English Mastiffs are the heaviest dog breed in the world. They can weigh up to 230 pounds and grow as tall as 30 inches.
Despite being very heavy and powerful dogs, English mastiffs are very friendly and get along well with cats, other dogs, and humans.
In this post, I’ll mention 7 pros and 9 cons of English mastiffs. So stick to this post to get complete info!
English Mastiff Pros
1: Protective Nature
English mastiffs were bred in England for hunting, guarding, bull-baiting, and dog-fighting purposes.
Although English mastiffs are now renowned for their gentle disposition and enormous size, their guarding instinct has not entirely disappeared. They continue to make great guard dogs.
They are very protective. If they perceive any threat, they act quickly.
2: Loyal
English mastiffs are very loyal and friendly dogs. They love sleeping on their owner’s lap.
They form strong attachments to their owners and are vulnerable to separation anxiety.
They need quality time with their owners despite the fact that they are not particularly active dogs and prefer to spend the majority of their time sleeping.
An English mastiff may not be the best choice for you if you lead a busy life and don’t live with your family.
3: Doesn’t Howl Or Bark Much
English mastiffs don’t howl or bark unnecessarily. They are relatively quiet dogs. It means you will have a peaceful sleep and reading time at your home.
But when they do bark, they bark loudly. Their bark is very deep, it can be heard from far, far out. They can scare intruders with their bark.
4: Doesn’t Need A Lot Of Exercises To Stay Fit
40 to 45 minutes of walking daily are enough for them as they are massive dogs, and their body gets heated up easily.
Their joints are also not that strong to carry a long exercise. Never train them more than their capabilities.
If you want to increase your English mastiff’s running or walking duration, then teach them gradually, improve their diet, and increase exercise slowly, and you’ll see improvement.
Make sure to not go too hard on them as they are not bred for chasing or racing. They are guarding dogs.
5: Get Along Well With Other Pets
If an English mastiff is trained or socialized well, he will never hurt or show aggression toward other animals and people.
In fact, a well, socialized mastiff will love playing with other dogs instead of fighting.
You can see in the video, when a well-trained and socialized English mastiff went to a dog park, he isn’t growling or barking at any dog.
6: Good With Kids
English mastiffs are generally gentle with children. However, their large size may pose a problem because they may inadvertently harm children.
Their bones are strong and they weigh a lot. Even if they only want to play with your children, they will end up injuring them.
Allow your child to play with your mastiff only when you are present.
7: Can Swim
English mastiffs have webbed feet, they are good swimmers. But they need training! They are not born swimmers.
Once they have learned how to swim. You can take them to the pool and enjoy. Remember to not bathe them more than twice a month as excessive bathing can deplete natural oil from their coat which could cause irritation, itching, and other skin-related problem.
8: Eye Catching
Their enormous size is very striking. When you jog or walk, you’ll notice that everyone is staring at you and your English mastiff.
English Mastiff Cons
1: Slow Learners
English mastiffs are not very good at learning new commands and they are a bit stubborn as well.
They are not stupid, in fact, they are actually quite smart and have a strong food desire which can make things easier, but if you are a first-time owner and have no experience in training a dog, teaching an English mastiff new tricks or commands could be a headache.
2: Sleep A lot
They require a minimum of 16 hours of sleep per day. While all dogs require more sleep than people do, this particular breed requires even more.
This aspect of the mastiff may be boring to people who enjoy playing with their dogs or who want an active dog for themselves.
3: Eat A Lot
Adult Mastiffs require a purely meat-based diet. They typically eat 6-10 cups of dry food every day. Muscle meat, organ meat, and bones are their favorite.
Growing puppies need higher amounts of all nutrients in comparison to adult dogs, which means, they eat more than adult and senior mastiffs.
Their eating habit might present problems for some people
4: Need Big Space
English mastiffs, as you may know, are enormous dogs. They require large areas to run around and play in. Yes, they can live in a flat, but that doesn’t mean they enjoy living in a flat.
They want big space for themselves. Otherwise, they’ll spend most of their time sleeping or lying, and that could create problems as doing zero activity could make them obese and increase the chances of diabetes.
I recommend getting an English mastiff only if you have your own lawn or are willing to take your mastiff for daily walks.
5: Can Be Aggressive At Times
You’ll hardly find any article or video in which the author or presenter is talking about the aggressive side of English mastiffs. Most experts praise English mastiffs and tell that they are one of the calmest dog breeds.
Yes, they are not wrong, they are very calm dogs, but there is an aggressive side of English mastiffs that you should be aware of before going for them.
English mastiffs, especially, untrained or unsocialized English mastiffs can attack people. There are several reports about it.
Training and early socialization are very important as they are big dogs can hurt anyone terribly with ease.
6: Shed Heavily
English mastiffs shed a ton, especially, in the summer and fall seasons. You can control their shedding by using a good brush and shampoo.
Brushing your dog’s coat daily can improve his health by preventing painful hair mats and removing dirt and debris. Brushing also circulates natural oils, which aid in the health of their skin.
Also, don’t use your/human shampoo on mastiffs as it can increase irritation and shedding.
There are many great articles and videos present on the internet about which dog shampoo to use. Do your research and choose the perfect shampoo.
7: Drooling
Apart from shedding, English mastiffs also drool a lot. I mean, they don’t drool as much as French mastiffs or Neapolitan mastiffs, but they do drool and it can increase your work.
8: Health Issues
Sadly, English mastiffs are prone to diseases such as Hip Dysplasia, Epilepsy, Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus, Allergies, and even cancer. (Source)
However, you can reduce the risk of disease with vaccination, food, and exercising.
9: Short Lifespan
The average life expectancy of an English mastiff is only 6 to 10 years. Although some English mastiffs have lived for longer than ten years, the majority will leave you alone before that time.
I hope you liked this post.
Thanks for reading!
