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.
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.