Help choosing mastiff breed

[Viriato]

I've been thinking about getting a mastiff breed in the future, but I don't know if any mastiff breed would be ideal for me and if you guys could help me with this predicament. I currently have a mutt, and this would be my second dog.

Mastiff breeds are mostly territorial, dominant, guard dogs. Being honest, I don't don't really need a dog so protective. The dog can't be that alpha because I don't have that much experience. I want my dog to be protective only if I'm being attacked, or to growl at someone that has bad intentions. If a burglar dares to trespass my house (because people rarely try to rob houses with dogs) the dog should first bark at this guy, and finally attack if he insist on entering the house.

The dog can't be that suspicious of strangers. A lot of people visit your house: workers, family, friends, so on. I don't want a dog that gets suspicious of every new person that enters the house. I can tolerate that the dog is aloof, but not protective or aggressive. As I said, the dog should be protective only if there's actual evil intent.

I'm also looking for a dog that I can take with me when I go out jogging, when I go out hiking, when I take long walks in national parks, and in the future, if I start to go out hunting, I would like to take him hunting with me. I want him to follow blood tracks made by deer and other animals. The hunting thing is optional, if the dog can't do it, that's ok.

I suppose any mastiff can be trained to do everything described, but there are mastiffs that are easier to train for doing these things, or breeds that do them intuitively. As a side note: I live in a small house with a small yard, I would take the dog to many activities though.

I feel it's hard to find a mastiff that meets all of these requirements, so maybe I should look for another breed, but maybe there's a mastiff breed that does everything of this, at least partially, and I'm not aware of it, I don't know what you guys think.

 

[BattleDax]

I look forward to some responses from Mastiff people, as I am also considering which Mastiff-type breed to get for my next dog.

Personally, I DO want a dog that is demonstrably protective and will put on a display as a deterrent, and can be trained to do so on command as my Dobermans have been able to do.

This is why I have been leaning toward breeds like Cane Corso, Dogo Artentino, Presa Canario...

I am also considering Bullmastiff, but I am concerned that it would not be as sharply and readily protective as I want.

They say of Mastiffs in general that they will be, as you alluded to, naturally protective but may remain reserved and assess situations and only step up defensively if they deem it necessary. Personally, I want more than that; but maybe it's just about right for your wishes. ?

You also want a walking, hiking partner and possibly one with good scenting capability. Hmm. Anyone? It seems a number of breeds might potentially fit the bill for @Viriato I thought of St. Bernard, but I don't know about its suitability for long walks or hikes in hot weather. How about simply a good Labrador Retriever? Many might be the choices. How about Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, or its far more popular cousin, Burnese Mountain Dog?

 

[glen]

I have 3 ccs.
Each one is different.
My eldest is dog aggressive, hes ok with his pack, and other family dogs, he was very hard and stubborn to train, he is one id say if he had gone to someone that wasnt experienced with training ect he would be a nightmare. Hes amazing with kids and family, you wouldnt get in our house or property without our say so, if we are ok hes ok with anyone.
My middle one, he was brilliant to train, hes aloof with strangerd, but not aggressive, high prey drive, he can run miles and wants more, same as bud, you wouldnt get in if we said no,
My youngest, training was great, he loves everyone, loves all dogs. Brilliant at gaurding.
You have to put a lot of training into this breed, not the sort of dogs to get one and think everything will fall into place, what you dont want them to do dont let them from an early age, socialize to everything, but that doesnt mean let everone approach some just dont want that, and training needs to be kept going, i still do at the ages o 8, 7 and 5. A well trained cc is a pleasure to own, what you put in repays you with a loyal companion.
My advise would be to try and visit the breeds, ask questions, learn as much as possible.
If you have anymore questions il try to help

 

[Viriato]

I have 3 ccs.
Each one is different.
My eldest is dog aggressive, hes ok with his pack, and other family dogs, he was very hard and stubborn to train, he is one id say if he had gone to someone that wasnt experienced with training ect he would be a nightmare. Hes amazing with kids and family, you wouldnt get in our house or property without our say so, if we are ok hes ok with anyone.
My middle one, he was brilliant to train, hes aloof with strangerd, but not aggressive, high prey drive, he can run miles and wants more, same as bud, you wouldnt get in if we said no,
My youngest, training was great, he loves everyone, loves all dogs. Brilliant at gaurding.
You have to put a lot of training into this breed, not the sort of dogs to get one and think everything will fall into place, what you dont want them to do dont let them from an early age, socialize to everything, but that doesnt mean let everone approach some just dont want that, and training needs to be kept going, i still do at the ages o 8, 7 and 5. A well trained cc is a pleasure to own, what you put in repays you with a loyal companion.
My advise would be to try and visit the breeds, ask questions, learn as much as possible.
If you have anymore questions il try to help

I considered a Cane Corso, there seems to be a consensus that it is one of the most athletic mastiff breeds. Unfortunately it requires a very experienced handler, and I'm just a novice dog owner. I've just started to teach the basics to my 10 year old mutt and fix its anxiety issues with thunderstorms. It's something, but I don't think it's enough.

They say of Mastiffs in general that they will be, as you alluded to, naturally protective but may remain reserved and assess situations and only step up defensively if they deem it necessary. Personally, I want more than that; but maybe it's just about right for your wishes. ?

You also want a walking, hiking partner and possibly one with good scenting capability. Hmm. Anyone? It seems a number of breeds might potentially fit the bill for @Viriato I thought of St. Bernard, but I don't know about its suitability for long walks or hikes in hot weather. How about simply a good Labrador Retriever? Many might be the choices. How about Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, or its far more popular cousin, Burnese Mountain Dog?

The greater swiss mountain dog would be nice: short coat, partly a molosser (its ancestors where bred with molosser dogs), good temperament, good energy level. It wouldn't be a bad choice. I live in a very warm place, it's above 86F most of the year (above 30C) so keeping a dog like the saint bernard would be hard. The swiss dog would be better.

 

[Loverboy Skyline]

I considered a Cane Corso, there seems to be a consensus that it is one of the most athletic mastiff breeds. Unfortunately it requires a very experienced handler, and I'm just a novice dog owner. I've just started to teach the basics to my 10 year old mutt and fix its anxiety issues with thunderstorms. It's something, but I don't think it's enough.



The greater swiss mountain dog would be nice: short coat, partly a molosser (its ancestors where bred with molosser dogs), good temperament, good energy level. It wouldn't be a bad choice. I live in a very warm place, it's above 86F most of the year (above 30C) so keeping a dog like the saint bernard would be hard. The swiss dog would be better.

For what you want in a dog you definitely need to be a good trainer. In my mind, being a good pack leader and trainer for your dog is not necessarily about experience, it's more about commitment. There are people who have owned dogs their whole life but never trained them and let them run loose, and they are the reasons certain breeds have bad reputations. My American Bulldog was only the second large dog I owned, and I put several working titles on him. So my advice would be to keep doing research on breeds, figure out what dog you want, and dedicate time for your dog. IPO trainers usually dedicate between 10-20 hrs a week for their dogs. You don't need to do that unless you want to, but you'll find the more time you spend in dog training the more you'll bond with your dog and understand him/her better. I'm considering the CC myself in the future because I want a dog with working drive similar to my AB, who was the best dog I had to this point. The best training I had was when I joined a Schutzhund Club. It was not just any club. I tried other clubs that didn't work out for me until I found that one. So it may take some research and diligence to find the best venue for training your dog.

 

[haleampar]

I don't understand much about dog breeds, I have a cat, but I can say that you can always search for information from qualified specialists on the web. I usually find all the answers to my questions on https://www.bestpetstips.com/pet-animals/ and I saw their section about dogs as well. Read their articles in your free time. This site is usually written by veterinarians or trainers who are well versed in the subject of their articles. I think you will find the answer to your question here.

 

[Trigs92]

My Cane Corso (13 months old)was my first dog, and I did LOTS of research before getting one… let me tell you they are an amazing breed but do need lots of socialization and training & a strong leader- which will need to be consistent throughout your dogs life.They are a big commitment.

Some things I can tell you from my experience:
1.They are not a background dog and will want to be with you and your family at ALL times.
2. My dog is friendly with family and guests we have over - he loves to be pet and all the attention.
That being said he is still a guard dog and protective of our house & I have no doubt if he needed to act to protect he would. Corsos are one of the best guard dogs because of their ability to judge what is really a threat.
3. He is super alert and notices everything.
4. They are easily trainable and catch onto things very fast with some praise and treats.
5. They are very big and powerful dogs, and if not trained properly you will have big problems.
6. With other dogs he is friendly, I only let him interact with dogs I know who will give him positive experiences.