38 réponses à ce sujet

[Norskatt]

RPGmom28 wrote...

Sounds like the Mastiff is the way to go. My daughter has a form of autism that makes her socially awkward, so she doesn't have many friends. But still, wouldn't like her to get nipped.

My son has Asperger's Syndrome...be careful choosing a breed based on the looks.. some aren't so good with children with Autism. Mastiffs can be a very demanding breed. They need a lot of exercise and can get quite large.

Modifié par Norskatt, 09 septembre 2010 - 08:12 .

[Mondo47]

Norskatt wrote...

RPGmom28 wrote...

Sounds like the Mastiff is the way to go. My daughter has a form of autism that makes her socially awkward, so she doesn't have many friends. But still, wouldn't like her to get nipped.

My son has Asperger's Syndrome...be careful choosing a breed based on the looks.. some aren't so good with children with Autism. Mastiffs can be a very demanding breed. They need a lot of exercise and can get quite large.

Actually, that is one thing I should have mentioned - they're strong. I mean, just look at the damn dog! They're like small rhinos. There is always an aspect of being able to control your dog when you're out and about with it, and with a mastiff, you will need muscles. They can be as giddy and excitable as any dog, and they will drag you if they want to go investigate something or chase another dog. And while I've never seen a mastiff do anything other than look a bit scary, they have the ability to give a chomp and a half - like any other strong dog. And at the end of the day, all dogs are different, with personalities all their own, and some are less patient and more confrontational than others.

Our biggest, appropriately nicknamed Fatso, was not keen on the E-Word, though. He'd give you the eyes and cry at you if he walked too far. He much preferred dominating the sofa and watching tv. He also liked beer, and you had to cover your pint glass around him because he'd have his tongue in there in a second. He was a slob, let's be honest. He did live to a ripe old age and weighed about 215 lbs (more than my father, and he was a big guy), but he was not typical of his breed. So, you have to bear in mind that an animal that weighs as much as my dogs did needs real strength to control and can cause an injury accidentally - Fatso almost knocked me down the stairs with his arse once...

Purebred mastiffs are good family dogs (I've heard that mastiff/pitbull crosses can be as cranky as pitbulls though). I'll argue that to the bone. They're patient with kids wrestling them, tugging ears, etc. The issue is that a dog that can get that heavy and strong can cause harm without any genuine intention. Also mastiffs, because they bond to a family so closely, are somtimes bad with strangers. Fatso didn't have an aggressive bone in his body, but he would always put himself between vistors to the house and the family and grumble at them... and when a dog that has maybe twice your bodyweight wants to force you out of the room, you have no choice in the matter... and getting him to stand down even if you're his master, is no mean feat. Mastiffs are lovely dogs, but like any dog, individuals are different, and you have to be aware you're inviting a small rhino to live with you. Expect huge food bills and accidental breakages. And drool. Lots of drool

[Dark Lilith]

If you want the best dog for protection then the "ninja chihuahua" is it!

[RPGmom28]

Murphy is a cutie!  Love the colors.


I used to have a boxer named De Niro.  He really did look like De Niro, mole and all, but I don't get credit for naming him, as I got him from someone who didn't want him anymore.  He was very loving and tended to hog the space heaters we had at the time.  Unfortunately he started to have seizures, and the vet determined he had a brain tumor and that he had to be put to sleep. 
So, right now we have a cat named Sadie, and a ferret named Peanut.

Peanut:



Sadie:

Modifié par RPGmom28, 09 septembre 2010 - 10:17 .

[Mondo47]

Just to highlight the "no dog can ever really be second guessed" thing, way back when I was only a few months old, I had an alternative sleeping place. My parents would find me asleep in my uncle's dog's basket, often with my uncle's dog.

This dog, Nero (owner of one hell of an appropriate name), was a scrapper; always fighting other dogs. He was an ugly, neckless English Bull Terrier that would bite anything that moved too slow (including my grandma on more than one occasion) and would snarl, snap and foam at anyone walking by the house. Yet that dog, which was more than capable of turning little baby me into so much hambuger meat, was as patient and loving as a big soft Labbie. I would apparently clonk him on his big ol' head with a plastic teapot and bite his ears, and he never so much as yapped about it. Looking back as an adult now, I would not have any infant of mine within ten feet of a dog like Nero, but I have a very faded (I'd scan it if I had a working scanner) picture my mother found of me and Nero in the basket together. It's probably why I'm more of a dog person than a cat person, but I'd never take any dog's behaviour for granted; a placid dog can turn aggressive, and a confrontational dog can be a cuddlebunny around its family.

As for my folks actually letting me sleep in the dog basket? I guess it's a Northern English thing - we're brought up tough

[RPGmom28]

Mondo47 wrote...

Just to highlight the "no dog can ever really be second guessed" thing, way back when I was only a few months old, I had an alternative sleeping place. My parents would find me asleep in my uncle's dog's basket, often with my uncle's dog.

This dog, Nero (owner of one hell of an appropriate name), was a scrapper; always fighting other dogs. He was an ugly, neckless English Bull Terrier that would bite anything that moved too slow (including my grandma on more than one occasion) and would snarl, snap and foam at anyone walking by the house. Yet that dog, which was more than capable of turning little baby me into so much hambuger meat, was as patient and loving as a big soft Labbie. I would apparently clonk him on his big ol' head with a plastic teapot and bite his ears, and he never so much as yapped about it. Looking back as an adult now, I would not have any infant of mine within ten feet of a dog like Nero, but I have a very faded (I'd scan it if I had a working scanner) picture my mother found of me and Nero in the basket together. It's probably why I'm more of a dog person than a cat person, but I'd never take any dog's behaviour for granted; a placid dog can turn aggressive, and a confrontational dog can be a cuddlebunny around its family.

As for my folks actually letting me sleep in the dog basket? I guess it's a Northern English thing - we're brought up tough

Makes you wonder if pets can detect innocence in a way.  I've had a cat that was vicious in every way to every other person that he saw except for my husband and I, and yet he never laid a paw on my daughter when she was a toddler poking around him.  Same for the dog we had at the time, Jazz.  She was very indulgent of Emma, although she would sigh loudly when Emma approached her and tried to hug her.

[RPGmom28]

Norskatt wrote...

RPGmom28 wrote...

Sounds like the Mastiff is the way to go. My daughter has a form of autism that makes her socially awkward, so she doesn't have many friends. But still, wouldn't like her to get nipped.

My son has Asperger's Syndrome...be careful choosing a breed based on the looks.. some aren't so good with children with Autism. Mastiffs can be a very demanding breed. They need a lot of exercise and can get quite large.

Asperger's Syndrome is also exactly what my daughter has.  I will definitely take a long hard look at how the dog interacts with children before I choose one.  Sometimes the hand flapping behavior and the screeching (yikes!) can be overwhelming to new people or animals.

[massranger]

B3taMaxxx wrote...

Creature of the Wheel wrote...

i think the mabari is loosely based on the rosie o'donnell breed.

 While the facial features are similar, the "o'donnell" isn't as cut.

 I think the Bull Mastif best describes them. The picture of one above hardly does the breed proud. Whether it's a bad angle of the photo, or that dog just isn't akc correct.

I agree with you both, but do think think that the "o'donnell breed" does not do it justice, the "o'donnell breed" does have a helluva appetite but has much more loose skin.

[perlshell]

Old English Bulldog (extinct breed)?

[jcainhaze]

Dogue De Bordeaux.......French Mastif.  This dog was on the movie Turner and Hooch staring Tom Hanks.  I owned a Dogue De Bordeaux years ago and let me tell you this is a very VERY powerful and atheletic dog that can be very menacing.  The breed is also amazing with children and loyal to the death.  I would also say unusually intelligent.  Murdoc was his name.  He actually taught himself things......like incase of potty emergency crap in the bathtub LOL.  Such a smart animal.

Modifié par jcainhaze, 25 janvier 2012 - 09:02 .