Which breed?

[TylerDurden]

That is true isn’t it. A family friend was telling me how it’s recommended to hang out with the whole litter, as the puppies tend to have different roles, such as troublemaker, “the noisy one”, and so on.

To be honest I was kind of pulled towards the English mastiff, the Bullmastiff or the Dogue de Bordeaux, but I’m just worried as to whether I’m actually capable of training them properly. I don’t want to be the one leaving them in a rescue shelter because I made the wrong choice getting a known to be stubborn breed, and not being able to train them effectively.

What I really want to know, is if being a first time owner and having a Mastiff breed will really impact progress of training. Does this mean that if I was to get one I wouldn’t be able to give them obedience training effectively, or is there something I don’t know that dog owners with experience do?

I think it‘s generally a very good thing to ask all these critical questions before making a commitment. It show that you are really thinking about it beyond the standard questions. Also, I understand your concerns as a first time owner. However, let me make a (potentially unreasonable) comparison. You know how all the job postings for managerial positions say something like "10 years of management experience required"? Well, if that‘s the minimum requirement, there will never be any new managers. In other words, you have to start somewhere. Does holding a drivers license for 10+ years make you capable of driving a Formula 1 car? Probably not. Is it a better foundation than not ever having driven a car? Probably yes. Does training toy breed type dogs prepare you for training a mastiff? Maybe not. Is it better than having no experience at all? Maybe yes.
Again, maybe not the most meaningful comparisons, but you have to start somewhere at some point. There will be a learning curve for sure. That‘s again, why I would work with a breeder who can select the right puppy based on your knowledge, your comfort level, and requirements. You seem to be someone who does not shy away from doing lots of research and you can always work with professionals, too.
Just another (highly subjective) opinion. Keep us posted on your considerations and decisions.