The (English) Mastiff

Original function was that of guard dog. Today it is still a guard dog but also companion and household pet.

By the time of Caesar, this breed was used as a war dog. In medieval times, they were used as guard dogs and became widespread. The Mestiff later got into dog fighting, bull baiting and bear baiting. Even when these cruel sports were banned in England in 1835, the continued to be popular events. The breed has been adored by many for many centuries for his strength and abilities. The breed originally came here on the Mayflower according to some reports. Later, the Mastiff found work in two World Wars pulling carts and guarding munition dumps for the military, and has gained popularity here in the States ever since. The AKC finally registered the breed in 1929.

If buying this breed, make sure the PUPPY was well socialized and handled extremely well and that training started early on. Early social skills for this dog are a MUST! You won’t regret your research. The Mastiff drools quite a lot.

This breed MUST be trained in obedience from day one as a puppy. He is big and very strong with guarding instincts. Obedience needs to be worked on all his life. The Mastiff is trainable and must be worked with until he understands exactly what he is to do. Training should be friendly, fun and with no harsh reprimands. Use clicker training along with positive reinforcement. The Mastiff will respond to this training and it’s simple to do.

Crate Training

Want to crate train your English Mastiff puppy? It’s easy and if you’re interested, take a look and you’ll see what to do. Crate training your puppy will save many headaches and problems.

Potty Training

The Mastiff puppy is somewhat easy to house train, potty train, toilet train, housebreak or whatever you want to call it. If you have a puppy, decide if you want to crate or paper potty train it. For the best results, we have a page at Crate vs Paper Potty Training which will help you decide and from there you can get all the information you need to get the job done. Always praise the pup profusely when she goes potty in the RIGHT PLACE so she knows she has done a good thing. Either method will work for this breed.

If you have an older dog, take the dog outside every two hours until she gets the idea which door leads to her potty area. Older dogs catch on to the potty or housebreaking pretty fast once they are shown what to do.

The Mastiff is calm, easy-going and amazingly gentle. This is a well-mannered house dog that needs adequate space to stretch out. The English Mastiff is an extremely loyal breed and though not excessively demonstrative, it is devoted to it’s family and relatively good with children. This is a natural guard dog and must be socialized starting at a very young age and continued on. The dog needs a firm but kind owner who can display dominance, a consistent pack-leader relationship with the Mastiff. With strong leadership and a kind, quiet hand, this is a wonderful house pet.

If you happen to get a dog with a separation anxiety problem, that can be dealt with by investing a few hours of work on your part and some “tough love.”

Friendly Toward Other Dogs

The Mastiff will pick his dog friends. Be careful, they can be aggressive if they don’t like the other dog.

Friendly Toward Other Pets

Relatively good with household pets, especially if introduced on common ground such as in a park. If they start out as a puppy and grow up with the other pets there should be no problem.

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Friendly Toward Strangers

No. Not very. A Mastiff is wary of strangers.

Playfulness

No. But this guy is gentle and loves tummy rubs.

Very! This dog may look sad, but he’s a big, happy 190 pound MUSH. He’s friendly, a best friend, loyal and will roll on his back for endless tummy rubs… he enjoys family attention.

Pretty good with older kids, 6 and up, and very protective of them.

Good with Seniors over 65?

No. Too heavy. How would a senior get him to a vet?

Living environment

Mastiff’s do not get along in hot weather. They need air conditioning. Do NOT leave them in the yard on warm days. This breed needs to be indoors with it’s family so it can fulfill it’s role of guardian.

Well suited to farms and homes with small fenced backyards. No need for a big fenced yard because the Mastiff just doesn’t move around much.

Energy level

Low energy. Big dog that just hangs out and guards things.

A good walk around the block and a game of fetch in the yard.

This dog drools.

Guarding is his THING.

Brushing three times a week or more to keep dead hair out. Top

3rd from left – Parking sign. “Area patrolled by English Mastiff” Makes an interesting gift for someone!

In the event you decide to go looking for Mastiff puppies, be SURE to find reputable breeders that REALLY know what they are doing. Be sure the puppy has been VERY well socialized and started in obedience training. It’s not often that Mastiff puppies turn up in dog pounds and shelters but you might check anyway.
English Mastiff Breeders with puppies for sale.

Mastiff Rescue

In the event you are seriously considering the adoption of a Mastiff and are looking for a Mastiff Rescue group or groups in your state, here are several links that might help:
Petfinder – Mastiff Rescue – (Nationwide) If you adopt one, try to locate the dog health information for possible future use.
Adopt A Pet This is an interesting site that may give you some ideas. Mastiff Rescue can include any of 12 different Mastiff breeds including the Neapolitan and Bull varieties. Check them out in the Dog Breeds section. Then go surfing or check your local kennels, dog pound or breed rescue groups.

This is basically a healthy breed. Don’t let the list below scare you! Your own dog will probably never have ANY of these problems. These are dog illness and medical problems this breed is prone to that have been listed by various veterinarians at different times over the past decade or so and some pertain to puppies and very young dogs that a breeder would deal with.

The information contained herein has been gathered from numerous books by veterinarians and is intended as general information only. Every dog and situation is different. You must see your vet. Our information is for general interest only and not intended to replace the advice provided by your own veterinarian.

Hip dysplasia – Hind end limping, back leg acts lame. Wear and time causes the femur to fit poorly into the pelvic socket with improper rotation causing great pain and difficulty walking. You may notice the dog “hopping”” like a rabbit when running plus hesitating to climb stairs, all due to pain in the hind quarters. The problem actually starts as a very young puppy with an abnormal formation of the hip joint and grows progressively. A vet can locate this with a diagnostics test.