Hi! I'm new looking for a little help and advice. First off though, My name is Seth and im 28 yrs old, my partner who may also take over asking questions is Mark and we both are looking to be a new pups parents.This might be the wrong kinda area to ask but i figure those of you that are dog lovers/owners may have some insight, is a dobe/mastiff mix puppy a okay dog as a family dog? I understand training and that all dogs need it to some degree etc, i am a knowlegable owner in that area but this dog will be around children and have never dealt with this mix before, before you ask no im not a breeder nor did my dog have puppies, i have a friend whose dog had puppies shes a full-blooded doberman but the daddy is a Mastiff, another question i'd like to ask is what size dog am i looking at here full grown with this mix?( though i know some of it would be a round about guesstimate). The mother has a great temperment as far as i can tell, ive looked up both breeds seperatly but i havent really gotten any feedback on when their mixed with both from anyone whose had experience with that type of mix, i just want to cover my bases before making a choice,Sorry for so many questions, but i RLY want to make sure this is a good fit before making a 10yr+ commitment,I just don't want to be one of those owners who get a dog without doing their research, i have 8yr+ kids who visit often and that would also play a factor. thanks for those of you that reply and help me out, and its a real pleasure to be here
Well I have just written a long reply to you and promptly lost it Anyway, firstly hello... To condense my reply , there is no reason this boy should not fit into your home, you need to research both breeds inside out and be sure either of them would fit your lifestyle . Size wise, you have not said what breed of mastiff the sire is, so your pup could be anything from the dobe to the mastiff ,or something in between , he will be a large powerful dog regardless , and depending on temperament of both parents, this could influence your pups. You are lucky that you know the dam, but I would want to know more about the sire before I took pup on. Socialisation it paramount for such a large dog( any dog to be honest) But for a potentially large powerful dog even more so. Hope some of this helped.
From what i was "told" the father was a full BullMastiff? apparently a neighbors dog who decided to 'visit' and was about 110lbs, from what ive been told the father was also good around children ( the dobe's owners kids and others) and people, though the father isn't on "site" so i can't verify that information. However i am aware their only 4 weeks old atm and alrdy look to be 6 weeks old ( have viewed the pups alrdy) we will be choosing ours once they hit 6 weeks, if after all my questions/research prove to point in that direction. And Thank you for the welcome!
Hi and welcome to you and your partner. Whoever the dad was, with a Dobbie and Mastiff mix, you are going to end up with one powerful dog. The paramount thing in my view is to make sure you socialise the pup extensively from 8 weeks onwards (as soon as it has had all its injections) to meet lots of children, other dogs etc etc. Obviously training classes would be important too so you end up with a dog that is well socialised and obedient. Any size dog needs to be socialised/trained well etc but imperative in a large powerful one as they could knock a child over with ease. Very exciting time for you and if you get a chance post some photos of the 'chosen' pup
A cross of 2 of my favourite breeds although not a cross I would have considered. I guess a lot depends on the individual dog and whether you go for a male or female. If you go for a male you can expect a dog over a hundred pounds and one with a stubborn streak and capable of thinking for himself and making his own decisions. A female will obviously be a tad smaller. I grew up as a toddler with a Bullmastiff so ours was obviously good around kids. My Dobermanns are great with kids too but it doesn't happen by magic, there is a great deal of hard work required with the socialisation and habituation to all situations in life required. The dog will be protective and guardy, it's hard wired to be that way but that doesn't mean you won't be able to trust it. The dog will just need a lot of direction and training. Good luck with whatever you decide
Thanks for such valuable input guys, now i understand socialization to some degree, getting them out there, meeting children/other dogs, but how did YOU socialize? what are the best places for that? we do have a dog park not far away but its not used as much as i'd like to see it be used, as for training i've researched alot on both breed types but am getting conflicting results, one says normal training classes aren't for this breed, another said training classes of any kind are valuable, any input on that?There's a petsmart not far from us who claim to train all breeds. We haven't decided on a male or female yet they are only 4 weeks old atm ( they look 6 weeks old alrdy 0.0 size wise) but wont be ready to go to new homes till their 8 weeks, we are looking to actually pick one out sunday, to be put on hold till he/she is 8 weeks, if we feel its the right fit which is why i'm really trying to gather all the info i can, if we do decide this is the baby for us there will DEF be pics. Now a poster mentioned a male can be stubborn and make his own descisions, in what way exactly? like whether or not it feels like obeying in that area or just all out testing his limits? ( really adoring the dobie pics by the way), i feel as if i've left some important things out like the fact me and my partner will be home at all times,if im not he is and vice versa, so the time thing wouldn't be a issue as far as do we have time for training etc, i think my main concern is the conflicting reads im getting, that normal training wont do for this breed vs needing "special" training, which im unsure of what that means. I promise im not a spaz lol i just rly want to learn before i jump into a pit with no bottom lol, i do have experience with large dogs ( chows and labs come to mind) just not quite as large as what im picturing this dog may be. If all else fails and we dont feel 100% comfortable we will just continue our search for a fur baby of our own, def not something i feel obliged to rush into without having facts.
I dunno what kind of special training they are talking about to be honest. I would say they need consistent training, Dobies frequently need you to think outside the box, a bit of lateral thinking to keep their interest. They get bored easily and will cease to co operate. They tend to adopt " I did that already" attitude. They certainly don't respond well to harsh training if anything make training as fun as possible and mix it up as much as you can. Dobermanns are well known for clowning around and will use their comic side to get out of boring training sessions. When I said about the pup being stubborn, both breeds are known to have a stubborn streak which can be amusing in a dog the size of a pug but not a Dobermann or a Bull Mastiff that's for sure. Also although you mention one of you will always be around, you will still need the dog to get used to being alone sometimes otherwise you'll find yourself becoming a prisoner to your dog. They can be very clingy if allowed to get away with it and are very vocal when displeased by your absence. I've always trained my dogs while out and about in the local country park, we also spend time hanging around outside local supermarkets, pet stores are good too. We spend time walking past junior schools at tipping out time so they get used to screeching kids and learn not to react. I find the more time spent around kids and other dogs as a youngster is invaluable and far more important than time spent around them as an adult. Not much a fan of american style dog parks though. Hope that helps a bit
I agree with the american style parks visual, the one here is really "blah" and not well kept ( my partner is from SA and they even have better parks). And yes that helped ALOT, i have a better idea of where and what to do for better socialization, now to avoid any problems if we are away ( say we go out to dinner for example) would crate training help with the clingyness with maybe a kong or something to show that the crate can be 'fun" or get a treat, sorta like hey if its time for my crate i know good things happen there mentality?
Hello and welcome . I can only advice based on my own experience. I've had one Australian Shepherd, one Irish Wolfhound and now we've got a boerboel (south African mastiff) who is about 8,5 months. All breeds can get used to children and be good with children. That doesn't mean you have a guarantee your dog will, but you have got a good chance of socializing and making it used to them. Socializing: hang out with dogs you know! Don't mistake it for "hang out with as many random dogs as possible" because you don't know these random dogs and boom, all of a sudden you dog has had a bad experience. Go to places with people and funny things like noisy big cars, tools etc. Let the mastiff brain figure things out - it might not be the kind of dog that can be pushed and dragged into situations or items it feels a little bit unsure of. I've been messaging with other people with similar breeds and I think "unluckily" we have ended up with an idividual who is extremely headstrong and he always wants to get his own way. I clearly feel this is very different from the other breeds I've had and known (I also used to instruct puppy classes so I've seen a bit more than just friend's dogs). We bought a boerboel knowing that they can be great family dogs but not neccessarily the best dog to cruise around a dog park with. Our one is like I said 8,5 months and he's never been unpleasant to other dogs but we stay away from dog parks (we go to the woods if possible but still meet some people walking etc) to make sure we continue his good streak and he doesn't get bad experiences. They might be fine around other dogs their whole life, and they might not. About making their own descisions.... hehe... our one definitely WANTS to make his own ones. We are very, very aware of this. We have implemented a "nazi" regime where he has to listen to commands. If I say "sit" and he stares at me blankly or tries to walk off I will grad his collar and hold him there until he sits. He is extremely little reactive to any form of punishment (not just talking about physical punishment, trust me, we've tried lots of things). This makes it hard to correct unwanted behavior and sometimes quite slow to remove bad behaviour specially in the house (lol, he sounds crazy bad now!). You should be aware you can be "unlucky" and get an individual like this. Doesn't matter if it's a male or a female. Mastiffs might not be the most sociable/interactive with strangers when they grow up. It's in their instincts to look after your house, property and specially you! That doesn't mean they are violently aggressive . I'd say - get one if you really really want one, but be prepared it might require a lot of effort from you both and what kind of dog it is. It's not the kind of dog you buy and expect it to be like a retriever kind of dog . EDIT: Just want to add something I forgot. Even though my one is almost impenetrable when it comes to punishment and wanting to get his way - this also means he is almost never scared and he quickly gets over "scary" situations. Yesterday we were walking in the woods and somewhere they were chopping down trees. It was incredibly loud and lots of big, slamming noises he had never heard before. He didn't even batter an eyelid. Same thing with New Years Eve. Growled maybe once at the fireworks but he didn't even raise his pulse and just stood in the garden thinking about it for a minute before he did a pee and walked back in.
I am guessing by the "special training needed" is that old hat way of thinking, these breeds need to be dominated by their owners, otherwise you will have an aggressive dog on your hands, the "you have to show them who is boss", is probably what you are hearing. Sadly I know someone who was pulled that way by her trainer with their young Dobe, the trainer told them, these dogs need special training, they need to be "apha rolled" on a daily basis . otherwise they would end up with a out of control dog the outcome was , the owner got bite and the dog was PTS, due to the heavy harsh handling instigated by a fool calling himself a dog trainer So if you take nothing else from this thread, please take away with you the understanding that anyone that gives you that sort of advice "HAS NO IDEA WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT" smile sweetly and ignore , and please dont go to any trainer who holds those views. As trouble has pointed out, her dobes do NOT need to be treated harshly to achieve a well balanced dog, I also know people who have Bullmastiffs, and the same goes for them, both breeds do have a wired in guarding instinct, that does not mean they will be aggressive or need it to be knocked out of them, this is where socialisation is paramount, that means you have to introduce your put to every thing he will encounter in his or her life, other dogs, children , adults, the outside world, and all it entails, the more you introduce your pup to new things and they see them as normal, the more well balanced he will be. Some breeds , males are a little more strong willed than the females, and both of these breeds can fall into that category . i.e. you may need to be one step ahead all the time, its a bit like, when you ask for something from them, they will ask you back "why" where you may find a female will do it simply because you asked. Strong willed does not equal... aggression or uncontrollable , it simply means you have to be prepared for your dog to question the reason you ask , a,b, c, or you have to think outside the box to get him to work with you. Both breeds are highly intelligent (although the BM may have you thinking otherwise) , so both are very capable of responding to good firm (that does not mean harsh) consistent training. You can start training as soon as your pup comes home, asking for him to sit when you give him a treat, before you feed him, you can start your recall, by calling him to you around the house, all these little things are part of his training. I would probably go for a bitch (unless you really want a dog) as it will more than likely be a little smaller, and maybe a bit more willing to please first , instead of asking "why"!
Oh yeah I forgot the " what's in it for me" attitude lol. Crate training is always a good idea even if you don't intend to keep it up full time. You never know when the dog will need to be confined at the vets etc. and in those circumstances the less stress they suffer the better.
i just want to add with the children side of things that the dog can be as socialised as possible but if those children dont know how to correctly behaved around a dog and interact with it that is when accidents happens. I wouldnt leave any dog with a child unsupervised, all that child has to do is pull the dogs ear or accidently poke the dog ect. and the dog could snap. Not saying that it will happen but I wouldnt leave a child with a dog alone just in case something happens.
Everthing has been said all I can add is -- what work you put in in the next 12mts is what you have for the next 12+yrs
I would agree that you can start training on your pup as soon as you get him home. I've done clicker training with all of mine, and my most recent Australian Cattle Dog puppy was doing sit, paw, down, fetch all at 8 weeks. They are very trainable even at that age! You can't start socialising too soon, as soon as your pup can go out after the jabs then take him/her to as many places as you can think of to broaden his/her horizons. I take mine to town centres, parks, anywhere that he can encounter different stimuli. I haven't experience of those particular breeds but have had large guarding breeds. The males can be quite challenging especially when they reach puberty but if you persevere in a firm but fair way you will eventually come out the other side with a wonderful dog! It's not always an easy path though .. As for how the dog will mature, it's impossible to say unless the breeder has had litters before from that mating. It could take the best or worst attributes from mum and dad, so to an extent it's an unknown. But temperament is very important and if both parents have good temperament then chances are the pup will too. Incidentally, my pup came from a dad with superb temperament but the mother was very unpredictable, however so far he has a wonderful temperament! As has been said I wouldn't leave ANY dog unsupervised with a child, no matter how lovely their temperament, it just isn't worth the risk.
