# Is that a dog or a horse...looking for info on some 'giant' breeds **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 2, 2017, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-a-dog-or-a-horse-looking-for-info-on-some-giant-breeds/778797 "2017-02-02T02:52:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2017, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-a-dog-or-a-horse-looking-for-info-on-some-giant-breeds/778797/41 "2017-02-05T02:10:19Z")
Thanks! I was going to quote you in my reply, but there was a lot of info there. I will be living in Ontario, so not as cold as I am used to (coming from the prairies) but still quite chilly in the winter. I won’t even look at a place without AC, so hopefully that will help keep the overheating down. There will be at least two floors in the place, so some stairs. The bed will either be low to the ground, or have a step, so should cut down on jumping/impact. Grooming is not a huge issue. I have owned several long haired dogs, from Beardies to Aussies. Shedding is not my favourite thing, but I wouldn’t shave a Newfie. Dogs coats are designed a certain way, and it’s best to just take care of them as you go. Protection would be more in the way of deterrent, as opposed to actual attack. I am not a fan of constant barking either, so that’s a plus! Exercise is wax and wane. I have run, and have run decent distance (a few half-marathons). I am as slow as a turtle stampeding through peanut butter. I have not seriously run or trained since the year I was assaulted. I have considered running again, I do miss it sometimes, but I would not try to get a Mastiff or Newfie to run with me. I lift weights, but am not keen on Sherpa-ing a 200+ pound dog home 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2017, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-a-dog-or-a-horse-looking-for-info-on-some-giant-breeds/778797/42 "2017-02-05T03:58:18Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > My main concern with the Newfie is the coat/grooming (it is no doubt intense, how often are you fully brushing and what do you recommend) and I worry about keeping it cool in the summer. Although I have no doubt the dog will LOVE winter, I worry about he/she overheating - valid concern? Grooming. Oh yes, grooming. Well, they do need brushing. At least weekly, and really you could do it daily. If you’re considering any breed for therapy, you’ll need to do more grooming than you thought. I generally throw up my hands a few times a year and send him to the groomer, and I will freely admit to having him clipped once every Summer. He’s just more comfortable. I don’t get him clipped too short (not wanting to risk sunburn), but he doesn’t need several inches of fur in August. Drooling has never been an issue with my Newfie, but I know that it is with some. I would also say that my Newfie has been, well, let’s go with lax on the protection side. He’s been known to sleep through visitors to the house. He takes geese in the back yard VERY seriously though. Boy, howdy. Those things are a problem! 😛 He’s about 140-145. Looks bigger with fur. I’ve had people ask me if he’s a bear. I’ve had a few people refuse to come in the house (while he sleeps through the conversation). I think he’s a deterrent, but he’s not active protection. I have known Newfies who are more active on the family protection side. Growing up, good friends had Newfies. The male used to put himself between us kids and the street. I think there’s something of a spectrum there. > [@Orange\_Skinner](#): > > I’m a life-long lover of most giant dog breeds. During college, I worked as a dog bather and familiarized myself with most dog breeds, with the giants always being among my favs, and we’ve had Newfoundlands since I was a kid. > > What would be most helpful in advising you is to know what other kinds of attributes you’re looking for (and which are a turn-off). In particular, I’d be interested in what you’d prefer with respect to overall energy level, how much time and money you’re able to devote to grooming needs, what the climate is like in your area, and what your living situation is (e.g., if you live in an apartment, have access to a large yard, how many stairs the dog will need to traverse, etc). > > I second everything **Sunny Daze** has said about Newfies, and will add my own two cents. Firstly, as far as getting a dog that’s non-aggressive, Newfoundlands certainly fit that bill. They’re perfectly suited for what you were describing in your follow-up post about wanting a service dog for PTSD support. I’m finishing my Ph.D in clinical psychology, and once I’m done with internship, I plan on training our next Newfie to do something similar to what you described. > > The same temperament that makes them so well-suited for therapy work can be a downside on the protection front, which you also mention. They really love people (in a calm, less demonstrative kind of way than some other dogs) and are not at all wary of strangers. Additionally, they tend to be on the more laid back (or downright lazy) side and are not going to go on ‘high alert’ if someone walks down the sidewalk outside your home, at least not during the day; ours have always let us know when someone was on the property that at night. In fact, ours once altered us to an early-morning break-in happening next door. > > Personally, I’ve always found this aspect of their temperament to be a plus, as I don’t want my dog to start barking uncontrollably every time the UPS driver leaves a box on the stoop. Even without the barking and ‘high alert’ attitude, though, Newfies can be a pretty powerful crime deterrent nevertheless… One day, a kid from the high school football team went around raising money for new uniforms or some such. I saw him come up the driveway, and was waiting for the doorbell to ring. A few seconds later, I saw him running full-tilt back down the driveway again, at which point he got back in his car and sped off. Perplexed, I went outside to try and figure out what happened…and there was our Newfie, stretched out on the porch. He’d slept through the entire encounter. At any rate, it really depends on what exactly you’re looking for as far as the ‘protection’ factor goes. > > Yes, drool can be a problem, though not always horribly so (and that’s going to be true of many of the giant breeds). Worse than the drool, though, are the grooming requirements. Newfies have very dense coats and require brushing at least weekly or they will start to mat and can develop hot spots. The grooming can be extremely time consuming to maintain oneself (especially if you let it go for a while), and can be expensive if you have a groomer/bather do the bulk of the work for you. Shaving is not recommended unless the dog is really old or their coat is in horrible condition, as the fur is useful in making sure the dog doesn’t get sunburned and because the coat can grow in weirdly after it’s been shaved. Needless to say, they’re also not the most heat-tolerant dogs. I’ve lived with mine in Ohio and Michigan, and they tend to sleep a lot more often in the summer months (often directly on top of the air conditioning vent) and aren’t interested in exercising unless it’s at night or involves complete submersion in water. > > English Mastiffs are similar in many ways to Newfies as far as the guard-dog and temperament issues go. The grooming requirements are certainly less, but they do shed a good bit, and if you’ve got a particularly wrinkly one it’s necessary to clean out the facial wrinkles regularly or they can get smelly or even infected. They’re also not great in the heat. > > I’m not an expert on Irish Wolfhounds, though I’ve been around many…in my experience, they’ve been a little bit more aloof and willful than Newfies, and much more energetic (though this may have been more about the personality of their owners than a trait that’s truly inherent to the breed). > > There have been many good suggestions about other breeds you might want to consider already. I’d second looking into Great Danes, Great Pyrennes, Cane Corsos, Neapolitan Mastiffs, and St. Bernards, and would also recommend Leonbergers and Bernese Mountain Dogs (I don’t think I saw those mentioned upthread). I also have a Bernese Mountain Dog. Hmmmm. I think I would do more research on that breed before looking there. They tend to separation anxiety and can become very attached to a person or family, which might not make them a good fit for a therapy dog. Mine is extremely sweet, but it took years of work before anyone could handle/touch him. I’ve known others that were very aloof with anyone not in the family. Just my experience. ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2017, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-a-dog-or-a-horse-looking-for-info-on-some-giant-breeds/778797/43 "2017-02-05T05:07:47Z")
Are there advantages for giant breeds as therapy dogs as opposed to a large breeds? Or is it personal choice? ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2017, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-a-dog-or-a-horse-looking-for-info-on-some-giant-breeds/778797/44 "2017-02-05T05:36:52Z")
> [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](#): > > Are there advantages for giant breeds as therapy dogs as opposed to a large breeds? Or is it personal choice? The large presence can be comforting, depending on the cause of the anxiety. ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2017, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-a-dog-or-a-horse-looking-for-info-on-some-giant-breeds/778797/45 "2017-02-05T06:21:03Z")
Oh, thanks **Poysyn**. ---
**Author:** ![Gestalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/90ced4/32.png) [@Gestalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gestalt)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2017, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-a-dog-or-a-horse-looking-for-info-on-some-giant-breeds/778797/46 "2017-02-05T06:49:42Z")
What are health issues like for these huge breeds? I know they have shorter lifespans, and from what I’ve heard the last 3-5 years one of often dealing with really bad arthritis. How is that, psychologically and practically? My current dog I adopted as senior a few months ago–vet thinks b/w 8 and 10 years old. He’s only 40-43 lbs and some type of spitzy mutt but it’s so heartbreaking to see him struggle to stand up or to see his back legs shake. He’s gotten a lot better since I’ve had him actually but it’s still hard to watch. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2017, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-a-dog-or-a-horse-looking-for-info-on-some-giant-breeds/778797/47 "2017-02-05T20:27:18Z")
> [@Gestalt](#): > > What are health issues like for these huge breeds? I know they have shorter lifespans, and from what I’ve heard the last 3-5 years one of often dealing with really bad arthritis. How is that, psychologically and practically? > > My current dog I adopted as senior a few months ago–vet thinks b/w 8 and 10 years old. He’s only 40-43 lbs and some type of spitzy mutt but it’s so heartbreaking to see him struggle to stand up or to see his back legs shake. He’s gotten a lot better since I’ve had him actually but it’s still hard to watch. Arthritis can definitely be an issue. You can mitigate some, but it’s pretty common in the big breeds. In some, bloat/stomach issues. Each breed has it’s physical quirks too. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2017, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-a-dog-or-a-horse-looking-for-info-on-some-giant-breeds/778797/48 "2017-02-05T22:22:16Z")
**Poysyn** did I get your questions answered? If not, add them to the thread or PM me. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2017, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-a-dog-or-a-horse-looking-for-info-on-some-giant-breeds/778797/49 "2017-02-05T23:01:00Z")
Dogs have a very high degree of phenotypic plasticity – through selection humans have manipulated every physical parameter they could, as far as they could. Size being one of them. However, at the extremes, weird bad shit happens. Large dogs suffer from a number of specific ills, and shortened lives, merely because they are bigger than what dogs were evolutionarily intended to be. Research these unless you want a succession of unhappy and expensive surprises. If you want a huge dog, you need to be prepared for the many difficulties over and above health, a number of which have already been mentioned. Every single thing about them costs more and takes more room than a normal sized dog would. Travel and boarding are far more difficult, for example. If you want a huge dog, you need to be prepared to control it. If you add in guardian traits, quadruple what you need to be prepared for. An aggressive poorly-trained 150 lb. dog is a very dangerous dog indeed. So unless you are confident and experienced dog trainer who has worked with large guardian breeds (and if you were, you wouldn’t have posted your question), stay away from them. If you must get a giant, pick one of the mild mannered ones (newfies are a good example). If you want a service dog, you are also looking for the wrong size dog. Almost all the breeds which do well as service dogs are retriever size and smaller, and there are good reasons for this. If you’ve never trained a service dog, or had one trained, stick with a breed which has proven successful at service work. A true service dog requires deep investment in time and skilled training; no point in wasting that investment on a dog which is emotionally and/or physically unsuitable. You should for that same reason buy from a breeder who has produced successful service dogs. Genetics matters. The best online place to research dog breeds that I have discovered is called [Your Purebred Puppy.](http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/dogbreeds/) It has quite realistic and honest assessments of virtually all the dog breeds, what problems you may encounter as well as the positive aspects. Believe me, it is extremely rare to find an unbiased, unvarnished expert review of any dog breed, much less a whole list of them. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2017, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-a-dog-or-a-horse-looking-for-info-on-some-giant-breeds/778797/50 "2017-02-06T00:23:10Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > The best online place to research dog breeds that I have discovered is called [Your Purebred Puppy.](http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/dogbreeds/) > It has quite realistic and honest assessments of virtually all the dog breeds, what problems you may encounter as well as the positive aspects. Believe me, it is extremely rare to find an unbiased, unvarnished expert review of any dog breed, much less a whole list of them. I can’t speak about any of the other breeds, but I just read through the commentary on Saints, and I definitely agree with what was said. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2017, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-a-dog-or-a-horse-looking-for-info-on-some-giant-breeds/778797/51 "2017-02-06T00:51:57Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Dogs have a very high degree of phenotypic plasticity – through selection humans have manipulated every physical parameter they could, as far as they could. Size being one of them. However, at the extremes, weird bad shit happens. Large dogs suffer from a number of specific ills, and shortened lives, merely because they are bigger than what dogs were evolutionarily intended to be. Research these unless you want a succession of unhappy and expensive surprises. > > If you want a huge dog, you need to be prepared for the many difficulties over and above health, a number of which have already been mentioned. Every single thing about them costs more and takes more room than a normal sized dog would. Travel and boarding are far more difficult, for example. > > If you want a huge dog, you need to be prepared to control it. If you add in guardian traits, quadruple what you need to be prepared for. An aggressive poorly-trained 150 lb. dog is a very dangerous dog indeed. So unless you are confident and experienced dog trainer who has worked with large guardian breeds (and if you were, you wouldn’t have posted your question), stay away from them. If you must get a giant, pick one of the mild mannered ones (newfies are a good example). > > If you want a service dog, you are also looking for the wrong size dog. Almost all the breeds which do well as service dogs are retriever size and smaller, and there are good reasons for this. If you’ve never trained a service dog, or had one trained, stick with a breed which has proven successful at service work. A true service dog requires deep investment in time and skilled training; no point in wasting that investment on a dog which is emotionally and/or physically unsuitable. You should for that same reason buy from a breeder who has produced successful service dogs. Genetics matters. > > The best online place to research dog breeds that I have discovered is called [Your Purebred Puppy.](http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/dogbreeds/) > It has quite realistic and honest assessments of virtually all the dog breeds, what problems you may encounter as well as the positive aspects. Believe me, it is extremely rare to find an unbiased, unvarnished expert review of any dog breed, much less a whole list of them. Thank you for your comments. Yes, I am working with a certified service dog school. The dogs are donated from Champion breeders, so while I can’t see in to the future, I can hedge my bets. Retrievers make superior service dogs, especially in the traditional roles. Speaking in terms of PTSD/anxiety dogs, it’s entirely about personality, as opposed to breed. I have a lot of confidence in the woman running to program, she has asked me which breed I prefer, but she will ultimately decide the dog. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2017, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-a-dog-or-a-horse-looking-for-info-on-some-giant-breeds/778797/52 "2017-02-06T01:36:04Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Dogs have a very high degree of phenotypic plasticity – through selection humans have manipulated every physical parameter they could, as far as they could. Size being one of them. However, at the extremes, weird bad shit happens. Large dogs suffer from a number of specific ills, and shortened lives, merely because they are bigger than what dogs were evolutionarily intended to be. Research these unless you want a succession of unhappy and expensive surprises. > > If you want a huge dog, you need to be prepared for the many difficulties over and above health, a number of which have already been mentioned. Every single thing about them costs more and takes more room than a normal sized dog would. Travel and boarding are far more difficult, for example. > > If you want a huge dog, you need to be prepared to control it. If you add in guardian traits, quadruple what you need to be prepared for. An aggressive poorly-trained 150 lb. dog is a very dangerous dog indeed. So unless you are confident and experienced dog trainer who has worked with large guardian breeds (and if you were, you wouldn’t have posted your question), stay away from them. If you must get a giant, pick one of the mild mannered ones (newfies are a good example). > > If you want a service dog, you are also looking for the wrong size dog. Almost all the breeds which do well as service dogs are retriever size and smaller, and there are good reasons for this. If you’ve never trained a service dog, or had one trained, stick with a breed which has proven successful at service work. A true service dog requires deep investment in time and skilled training; no point in wasting that investment on a dog which is emotionally and/or physically unsuitable. You should for that same reason buy from a breeder who has produced successful service dogs. Genetics matters. > > The best online place to research dog breeds that I have discovered is called [Your Purebred Puppy.](http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/dogbreeds/) > It has quite realistic and honest assessments of virtually all the dog breeds, what problems you may encounter as well as the positive aspects. Believe me, it is extremely rare to find an unbiased, unvarnished expert review of any dog breed, much less a whole list of them. Taking those things into consideration, here’s another plug for the Giant Schnauzer. Of the Giant breeds, they are one of the smaller ones. Ours was a female, and about 120lbs. She was actually trained as a wheelchair service dog, because she could reach things out of reach of a person in a wheelchair. Her “duty” years were not as long as the years of a Lab trained as a Seeing-Eye dog. You might get up to eight years (I know someone who did) out of one of those dogs, and six is not out of the ordinary. Out GS only gave 4 years of service, but that was about what was expected. It made her a more expensive dog, but the person who used her had a grant. Her owner kept her for six months after she couldn’t be used much as a service dog, but she wasn’t able to care for her well once she wasn’t using her as a service dog, and lost the help she had, so the dog’s health suffered. Then we got her, and we had her for another 4 years. It wasn’t long enough, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. She was a great dog. She actually could have had a second career as a emotional/social dog, but she enjoyed her retirement with us. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-a-dog-or-a-horse-looking-for-info-on-some-giant-breeds/778797/53 "2017-02-07T19:32:16Z")
**Poysyn** I did have one other breed thought for you: Rottweiler. We had one that we originally got with the thought of using her for search and rescue. She ended up a bit too large (over 100lbs) and had some injuries (ruptured both ACLs) before she was 2, but she would have been perfect for this. She loved people and was at the end of the spectrum where she was a good fit for training. Since we couldn’t do search and rescue with her, we ended up teaching her all kinds of tricks and games to keep her busy. She was from German lines, so she was stockier than many of the US lines and was a big, solid dog. She would have been perfectly happy to have a child or adult hug her, or to sit with her head in their lap for hours. She was very people focused. Much higher on the trainability than my Newfie, but nearly as close on the big, solid reassuring presence. Much less work on the fur. About 1/3 smaller, so easier to get into cars/trucks etc. My Newfie is actually so big that I cannot transport him on commercial airlines. Longer life span and I think health issues should be minimal if you are working with reputable breeders. Something to think about. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-a-dog-or-a-horse-looking-for-info-on-some-giant-breeds/778797/54 "2017-02-07T19:39:02Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > I knew a couple with Pyr and they said the breed is known for running off to explore. Big escape artists. I don’t know if that’s accurate for all of them, but I know it caused them great headaches. I missed this before. They’re actually herding dogs. I knew breeders who had folks come down from Montana to get their dogs to manage their sheep. They’re big enough to keep predators off. It’s not surprising to hear that they might occasionally want to step out. ---
**Author:** ![Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cornelius_Tuggerson)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-a-dog-or-a-horse-looking-for-info-on-some-giant-breeds/778797/55 "2017-02-07T19:53:40Z")
Probably not relevant as a helper dog, but I would like to share that [these](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caucasian_Shepherd_Dog) exist. Good grief, the head alone is like a mini-fridge. Not sure about how personable they are, but that’s some commanding presence right there! ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-a-dog-or-a-horse-looking-for-info-on-some-giant-breeds/778797/56 "2017-02-07T21:41:29Z")
> [@Cornelius\_Tuggerson](#): > > Probably not relevant as a helper dog, but I would like to share that [these](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caucasian_Shepherd_Dog) exist. Good grief, the head alone is like a mini-fridge. Not sure about how personable they are, but that’s some commanding presence right there! Yes, those are great for farm security and the like, but definitely not the ideal for service work. I love both Rottweilers and Dobermans, but the lines can be tricky (both suffered from over-breeding). I adore German Shepherds, but hate what the breed standard has become. I really appreciate everyone’s personal anecdotes and experiences. I knew you guys would have some good, sound opinions. Please, keep them coming. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-a-dog-or-a-horse-looking-for-info-on-some-giant-breeds/778797/57 "2017-02-07T21:47:15Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > Yes, those are great for farm security and the like, but definitely not the ideal for service work. > > I love both Rottweilers and Dobermans, but the lines can be tricky (both suffered from over-breeding). I adore German Shepherds, but hate what the breed standard has become. I really appreciate everyone’s personal anecdotes and experiences. I knew you guys would have some good, sound opinions. > > Please, keep them coming. Going to the German breeders, where they have strict standards on getting working/training certificates, as well as health standards, before dogs can be bred might be something to consider for all of those breeds. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-a-dog-or-a-horse-looking-for-info-on-some-giant-breeds/778797/58 "2017-02-07T22:47:06Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > Firstly, the brindle is lovely :). Now, the drool. I understand excessive, I do. I am thinking floors are preferable to carpet, wipe-off furniture instead of microfiber, and possibly a patterned duvet cover on the bed he/she will most likely sleep on? > > Our current service puppy is around 1/2 - 1/3 the weight of the Mastiff (he is around 98 lbs) and because of his cross with the Bernese Mountain, we already have the lakes of drool, especially after he drinks (we call it “re-wetting his licker” since he doesn’t seem to actually get much of the water into his system). My uniform is very handy, since drool doesn’t show on the Digitalized Camo :). Sorry, I missed this before. There are a couple of types of mastiff drool. First off are the water dripping out of the mouth drool generally thin and easy to clean up and by far the most common. Then there is the excited drool. It’s thick, viscous and white. My dog will leave puddles on the floor that are still a white foam hours after he’s left. Normally this happens when he’s excited by my daughter eating. Of course a couple of months ago I woke up and found a stalagmite of dried dog foam rising up about three inches off our coffee table, not sure what happened there. As far as the age thing with mastiffs 8 is getting up there for them but my dogs grand father just died at 13 and his line gets into the teens repeatedly. It was one of the things we looked for that and we keep our puppy lean, that’s why he’s only 180 despite us being told we needed to bulk him up to win shows. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-a-dog-or-a-horse-looking-for-info-on-some-giant-breeds/778797/59 "2017-02-08T00:23:46Z")
Totally anecdotal, as it’s a sample of one, but I knew a petite woman (probably 5’2, 100lbs) who had a Bullmastiff, and he was big for a Bullmastiff. He was probably 32 inches at the shoulder, and over 150lbs. That woman had total control over him, though. She was a really talented dog trainer, and she started when he was an 8lbs. puppy. He never knew he had a choice but to do what she said. He would heel off-leash, and lie-down stay forever. He was also a very calm dog who rarely barked. He was a real gentle giant. So that might be a breed to investigate. They probably drool, but I think they have relatively easy coats. They are also very cute. Bully dogs are adorable. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-a-dog-or-a-horse-looking-for-info-on-some-giant-breeds/778797/60 "2017-02-08T17:21:44Z")
A breed I haven’t seen mentioned yet is one of my favorites- Leonbergers. They are about St. Bernard sized and as sweet as the day is long. Very easy to train, from my experience. And they are CUTE! > **[Leonberger Dog Breed Information](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/leonberger/)** > > Right breed for you? Leonberger information including personality, history, grooming, pictures, videos, and the AKC breed standard. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-a-dog-or-a-horse-looking-for-info-on-some-giant-breeds/778797.md?page=2)