Neanderthal

iTrader: (6)

We look after my friends English Bulldog when he's away on hols/business trips.
When he first bounded in (he was only 10 months old - I was expecting a pup..) I thought "what have I agreed to.." but 2 days with him in the family we didn't want to give him back. What an absolute joy he is. Can be frisky with our 4y/o son but we never leave them alone.
What's great is that even at that young age he was obedient, great off the lead and soft as anything.

My son is now on board with wanting a dog, but of course he wants one the same as Charlton. However, I'm not sure if he is just a good dog or a trait of the whole bread? I'm aware of their short lifespans though which puts me off.
Oh and for a short haired bread he was shedding terribly when we had him (3rd time) a few weeks ago.

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

You'll have to make a trip out to Istria in Croatia if you want to see him busta, or you could just send the Mrs alone.

Here's what I think about mine.

Very intelligent dog, they make a very strong bond with their owner, he's always by my side and knows what sort of mood i'm in, he's always alert and can hear 500m away when someone puts a foot on my road and is on it with his nice deep bark in what ever direction the sound is coming from, as people get closer his hairs on his back stand up and his posture changes, I have encouraged this though, he stops everyone in their tracks. He is just as the breed description regards temperament, and good with kids never jumps up but he will come and lean on you which is a bit un nerving for some people he was a bit overly friendly as a pup, just wanting to play mostly but now less interested in people outside of friends and family.

Bare in mind mine IS a guard dog out in the middle of nowhere so I've Encouraged him to be this way, but also given him a target group of men and rewarded / praised accordingly and he really gets it, neighbours 7yr old son and wife turn up and he's happy as larry some random bloke and you wouldn't think it was the same dog, but I have socialised him with them since being a pup, I think a certain amount of it is in the breed anyway which is why I went for a Cane Corso, he's still a bit head strong but I like that, he's also a bit young at 2 1/2 and likes to play fetch and going in the sea, he's coming on nicely.

All in all he's probably the best dog i've had and i'm really pleased with him.

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

I'd also add that he's not sedentary like some big dogs, these are more a working dog breed and quite active so long walks with plenty of off lead time, make sure it's hungry when you go too and start recall training immediately with some nice treats as a reward, if your mrs can't whistle best to buy one as they move pretty fast, could easily take down Usain Bolt. he's also Very agile, most agile of the mastif breeds I believe.

Oh and yes he's an Italian Mastif, but you probably know that by now.

bustaMOVEs

iTrader: (31)

Lol, cheers ditch.

Just a couple of photos so I can come back and look at them

Bourbouel dog



Cane corso



See the simlar looks

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

Yeah, although they look a bit shorter and thicker set than mine, he's a bit taller and slender a kin to a Rhodesian ridge back in height but a bit stronger built than the ones i've seen in the flesh, mind you his lines were probably chasing wild boar and deer all day out here.

bustaMOVEs

iTrader: (31)

Hence why I like the borobeoul dog slightly more due to not as lanky in height, just right.
But face, you can't tell them apart as long as they have the ears in place.

Well we shall see how far I can get with the wife, otherwise it's going to be a choc or red fox labrador.

filanann

Staffordshire Bull Terrier all day long.

JA1987

Heres some pics to help convince the mrs a Dogue De Bordeaux is the way to go.

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

Well I really wanted a Dogo Argentina but they are banned in the UK so no chance of ever taking it there if need be.

I don't like slobber though, so this one suits me perfect.

bustaMOVEs

iTrader: (31)

Yep lovely dogs.
I'd be happy with any of the 3.

SLHawkWagon

I second that..Iv got 3 of them and as long as you train early and socialise them properly they are great..

They dont call them "NANNY DOG" for nothing.

The Boerboel would be my 2nd choice but not really great with small kids unless you have a massive amount of time to train them..Very stubborn breed.

bustaMOVEs

iTrader: (31)

Me and the wife have talked about staff bulterrier, and she has agreed as they are not as big (right size in her mind) how common are the health issues on these as not popular but anyone had any probs with these.
Also 1 downfall is chavs have these as status dog and show off with the. Which gives them a bad 'look' but also very popular with all types.

I do like the blue eyes (think they are called? Grey coat) and also like the sandy colour ones.
So this could be an option for us.

(I still want my choice though)

SLHawkWagon

Well I have a brindle dog, Buster hes coming up 10yrs old now, upto press only non routine vet trip was when he got stung by wasps and he swelled up like a balloon.
Belle is our little one shes brindle and white pied (in some peoples eyes the brindle and brindle pied are the proper staffy colours )
But Jazz is our youngest at 4yrs old and he comes from Sharoc lines and is a beautiful deep red colour.
The Blue colour is a diluted black gene and not originally classed as one of the breed standard colours, they are the ones that are mostly found with big studded collars and harnesses on thicker than needed chain leads,attached to tracksuit wearin Youts..
When you are looking for a pup go to an accredited breeder.Make sure the parents are health tested for info see here http://www.staffords.co.uk/sbtbc/health_issues.htm

Champ dogs is a good way to go about doing your homework too..

Luan Pra bang

Get a rottie, perfect dogs don't get a ridgeback the have a habit of wrecking the house the second you leave them alone.

bustaMOVEs

iTrader: (31)

Have you not read the thread regarding rottie?

stormyuklondon1

Tbh, you could say that about any dog that's bored. Our ridgebacks 10 years old and we've never returned to carnage! However, you never leave anything edible on the table and walk out. It has a habit of mysteriously disappearing..

Matteeboy

Some lovely dogs here!

I have dog guilt; a stray terrier covered in fleas decided to attach itself to us (we were free camping in Galicia). Many attempts at trying to get rid of it (it was actually quite cute) failed and it kept hiding under our van.

I dragged it out and flung it down the road; must have landed badly because the poor thing really yelped but STILL came back! I picked it up and deposited it about 500 yards away. Message finally received.

I still feel bad...

fatscoobfella1

iTrader: (1)

Im not suprised...

Devildog

Matt, up until now I've given you the benefit of the doubt.

But dragging any animal out from under your van and flinging it down the road causing it pain is a) unacceptable and b) confirms to me that you are, in fact, a complete ****.

stipete75

Message well and truly received,you are a ******* prize PR1CK!!!
Do us all a favour and deposit your self far away from snet.
N0B

Matteeboy

Hang on guys, this was a flea ridden stray dog that wanted to get into our van and wouldn't leave us alone. I don't know what happened when it yelped; I assume it was just shocked.

What exactly would you pious old gits have done?

It wouldn't go away, wanted food from our rubbish bin and was constantly scratching. We have young kids and I was worried it might be aggressive (it wasn't).

Please now give me the correct way of dealing with this before descending into childish insults.

I was actually very careful when I took it down the road.

Jesus some of you will jump on anything to insult anyone.

You won't find a person that likes dogs more than me. Or has a better trained one.

gazney101

iTrader: (5)

You should feel bad.

What goes around comes around. I hope you bump into an unsociable american pitbull and rips one of your legs off next time youre out n about just for good measure

Matteeboy

I see, I should have taken it home and looked after it for life.

Some of you are genuinely retarded.

No worries though, I'll go. Bye.

stipete75

Flea ridden, hungry and smelly for a reason.
I would of,and have done the opposite. The dog needed help not to literally thrown back on the heap.

classic Subaru Si

Highly recommend a staff. Picked ours up at 8 weeks old, just turned 7 months now. Really well behaved, even at this young age - never chews anything, unbelievable with kids and other adults - and great with other dogs too. The wife insisted on a staff, I wasn't too keep (mainly due to the bad owners/press/ other peoples opinion of breed etc) I always wanted a rottie, but I can honestly say she's a great dog. She's blue by the way, and called Daisy. I'd post some picks up, but can't be arsed with the photobucket carry on...

classic Subaru Si

Yep, you sound rather special when it comes to the love of a dog We were in Havana a few years ago, a dog latched on to us - This thing was also covered in flea's, not one bit of meat on it - bones sticking out all over the place. Honestly looked like it was it's last day on the planet. Did I sling it down the road? No mate, I went and bought a bottle of water. Wife poured it in to my hands and the dog lapped it up. Locals probably thought we were mental, but hey ho poor bugger needed help.

scoobysteve1983

ive had a staff, he was great. very few health issues. currently I've got 2 dogue de bordeaux's and an american bulldog. i cannot recommend the temperament of the bordeaux's highly enough. they are loyal, loving, protective of the whole family and great with kids. the only issues are like you say, the amount of slobber is unbelievable. it gets everywhere when they decide to shake, on the ceiling, walls, kitchen units etc not to mention getting on strangers clothes (who always seem to walk by as they shake, resulting in looks that would be given if i'd just thrown **** at them). the other problem with the breed are the health issues. I'm on a bordeaux group on Facebook with about 3000 members i believe. it seems that there are a few posts daily about different people having lost their dog, most commonly and unfortunately due to bloat. they do suffer from lots of issues ranging from skin problems to eye problems to heart problems. the average age is around 5-7 years. the american bulldog is very good with kids, protective of the whole family, if my girlfriend walks him then most people tend to cross the street, i think its because he walks with his head held high, assessing the situation. they are agile, athletic, very short coated and very very powerful, but very placid at the same time. Average life span ranges from 10-15 years with the major health issue being skin conditions caused by grain allergies (easily avoided through good diet). in terms of character, I've never had a dog like him. he sits like a human (right on his *** with legs poking straight out) he's very very intelligent, was fully house trained in under a week! looks at you and you can tell he's more human like than the 2 bordeaux's, lots of energy but more than happy to be lazy if its raining. i would highly recommend one if you have the time to put in during the training phase. they can be stubborn if not highly trained.

Devildog

How dare a suffering animal try and find refuge

No Matt, it wasn't shocked. Dogs only vocalise pain when it really ****ing hurts. In your own words:

I'd have shown it some kindness, not ignorant cruelty.

It was hungry and had a flee infestation. Of course it wanted food and was scratching.

I'd have given it some food and water a good distance from where i was staying. That way it would have formed a positive association with an area away from your van.

No, Matt, in your own words you "dragged it out and flung it down the road"

Well your either a **** for being cruel or a liar. You decide.

And yet the evidence suggests the reverse is true, Matt.

bustaMOVEs

iTrader: (31)

Would love some pics if it's the blue eyed one you lazy get as I do like the look of these as in colour
And the wife has said she'd have one of these.
P.s are the staffs a bit naughty, like jumping up high on things when their in a funny mood? And bolting off and not being very loyal to walk with.
Want an obedient dog that will walk with us and listen and not run off trying to play with other dogs unless we encourage it.

The American bulldog sounds ok, need to be a decent colour though as not keen on the more popular coloured ones and I think I could stretch it past the wife.

Obviously I'll check the lifespan and health issues of both dogs before choosing as ATM it's a chocolate or fox red labrador (I'm still not keen although nice dogs for a family, just not convinced of health issues like eyes and bone dyslpisia)

A odd de Boudreaux would defiantly be a NO with the lifespan and some issues they have but I do have a soft spot for them.

Matteeboy

You have no idea, just an excuse to bite.

The dog was fine; after deciding to move on, it skipped down the hill to the next van. If it was hurt, it didn't show signs and it was an total accident it if was. I checked if it was okay (not expecting a 1 ft shove away to hurt a dog). I then moved it further away very gently.

Anyway I don't know why I bother with trolls like you; I've given you the benefit too but your true colours are hard to hide. Good riddance to you and your pious mates.