bulmastiffs?

[falabalamb]

We have decided to get a dog sometime in the next year and are now looking into which breed would be best for us (and we would be best for). I grew up with lots of different rescue dogs, collies, greyhounds, golden retriever and some total mixtures who came to us to be fostered, but someone has recently suggested a bullmastiff to me. I know nothing about this breed at all except what I've learned from google searches. Do any of you have any experince of them? We have 3 children aged from 2 and a half to almost 8, decent enough sized garden, cat and guinea pigs. I work 4 hours a day so would be home alone in this time, but would go for a long walk in the afternoon. Thanks very much :)

[mrslaughan]

I don't know anything about bull mastiffs, but have a giant breed that people often ask if he is a bull mastiff cross.
Heres some things I think you should consider

That big dogs get a bad rap...that your dog will be judged negatively purely based on his size. People will avoid you, head in the other direction with their dog to avoid yours. I think this could quite possibly be worse with an actual bull mastiff given that people relax once I say mine is a mountain dog.

He will at some stage pull you over...this can be quite funny, but also a bit frustrating

Your children won't ever be able to walk him without you, purely based on size.

we had to get a bigger car

Knowing all the above I think I would still have got our dog, we had meet lots and been very impressed with their temperaments...but we were lucky in that we had meet the european lines, not the american....the american lines are a bit mad....we didn't realise this until after we got our dog...lucky for us he is from european lines., but this was pure luck.

I would start with what you are looking for from a dog, temperament, size, exercise needs, mental stimulation etc and work backwards from there.

HTH

[falabalamb]

Thanks for your help mrslaughan. I hadn't even considered the reaction I would get from other people, I don't think I'd want people to avoid me because of my dog. I remember being given a wide berth by people when we walked a placid old lurcher we had when I was young, probably just because he was quite big and quite hairy!

[mrslaughan]

it is ridiculous and it really eeerrrkkksssss me, but it happens a lot with people who don't know him.

People who get to know him, can't believe how soft and what a complete teddy bear he is.

and you know I was talking to the ocado man the other day (who had just nearly passed out when he saw Ddog), ...ocado apparently had 96 (or was it 98?) bite injuries last year, and most were from labradors. So prejudice is not fair, but it is there.

[mrslaughan]

we researched breeds a lot (but kept coming back to what we got) , what are your criteria....other than you don't want people to cross the road?
Ours looks very similar to a Bernese (but a little bigger) and short haired....I often think people wouldn't avoid us if we had a bernese, but i definitely was not having a long haired dog.....

[VetNurse]

Lovely dogs but I could not cope with the slobber

[mrslaughan]

oh yes that was on our list - not a drooler!!!

[falabalamb]

I've got my criteria list; child friendly, not too manic as an adult, fun to play with, fairly healthy breed, not prone to separation anxiety when left for short periods of time, definitely not yappy. I'd prefer a rescue dog and I love greyhounds/lurchers but I'm really worried about their high prey drive. Don't mind a bit of drool :) I think deciding is part of the fun, I have lots of lists of pro's and cons...am I just really sad?!

[OscarWinningActress]

I think they're lovely but there's a (very conscientious) Mom at my DC's school that has a gorgeous, gentle Bullmastiff and it's awful to see how many parents make a point of casting dirty looks and steering their children as far away as possible from her. You'd have to be prepared for that as I think their size and build makes them appear menacing to lots of people .

[tabulahrasa]

Drawbacks to a very large dog...

Space, in your car, for a huge crate, lying in the middle of your doorway...or even better behind the door when you're trying to open it, lol.

They cost more to run, food costs a lot as does insurance and vet's bills. (Much bigger amounts of everything) You can't buy any old toy as they just don't stand up to big dog play.

If you get a puppy, there's a couple of weeks where you have to carry them around...but they're really heavy, also they get to adult other breed dog size and still behave like puppies (because they are) and other dogs and people tbh are fairly intolerant because they're already huge.

You're going to at some point have nearly 8 stone of dog to move, either because they're too young to be jumping in and out of cars, after operations...even just neutering or if they get ill or old and infirm.

If they ever do have a bit of a behavioural issue - a big dog who barks at dogs is reacted to very differently than a small dog doing the same thing...if they ever develop a major issue you need to know that you can hold the big dog do that it's under control.

They tend to do things like knock over small children by accident just by brushing past them.

They usually don't know they're big and still try to do things like sit on your knee, lol.

They tend to be slow developers and so you get naughty puppy behaviour for a few years, then they don't live as long, so you only get a few years of adult dog before they're old.

None of those are reasons not to get one, but, they might be things worth considering.

[falabalamb]

Thanks, I really appreciate the advice. Reading about a breed on a breed info site doesn't give you the insider info does it. Tabularahsa, you made me laugh, I remember my gorgeous old Golden Retriever trying to sit on my lap, not exactly comfortable! I'm beginning to think we'd be better off with a smaller dog, but I've never had a small dog

[TooOldForGlitter]

If you are considering a greyhound as an option I can tell you I got mine last October (first hound, always had collies before) and his prey drive is virtually none existant. Two resident garden squirrels who steal bird nuts while he watches. There are quite a few similar low-drive GHs. Worth considering maybe?

[TooOldForGlitter]

Posted too soon. I sympathise with the big dog prejudice too. Though mine is 'just' a greyhound he is a big tall boy and i've lost count of the number of people who cross over the road to avoid us and tear their children out of the path of the terrifying big dog!

[buggerboooo]

We have a bull mastiff pup crossed with a much bigger breed. My god he is a complete pain the the arse. He is 6 months old and already weights 6 stone!!

He is lovely, he loves kids. People do seem wary at first, but because he is so huge people tend to not be able to resist a cuddle!

He is very big, very clumsy, very hungry. He thinks nothing of clamouring all over us for a cuddle. He is just so soft. I am pregnant, and we are really looking forward to our child having the biggest playmate!

[tabulahrasa]

I prefer big dogs too...but there are logistical issues, lol.

To be fair, if you do decide against a bullmastiff - there are quite a lot of smaller dogs before you get to small dogs.

[MissyMimi]

We rescued ours when he was one so I can't vouch for the puppy phase but he is so placid and good with other dogs and children. I think they have a bad rep and I do notice on walks people doing their best to avoid him.

The good thing about big dogs is they tend to just sleep and not get under foot. Bull mastiffs are loyal and make great family dogs

[CastilianHhhhidalgo]

falabalamb If you like sighthounds have a look at whippets, I think they could be ideal for you but then I think everyone should have them

Playful, comical, incredibly loving, surprisingly trainable and very chilled as adults. They will alert bark (sometimes) and some do like to utilise a remarkable array of whingey noises but the vast majority of the time they're practically silent. No slobber, they're pretty much wipe clean except when they roll in poo, shed but the hairs are so tiny you can barely see them and there's not really much of a doggy smell. They also come in a huge array of very pretty colours and you can have endless fun kitting them out appropriately in fabulous collars and with a suitable wardrobe for all weathers

I will admit there are a few downsides. They can be dreadful thieves (in this house if anything goes missing the first place we check is the dogs' beds), good luck keeping them off the furniture (especially if you've just been sitting on it, pre-warmed sofa spots are very popular) and they're addictive

[Scuttlebutter]

I'd definitely consider a greyhound or a lurcher. "Failed" racers with low/zero prey drive do come up pretty often, and again with lurchers it's possible to get one that hasn't been worked or isn't interested. For lurchers, I'd recommend Evesham Greyhound and Lurcher Rescue. They really know their lurchers, and most of their dogs are in foster homes before adoption, so they can give a really thorough, detailed assessment. Whippets are lovely too, though - basically, anything pointy.

[LadyTurmoil]

Want two?! www.manytearsrescue.org/display_mtar_dog.php?id=10773

[soddinghormones]

I think there are 4 main areas to think about when getting a very big, powerful dog

1. Obviously, the size!!! There's a dogue de Bordeaux puppy who goes walking in the same area as us and he's only 9 months but already enormous - weighs more than his owner and if he sits down and refuses to budge she had to wait him out. If there were any kind of emergency and he couldn't walk she'd be stuffed ...
   

1. Reactions from other people and dogs - even doggy people can be wary of big dogs until they get to know them- dpup is quite reserved with the dogue de Bordeaux even though he's v friendly cos he's obviously worried he might get squashed. You almost certainly wouldn't want to take them on the school run with you and other parents may well not want their child to come to tea at your house
   

1. Expense - there's more of everything - food, vets bills (poo), going on holiday with them is tricky
   

1. Life span - most big dogs sadly don't live very long - could you cope with the heartbreak of losing him after only a few years?
   

But it isn't a choice between big dog and small dog - there are lots of lovely medium-sized dogs too

[lucy101]

I grew up with them and would never, ever have one around children after seeing the damage a dog that size can do when one became aggressive. It was truly horrific.

I have also had lurchers and they are just super dogs, I wouldn't hesitate in getting another.

[antimatter]

mrslaughan - people avoid me in the park because I have Jack Russell

I know JRT's have bad reputation but mine is very placid and only interested in being chased by other dogs.

So breed prejudice wins most of the time!

[falabalamb]

ladytears, I actually live just down the road from manytears, I've been looking on the website today. I love lurchers too, don't know as much about whippets but if they're like lurchers and greyhounds then I would probably love them too. Going to look into them now. Thanks so much for all your help everyone :)

[LadyTurmoil]

Oh wow, if you live near Many Tears, you can pretty much have your choice of dog. I would also look at Four Paws Rescue and Hope Rescue, both based in Wales (I think, don't know if near you though) and both have good reviews from other MN Doghouse people.

[CastilianHhhhidalgo]

I'm just going to leave this here

[antimatter]

I would love to have whipped.
They are so affectionate and full of fun.