American Mastiff
Narrated from: Dog Breeds
When we think mastiff, we normally think of a massive, lovable, drooling puppy, no matter how old they are. However, the American Mastiff is not a huge drooler. They have a drier mouth than any of the other mastiff. The American Mastiff is a very strong dog that must be properly raised by someone with a firm but calm demeanor. He must be well socialized and obedience trained early, before he gets too big. Any dog with that much bulk will be a total nuisance in the house if he is not trained early. You simply cannot help yourself from falling in love with his antics and you can see the happy-go-lucky attitude in his amber colored eyes. He will have an adorable black mask on his face and his fluffy coat is just too huggable! His feet are huge and his tail is long. The puppies are usually born dark and lighten as they grow. Generally you will find them in colors ranging from fawn to apricot and sometimes brindle.
They are quiet, calm dogs and they are always loyal and loving pets. They are among the breeds considered to be giant dogs reaching a hefty 28 to 36 inches in height at the shoulder and they can weigh as much as 200 pounds. They are protective, even though most are intimidating in size alone, and they are not known for aggression at all unless someone threatens their family. The American Mastiff truly loves their human pack, especially their children. They will quickly become fearless defenders if their children are threatened! You can expect them to be wise enough to train easily as long as you are patient with them. You can also expect total devotion from them. Again, he needs a calm assertive trainer who is patient and who is a good leader and can make him understand what you want from him. If you do not have the strong leadership and training skills you may want to call in a professional trainer for this kind of dog. That way you can guarantee a good, long, loving relationship with him. As with most very large dogs, his lifespan is not as long as most would like but you can expect about 10 to 12 years of wonderful companionship with him.
The American Mastiff is usually a very healthy dog with very few real health problems. Of course, they can have any of the large dog issues that are so often found in large breed dogs such as hip dysplasia. As big as they are, they can live in an apartment as long as they are exercised daily. They need to burn off more energy as puppies than they do when they are fully grown, but exercise should always be encouraged. He can easily become a giant couch potato if you let him. They would prefer to be lazy but with some encouragement from you they are less likely to become overweight. As with any breed, being overweight will shorten their lifespan.
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