Masiffs are superb family companion dogs. But they are not the breed for everyone. If you haven’t got the time to socialize and undertake a course of basic obedience with your mastiff as a puppy, please don’t get a mastiff. Is your Property suitable for a Mastiff ? Is your fencing strong, safe and more than fit to secure your mastiff.

One litter of English Mastiffs may have puppies with three different colours in it. All mastiffs should have a black mask which is black markings around the muzzle ears and eyes regardless of their self colour. It is a characteristic of the breed. If you are interested in a puppy of a particular colour, you will find that some breeders may be more likely to breed mastiffs in that colour. Mastiffs are as they appear, a giant heavy breed. They can range between 80kg to 130kg for a fully mature dog. And then 60kg to 100kg for a fully mature bitch. Things to consider are: Will you be physically strong enough to control a dog that, as an adult, may weigh more than you? Because of their size they cost a great deal more than most breeds of dogs to properly feed intestinal worm and heart worm.

Will you be able to afford to give it the care it needs? Mastiffs were originally bred as guardians and dogs of war, their main use was guarding large estates and castles. Although capable of short bursts of speed and activities they are generally not an overly active dog and spend most of their time sleeping. I have not found them to be  capable of jogging with you alongside abide for ten kilometres like some breeds, if you require a dog for this purpose I would recommend another breed of dog.

Mastiffs are generally good natured and tolerant with small children especially when raised as a within a household that has children. It is essential to supervise all dogs with children and please be particularly vigilant and cautious with any individual dogs whatever the breed if it is  not used to children. Because Mastiffs are a heavy dog they are generally not suited to hot temperatures. They suffer heatstroke more rapidly than other breeds of dogs and it is recommenced you do not exercise mastiffs in hot or humid temperaments. They definitely require a cool shady spot in the yard they can have unlimited access to as well as cool clear drinking water, If possible a few hours at least inside in front of the air conditioner to help cool them down. Travelling mastiffs in the car during hot weather is an extra risk because the car heats up quickly once the air-conditioning is off or turned down low. Many Mastiffs have been known to have a predisposition to bloat and should be watched very carefully after meal times for signs of discomfort, attempted vomiting, panting and swelling of the abdomen. If your dog is behaving usually and showing any of these signs it is advisable that you contact a vet as soon as possible. Mastiff puppies require little exercise and should only be taken for the smallest of walks and all exercise stopped as soon as the dog shows the slightest sign of tiring. Later on the exercise can be increased but it is important to make sure you do not overdo it even with the older dogs. I feel it is important NOT to throw balls or sticks for you mastiff to retrieve. Mastiffs are heavy and cumbersome and the action of swivelling to chase the thrown object has caused many dogs to rupture a cruicate, which can be repaired but requires months of rehabilitation before your dog is back to a semi normal function.

Mastiffs respond well to praise and reward methods of training. I advise owners to attend training establishment that offer food and praise as rewards. Shutzund or aggressive training methods are not what I believe to be beneficial to this breed as I have found them to be a very soft temperament dog. Mastiffs are not good security guard dogs as such as they will generally only guard the home and property of their family. They are defiantly most un suited to attack or man work. Generally they will automatically start to guard their home boundaries, without any training as they reach the year old mark. Although in some cases your mastiff may never guard at all.

Socialization is the most basic of grounding for your dog..... how well you socialize your mastiff as a puppy determines its temperament and behaviour for the remainder of its life. There is rarely enough emphasis placed on how important socialization is to this breed of dog. Socialization has to be undertaken while the dog is young, it has to be done carefully as so not to over face or frighten the dog, and it has to be done often as possible to be of most benefit to the dog. It is the difference between the confident majestic dog you first envisioned mastiffs to be... Or the skulking timid frightened dog or the totally aggressive wreck of a dog we see being destroyed for aggression.

As mastiffs are not very active dogs, they do not require a very large property. They are suited to rural and suburban properties and generally do not stray far from you. The smaller the area they live in the more outings they should have in order to prevent the dog becoming bored. Mastiffs have a tendency to rush over to greet people they see. However, the sight of a mastiff approaching, no matter how hard its tail is wagging, is disturbing to most people PLEASE ensure your mastiff is NEVER outside your property and not under your direct control and supervision.

One other thing to consider if you choose the mastiff breed is whether you have steep slopes, steps or slippery floors. As with any giant breed, mastiff puppies are very susceptible to joint and bone injuries. Mastiff puppies grow so rapidly and are clumsy, their bones are still very soft and the fact that they are heavy, means that they can risk doing a lot of damage to themselves with a simple fall or slip.
Please section off steps and slippery floors to avoid the risk of injury. Once these dogs hurt themselves it is usually a very time consuming, expensive and painful exercise to get them back to normal again. Prevention is the best cure.

If you want to show your mastiff, you will need to acquire a puppy the breeder feels has Show/ Breeding potential. It should have full registration papers. If you have no interest in showing or breeding your breeder may be able to offer you a Pet/Companion dog. It should have Limit registration papers.
There should be no difference in terms of the health of the puppy when differentiating between show/breeding or pet/companion quality.

The only difference is that the breeder will have decided some of the puppies are more suitable for showing than others. Breeders do will not want a pet quality puppy used for breeding. The only way to guarantee that the puppy you are about to buy is a pure bred mastiff is to buy a registered dog. Any dog can have a pedigree and a dog can be pure bred but not be registered. So to be sure you are getting a pure bred puppy, always make sure the puppy comes with registration papers not just a pedigree. DNA testing is being introduced across Australia to ensure the integrity of Australian Pedigrees. We Intend making full use of the DNA register and offering the DNA of our mastiffs in order to help speed up the Genetic mapping process of hereditary diseases

Mastiffs are not easy to breed with and the costs associated with breeding are very high. Do not expect that you will be able to make a profit by breeding your dog and selling the puppies. Most breeders  run at a huge financial loss. I would advise you to always choose a breeder who is registered with their State Canine Association. Registered breeders must abide by a code of ethics which protects the well being of the dogs they use, the health of the puppies they breed, and also the purchaser. Registered breeders are not presently allowed to sell their dogs to pet shops so you won’t find puppies from registered breeders in a pet shop. If you have doubts about whether a breeder is registered, ring your Canine Association and check.

Try to visit as many of breeders as possible so that you can look at their dogs. It helps if you can  meet the mother of the puppies you are interested in and, if possible, the sire. Ask the breeder about the parents and the other dogs related to them, what health problems the breeder has seen, or knows of relating to these  dogs in that the breed. You will find that most breeders hip and elbow test their breeding stock. Ask to see the results of all testing of the parents of any puppies and, if possible, any testing done on grandparents and other relations. Most important of all, consider the temperament of the dogs you see, ask about the temperament of their dogs used for breeding, and the dogs directly related to the puppy you are considering.

Ask your self at the end of your visit were you are happy enough with the type, temperaments and soundness of the dogs you visited. Was the breeder someone you felt you could maintain a close association with for the next 8 or so years ..the remainder of the dogs life. Do you feel that you could always contact them in relation to concerns that you may have about the well being of your mastiff.
The time spent visiting breeders, watching conformation exhibits and attending club social days will be well spent to ensure you end up with exactly what you were after.

Lastly read up! There are some great books on the market on eBay and Amazon. There are great mastiff health sites that are linked to this site. Thoroughly studying The Breed Standard will also give you more insight into true mastiff type and temperament.        

The dogs photographed were bred by Breton  Mastiffs, Other than the Brindle Male Puppy Bred by Mansuetes Mastiffs (Victoria.)