Comment to 'Best Molosser for hot weather? '
  • Hi James,

    Thank you for the reply and I am sorry for the delay in responding to you. I am traveling for work at the moment.

    With the info you provided I have the following suggestions:

    1.  American Bulldog

    The American Bulldog is a courageous guardian and a loving family pet, but it needs experienced handling and early socialization. Even though this breed is not as dog-aggressive as some bullies, it does like to play rough and won't back away from a confrontation. Unfortunately, some misguided owners foolishly put these dogs into fighting arenas with Pit Bulls and other breeds, almost always with terrible consequences.

    2.  Alapaha Blue blood Bulldog

    An excellent guardian, the Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog is also a devoted companion. Used as a cattle herder, as well as a boar hunting dog in the past, today's Otto is bred solely for protection duties and family life. This is a muscular dog, with a broad head, relatively short muzzle, wide chest and strong bones. The ears are left unaltered and the tail is never docked.

    3. and Finally - Cane Corso

    If bred properly, the Italian Cane Corso Mastiff is of sound temperament, easily trained and a breed which makes an excellent family dog. Very affectionate towards children, it will gladly give up its life to protect them. This breed is completely devoted to only one master and very loving of its human family, but is naturally aloof with strangers. Although not as dominant as the American variant, the Cane Corso Italiano is still fairly dog-aggressive and at times overly protective, so it needs experienced and responsible handling. This is a very athletic and fast dog, possessing great agility and stamina, requiring a reasonable amount of exercise and more importantly, it needs a job. The body is muscular, with a straight back and long sturdy legs. This powerful Molosser has a deep and wide chest, with a strong neck and an elegant broad head and muzzle. The tail is docked and the ears are usually cropped, but unaltered specimens can be found as well.

    Those are the three breeds I would recommend in order of their listing. The top two are probably easier to find in the USA and you may have to look very closely at the breeders of the Cane (pronounced Cahni) Corso. Note it is not pronounced as Cane since Cane' is the word for dog in Italian.

    I would be interested in whatever decision you make regarding your next dog and please let me know if I have helped you.

    Best wishes.

    Gary

     

    • As of April 11 these guys in Austin had one Catahoula pup available. 

      • I sent h you a private message on here.

        • I’m just now seeing this. I saw that the American Bulldogs was a suggestion. Specifically the Johnson lineage. I used to breed American Bulldogs. The Johnson line was often the most popular. It was popular because it’s look and mostly because of their size. Depending on your preferences and function you desire you may want to consider a different lineage. The Texas heat was mentioned. The Johnson line has the short smashed in muzzle. Breathing or cooling off in the heat is difficult for them. I personally know a guy that had a beautiful Johnson dog. It was outside in the Midwest. It was hot. The dog died of heat exhaustion. There were some utility workers working on the electric. The dog was doing her job warning them to stay away. She over exerted herself and didn’t recover. 

          I got a Hines dog right out of Texas. I know old man Hines as passed but I hear his family is still breeding. 

          It was my preference to go with. Standard or Johnson cross. 

           

          I stopped breeding American Bulldogs and moved on to the Perro De Presa Canario. This is a dog that you may consider as well. Originally bred as a farm utility dog. They were bred as a companion dog whose job was to catch unruly cattle. It job was also to protect the farm from all predators on two or four legs. Today they are used mainly as family guardian. They love to stay close to the family. They are very alert. They are watchful and aloof of strangers. They won’t hesitate to protect the family if needed. There are many that hunt, boar hunt, or herd with their presa. Some can be dog aggressive. For a brief period of time the old bored farmers used the presa for entertainment by dog fighting until it became illegal. Proper socialization and you don’t have the problems with dog aggression. But they will defend the family from an aggressive dog or animal.