Does anyone have a Bullmastiff

[2fat2fly 0]

My wife wants one and we've done all of the online research and it looks like the breed is a good fit for our household but I was hoping someone could give me first hand accounts.

I am not the man. But the man knows my name...and he's worried

[SkydiveStMarys 0]

I know a little about the breed...what would you like to know?
I haven't personally had one, but had a friend of mine own one.


Bobbi

A miracle is not defined by an event. A miracle is defined by gratitude.

[2fat2fly 0]

We have 3 female mix breeds so the websites say a male dog will get along with them, but do they really socialize well with an established "pack" Our girls are outside and the mastiff would be inside but they would still need to get along.

I am not the man. But the man knows my name...and he's worried

[SkydiveStMarys 0]

Bulls are gently giants, afraid of virtually everything BUT very loyal. The one problem I foresee is that the "girls" may dominate him, but hell...isn't that every mans wish?Trying to keep him in the house when the others will remain outside could pose a problem. For one thing, having a Bull in the house is equal to having three dogs running around in the house. Forget about keeping anything on the coffee table, end tables, etc.They will either be eaten or swiped off the table with his tail.

Honestly you will go thru a pecking order adjustment with any dog that you may bring in. I have four dogs also. The last dog came into the fold this past June. Where I differ is that I have four females, always wanted a male dog, it just didn't work out that way.


Bobbi

A miracle is not defined by an event. A miracle is defined by gratitude.

[cameramonkey 0]

My experience with them is they are very gentle and quiet, and loyal.

Personally, I think anyone that wants one is nuts. Yeah, the are sweet, but HUUUUGE. just buy a horse, they arent THAT much bigger.

My personal preference is a boxer. a little hyper, but very loyal and freindly. Ours is doing pretty well now that we are going to training classes.

Two wrongs don't make a right, however three lefts DO!

[2fat2fly 0]

Quote

Personally, I think anyone that wants one is nuts.

Well, she married me. She's got a thing for big doofeses, I guess

Thank Goodness

I am not the man. But the man knows my name...and he's worried

[namgrunt 0]

do they have a history with hip problems??

//

59 YEARS,OVERWEIGHT,BALDIND,X-GRUNT
LAST MIL. JUMP VIET-NAM(QUAN-TRI)
www.dzmemories.com

[Amazon 7]

I have a mastiff/newfie mix.. he is a big sweetheart... loves the kitties and the male cat will even snuggle up to him on the couch and groom him....I gotta get video of that some time... its funny.

[Flygurl 0]

I have a number of Bullmastiff clients and travel with one frequently.

They have high prey drive and often do not do well with cats or small dogs. They have a tendency to be aggressive with other dogs and can be overly protective if not properly socialized.

Bullmastiff's have a number of health problems including: bloat, hip/elbow dysplasia, high potential for knee damage requiring surgery, eye, skin, and coat problems and cancer.

I suggest visiting The American Bullmastiff Association for correct, detailed information about the breed:

http://clubs.akc.org/aba/index.html


Good luck!

________________________________________

"One out of every four American's are suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they're okay, then it's you."

[2fat2fly 0]

Quote

The American Bullmastiff Association

That's the research that we've done, but I was afraid that it might be like going to Ford.com to find out the truth about Explorers-they are fans of the breed and I wanted the negatives along with any "our's is like this" stories. I'm getting some good info from this thread-thanks

I am not the man. But the man knows my name...and he's worried

[Flygurl 0]

Most national breed parent clubs are pretty good about providing accurate information including the good and the bad about their breed.

Of course, there are a few that aren't so good.

Bullmastiff's are a nice breed, but they certainly aren't for everyone.

________________________________________

"One out of every four American's are suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they're okay, then it's you."

[Plucky 0]

What a coincidence, and I feel I have to bring it up as most of the replies have said how gentle they are ...

There is a mastiff two doors down, and just five minutes ago, I watched it go for a little girl walking on the pavement. I heard her scream and the dog bark like mad, and got to the window in time to see the dog get chased inside, and her running away.

She's now crying in her mother's arms, while a heated discussion is going on with it's owners.

I've seen it before with this dog. I don't know why it's so vicious, and maybe it's the exception to the rule, I don't know.

** I have since found out that it's probably an English mastiff - apparently there are different breeds of mastiff with different personality traits.
Apologies for my ignorance.

[skymedic 0]

I have never seen a mean mastiff chase down someone. English mastiffs that I have known and owned are rather lame when it comes to chasing things. they are very lazy dogs. Why don't you find out what kind of dog it is before you go bashing a breed you know nothing about.


Also about the Bullmastiff's. I had a roommate who had one for about a yr and half I lived with it. It got along with my dogs and my other roommates rather well...BUT...it did like to assert it's machismo at time's. especialy during feeding times. All in all a good dog if you don't have other dogs. If you get him/her as a puppy i don't think this will be as much of an issue as all the dogs we had in the loft came together as adults. They are a great breed but also have there negatives. Personaly I'd say get a English Mastiff...but I'm kinda partial. Bullmastiffs can be rather loyal...and RATHER stuborn. Good luck.

Marc
otherwise known as Mr.Fallinwoman....

[pringles 0]

I have two bullmastiffs. Each dog is 10 yrs. The female is 120 lbs and the male is 180. He is kinda big for the breed however. I can agree with a few of the comments in this thread.

Loyal. Our dogs are very attached to us and as they get older they seem to want more and more attension. Our dogs stay in the basement and if we are home it drives them nuts if we don't come down and watch tv with them. These dogs constantly bring us their stuffed animal toys. We feel like its their way of expressing their love. They will bring a toy to give it to you. Believe me they are not bringing it to us to play fetch because they are way to lazy for that.

Tail. You would think they don't even know its there. That is one reason they stay in the basement. They knock things off the coffee tables. When I say they are in the basement it kinda sounds like a bad thing but they have their own couches and a tv down there and we spend quite a bit of time down there with them.

Stubborn. The older the male gets he sometimes doesn't want to come when I call him. He used to, but I think in his old age he knows I can't do anything about it. He will turn and look at me when I call. Then go right back to what he was sniffing at.

Our female blew out her knee when she was a couple of years old. So she had her knee operated on. I think that this injury wasn't related to the breed however. She was running and tripped in a hole. Our dogs haven't had any problems with their hips. They get up and down the stairs pretty well still I think.

As far as being around other dogs we have only had a problem once. It seems that as long as the other dogs aren't agressive with them there is not a problem. They are pretty passive when it comes to growling and barking. If the other dogs nip at them they will stand their ground and possibly take the other dog on. My parents have three Brittneys, a friend of mine has some kind of hyper mutt, and my mother in law has 4 dogs a jack russel a weimeriner and a couple mutts, and our dogs get along well with all these dogs.

I think that our dogs are very mellow and tend to be lazy. Like I say they have only had a problem with another dog on one occasion. Also I think that if you introduce them to the group of dogs you already have as puppys they will click with the other dogs just fine. All in all I love our dogs. I don't know if I would get another big dog or not. They just seem to require so much attension, and with jumping and traveling they are just difficult to bring along. You should see it when we cram those two dogs in the tent with us at the drop zone on the weekends.



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Matt Davies