# Thoughts on English Mastiff/Pyr



## kycn (Nov 27, 2012)

Looking for a LGD and saw an ad here in Lex KY area on CL for an english mastiff and pyr mix. Can't find research on mastiff and there use to see if that is a good mix.
Thoughts??


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## jbowyer01 (Aug 4, 2008)

Old English mastiffs are called gentle giants. They like to be around their family and are protective. I absolutely adore them. I have a girlfriend that has two of them as service dogs for her two sons that have autism and they are just as gentle as can be. Not sure as to how they would work as a farm (working) type dog though.


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## Pops2 (Jan 27, 2003)

Mastiffs are bred for man work. Crosses of them are widely used to hunt boar in Australia, that may be too much prey drive for them to be safe around stock unsupervised. OTH the cross may have produced a more aggressive guardian than what most modern mastiffs are. If I had to make a bet, I'd say you have a potential powerful guardian that is going to require A LOT of training to get a handle on.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

They are not really bred for the same thing. A mastiff will protect it's territory, but not specifically the livestock. If you really need a livestock guardian, choose which type is best for you and get that one.


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## Whisperwindkat (May 28, 2009)

I would not consider that mix a good one for being a livestock guard dog. A good property guard maybe. An OEM bonds to its family not the livestock and yes they do have a higher prey drive than an LGD would have. I would not trust them around young livestock. However, they do well on a farm (at least ours does). They can be taught to leave it (chickens) and I have my LGD that keeps him in line. They are very smart and train well, but they do have a bit of a stubborn streak. They were bred to work closely with man unlike the LGD breeds that think for themselves. Blessings, Kat


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## kycn (Nov 27, 2012)

Good advice. I forgot to mention they were asking 250$!!! I think I will pass. It probably would make a neat, HUGE dog though.


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## the mama (Mar 1, 2006)

Well, I am officially bat snot crazy. I just got 2 bull mastiff/pyr. Both male about 8 weeks old. So far they are ok with cats, free range pig and chickens in a pen (no interest). Tomorrow they meet the goats and horses. Wish me luck. Now my brother says'I don't know, some kind of mastif'. They look like fila brazileiro. They have been named, Bruce and Duncan.


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## Pops2 (Jan 27, 2003)

the mama said:


> Well, I am officially bat snot crazy. I just got 2 bull mastiff/pyr. Both male about 8 weeks old. So far they are ok with cats, free range pig and chickens in a pen (no interest). Tomorrow they meet the goats and horses. Wish me luck. Now my brother says'I don't know, some kind of mastif'. They look like fila brazileiro. They have been named, Bruce and Duncan.


Not saying you can't be successful, just that the best chance of success with the least chance of tragic consequences is with a pure LGD.


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## Rock (Jan 5, 2009)

the mama said:


> Well, I am officially bat snot crazy. I just got 2 bull mastiff/pyr. Both male about 8 weeks old. So far they are ok with cats, free range pig and chickens in a pen (no interest). Tomorrow they meet the goats and horses. Wish me luck. Now my brother says'I don't know, some kind of mastif'. They look like fila brazileiro. They have been named, Bruce and Duncan.


Just know up front, Fila's are bred to be human aggressive 
*"It is probably the only breed that was selected for centuries to deeply dislike the humans they were not raised with, and, to this day, temperament tests run during championships require the dogs to attack without being coached, to remain self-confident during a shooting test, and to openly show their suspicion of strangers. The standard prescribes that, even at dog shows, Filas should not "allow the judge (a stranger) to touch it. And if it attacks the judge, such a reaction must not be considered a fault, but only a confirmation of its temperament." *


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## GrannieD (Sep 13, 2003)

That is the breeding of our "big" dog..Simon is not animal aggresive & the bark is super to alert to coyotes or neighbor dogs...but he does have the DUH factor when he is on a walk with us & strays too far away..His buddy for 2 yrs. was a gander who stayed with him until I brought a girl goose home..Not sure if he would accept a new goose companion,but he is good with the horses..I don't think the english mastiff is a tough guy like the bull mastiff is..Simon's mom was a lovely friendly dog with a big bark..Dad was the farm calf & goat "watcher" where they lived..It was not an intentional mating & I would say that the mismatch in instincts would make a huge porch dog & keep folks in the car til you show up..GrannieD


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## JLMissouri (Dec 12, 2012)

The best gaurd dog I have ever had was a mastiff. Every breed of dog eats chickens including livestock dogs. Sometimes you get lucky, but training is more important. I never lost a chicken when my Mastiff was on duty. Anything that would make the chickens sqauwk was like a dinner bell for my Mastiff. *****, opossums, he was big enough to take them all. The only thing bad about them from my experience is their short life span. I have had two and both were good around all my livestock.


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## mamahen (May 11, 2002)

I asked this same question a few years ago (I ended up not getting one - but still think the cross sounds ok)
'
Here's the link:
http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/li...mpanion-animals/325938-pyr-x-mastiff-mix.html


Also ozarkjewels has/had this cross and likes it.


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## troy n sarah tx (Dec 31, 2005)

I had a French mastiff that would let the chicks crawl all over him and would run off the cats when they would come near. I wish the picture I have was digital, but it was taken in the late 90s.


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## thaiblue12 (Feb 14, 2007)

If I recall correctly Emily's dog Cyril was a farm dog not an LGD, and I seem to remember Emily saying she does not believe in mixing non-LGD breeds to an LGD and expecting them to work like one. 

If you mix non-LGD breeds together you may get a good all around farm dog but you will never get a good LGD, who stay with the herd when they go out to graze, their main job is to protect, stay with and watch the animals. Mixed bred or non-LGD dogs have a higher prey drive, do not follow the herd, may prefer to guard the area around the home, may prefer to chase, chew on and harass their charges if they get bored. 
I have a Golden who allows goats to graze on him, chicks to crawl over him and ducklings pecking at his eyes. He was raised by me to respect my livestock but that does not make him an LGD. 

LGD are bred for a specfic temperment, behavior and such. Even then you can get some pretty bad ones, so breed and training are very important. When you start throwing in all these herding, hunting, guard and etc breeds you cannot know what you will get.


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