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We own a mastiff, click on my screen name to see a photo. Our breeder gives a lifetime temperament guarantee with each puppy.

However, the instructions on raising a mastiff are very specific: Do not EVER let the puppy put his teeth on a human EVER. Do not EVER play tug of war with a mastiff. Obedience training is essential. Don't own a mastiff if you do not love dogs or if it will not be a house dog, and be sure to socialize your dog properly to people, other dogs, other animals, and the outside world as early as possible. By contract, the male mastiff we purchased was neutered at 6 months.

Our dog is a new mastiff breed developed by Flying W Farms, Fredericka Wagner, the American Mastiff. It is an Old English Mastiff with an outcross early in the breed of Anatolian Mastiff. People may have their opinions on these "new" breeds, but Tinker the Wonder Puppy is the gentlest, kindest, and most intelligent dog I have ever known. We had the help of a female minpin, aged 7, in training him, and they are inseparable friends and our dear furkids.

Mastiffs can have bad temperaments. No such dog should ever be bred, if it has any sort of temperament problem it should be put down as a puppy. They are big, powerful, and very intelligent, and dogs can inherit mental problems that can make them dangerous.

I don't think that anyone who does not have the mastiff as a near-inseparable companion should ever own one. They NEED their people. I have RA, and at times find it difficult to stand up. Tinker will assist me, and he knows what he is doing. One of our granddaughters was three years old when we got him, and initially she was afraid of him...his instinct, bred into him, was to lay down in front of her and be very still, while whining to beg her to pet him. Today, she is 5, Tinker is 2. When she says heel, he gets up and walks at HER pace wherever she wants to go. He knows she doesn't like to be licked, so he doesn't. When she comes up to him, he lays down in front of her--it's like he doesn't want his head to be higher than hers...

Mastiffs are so intelligent, they can have a sense of humor...once, when he was being trained to "lay down" I gave the command, and he laid his head on my lap, but kept his back legs straight up in the air. He will "sing" on command, with Hub...When he was being taught to "speak", I gave the command in a firm voice. He exactly mimicked my tone in his bark--then Hub whispered "speak" and Tinker gave a very soft "woof."

I have never seen Tinker open his mouth in front of a person. He will turn his head, if he needs to pant, but not open his mouth facing any human.

On the other hand, Mastiffs are innately protective. We were told that he never needed to be trained to guard, as it is instinctive behavior...

It is our hope that the American Mastiff breed will be longer lived than most Old English Mastiffs, but we have no guarantee of that. In a couple of years, we are going to buy another one from the same breeder, because these are the finest dogs we have ever known.