Old English Mastiff

[Chocaholic]

Female pup about 18 weeks old. AKC, Brindle. Here's a pic of the momma (150 lbs):



And the papa (180 lbs):



Pup in question looks like momma (coloring, etc.). Anyone have any experience or stories about these critters? With three kids (10, 13, 15) and two dogs, this is just what we need .

Feel free to suggest names too. If we really screw up and do this, she'll be home before Christmas.

[nostatic]

Get a lot of towels for slobber. Huge dogs. HUGE. Buckets of drool.

I'd rather have a brindle boxer - much easier to deal with (though higher energy). Less drool and smaller poop.

[NineOhOne]

Originally Posted by Chocaholic

Feel free to suggest names too.

"Poop Factory".

Just how much does an 180lb. dog drop during the typical squat? I'm 180 and can fill up a galvanized bucket on a good day.

[rcecale]

Originally Posted by nostatic

What a handsome lad!

Randy

[elwood-914]

I had a Bull Mastiff. Probably the smartest dog I ever had. Very easy going.
His name was Ox. He lived for 13 years.

[stomachmonkey]

Have owned a couple.

First off, absolutely great with kids. Fiercely loyal animals. Will bond with one member of the family more than the rest. No need for fences, (still a good idea though). They don't wander. If you are in one room of the house with the dog and get up to go to another the dog will move so it can always maintain at least a visual on you. They tend to be lapdogs. Yes they drool and as we called it spooge or egg whites. They will manage to get it everywhere including the ceiling. They don't do it constantly, after eating, exercise mostly. When drinking water they tend to "drain" so be prepared for that.

When visitors come over they will make a big deal out of it and will stay between you and the guest until they are satisfied that the guest is cool. They will try to avoid conflict by being vocal and posturing.

They are pretty mellow with bursts of activity. Extremely agile and fast. Eat less than you'd expect. Feed them quality food and the poops not so bad.

Definitely get a big dog feeder.

One thing for sure, with a Mastiff in the family you will sleep very comfortably.
No one will come mess with your stuff and heaven help them if they do.

Sorry Todd, have had a boxer and a couple of Mastiffs. Mastiff hands down any day.

[Chocaholic]

Have heard all about the flatulance, snoring and slobber. All the characteristics my wife expects me NOT to exhibit! Go figure.

Stomachmonkey...good to hear from someone whose had at least one. It seems people that have owned Mastiffs have nothing but great things to say. We live on a lake and have plenty of land. We're in a rural area and it would be nice to know that a significant deterrant to crime is sleeping in my bed when I'm out of town.

Still working on possible names. Thoughts?

[johnnywishbone]

had 3 rottweilers and 4 bullmastiff. my good male bullmastiff (balls intact) was by far the best of the lot. very good with small children. very protective. can you control a mastiff? be honest with yourself.

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

One thing for sure, with a Mastiff in the family you will sleep very comfortably.
No one will come mess with your stuff and heaven help them if they do.

Sorry Todd, have had a boxer and a couple of Mastiffs. Mastiff hands down any day.

I never owned a Mastiff but saw a few at dog parks. They are awesome animals, but my boxer was the best dog I've ever had. Totally gentle when Calvin was born, and put up with everything he ever did. And no one would ever mess with that dog or think of coming in the yard when she was there.

Quite a number of great breeds, but boxer is probably my favorite.

[Dueller]

DYKE (Call her "Di" for short)

[Tobra]

I bet that is a fine lookin' pup.

The prettiest dog I ever saw was a brindle boxer. A friend of my wife found one, or rather, it found her. Was running around on the median on Hwy 59 between the airport and Kingwood, north side of Houston. Stopped, and it jumped right in her car.

Mary, the friend, not the mother who lived in the same condo complex on Lake Conroe as us, apparently has a habit of picking up stray dogs, and there was something about having more than 3 dogs(GD home owner's association). Dog ends up with Mary, the mother, a fragile old diabetic who is about half blind and can't do a lot of moving around, unless it is the golf cart of hers that ran just fine after I tightened up the terminals and charged the battery. Mary ends up with this boxer, and is trying to give the dog a little exercise, running beside the golf cart. This sounds pretty bad, but it worked out okay, because my wife would get to play with the dog, Mary got to feed it and I did not have to listen to my wife gripe about not having a dog, because we did not have the space for it.

No pics, female, probably 80#, golden eyes, would run for hours if you wanted her to, went to a family after a few months.

All the really smart dogs I have ever seen have been mutts.

[Chocaholic]

Mazy came home last night. We didn't end up getting the pup referenced in the original post. Our vet recommended we confirm OFA hip certification of the parents and the breeder couldn't deliver. After extensive searching, we bit the bullet and bought a 13 week old female brindle colored AKC English Mastiff pup from Lionhearted Mastiffs in Anderson, SC. Paid less for my first car, but well worth it. Got a thumbs up from the vet and she's got my kids mesmerised. Very quiet and gentle...trademark behavior of the breed. At 13 weeks, she's 31 lbs and expected to grow to about 160lbs. Life is good:

[stomachmonkey]

Now that is a beautiful animal. Congratulations. This is your first Mastiff but will not be your last. They are phenomenal animals. Soon as I'm down a few cats I'll be in the market for another one, or two.

I'm sure your vet told you already but do not feed her puppy food. It's really high in protein and makes the big breeds grow too fast leading to all sorts of joint, skeletal issues in the future. She will reach her size regardless. You just don't want her to get there too quick.

And as I said earlier, get a big dog feeder. Will help prevent bloat, twisting of the intestines which can kill them and cuts down on air intake while eating so less farting.

We fed Science Diet adult as a pup and our last girl was a beast.

[stomachmonkey]

Oh yeah, get a Halti, it's a head collar similar to a horse bridle without the bit. Start geting her used to it now. Mastiffs are draft animals. The only thing you will accomplish with a collar is geting dragged for blocks on your ass.

Trying to control a Mastiff from the neck is a lost cause. A Haltie goes over their muzzle and the lead attaches under the chin so if they pull it turns their head preventing them from moving forward.

Trust me on this, choke and prong collars do not work on these animals. They will mock you if you try.

http://www.doctordog.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=B4-8278

[lm6y]

I just saw a program on these beasts. I mean that in a good way of course!

A family had an older female that was going blind. They bought a male pup hoping they would bond, and maybe keep the female out of most kinds of trouble, because putting her down was not an option. It turns out, the male puppy has grown up, and become the blind female's "seeing eye dog"! He will lead her around outside, and they have come up with their own "language". When they are outside, the male will use this language to guide the female around while they run, and play. If the female gets too close to the road, or somewhere she shouldn't be, the male guides her back, out of harm's way. It was really neat to watch.

They pointed out the same traits others here pointed out. They also said this breed is fiercely loyal. Not aggressive, but loyal. Of course the guy also said that when you have two dogs that weigh 160, and 180 lbs, they don't HAVE to be aggressive to intimidate.

Mazy's a gorgeous girl. I hope all of you have many happy years together.

[Don Ro]

Originally Posted by lm6y

I just saw a program on these beasts. I mean that in a good way of course!

A family had an older female that was going blind. They bought a male pup hoping they would bond, and maybe keep the female out of most kinds of trouble, because putting her down was not an option. It turns out, the male puppy has grown up, and become the blind female's "seeing eye dog"! He will lead her around outside, and they have come up with their own "language". When they are outside, the male will use this language to guide the female around while they run, and play. If the female gets too close to the road, or somewhere she shouldn't be, the male guides her back, out of harm's way. It was really neat to watch.

They pointed out the same traits others here pointed out. They also said this breed is fiercely loyal. Not aggressive, but loyal. Of course the guy also said that when you have two dogs that weigh 160, and 180 lbs, they don't HAVE to be aggressive to intimidate.

Mazy's a gorgeous girl. I hope all of you have many happy years together.

That sounds like a great presentation. Can you remember any detailed info? Was it on Animal Planet? Thanks.

[stomachmonkey]

My first mastiff was a rescue. You could say I stole him from his previous owner bit the judge ruled in my favour. PO was an Attormey but mine was better, LOL.
PO also had a cat. While we were feeding the mastiff to earn it's trust no matter how hungry he was he would step back from the food and let the cat eat also. They are marvelously compassionate and loyal animals.

[lm6y]

Don, It must have been. It was within the last week. It really was neat. They would romp around, and until I started paying attention, I never would have known she was blind. She had complete trust in the other dog. The family ended up with three of these monsters! I think I remember them saying they bought a seperate couch, just for the dogs.

[stomachmonkey]

....I think I remember them saying they bought a seperate couch, just for the dogs.

My last one, Dakota. She was the "little" one.

[billybek]

Originally Posted by Chocaholic

Mazy came home last night. We didn't end up getting the pup referenced in the original post. Life is good:

She is beautiful!