italian mastiff ......... ........... ............

my brother is getting a italian mastiff soon.i wish he wouldnt cause im sure hell want it to stay in my yard so ill have to biuld a new fence to keep it separate from my dogs..so i have some questions
are they usually dog aggresive. i dont think he knows anything about this breed besides they look cool so any info would help

 

dont have a clue, are they the ones that have those long jowels??

 

italian Mastiff great dog

go to web search and enter Italian Mastiff. It is directly related to the Cane Corso and Bull Mastiff.

 

doesn't sara/&sams have (in the process of getting) mastiffs? or am I just thinking crazy. they have lots of good things to say about them (if I am thinking right)
here is a link to mastiffs on akc http://www.akc.org/breeds/mastiff/index.cfm
neopolitan http://www.akc.org/breeds/neapolitan_mastiff/index.cfm
tibetan http://www.akc.org/breeds/tibetan_mastiff/index.cfm
an article on mastiff temperament http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/eng ... ffs/110904

 

Lil, Sarah has Boerbels, the mastiff shure looks like her boerbols though

honeybear

 

but I think that the borboels are south african mastiffs, but I could be wrong?

 

Italian Mastiff is the same as a Neopolitan Mastiff. And yes, some of them can be dog aggressive. They require a firm hand with training from an early age. They have the big, droopy jowels, and believe me, after they get a drink of water and shake their heads, you'll have their saliva ALL OVER you. Even if they DON'T get a drink, you'll still have a lot of drool on you any time they shake their heads. They are not dogs for anyone but experienced dog owners. Sounds as if your brother wants one just because they "look cool," and as everyone knows, this is the WORST reason to get a dog. He needs to research like crazy before getting any breed of dog, to make sure it will be compatible with his lifestyle and any other dogs that it will live with. Never, ever get a dog just becuase you like its looks. So many people do this, and this is why there are so many rescues. Just my two cents.

 

You are definately going to want to socialize him with your dogs fromt he beginning. Only have them seperated when you are not there to supervise. Mastiffs are used for protectiion and hunting in a lot of european countries. Friends of mine have 2 Dogo's. They are Argentinian Mastiffs. There is only 2 breeders in Argentina and they both use this breed to hunt wild boar. Having said that, they are two of themost behaved and socialized dogs I have ever seen. They also live with 2 chineses crested dogs (the hairless ones) and are gentle and fine to play with. Socialization of any breed is important BUT especially with a dog who has definate protection/hunting traits. The good thing about this breed (mastiffs) is in my findings, they are easy to train.

Good luck with everything!

 

You should try to talk your brother out of this. He doesn't seem as though he has the resources to care for a dog like this. I don't think mastiffs are naturally dog aggressive but they do need proper socialization/training from a very young age. They get really big, really fast. Just b/c they look cool is not a good reason to get a dog. This happens with a lot of mastiff-type dogs. People get them b/c they think they look cool or the puppies are so cute...etc...then in a few months they realize they have a giant dog that they can't handle. It happens a lot with St. Bernards (the breed I have - also a mastiff). Usually at least with Neo mastiffs, and most mastiffs, the price alone is enough to scare off people who aren't 100% committed. The ones I've seen go for like $2k.

 

believe me i know the whole dog thing isnt right for him he doesnt have the time experience or anything however id be talking to a brick wall hes 24 i think lol im sure ill end up providing for the dog anyway he just broke up with his gf and thinks he has to have a dog
who knows maby he can handle it, but just incase im trying to learn a bit about these dogs so i can be able to take care of it id like to socialize it with my dogs but i will build a separate fence because my female is very dog aggresive it would just be nice to be able to take all 3 dogs out together assuming i end up with the dog, id also like to be able to tell him a few things, thank you all for the links and info

 

Ive worked with a few different Mastiff breeds, I dont want to be unfair to Neopolitans but I have to say that every single one Ive worked with (which percentage wise compared to other Mastiffs Ive worked with would be very low) they have all been aggressive. Talking to their owners, the general opinion from them is you need to have experience in dealing with dogs, you need to let them know at a very early age whos in charge and you dont let them get away with anything....if you cant do all this your going to have serious problems. That said Im going by 2 specific areas I worked in and as there wasnt too many of them around there could possibly be connections to bloodlines, bad temprement in there etc.
I always consider each dog individual and dont judge a dog by its breed (aside from the general traits) but if someone asked me specific breeds that I 'did not trust' based on my personal experience in hospitals and training Neo's would be top of my list....closely followed by Shiba Inus.

 

My friend's Dogo's grew SO fast!! At 6 months their pup was 72 pounds and still growing!! They need at least 3 hrs of running at the dog park each day to even kind of relax. I would try to get him to look into a different maybe smaller breed if he is interested in getting a dog. These dogs are very high energy and require a lot of attention. Perhaps a smaller breed dog that doesn't require as much excercise and maintenance would still provide him with the companionship he is looking for?

 

Please try to talk him out of it!! Since he is so stubborn (and young, LOL), maybe instead of trying to talk him out of it you should offer alternatives. Can you find another type of dog that would be easier to handle that you could suggest instead? Or point out the purchase price issue and have a nice visit at a shelter? Or as a last resort, find out where he is getting the dog and beg the breeder to not sell to him??

Maybe if you point out all the work that goes into a dog like this and then suggest an "easier" dog it would help?

 

this dog is coming from a shelter from what he tells me he has a friend that works there...i know where your coming from on talking to the persons selling him this dog but going behing his back is never a option
ill help him take care of it we live right next to eachother.also i asked him to get a gs but hes pretty much gonna do what he wants