Replies

Remember that Cane Corsos are actually “Italian” Mastiffs. For the purposes of this discussion, I’m using mastiff universally for the large breed.

Mastiffs were bred for Roman bloodsport, and even then, it was their predecessor, not the actual breed we know now, that acted in that manner. Mastiffs were also used for baiting due to their size.

Mastiffs are NOT overly suspicious and will only attack if their masters are threatened. They were bred to be literal guard dogs: they put themselves between their master and the attacker to act as a shield. They do not generally attack unless directly provoked. They do not have the physiology to “catch” a human, esp. if that human is on the run, but they will pin down a person trying to harm their master. That is an advantage to their size.

Mastiffs are generally docile and will be passive around strange dogs, again, unless provoked. Mastiffs are docile around strangers, however, they will put themselves between their master and a stranger unless and until they are told otherwise. As a child, we had mastiffs who would come right up to a stranger to sniff them and then maneuver between the stranger and us as a matter of instinct. We would tell them to go “lay down” or otherwise get out of the way, and they were compliant.

Mastiffs, as with ANY breed, no matter the size, require socialization and should be taken through obedience training at a young age. There’s nothing unique about the mastiff that makes them any more “dangerous” if they’re not socialized. They are not a sprinting breed or otherwise intended to act as an aggressor in protective services. They are deterrent dogs meant to make someone think twice about attacking you.

I’ve been around thousands of dogs in my lifetime. I’ve felt physically uncomfortable around pits on numerous occasions, but I’ve never met a mastiff that felt “off” to me. It’s not in their DNA.