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I have recently started my research on finding a "good" Big Dog. I will be a dedicated "good" owner therefore I understand that you get out of a dog what you put into it's training. My personal preferences are Labs. I love Chocolate, Golden, Yellow, Black. I also like the Mastif. English & Bull & the saint bernard. Although I heard that the mastiff slobbers all over the house & kids and the saint bernard has long hair & sheds massivly.
I have personal reasons not to choose the German Shepard and the Rottweiler (please do not ask).
We have toddlers in the house and I am curious to ask your personal opinions on which is the best big dog for a home with toddlers?
Well, I am biased.
We are on our third English Mastiff, we got our first when our oldest was 10 and the youngest was 4. Our kids are now 23 and 17.
Mastiffs are sweet, adorable, and gentle with children.
I just can't tell you how much I love the breed. We are mastiff people forever.
I've thought about German Shepherds or another smaller breed, but probably we are stuck on mastiffs, either bull or English.
HOWEVER.
They do slobber.
But that's not the main thing.
Their biggest issue is that they are *so* devoted to you--they are not a dog to be left alone outside all day or shut up in the basement at night. They need to be part of the family. They do shed, but probably not as much as a long-haired St Bernard. They need firm training, yet their feelings can be hurt easily. They are big babies.
They DO NOT need tons of exercise, room, and food. They are really pretty mellow. But they do enjoy their routines. Elwood gets two nice walks a day.
PLEASE if you do look into mastiffs, buy from a reputable breeder who breeds for temperament. Nobody should ever purchase from a backyard breeder, but when you are looking at a dog that can reach 200 pounds, you especially need to pay attention to temperament, hips, etc. Research the mastiff breed a bit to make sure you can handle it. The guy who wrote The Right Dog For You, Daniel Tortora, is a mastiff owner and understands the breed.
Cil, I love the mastiff and cat picture. That's a beautiful dog.
If you're considering REALLY big breeds, Great Danes are wonderful with children. We had one that just about tip-toed around small people. The only drawback was his tail. He didn't have a lot of control over it and it could take out small buildings.
Irish Wolfhounds are good, not only with children but other dogs and cats.
If you want to stay in the mid-range, I think you're right on target with the retrievers. It's nice to see that you're researching and planning on training.
We have a yellow lab, and a toddler. He's excellent with her. Has been since she was born. He is a very laid back dog, she can climb all over him, ride him like a dog, pull his ears, tail, poke him in the eyes...not a flinch. He will let him put her hands in his dish when he eats, and in his mouth when he's not. He's a bit of a whiner...I hear that is not unusal about a lab. Overall, could not ask for a better dog for a kid.
We have two goldens (they are our only children) they both love to play with kids. But we are biased as well...total golden people
My friend has 3 great danes that are all fantastic dogs too. I just can't handle the short life span
I also have a friend that has a bull mastiff, so she's smaller than the full sized mastiffs, and she doesn't seem to slobber so much and is a super sweet girl.
I really do believe that with good training, any breed you choose can be great with your kids. I work with a lady that has two pitts that are therapy dogs and great ambasadors for the breed.
Good luck finding that perfect fury family member!
Well, I am biased.
We are on our third English Mastiff, we got our first when our oldest was 10 and the youngest was 4. Our kids are now 23 and 17.
Mastiffs are sweet, adorable, and gentle with children.
I just can't tell you how much I love the breed. We are mastiff people forever.
I've thought about German Shepherds or another smaller breed, but probably we are stuck on mastiffs, either bull or English.
HOWEVER.
They do slobber.
But that's not the main thing.
Their biggest issue is that they are *so* devoted to you--they are not a dog to be left alone outside all day or shut up in the basement at night. They need to be part of the family. They do shed, but probably not as much as a long-haired St Bernard. They need firm training, yet their feelings can be hurt easily. They are big babies.
They DO NOT need tons of exercise, room, and food. They are really pretty mellow. But they do enjoy their routines. Elwood gets two nice walks a day.
PLEASE if you do look into mastiffs, buy from a reputable breeder who breeds for temperament. Nobody should ever purchase from a backyard breeder, but when you are looking at a dog that can reach 200 pounds, you especially need to pay attention to temperament, hips, etc. Research the mastiff breed a bit to make sure you can handle it. The guy who wrote The Right Dog For You, Daniel Tortora, is a mastiff owner and understands the breed.
mastiffs are awesome, if I thought I could handle another monster dog I would get one!! Ever looked into the italian?
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/gregsbabe1/italian_mastiffJUNI.jpg (broken link)
Nea
Is that a Cane Corso? Or is it a brindle Neopolitan? (Never heard of a brindle Neo, but I am certainly not an expert on Italian mastiffs.)
I have met a bunch of Neos and loved all of them--the ones I met were family dogs. Did you know that they can come in brown colors? I love that blue-grey color that most of them are.
Never met a Cane Corso though.
Nea
Is that a Cane Corso? Or is it a brindle Neopolitan? (Never heard of a brindle Neo, but I am certainly not an expert on Italian mastiffs.)
I have met a bunch of Neos and loved all of them--the ones I met were family dogs. Did you know that they can come in brown colors? I love that blue-grey color that most of them are.
Never met a Cane Corso though.
It is a cane. We were walking Cujo and a man approched with him. Beautiful Dog and very friendly. I love the Neo's as well. My friend has the Bull mastiff and he is a big love. BTW Your cat has a great face!!
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