I met one today at work. His name was Lucus. I wish I had a picture b/c he was so handsome. He was afraid at first but i spent some time in his room and he warmed up real quick. He was so lovable. I never thought of owning a mastiff myself but I keep falling in love with all the mastiffs at work, especially the English and now Brazilian. So to all the mastiff owners on DF, whats it like to live with one?
Brazilian Mastiff
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Yes, molossers are cool. I’ve never seen Fila (Brazilian Mastiff) in person but a couple I met at the local pet store own one and they said that their dog is not friendly at all. Fila’s natural guard instinct is probably very strong so they don’t seem to like strangers.
Anyway, I own a Tosa-inu (some people call them Japanese Mastiff). He’s 16 months old and weighs about 138~142. Living with one of them, there are pros and cons, of course. I think the key to be a successful mastiff owner is that you have to be in charge all the time. You really have to be in control at any moment. They are physically very strong so if they are not trained properly, they will become your nightmare. You don’t wanna have a 120~150 LBs dog who doesn’t listen to you.
Fortunately, our dog Lennox never give us any major problems but because of his size and stubbornness, it’s a lot of work.
I think the best thing about having one of those dogs is that you will get to meet a lot of people. The dog is a people magnet and no matter where we go, people always come to us. I think because of Lennox, we got to know so many people.
-n
Anyway, I own a Tosa-inu (some people call them Japanese Mastiff). He’s 16 months old and weighs about 138~142. Living with one of them, there are pros and cons, of course. I think the key to be a successful mastiff owner is that you have to be in charge all the time. You really have to be in control at any moment. They are physically very strong so if they are not trained properly, they will become your nightmare. You don’t wanna have a 120~150 LBs dog who doesn’t listen to you.
Fortunately, our dog Lennox never give us any major problems but because of his size and stubbornness, it’s a lot of work.
I think the best thing about having one of those dogs is that you will get to meet a lot of people. The dog is a people magnet and no matter where we go, people always come to us. I think because of Lennox, we got to know so many people.
-n
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The term is ojeriza, which is a natural dislike of strangers. For anyone truly interested I can pm you a link to a post on another forum where it's discussed.
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To me living with a Mastiff is a challenge,a good one but one where you must be the victor everytime,they push you with thier stubborness and independancy.
As for the Fila,i know many people living in Brazil and almost all have a Fila doing its job!,its job is to guard and it does just that,if a Fila doesnt take to you then beware as the outcome wont be a good one!
Laurelin is right the Fila brasilero isnt a breed for everyone.
As for the Fila,i know many people living in Brazil and almost all have a Fila doing its job!,its job is to guard and it does just that,if a Fila doesnt take to you then beware as the outcome wont be a good one!
Laurelin is right the Fila brasilero isnt a breed for everyone.
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I dog sit for a guy that has four of them..... They are quite different than the Mastiffs(English Mastiff) and Bull Mastiffs. They are pretty high drive and hard core dogs. These are anyway. Two of them are imports. I class them in a catoragory that they are more dog than many folks can handle.
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Yeah--I also would put them in a different class than EM's....they are more guarding and stubborn I think that EM's....I have met one Fila in person and I would not compare him to EM's at all, actually...they are very different
The 2 EM's I have owned are the most laid back, non-guard dogs you will ever meet in your life lol Otis is not stubborn at all and neither was my Brutus.
Living with a Mastiff?? Awesome--if you can put up with the snoring louder than a freight train, cleaning the slobber slingers off of the walls and celilings....and even
mad your 50" Plasma TV.....They are the most loving, Gentle dogs you can ever imagine--and that is no exageratoin. Otis is such a lover--he's a people magnet--if we are out there are people all around him-and he loves every minute of it lol He's a total Smoosh butt.
The 2 EM's I have owned are the most laid back, non-guard dogs you will ever meet in your life lol Otis is not stubborn at all and neither was my Brutus.
Living with a Mastiff?? Awesome--if you can put up with the snoring louder than a freight train, cleaning the slobber slingers off of the walls and celilings....and even
mad your 50" Plasma TV.....They are the most loving, Gentle dogs you can ever imagine--and that is no exageratoin. Otis is such a lover--he's a people magnet--if we are out there are people all around him-and he loves every minute of it lol He's a total Smoosh butt.
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Fila's, Cane and Presa's are all "Hard Mastiff" breeds, they are hard wired for gaurding, and that's what they do BEST. You have to do a lot of socializing with them early, introduce them to the people they're going to be around the most, after around a year old, they start into gaurd mode, then it's very hard to introduce them to new people.
Thanx for all the info everyone. I'm not actually considering owning a mastiff but I do think they are amazing dogs. I agree they aren't for most ppl. So far the only ones I've ever met have been sweeties, they are timid at first, most runaway or growl but they come around to be such fun dogs.
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