Mastiff are very friendly, patient, and gentle contrary to their large and aggressive appearance. Mastiffs make great family dogs and guard dogs and will hold intruders contained rather then attack, unless necessary. Mastiff are fairly eaasy to train, but don’t get me wrong, training a Mastiff has its fare share of difficulties so its important that you send a clear message to your dog during training and be sure you don’t send mixed messages further confusing the dog.
Mastiffs are very receptive to their owners emotions and body language. If your Mastiff picks up sense of your stress or angst, he will in turn become stressed because he thinks something is wrong. During dog training always keep a positive mindset and never get angry or abusive with your dog and especially not a Mastiff. An abused animal will learn to resent humans.
Mastiffs pay great attention to their owner’s body language as well. Mastiff will notice facial expressions and can tell the difference between and smile and an expression of anger. Crouching towards your dog when training will suggest to your Mastiff that you want to play, sending mixed signals. Standing tall with good posture simulates behaviors of a leader. Keep from making any facial expressions that suggest stress.
Take notice of your tone of voice when training your dog. A happy tone in your voice will be inviting to your dog. A cheerful tone will always cause your Mastiff to respond more easily to your commands. If you’re voice is carrying an angry tone your dog will become fearful and will avoid following commands.
Ensuring your expressions are happy and never angry will warrant a much better response from your Mastiff during training. Always keep your cool without becoming too lenient. Your Mastiff will enjoy training far more and will be able to communicate with their owners much easier.
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