Anyone have an English Mastiff?

[SamiPolizzi]

I'm thinking about adding another dog to my family. I currently have a little fluffy white mutt (lhasa mix, most likely) and 2 cats. Lately I get nervous every time I here a bump in the night (even though it's usually just my cats bouncing off of walls and knocking things over.) I live in a safe neighborhood and, in reality, I don't think I have anything to worry about. But on the off chance someone ever did decide to break into my house, I would have no way of protecting myself and my son... and that makes me nervous. So I'm thinking it wouldn't be a bad idea to have a dog who could be a loyal and loving family pet and who could also protect my family, should the need ever arise.

So, does anyone have any experience with English Mastiffs you'd like to share with me?

Thanks!

[Arduinna]

My sister does. The dog is a big baby though LOL he is only visually intimidating, he wouldn't hurt a flea. If I wanted one that had actual protection instincts I'd go with a Bull Mastiff instead.

[Ola_]

Honestly, I wouldn't count on a dog to protect you - get an alarm system instead. Dogs are good as deterrents but you can't predict what they will do once someone breaks in.

Also, I don't think mastiffs are dogs for inexperienced owners. They're one of the breeds where I would say you really need to stay on top of their training and socialization because they're such a large and powerful dog. That's one of the reasons why insurance policies often discriminate against them unfortunately (something else to look into). I would be concerned about the size difference between your dogs as well. A totally non-violent move could seriously injure or kill a little dog.

[Arduinna]

Well an alarm system sure isn't going to protect you either. All it is is a warning that someone intruded it provides no actual defense itself, the average yappy dog can do that.