Harley the English Mastiff and German Shepherd mix at 2 1/2 years old—"Harley's mom was a purebred German Shepherd, weighing approximately 75 lbs. His father was a purebred Mastiff, weighing approximately 180 lbs. He is now 2.5 years old, weighing approximately 150 lbs and still growing! He stands 6 ft. tall on his hind legs. He is a wonderful dog. He has an amazing temperament. He's very laid back and so gentle with our small children. He lays on his side patiently if the baby approaches him with his favorite toy... even though he would love to play. He dismisses the toy completely and licks fingers and toes and loves to be the jungle gym. Otherwise, he likes to lay near the children during group play and just be near them. If they are playing outside, he patrols the perimeter of the yard and redirects children who get too close to the perimeter by walking in front of them until they forget where they are going and turn around LOL. He loves to lounge around, but when he gets outside he loves tug of war, playing with tennis balls and big tree branches! But his favorite toy is the laser pointer. He is very intelligent. When I was pregnant he would always lick my belly. Any time I am sick in the bathroom, he comes and lays his head on my lap until I am done, and then he licks my tears away :) same for the kids. He is such a sweet boy. On top of all of this, he is so alert to his surroundings. And if an "intruder" shows up to the house while I am away, he makes it clear they aren't welcome. (We had our friend test this theory gladly and we were all pleased with the result!) He is our most beloved pet. He is active enough to play but not too demanding and destructive. He loves to snuggle but is also very independent, alert but does not bark incessantly, great natural protective instincts but not overzealous and knows when to protect and when to let the alphas be in charge. He is a definite gentle guardian over small children and even the cat and chickens. He has a pretty low prey drive also... he would do perimeter patrols around our free range chickens to keep them in our yard, and the closest thing to bothering them would be to occasionally trot through the flock to watch them scatter before rounding them all up in a group again LOL! Not to mention he just looks cool as hell :) I'm not worried about intruders."
The Mastiff Shepherd is not a purebred dog. It is a cross between the German Shepherd and the English Mastiff. The best way to determine the temperament of a mixed breed is to look up all breeds in the cross and know you can get any combination of any of the characteristics found in either breed. Not all of these designer hybrid dogs being bred are 50% purebred to 50% purebred. It is very common for breeders to breed multi-generation crosses.
Harley the English Mastiff and German Shepherd mix at 2 1/2 years old
Nala the English Mastiff / German Shepherd mix breed as a puppy at 8 weeks old—"Nala is a German Shepherd X English Mastiff cross. She's nine weeks old. She's a very lazy and sleepy puppy, who seems to have much more of the mastiff tempermant. We're not sure how big she's going to get, the vet thinks at least a hundred lbs. She's very lazy, sleeps even more than regular puppies. She's very vocal and will howl when not getting her way or just to express her contentment. She's currently 15 lbs. You can definitely see both breeds in her. She's 50% pure English mastiff and 50% pure german shepherd, both AKC registered. She's a complete cuddle bug, and never wants you out of her sight."
Nala the English Mastiff / German Shepherd mix breed as a puppy at 8 weeks old
Nala the English Mastiff / German Shepherd mix breed as a puppy at 8 weeks old
Nala the English Mastiff / German Shepherd mix breed as a puppy at 8 weeks old
Nala the English Mastiff / German Shepherd mix as a puppy at 8 weeks old with her hound dog friend
