm really trying to work hard and getting all the information I can so everyone (people and canine) can be happy. I know we won't be fully prepared for whichever breed we choose, because we are deciding to go so different than in the past. We can't take the credit for our fab GS/rottie mix, she came to us at 3....house broke and already very obedient. She was a true joy, she's the reason we would love to choose an older pet now.

 

[Bob Felts]

Judging by our EM pup, a puppy may be a bit much for a toddler. Thane was nicknamed both "chainsaw" and "alligator" his first 6 - 8 weeks. Nothing malicious, but no impulse control, and we had a heck of a time breaking him of being mouth and nippy. It was more than us as adults wanted to deal with at times. This will probably be the case with any breed. Also it depends on your parenting style and skills. Remember, a puppy is the same work and diligence as any human toddler himself. Now that our dog is a bit older @ 7 months, most all of that is in the past. Just don't think you can let a juvenile dog and a young child alone with each other. The dog must learn that your kid is superior to him in pack order. I personally think parents that let their children stand or jump on a dog, no matter how gentle and patient the dog, or put their face in the dog's face, pull on his ears, bite, get near his food bowl or whatever deserve a kid that gets bitten by that dog. Do you want your child to have Carte Blanche with your dog? Better to get a different pet. If you are willing to see your responsibilities through and truly train and socialize your dog, you will have a guardian and devoted pet that will care and protect your child, and family better than any other. You MUST socialize your dog, both with people (that includes children) and other dogs. You don't want a 200 Lb. dog that is agressive towards your kid's friends when they come over to play. If Jr. And his friend get into a tussle, dog has to be well socialized.

 

[Smokeycat]

I have 3.5 year old EM and love the breed. I agree with the stubbornness of the breed being a detriment to training but once I made him realize something good comes with obeying he caught on and agreed to learn unlike my other dog who wants to please. The gas can be room clearing but the right food/supplements can diminish that problem. I don't mind the snoring but you can hear him through the floor and it does shake the furniture if he's touching it.
He doesn't live with or see small children on a regular basis but when one wants (or their parents) to pet him he sits or lays down. One recommendation, don't teach shake a paw as it tends to become a go to trick and that giant paw can hurt if it hits someone.
Kryten lives with 3 cats and is very gentle with them and loves to play with little dogs.

 

[TWW]

Bullmastiff vs English Mastiffs biggest difference about 50 to 75lbs.
BM's are very big dogs, EM's can fall into that OMG huge dog range.
EM' are generally glued to you, BM's are more independent.

Health tested parents is very important with both breeds if getting a pup.

Do not be surprised if you think, there is not a guardian bone in there body, they judge matters and don't bark at nothing.
The big puppy bark will surprise you the first time you hear it, but the serious "I mean business" bark will shake the walls.

The snore/fart/drool all to different degrees but all do.

Down side: Vet bills are just as big as they are. Food bills are also hugely higher. There extremely strong dogs and extremely stubborn, and above all else "They are indoor dogs".

Mine knows where every central air and heating vent is.

Never had a problem with knocking over kids but the tail has given a black eye or two, and have seen more than one lost tooth to standing over looking down at face and waking the up or surprising them and a headbutt to the mouth.

They love on a whole new level.

I'll always be a EM person.

 

[JWarren]

We definately don't intend on leaving our child unsupervised around any dog. We don't even allow her to be alone with our pekingese. Everything pet related is offlimits to her. Our pek was a senior before she arrived so he wasn't really kid friendly. As he aged, he became less tolerant of kids. You all have definately given me lots of information to go on. I appreciated everything so much! We aren't in a hurry to find to dog but we want to make the right choice. We have tons of space and love to give our future family member when the time is right and the match is found.

 

[dpenning]

TWW gave you a great comparison. My EM was Way more Velcro than my BM. I would recommend finding some dog shows in your area and go meet some dogs and breeders and take your toddler! I met my first mastiff while on vacation then went to three different dog shows within 250 miles of home till I met my breeder for my EM. Was a great experience and helped solidify my choice.

 

[babyjoemurphy]

Mastiffs generally do not dart out. I have never had this problem with the 2 I have had. They like to be near their people always. For instance.......Linc won't go play at a dog park. He just stays beside up so we don't even go. Plus too many unpredictable untrained dogs there. I find mastiffs (mine anyways) don't get that hyper craziness when someone comes to the door.
These guys need to be super socialized and trained. It's a must.

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[TricAP]

So awesome of you do be doing your research before bringing one home! And for considering an older mastiff. You're getting great advice on this forum!

We did get our EM boy as an 8 week old pup and I can't imagine having had small children around him during that mouthy shark toothed phase. Our 4 children are grown and we were blessed to get grand-babies (ages 2 to 5) when our eldest son became engaged a few months ago. Angus still isn't sure about the 3 kids running and screaming in his house and yard. It visibly upsets him and he has been know to cower under the patio table when it gets to be too much. We are a dog family and have been our entire lives but even with all the research we did and how ready we thought we were - we weren't! The mastiffs truly are not like other dogs. They are loyal beyond doubt and take extreme issue with loud voices. Really emotionally sensitive animals. Giant babies their entire lives.

As far as other animals go it truly depends on the temperament of the individual dog. A reputable breeder or rescue group will do all they can to make sure your home is right for the mastiff. We have 2 older dogs, a boxer and a Chihuahua. There are days they get along great and then there are days when they can't stand each other - rather like human siblings. However when it comes to chickens, cats and rabbits all bets are off - Angus has an extremely strong prey drive. Which has led to bolting out the door and all recall training going right out the window.

Mastiff breed is wonderful if you are prepared for not only their large size, large vet bills, large food bills, large amounts of clean up - both drool and shedding, and poops and any other doggy need is extra large capacity. They will reward you with that same amount of unconditional love and devotion.

Good luck in your research! And again thank you for doing it before bringing one home.

 

[JWarren]

This group has been AMAZING!! I can't think everyone enough for all their input! I haven't fully ruled out the mastiff type, either BM or EM, but we will probably wait until our daughter is a little older. We want them to grow up together and be the best of friends. An older age will be better. I'm going to contact some breeders and see if we can still visit dogs and get a feel for the breed. You just never know when they right dog will come into your life. We definately want them to know what we are looking for it's possible an older pet may pop up and be the perfect match for us! I've learned a lot during my short time on this forum, and I do think I love the breed all the more for it. I'm willing to wait for our mastiff to come along. I know it will be quite the journey. This is the greatest forum!! Everyone is so knowledgeable and friendly! I will be reading up on all these threads/discussion groups.

 

[JamieHalverson]

Mastiffs generally do not dart out. I have never had this problem with the 2 I have had. They like to be near their people always. For instance.......Linc won't go play at a dog park. He just stays beside up so we don't even go. Plus too many unpredictable untrained dogs there. I find mastiffs (mine anyways) don't get that hyper craziness when someone comes to the door.
These guys need to be super socialized and trained. It's a must.

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I find this already with my Lillie and she's only 4 months old. She does not dart, and she learns VERY quickly from impulse control excercises, free shaping excercises, games, etc. much more quickly it seems than obedience commands.

Lillie is my first puppy, but not my first large, guardian breed dog. I would put in a plug for making your first a young adult from a reputable rescue that temperment tests and fosters their dogs. They will match you with a dog of the disposition you are looking for and you won't have to worry about a puppy with young children. Also, I won't lie, I was surprised by the time, even though I was prepared, that a puppy takes. I work from home, and I swear, my life has revolved around this puppy for 2 and half months. What time I go to bed, when I get up, what I do on my breaks, on my lunch, in the evening, where I go, how long I'm gone... and then there's the training, the classes, the socialization... it is endless. And while it is wonderful, the time and effort it takes to socialize and train a dog of these breeds is really something to consider. The guidline is for the puppy to meet 10 new people a week and go to 3-4 new places from 8 weeks to 16 weeks. This is one of the most important windows of development for a puppy and once it's closed, it's closed.

Also, we've been through 8 weeks of puppy K, start 8 week of obedience 1 in Sept, then 8 weeks of obedience 2 following that. We will likely move directly into Obedience 3, then onto Rally as I may title her. While level 3 obedience and Rally probably aren't "necessary", up to level 2 is, and my breeder actually puts it in her contract.

I've had absolutely wonderful rescue dogs - I currently have a Staffy/Mastiff X who I adopted a year and half ago from a shelter and he is now a certified and working Therapy Dog. He is easily the best dog I've ever had. Take a look at ABARS: http://bullmastiff.us/available-rescue-dogs.html

Puppies are wonderful, they are, but there's a lot of fantastic mastiffs out there who need homes, and I feel like every young adult dog I've adopted has been preparing me for the wonderful little puppy I finally got. But they were ALL easier than she is!

 

[babyjoemurphy]

Both my mastiffs were rehomes. We got Murphy at 3 yrs old and Lincoln at 5 months old. Both came trained....kinda lol
My next EM will be a puppy. I love giving these guys a good home but would love to have a puppy.

Good luck

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