Mastiff
Learn about the temperament and personality of the Mastiff. Discover what he's like to live with, his traits and characteristics and how he generally behaves. And look at lots of Mastiff photos.

Mastiff: | ||
---|---|---|
Ease of Training | ![]() |
Explain rating |
Intelligence | ![]() |
Explain rating |
Shedding | ![]() |
Explain rating |
Watchdog | ![]() |
Explain rating |
Guard Dog | ![]() |
Explain rating |
Popularity | ![]() |
Explain rating |
Size | ![]() |
Explain rating |
Agility | ![]() |
Explain rating |
Good with Kids | ![]() |
Explain rating |
Mastiff Temperament
These massive, gentle giants love people, especially their families. They are incredibly devoted, affectionate, and protective pets. They will want to be by your side at all times, often napping on your feet or with their enormous head in your lap. They do not do well if left alone for hours at a time. Loneliness will cause anxiety and destructive behavior. A Mastiff requires a lot of affection. They love nothing more than to cuddle and be hugged, and are even known to "ask" for hugs frequently. They are calm, good-natured, and docile dogs who like to take naps. A rare combination of gentle and powerful, the Mastiff was bred to be a guard dog. They do not bark much, unless there is a reason, and they are an intimidating presence at your front door. They require about as much exercise as the average person, and are not into playing fetch. If you throw a ball, your Mastiff is liable to decide to take a nap on the way to get it. The Mastiff is a smart breed, sensitive and eager to please you. He will definitely be part of the family and will want to spend as much time as possible with you. They are great with children. In fact, they are so patient that parents must be vigilant about protecting the Mastiff. Mastiffs have been known to let children abuse them without flinching. On the flipside, parents must also watch out that the Mastiff doesn't accidentally knock over a small child with a happy wag. As for flaws: Mastiffs are very loud snorers and many of them tend to fart a lot too. They also like to dig. However, they do not like to wander, and prefer to stay close to home. They are friendly and aloof with other dogs. As for other animals in the households -- some Mastiffs do well with them and some don't.
Mastiff Training
The Mastiff is the hardest to train of all dog breeds. He learns new commands slower than all other breeds. You will need to be extra patient when Training him.
Mastiff Shedding
The Mastiff sheds a fair amount of hair. You'll find hair stuck to your couch, carpets, clothes and everything else in your home.
Mastiff Grooming
The short coat of the Mastiff only requires an occasional brushing. But because he sheds you may find yourself brushing him once or twice a week to remove loose hair. (What you get out with a brush doesn't fall out in your home!)
Adopt a Mastiff
Mastiff Photos
Rating: Ease of training
Tells you how easy or difficult a breed is to train.
A higher rating means the breed is easier to train, a lower rating means the breed is harder to train.
An easy to train breed require less time and patience to train.
Rating: Intelligence
Tells you how intelligent a breed is in terms of how quickly it can learn commands from humans. A higher rating means the breed will learn your commands faster (and is therefore generally considered to be more intelligent), while a lower rating means the breed will learn your commands more slowly (and is therefore generally considered to be less intelligent).
Keep in mind that this is only one way to measure a dog's intelligence and a low rating might still mean the breed is highly intelligent in other ways.
Rating: Shedding
Tells you how much hair the breed sheds. The higher the rating the more hair the breed sheds.
Rating: Watchdog
Tells you how good the breed is at being a watchdog and raising the alarm when a stranger approaches. A higher rating means the breed will bark vigorously to warn you of a stranger's presence on your property. A low rating means the breed probably won't bark much if a stranger enters your property.
Rating: Guard dog
Tells you how good the breed is at being a guard dog due to the appearance, size, and strength of the breed. A breed with a high guard dog rating will make an intruder think twice before stepping foot on your property.
Rating: Popularity
Tells you how popular the breed is in terms of ownership. A higher rating means that more people own the breed. The more popular a breed is the easier it is to find and purchase one because there are more breeders breeding it.
Rating: Size
Tells you how large or small the breed is. A lower rating means the breed is smaller and a higher rating means the breed is larger. It gives you a quick idea of how physically large or small the breed is compared with all the other breeds.
Rating: Agility
Tells you how agile the breed is. A higher rating means the breed is fast and nimble on its feet while a lower rating means the breed is heavier and slower on its feet.
Rating: Good with kids
Tells you how good the breed is with children. A higher rating means the breed is good with children. Note: all breeds are generally good with kids when they're raised with them.