Mastiff Rottweiler Mix: a serious breed for a serious owner (11 photos)
What kind of dog is Mastiff Rottweiler Mix and would it be a good dog for you?
Mastiff Rottweiler Mix is a crossbreed of the two very serious breeds – Mastiff and Rottweiler – and as such, should be treated very seriously. This is not a dog for just anyone, just like Mastiffs and Rottweilers are not suitable for just any owner.
This is a very large, very strong, and very confident dog that may become a polite, well-behaved giant or a real danger to you and society. What exactly it becomes really depends on you as the owner. This is why it’s so important to understand your own motivation and experience when thinking of owning a dog like this.
Navigation:
Mastiff Rottweiler Mix appearance
Personality
Are they aggressive?
Mastiff Rottweiler Mix and other animals
Mastiff Rottweiler Mix and Children
Activity levels
Pros
Grooming your pup
Feeding your pup
Mastiff Rottweiler Mix Lifespan
Training your dog
Mastiff Rottweiler Mix appearance
Image source: Instagram
Mastiff Rottweiler Mix can be a pretty large dog, especially if they inherit their height and weight from their Mastiff parent. Usually, though, they are somewhere in between a Mastiff and a Rottweiler in size, which still makes them quite a big dog. The coat of Mastiff Rottweiler Mix is short and not very dense. Coat colors can vary depending on what color is inherited. The most common are black and tan like rottweilers or pure tan like mastiffs.
This is a large dog with a slightly more elongated face than a Mastiff and a less square, more elongated head. Their legs are medium-length but the dog itself makes an impression of a massive, powerful animal. And so it is! They have well-developed, muscular bodies, and very powerful large jaws. This dog can become a real force in guarding or protecting work, but they need a knowledgeable, experienced, and dedicated owner to raise them to be well-behaved, non-aggressive, and safe.
Image source: Instagram
Mastiff Rottweiler Mix Personality
A mix of Mastiff and Rottweiler, Mastiff Rottweiler Mix has some of the best qualities that the two breeds possess. First of all, this is a very intelligent dog, with a well-developed sense of self, confidence and good intuition. They are able to make decisions quickly and independently and have excellent reaction, which makes them great guard dogs. However, these great qualities have a downside.
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You should only think of getting this dog if you are absolutely sure you will be able to invest lots of time in training the dog. They need a strong hand. This dog absolutely tends to dominate, and if you are not able to control it and teach it to obey, this is not a good dog for you. THIS IS NOT A GOOD DOG FOR INEXPERIENCED OWNERS.
You should only consider this breed if you have a particular goal (such as guarding) and a skill set and time to sculpt this dog’s behavior to make them obedient and safe. They absolutely need training, discipline, and an owner that knows what they are doing.
This is very much a working dog, and they need work to do, otherwise, they get bored and frustrated very quickly. A bored and frustrated Mastiff Rottweiler Mix is not a dog you want to even be near! (Let alone spend every day with it.) They need physical and mental tasks to do every day to stay happy and to expend their energy.
Image source: Instagram
This may not be the most motivated dog at all times, in fact, they can be lazy and stubborn when it comes to doing something you want them to do. You will need a very strong hand and dog training know-how to be able to successfully train this dog. It is best to use a professional dog trainer’s services in working with this dog.
Mastiff Rottweiler Mix could be a suitable dog for a single person or for a family without small children. This dog is very large and can harm a child even just by accident. If you are an active person who loves the outdoors, you would be a better fit for Mastiff Rottweiler Mix than someone that is less active.
Are they aggressive?
Yes, they can be. Or they can be very friendly and love everyone. They can also be a very kind, patient, and calm dog that will one day attack their owner out of the blue. The thing is, a lot depends on how well you raise and socialize the dog and whether their life conditions are suitable or not. A bored, frustrated, lonely and depressed dog can be very dangerous. So can an uncontrolled Mastiff Rottweiler Mix.
Sometimes a dog just gets old and becomes irate and uncontrollable. This can happen with any breed, it’s just that Mastiff Rottweiler Mix is a very large and very powerful dog, potentially capable of bringing serious harm. This is why you need to think twice (or ten times) when considering adopting a dog like this.
Mastiff Rottweiler Mix is a dog that will only really listen to one owner. They will pick the strongest person in the family and treat that person as the alpha leader, or try to dominate over everyone. This is a complicated dog, not an easy breed for weaker-minded individuals and definitely not for someone without much dog knowledge and experience.
Mastiff Rottweiler Mix and other animals
Image source: Instagram
Like with any breed, everything depends on each individual dog. Your Mastiff Rottweiler Mix may be totally cool with other dogs and cats if the dog grew up surrounded by other animals. Socialization is very important, including exposure to other animals from a young age.
Even then, you need to be cautious. Very often a young Mastiff Rottweiler Mix will be friendly and happy around other pets and suddenly switch once they become older. Once the puppy turns into a young adult, a lot of aggression issues may arise. Your dog may suddenly become very aggressive towards other dogs and cats. A Mastiff Rottweiler Mix male is very likely to be aggressive towards other male dogs.
Mastiff Rottweiler Mix and Children
A Mastiff Rottweiler Mix will usually be fairly safe around your own children if the dog has grown up around them. However, they can potentially be dangerous towards other people’s children. The children’s loud noises and abrupt movements can be perceived by your Mastiff Rottweiler Mix as a threat and you never know how they will react.
Image source: Instagram
It is absolutely crucial to make sure other people’s children do not approach your dog and do not try to play with it. (Unless your dog is still a very young pup, in which case they are likely safer).
Activity levels
Image source: Instagram
As mentioned before, the Mastiff Rottweiler Mix is a very active dog that needs physical exercise daily. This means walks! At least two or three a day, with one over an hour long. At least! It would be even better if you could do something active with your dog together, such as hiking, playing Frisbee, jogging, agility, etc. This will strengthen the bonds between you and your dog and make your dog happier.
Pros of this crossbreed
If well- raised, well-socialized, and fully mentally healthy, this is a happy, friendly, and active dog. They love their families and are always ready to protect their family members. They can be very dependable as guards and protectors: their sheer power will make an attacker think twice before making a step towards you.
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This is also a very sensitive dog. They can feel any tension and negative emotions in the family and can also become tense and unhappy because of it. A negative psychological climate within the family can even lead to an attack on a family member.
This is a type of dog that needs to be watched very closely every time you have visitors. You never know how your dog will react to a stranger, so it’s best if the dog is contained in a separate room when the guests arrive.
Grooming your pup
Mastiff Rottweiler Mix generally doesn’t need too much grooming. Their short coat only needs to be brushed once or twice a week. Depending on the conditions outside and the amount of dirt your pup tracks into the house, you may want to wash their paws regularly, but bathing should only be done once a month at the most, or even just 4-5 times a year so as not to wash off the natural protective barrier on your dog’s coat.
You will have to use dewormers regularly, as well as sprays for ticks and fleas. Ears and eyes need to be wiped regularly, as well as inspected for signs of infection. Don’t forget to help your dog clean their teeth too, with a special dog toothpaste and brush. You will also need to vaccinate your pup according to the vaccination schedule that you can get at your vet.
Feeding your pup
Image source: Instagram
In terms of feeding, many owners offer a mix of commercial food (dry and wet) and natural feeding (such as raw or cooked meat, vegetables, and porridges such as oatmeal). Natural feeding, especially fresh meat, is very healthy for dogs and may provide extra vitamins and minerals that may be limited (or not fully absorbed) from commercial foods.
Mastiff Rottweiler Mix Lifespan
On average, Mastiff Rottweiler Mix can live around 8-10 years. All big dogs have shorter lifespans, so this is a healthy lifespan for a dog this large. Of course, the health of your dog will affect their longevity. Both Mastiffs and Rottweilers are some of the healthier and sturdier breeds so the likeliness of a serious genetic disease is low.
Training your Mastiff Rottweiler Mix
Training is absolutely crucial for Mastiff Rottweiler Mixes. This is a large and powerful dog with a complicated personality. It is not a safe breed for just any owner. In fact, this can be a very dangerous breed, for both the owner and the people around them. This dog needs a disciplined, strict approach as well as knowledge and experience from you as their owner and trainer.
Image source: Instagram
You will need to begin training your Mastiff Rottweiler Mix from a very young age when they are still pliable and are easy to train. Around the 4-6 months age range, a young Mastiff Rottweiler Mix will go through their first “crisis”, when they start changing from a puppy to a young adult and start to display such qualities as stubbornness, disobedience, and even aggression.
This is when it is absolutely crucial to train your dog to nip all negative tendencies in the bud. By around 9-10 months mark the personality f your dog will be already fully formed, at which point it will be hard to change anything.
While training, your dog has to know that you are the one setting the rules, and they are the one following. Never allow any disobedience. Never encourage negative behaviors. Don’t treat your dog as just a puppy: any habit they pick up at puppyhood will stay with them for the rest of their lives, so this is the time to try and bid them to your will as much as you can.
Sources
Other Mixes:
Cane Corso German Shepherd mix
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