Mastiff Temperament and Personality
Consider These Pros & Cons Before Acquiring One 

by Ken Alden

What are the Mastiff temperament and personality like? Learning what you can expect before bringing one home is vital information to prevent any later regrets.

Mastiff Temperament and Personality Overview...

If you are planning to adopt a Mastiff or already have done so, you’ll need a guide to breakdown their behavioral traits and the psychology behind understanding those traits. This guide will focus predominantly on temperament and personality pros and cons, but things like drooling and grooming are also important factors for owners to consider. By the end of this guide, you will have a new respect for this ancient breed and all of the love they can contribute to your household! Read More Below...

Pro-tip: Ever try lifting a Mastiff? Their weight can hurt not only your back but their joints when they hop down from cars, sofas or even your bed. To protect your back and theirs check out the best Mastiff ramps on Amazon.com now.

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Mastiff Temperament and Personality – Pros and Cons

This powerful and entrancing breed feels as if they are the size of a horse when you’re standing beside one. A human can only realize how small and weak they are when in close proximity to a breed like this.

The largest Mastiff on record won the Guinness Book of World Records in the 1990s for World’s Largest Dog. His name was Zorba that weighed an incredible 343-pound and measured over 8-feet from nose to tail!

It’s no wonder this breed can be intimidating to pet owners and quite an undertaking to adopt and care for. 

The main factors we weigh out are:

• Personality and temperament
• Family-applicability
• Grooming concerns
• Health concerns

If you are on the fence about this breed, you should know that they are one of the most loving and good-natured dog breeds out there, ranking 29 of 195 Popular AKC Breeds for their adorably sweet nature.

I hope the pros and cons don’t deter you away from this breed because these big “teddy bears” contribute greatly to any family that adopts them.

The Pros of Owning a Mastiff

Some of the major wins for this breed that should sell you on their charm include:

• Their loving nature – Mastiffs are linked back to a mysterious past which trails through Tibet, Rome, Babylon, and Egypt! The exotically large Mastiff breed eventually became known as ‘War-Lions’ by the Romans and were used as Guard dogs around the palaces and royals.
  
  A dog with a purpose always feels more reason for being. Hunting dogs love to hunt, herding dogs love to herd, and your Mastiff absolutely lives to protect and guard your family. 

• They are incredibly loyal – since they were bred to serve and protect, they will latch onto your family like butter on grits. If you take care of your Mastiff and make him/her feel cherished, they will repay you with loyalty tenfold.
  
  
• You will feel safer – Ultimately, who’s going to attack you with a 2-300 bear dog at your side? You will not need to worry about intruders or danger with a secure insurance policy in the form of a loving, drooling pup.
  
  
• They are more gentle-natured than little dogs – Despite being a larger dog that could seem intimidating to many, the larger dogs are known for being the more gentle-breeds. As Psychology Today puts it regarding the differences psychologically in small dogs versus large ones, “These results seem to confirm the stereotypes about small dogs, namely that they are less obedient, more excitable and aggressive, and more prone to anxiety and fearfulness.”
  
  Your Mastiff knows he can eat anyone, so this is why he won’t. It’s a psychological priming of his strength and essentially the source of his teddy-bear like sweetness which is one of the great Mastiff temperament and personality qualities.
  
  

The Cons of Owning a Mastiff

It would only be fair to the pros if we weighed out the inevitable cons. No one’s perfect, right? The cons you should be aware of and consider for the Mastiff breed are:

• The sheer size – yes, he is a cuddly teddy-bear, but he’s a giant one. This is all well and dandy, but what isn’t dandy is the amount of food your Mastiff will require, which one Mastiff owner estimates will cost about $120 per month. This will vary per dog-food brand, but you can estimate about $100 per month for a well-fed Mastiff, which is about $1200 per year in food cost alone.
  
  Those are not the only expenses to consider before adopting a Mastiff.  The vet bills can be nearly $1,000 for the first year of shots alone.
  

• They drool… a lot – we wouldn’t lie to you, and the verdict on these pups is that their drooling is second to none. If this bothers you, it might not be the right breed for your family. You may consider keeping them outside for some of the time which could protect your furniture, but the issue here is that Mastiffs are very social creatures (relating back to their bred-purpose of serving and protecting your family) Which leads us to –
  
  
• They can get destructive – only if they aren’t getting what they need. So if you throw them in the backyard and never spend quality time with your Mastiff or take it on walks, you will quickly see the volatile side of this honey-bear.
  
  Mastiffs can start to tear up the yard, rip up furniture, chew shoes, or bark more than normal. If your Mastiff is acting out in these ways, it means you are not giving him/her something that they need to be satisfied.
  

Pro-tip: Mastiff anxiety, aggression, destructive chewing, jumping up, fearfulness, and other behaviors can be controlled with the right training program.

Here’s a great course that addresses these issues along with many other dog training basics: Check it out now!

• They are not watchdogs – the main difference between a watchdog and a guard dog is that a watchdog won’t attack. To mention a chihuahua again, they are watchdogs because they yap but can’t do much else. A guard dog will take necessary action against danger and not just make noise. So if you don’t want a dog that is capable of the attack-part-of-the-equation – don’t adopt a Mastiff. But get an alarm system.
  
  
• They mature more slowly – A usual puppy is considered a full-grown adult by year 1. A Mastiff will not be considered a full-fledged adult until around year 3. This is due to the Mastiff's large size, which takes more time to grow into. This delay will also cause their mental growth to be slightly slower meaning it will feel like you have a puppy for the first couple of years.
  
  If it feels like your Mastiff is taking a long time to mature, this is normal, and you have nothing to worry about. You will see a shift in their personality to an even calmer temperament by around year 3.
  
  So be patient as this is part of the Mastiff temperament and personality.
  
  

Mastiff Temperament What To Expect

These giants among dogs are as sweet as they are large. These highly intelligent dogs love to have an objective in mind.

Because of this, the Mastiff is very trainable and loves to use their intellect to please you as their owner.

Since they are very trainable, you can tell your Mastiff to sit/stay/etc. and they will listen on command, making them very easy to control and lead. 

The overall Mastiff temperament and personality will be very strong yet soft, calm, even-keeled, and reliable.

Mastiff Personality What To Expect

These dignified animals will be loving and affectionate, wonderful for families. Some words to describe the personality of the Mastiff breed are:

• Loyal
• Loving
• Very affectionate
• Territorial
• Noble
• Instinctive
• Gentle
• Low-maintenance
• Obedient
• Protective
• Well-mannered
• Self-assured
• Calm
• Observant
• Suspicious of strangers

It is important to the Mastiff’s personality and proper development that they receive socialization as a puppy.

A breeder should not sell a Mastiff puppy before the 11th-12th week of their life. Any earlier than this and your puppy won’t have time socializing with their siblings to learn play and socialization with the mother to train them on biting, behaving properly, and trusting others.

Without this crucial time, your Mastiff can misread situations, be too suspicious of strangers, and you risk them attacking a non-threat. Be certain your dog has standard behavior qualities that do not seem odd, aggressive, or beyond their normal three years of puppy-maturity.

Pro-tip: Mastiff's (and their owners) love dog crates…and for good reasons. Crates keep dogs from mischief while you're away, are perfect for house training, for traveling by car, and provide the dog a place to de-stress. Check out the best Mastiff crates on Amazon.com now.

Mastiff Temperament and Personality...Some Final Thoughts

The Mastiff breed is overall one of the calmest and most gentle breeds you can choose.

They will not require a lot of attention from you, won’t require incredible amounts of exercise, and will be very go-with-the-flow. They are affectionate and will cuddle up to the family they love, making you feel appreciated and cared for.

They are easier to satisfy than most breeds and won’t bark much if at all. They’re playful but not too playful and won’t ask a lot from you as an owner in the categories of exercise, grooming, or activity. They will need mental stimulation and bonding time with the family unit to be properly socialized and content.

The Major Takeaway...

• Adopt if you want a "watch" dog not a guard dog
• Adopt if you want a loving family dog, but your kids aren’t too little (over age 9)
• Adopt if you want a calm dog with an even-temperament
• Adopt if you want an easily trainable dog that is intelligent
• Don’t adopt if you hate drooling
• Don’t adopt if you’re intimidated by the size of this breed
• Don't adopt if you can't afford this breed (they eat a lot)
• Don’t adopt if you have young children (under age 9) 

Mastiffs get very attached and don’t respond well to change. Please be certain you are ready to adopt a Mastiff before doing so, or you will most likely break their hearts once they’ve gotten attached to you and chosen you to be loyal to.

Ripping them away from a home that they’ve become attached can lead to destructive and depressive behaviors that impediment their growth.

These eternally loving fur-babies are a wonderful addition to any home and are worth the large poop-scoops. Consider adopting one today from a reputable breeder by using the American Kennel Club’s Mastiff Marketplace Organization of reputable breeders

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I’m Ken Alden. This website
is a labor of love from years of research and personal experiences with Mastiffs.

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