breed comparing and contrasting

[Kelli]

So I would like to know people's experience with the three breeds I am considering for the future
1) bullmastiff
2) Doberman
3) Great Dane

In a couple of years I will probably have my first home and I would feel much safer with a large dog to walk/excersise with and keep me company. This dog wouldn't have to be a guard dog as in my property, but more of an extra measure to keep me from being an easy victim when I'm out walking or home alone. I know if anyone wants to do anything bad to me they will find a way to do it so it's mainly to make me feel safer. I would teach it to speak and maybe some kinf od punce where it would jump up on a person just so I could cue it if someone approached me that I felt threatened with.

Thanks!

Thanks!

[LilacDragon]

All three of these breeds are large and powerful and need an authoritative owner. Of the three breeds you have listed - Dobermans need plenty of exercise. A Great Dane or a Mastiff can live quite comfortably with a long walk a day and a couple of short jaunts, but a Doberman is going to need more. And a job. A bored dog is a destructive dog.

Check around. Find a rescue group for the breeds you are interested in and offer to help walk them, transport them, etc. Go to dogshows and talk to breeders. Find people who will tell you not only how wonderful they are - but what their bad points are also. A good breeder wants you to know about drool on the ceiling, hip dysplasia, hair on the furniture, etc. A good breeder will answer every single question you have about their breed - no matter how stupid it may seem. Remember - the only stupid answer is the one you DON'T ask.

Do your homework on each breed. Before you start looking for a puppy - you need to know the genetic diseases common to the breed so that you can be SMART about getting the right puppy. Buying from the first breeder you meet - especially with the larger breeds - can be the biggest mistake you make. All three of these breeds commonly have issues with hips, joints and hearts. If you don't know what you are looking for in a breeder, you could end up with a dog that is horribly crippled and unable to walk before it is a year old or it could drop dead on a walk at the age of 2.

[Cassiepeia]

Bullmastiffs are very active and need quite a bit of exercise too, but of course not as much as the Dobermann.

Have you owned a dog before? What was it about these breeds that made you select them? Would you be willing to consider other breeds?

All three will need a lot of socialisation and training from a young age, particularly the Great Dane and Bullmastiff because their size and weight can cause a lot of trouble as far as control is concerned. The Dobe is a strong breed too, but smaller in size and weight.

I think it's wonderful you're doing your research. I wish more people would do that.

I would teach it to speak and maybe some kinf od pounce where it would jump up on a person just so I could cue it if someone approached me that I felt threatened with.

Be careful teaching it to jump on someone. People can have your dog declared 'dangerous' in an instant and that can result not only in that breed getting a bad (or worse) reputation, but also in your dog being either chained (metaphorically) by a load of rules or PTS.


Cass.

[Dangels]

I think all of the dogs that you mentioned could fit what you're looking for, so I guess the question is.... what are you looking for in temeperament, activitly level, ect. Dobermans are very high energy dogs. They need a lot of attention, and they need a fairly good amount of exercise. I haven't really had too much experience with Bullmastiff's, so I really can't offer a whole lot of information about them, other than that I have heard they are also high energy dogs. The dog breed that I have the most experience with out of the three that you mentioned would be the Great Dane. I raise Great Danes. They are wonderful dogs, very family oriented, they love to please, and they can make great protection dogs, as they are often very protective of their family. Great Danes aren't overly aggressive dogs, but they can do very well in protection dog training. Great Danes are very sweet dogs, and for the most part they are fairly easy to train and handle. They do like doing for walks, but they aren't all that high energy. They are couch potatos, but they love to be with their family, and will follow you anywhere if you allow them to. I'll give you some of the pros and cons of owner a Great Dane.

First, the pros.

1. Great Danes are very family oriented dogs, they love their human companions, and they are very loyal.

2.They are fairly easy to train.

3. When well socialized and trained, Great Danes make wonderful dogs.

4. Great Danes are just as happy living in an apartment in town, as living on a farm in the country. They are couch potatos, and thrive mostly on their human counterparts attention.

5. They are very mellow, laid back dogs.... but they do have their playful times.


Now, the cons.

1. Great Danes have a fairly short lifespan, generally between 6 - 10 years of age.

2. Great Danes have a high risk for many health conditions, such as Bloat, Wobblers Syndrome, Cancer, and Bone/Joint problems. They can have skin and eye issues. Alergies are also common.

3. Most Great Danes shed often, and require frequent brushing/bathing to help.

4. Great Danes on not for everyone, they are very large, powerful dogs. It's very important that they get proper obedience training while they are young. Remember that, although a Great Dane puppy may be very small, it is going to grow into a very large dog. So, what you don't want it to do as an adult, you must train it not to do as a puppy. For example, you may want a cute little puppy to cuddle with you on the couch or in bed.... but do you want a 150lb. dog on the couch or the bed? If not, you have to train the dog that it cannot do those things while it's a puppy. The most common behavior problem I encounter with Great Dane owners is when the dogs are allowed to do something (usually getting on the couch, bed, ect) with they are puppies. Then, when the dog gets to be an adult, the owners will want it to suddenly just stop whatever it was that the dog was allowed to do all of it's life. However, a dog does not understand why it's all of a sudden no longer allowed to sleep on the bed, for example. So, that's a very important thing to remember when getting a Great Dane.

Another tip that I can give you, which would pertain to any of the three breeds you mentioned is, large breed dogs are at high risk of the health conditions Bloat and Wobblers Syndrome. Both can be fatal, and Bullmastiffs, Dobermans, and Great Danes are all at a high risk of getting these conditions.

One thing that you can do to help prevent Bloat, is feed your dog 2 times daily, instead of feeding it one huge meal all at once. Make sure that the dog stays calm for at least a couple hours after eating. Don't encourage the dog to get up and play, go for a walk, ect. Also, do not feed your dog table scraps. Feeding dogs table scraps puts them at an even higher risk of Bloat.

Wobblers Syndrome is a condition caused by the rapid bone growth of a large breed puppy. It's important that large breed puppies are provided with a high quality dog food that contains 24% or less Protein. Almost all puppy foods, including large breed puppy foods contain too high of a Protein level for these breeds of dogs. Which means that large breed puppies should be provided with a high quality adult dog food that contains 24% of less Protein. Feeding a dog food that contains anymore than the suggested amount of Protein will put your dog at a far higher risk of getting Wobblers Syndrome. Two brands of dog food that I would highly recommend for a large breed puppy would be Science Diet Large Breed Adult or Diamond High Energy Adult. Both foods have always worked well with my Great Danes. Science Diet would be my number one choice, however, it is very costly. Especially for a very large breed dog that will be eating a large amount of food per day. Diamond also works well with the Great Danes, but is a little more affordable for someone who can't afford to buy Science Diet.

Please make sure that you find a reputible breeder, who is willing to answer all of your questions, and provide you with information about the breed that you choice, training tips, ect. Do your research, and make sure that the puppy you choose has parents with good temperaments. If you purchase a puppy with an unsound temperament, and try to use it as a protection dog, that could become a very dangerous situation. If you would like the dog to be a protection dog, I would highly suggest that you take the dog to training classes, so that the dog can be trained by a profession dog training. Do not try to train the dog to be a protection dog, and to "jump on a person" yourself. All of the dogs that you have listed are very large, powerful dogs. And, if they are not trained properly, they could become dangerous. Don't get me wrong, i'm not saying that having a protection dog is wrong. The dog in my avatar has had extensive obedience and protection dog training, i'm just saying to have the dog trained by a professional, who knows how to properly train dogs for such things. A well trained protection dog will also be very friendly towards people, not overly aggression, and will do things on command. Any dog used for protction MUST be well trained, because an aggressive large breed dog that has not been properly socialized, and trained can be a very dangerous thing. I wish you the very best of luck in finding the right dog for you, and I hope that you will find the information that I have provided helpful.