Essential Facts to Understand About Mastiffs

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In many ways, mastiffs are the kings of the canine world. Massive, powerful, incredibly smart and loyal, but also quite a lot to handle for first-time dog owners, this is indeed a special breed. Here are the 9 crucial things to know about the mastiff.

What should you keep in mind before getting a mastiff pet?

Being the giant, old, and multi-purpose breed that it is, the mastiff has quite a lot of aspects one should consider before bringing such a dog home.

1. The dogs we call just “mastiffs” are the English Mastiffs

When we say “mastiff” we’re not talking about all mastiff breeds in general. Instead, we’re specifically talking about the English Mastiff as that’s the original breed all other mastiffs are derived from. Though, in that sense, a lot of the characteristics of the English Mastiff also describe most other mastiff dogs, either in part or completely.

2. These dogs come from ancient Babylon where they used to hunt lions

While the mastiffs of today do come from England, it’s important to note that the ancestors of these dogs are the old Molosser and Alaunt breeds of ancient Babylon. There’s evidence to suggest that these dogs were part of the ancient Mesopotamian kingdoms all the way back in 2,500 BCE or 4,500 years ago.

These old breeds were used for hunting lions, guarding herds and villages, and other farm-related work tasks. From Mesopotamia, these dogs spread throughout the ancient world and were even used for war. For example, historians have described mastiff-like dogs used by Hannibal as he crossed the Alps to attack Rome. In fact, it’s believed that the St. Bernard breed comes from those ancient war dogs and it was even called an “Alpine mastiff” at one point.

As for how those Mesopotamian dogs came to Britain, that’s believed to have been done by Phonecian traders. That’s because, when the Romans discovered and invaded the British aisles, those mastiff-like dogs were already present.

3. The mastiff is a truly massive canine

The mastiff isn’t the tallest dog breed but it still has a very impressive height of 27 to 30 inches at the shoulder (69 to 76 cm). Even more impressive is their weight which can vary all the way from 120 to 230 pounds (55 to 105 kg) – that’s heavier than most people!

So, when buying or adopting such a dog you should be very aware of what you’re getting into. Consider the following:

Do you have room for such a large animal?
Do you have room for all its extra-large toys and accessories, including a giant dog bed, a kennel, etc?
Is all the necessary dog food going to put a dent in your budget?
Are you strong enough to hold the leash of such a giant securely?
Are you willing to go through the necessary training with your dog to make sure that this large canine is well-behaved around people, children, and other animals?

4. Mastiffs take three years to officially become “adults”

Largely due to their size, mastiffs are one of the few dog breeds that take extra long to mature – up to three years in most cases! They can reproduce sooner than that but they generally get out of their “puppy stage” at that age. They also stop growing much later than other dogs.

5. As a working dog breed, mastiffs are incredibly intelligent but proper training is still an absolute must for them

Mastiffs don’t really get the reputation of being intelligent as most people focus on their massive size. That’s understandable but, as a working breed, mastiffs are indeed incredibly smart. This means that, with proper training, you can teach those dogs any task you want, especially as far as working jobs are concerned.

The flip side to that is that, due to their history as guard dogs, mastiffs are also somewhat stubborn. That, coupled with their giant size means that not training a mastiff adequately is a huge risk for you, your family, and anyone you pass by on the street. This can sound like an exaggeration but this is literally the reason why English Mastiffs and other mastiff breeds are banned in numerous countries around the world.

So, should you be afraid of getting a mastiff?

That’s up to you. If you get your dog through good obedience training, everything should be fine. Well-trained mastiffs are incredibly obedient, loyal, loving, and gentle animals that can work with families of all types, sizes, and ages. If not – then you’re taking a risk. Plus, there is an extra factor in addition to training.

6. This breed can be social and friendly but only with good socialization – without it, mastiffs can be dangerous

A well-trained mastiff will be perfectly safe and loyal to your family, however, without socialization, it can be dangerous to others. As guard dogs, mastiffs are similar to Dobermans and Rottweilers in their behavior – only mastiffs are even larger.

So, if you want a mastiff as a family pet, it’s of the utmost importance that you socialize your dog with other people, children, and other dogs from the earliest possible age. Do this well, and your mastiff will become a true “Gentle Giant”. Without good socialization, however, you can get someone in a big trouble by accident.

7. Mastiffs don’t need that much exercise despite their size

This breed may be huge but it’s also much too heavy to be as physically active as a sporting breed or a shepherd. So, while your mastiff will still need a couple of good and comprehensive walks a day, you won’t need much more than that to keep your dog in shape. This makes the mastiff a good choice if you’re looking for a walking companion that helps you “get your steps in” every day but doesn’t require 2+ hours of outdoor time.

As for yard time, that would be a great boon for any mastiff, provided that the yard is really well fenced.

8. Like most large breeds, mastiffs don’t live that long and have predispositions to a few health issues

A big drawback of the mastiff breed is that it only tends to live up to 6 to 10 years. That’s normal for larger breeds as their lifespans are often twice shorter than those of smaller dogs. This is due to numerous health factors but namely an increased risk of developing health problems. In the mastiff’s case, such issues include:

This is a rather frightening list. However, note that these are all just statistically relevant risks, not guarantees. This means that if you get a healthy purebred puppy from a reputable breeder who offers health certificates for their dog, most of these risks suddenly drop.

From there, it’s all a matter of good care – if you look after your dog well, you feed it adequately, you give it plenty of exercise, and you don’t skip the routine vet visits, the health risks drop even more. In that case, a mastiff can much more easily reach 10 or even 11 years rather than just 6.

9. Mastiff’s coats are easy to groom but get ready for quite a bit of drooling

A mastiff’s coat will have two layers but will have a short or medium length at most. This means that it will shed a fair bit but it’s also easy to manage with regular brushing. The coat’s colors will typically be apricot, fawn, and brindle with a bit of white occasionally on the chest. The ears will usually be darker and the snout will be black.

Because the mastiff’s lips are long and hanging, however, you can expect your dog to slobber. This is a deal-breaker for a lot of people which is as understandable as it is unfortunate. We are pointing it out ahead of time so that you don’t get surprised – many people return their dogs or throw them out when they realize that mastiffs drool.

As you can see, the English mastiff is a very special animal. Raised and trained properly, these dogs can be phenomenal companions, be it as guard dogs, as a working breed, or as family pets. The caveat here is the “raised and trained properly” part – if you don’t go through a thorough obedience training and socialization with an English mastiff you’ll get a dog that’s not only disobedient and difficult to handle but one that’s an outright danger for visitors or strangers outside.

So, as much as we hate seeing this and other mastiff breeds banned in numerous countries worldwide, it’s important to remember that the reason they are banned is in the poor training many mastiff owners give their dogs, not in the dogs themselves.