12 Pros And Cons Of Owning An English Mastiff Dog
12 Pros And Cons Of Owning An English Mastiff Dog: Advantages and disadvantages of this huge and loyal family dog breed English Mastiff.
English Mastiff is a large-sized ancient dog breed that is popular for its calm temperament and friendly behavior. They can be great family dogs. Owning an English Mastiff can be a great idea and it will change your life completely. However there are some things that can trouble you a little, so it will be good that you will know both the Advantages and Disadvantages of Owning an English Mastiff dog before adopting one.
Pros or Advantages of English Mastiffs
Gentle and Calm
Although they are extremely large in size and have great strength, these dogs are very calm and gentle compared to their size. They can be really good family dogs and can even live with kids if they are grown up with them still they are not good for small kids. Mastiffs are friendly and affectionate to their family. They can also become good to strangers if they are socialized properly.
Read more: English Mastiff Temperament and Characteristics
Protective and loyal
Besides their calm and cool personality, these dogs are very protective of their family and owner. They are of loyal temperament and can do anything to protect their family. They have all the qualities of a good guard dog. Sometimes they become aggressive to strangers due to their defensive and protective behavior. They can also become aggressive to other dogs due to their territorial behavior but this aggressive behavior can be avoided or reduced by proper socializing from the beginning.
Less Grooming Requirements
English mastiffs have a short coat that doesn’t shed too much and only needs weekly brushing to remove extra dead hairs from their coat. The grooming requirements of English Mastiffs are low as compared to other dog breeds. They didn’t get their coat dirty much often.
You can bathe them once a month which would be sufficient for them. All they need is the cleaning of their facial wrinkles to avoid skin infections. If you need a low-maintenance dog then this dog breed would be perfect for you.
Read more: English Mastiff Grooming, Shedding And Health Care
Fewer exercise needs
English Mastiffs are not considered an active dog breed they just need daily walks. The exercise requirement of this dog breed is not high. They are not playful in nature and don’t need much exercise or workouts to maintain their health, you can take them daily for a long walk which would be sufficient for them. If you don’t have much time for exercising or you didn’t like too much exercising and still you want to own a dog, then you can own an English Mastiff.
Less shedding
Many people don’t own a dog because they shed and cause hairs scattered on the floor causing their home to become messy. English Mastiffs are not known to shed heavily, they shed moderately. During shedding season they just need regular brushing to remove hairs. You can also use a de-shedder tool like Furminator or you can bathe them to control shedding in them.
Don’t bark too much
As mentioned earlier English Mastiffs are calm in nature. Due to their kind and calm temperament, these don’t bark too much unlike other guard dog breeds that bark for no reason. They will only bark when it’s necessary, usually, they bark on strangers and other dogs. If your mastiff is barking excessively then it’s the result of poor and improper socialization.
Cons or Disadvantages of English Mastiffs
Prone to many Health issues
English Mastiffs are popular for their large size but this large-sized dog breed is prone to many health problems. They are prone to various health problems including Cardiomyopathy, Pulmonic Stenosis, and Subaortic stenosis.
They are also prone to many bones and joint issues like Cruciate ligament rupture, Hip Dysplasia, and Elbow Dysplasia. Bloat and Obesity are other common health problem that is found in English Mastiffs. Their eyes should also be checked periodically to avoid some problems. Eye diseases that are found in them are Progressive Retinal Atrophy, Entropion, and Ectropion. English Mastiffs need regular medical checkups to avoid health concerns.
Read more: English Mastiff Common Health Issues and Symptoms
They can become lazy
Due to their quiet and relaxed temperament, some English mastiffs often become lazy. They didn’t need much exercise but daily walks and training are necessary to avoid laziness in them.
Drooling problem
Breeds like Mastiffs have loose lips that are not capable of holding the saliva inside their mouth which causes them to drool. Some people may find it cute but some people may find it wrong. English Mastiffs are high droolers. They drool a lot while barking and food foresight can be the reason for drooling.
They make crazy sounds
Most English mastiffs do snore while sleeping and almost all of them make noise while breathing. Although this is not a con still some people can find it disturbing.
Sometimes destructive due to their size
Sometimes English Mastiffs can become destructive unintentionally or intentionally. There are high chances that your dog can break your expensive stuff by mistake. Sometimes they make some mess in the house like breaking a vase while playing or doing any other activity due to their large size.
Training and Socialization
Some English Mastiffs can become aggressive to strangers which is the result of poor socialization. They often become dominating to other pets. So socialization from the beginning is necessary. They also need proper training to avoid behavioral issues. Mastiff training should be initiated from an early age because after growing up they can become stubborn too. It is very difficult to train a massive-sized stubborn dog. It can be a disadvantage to you if you don’t have much time to train and socialize dog.
You can own an English Mastiff if you want a dog that would-
- Be Large in size
- Be Protective
- Barks less
- Not require much Grooming
- Not require much Exercising
- Shed less
- Be powerful
- Be loyal
You should not own an English Mastiff if you want a dog that would-
- Be Small in size
- Be extremely Energetic
- Agile
- Be Aggressive
- Be a Good lapdog
- Have a dense coat
- Bark too much
- Need much exercising
- Need high grooming
Hope you have liked this article ‘12 Pros And Cons Of Owning An English Mastiff Dog’. If you find it interesting please let us know by commenting and sharing it with other Mastiff lovers!
Read more about English Mastiffs-
