Mastiffs and Strangers
Many books state that Mastiffs are suspicious with strangers. This is to a certain extent true, but do not misinterpret those kind of statements! Some Mastiffs are very friendly with everyone, some are more of the "elective" kind, while others do not like to meet strangers at all. Kind of a human behavior, in other words! With most Mastiffs, meeting strangers is no problem at all.
A normal English Mastiff is not aggressive towards any living creature. If you've let him guard your house and garden while growing up, he will continue to do so the rest of his life, because he thinks that's his job. But - a Mastiff will under normal circumstances never bite or harm anyone. He will keep them on a safe distance, and if they come to close, he might grab one of their arms just tight enough to convince the intruder that this is as far as he gets.
You should never train a Mastiff to attack people. If you do so, you must take the full responsibility if your friend hurts someone. A large and heavy dog like this will easily beat any man if he gets angry, and you must never teach him anything that has to do with aggression! Don't even think about it! Please!
Sometimes the dog seems to have problems understanding that a stranger can be a friend of yours. If he doesn't know him, the stranger can't be part of the group. Despite of this, he is fully capable of getting used to your new relationships. When a strange person has visited your house a few times, he will accept that his owner has given him permission to enter the house. It's really not a problem at all, at least not more than with any other dog breed. When your Mastiff becomes familiar with the new person, he will think of him as a friend, too, and treat him likewise.
Information obtained from: http://www.mastiffweb.com/temper.htm
A normal English Mastiff is not aggressive towards any living creature. If you've let him guard your house and garden while growing up, he will continue to do so the rest of his life, because he thinks that's his job. But - a Mastiff will under normal circumstances never bite or harm anyone. He will keep them on a safe distance, and if they come to close, he might grab one of their arms just tight enough to convince the intruder that this is as far as he gets.
You should never train a Mastiff to attack people. If you do so, you must take the full responsibility if your friend hurts someone. A large and heavy dog like this will easily beat any man if he gets angry, and you must never teach him anything that has to do with aggression! Don't even think about it! Please!
Sometimes the dog seems to have problems understanding that a stranger can be a friend of yours. If he doesn't know him, the stranger can't be part of the group. Despite of this, he is fully capable of getting used to your new relationships. When a strange person has visited your house a few times, he will accept that his owner has given him permission to enter the house. It's really not a problem at all, at least not more than with any other dog breed. When your Mastiff becomes familiar with the new person, he will think of him as a friend, too, and treat him likewise.
Information obtained from: http://www.mastiffweb.com/temper.htm