Are Mastiffs Good with Children?
The English Mastiff is normally great with children. He seems to understand that they are "puppies", and treats them gently. He is both patient and protective, and despite of his size and weight, he can be trusted to look after even small children. If the dog isn't used to children at all, he is able to learn how to deal with them even if he's fully grown. The ideal situation is of course to bring up the puppy with the "human puppies". Some dogs don't have the same respect for children as they have for adults. The Mastiff would never harm a child, but the most dominant males may try to inform the youngster that he doesn't want to be treated like dead meat. This doesn't mean that he'll hurt the child. It's more likely that he'll grab the child's arm or hand gently, to say "don't do that!".
We often hear the expression "child friendly" about dogs. The most important thing to decide how any dog will act towards children, is whether the child is "dog friendly" or not. As a dog owner, you must teach your child to treat your Mastiff with respect. Most Mastiffs treat kids with an angel's touch, but how much can you ask for? There has to be a limit, even for a dog like the English Mastiff. Kids can be terrible with animals, it's up to you to see to that your child is "dog friendly".
Information obtained from: http://www.mastiffweb.com/temper.htm
We often hear the expression "child friendly" about dogs. The most important thing to decide how any dog will act towards children, is whether the child is "dog friendly" or not. As a dog owner, you must teach your child to treat your Mastiff with respect. Most Mastiffs treat kids with an angel's touch, but how much can you ask for? There has to be a limit, even for a dog like the English Mastiff. Kids can be terrible with animals, it's up to you to see to that your child is "dog friendly".
Information obtained from: http://www.mastiffweb.com/temper.htm