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Best Molosser for hot weather?

Looking for some advice. I live in Central Texas where we have more hot days than cold. What medium sized molossers do best in hot weather? 

Replies (20)
    • We live near San Antonio so know what you mean about the Texas heat.

      Hi there. That is a good question and it is good that you are asking probably before getting your . Do you want to consider any Molosser of  or are you interested in coat type, temperament, and function.

      To best help you it would be nice to know.

      1. Will the dog be inside or outside most of the time?

      2. What is the function/job you want the dog for? Guarding, companion, livestock protection, property protection, etc...

      3. do you have large acreage or if not is your property fenced to contain the dog?

      With the answers to these three questions we can give you some advice. Please let us know.

      You may also want to have a look at our Molosser Profiles

      Best regards.

      • Gary,

        1. Inside most of the time, but I don't want to have to be excessively concerned if I have to put him outside to use the bathroom or for the comfort of allergic guests, etc.

        2. Companionship mostly, but I do want a dog willing and capable of defending my wife when she's home alone.

        3. Small fenced yard.

        To provide some context, we recently had to put down our 12 year old Old English Bulldog.  She was the best dog we ever had, but in the last two years of her life she suffered from mega-esophagus.  We did everything possible, a Bailey chair and special food.  The vet said that it was remarkable that she lived as long as she did and as well as she did after the diagnosis, but eventually it got to the point where she was not getting enough nutrition to survive and we had to let her go.  I would like to get another OEB, but from what I understand the Mega-E is common in that breed and I really don't want to go though that painful experience again, so I'm looking at alternatives.

        Thanks,

        James

        • 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.

              • Cane Corso and Spanish Alano, mediterranean dogs,  can afford very well the heat, flat nose dogs suffer a lot.

                 

                • Ivan H Plauchu I agree with you two choices. I don't think it would be easy to find the Alano Espanol here is USA,

                  • You need a dog with a longer muzzle, that isn't too big, and then you also need to keep it lean. I don't believe country of origin even matters. A 200 lbs boerboel with a really short muzzle for example will overheat before a siberian husky. 

                  • For the sake of my daughter, I am also curious to learn more about this. I would also suggest dog-themed outfits.

                  • For the sake if your daughter. What do you want to know?

                    We have given a few suggestions as to breeds of dogs that could do well or better in the heat. Of course better or best is subjective. People are biased. Often because of personal experiences and or research. Example: I love the American Bulldog. I bred them. My first dog was Hines. They call Hines a standard. They are smaller with longer muzzle. Hines were in Texas. The Rio Grande River runs through his yard. They were hog dogs. They hunted wild boars. Later I bred hybrids. A combination of Johnson and Hines. I wanted a dog that would work, be agile and still have the size to handle any threat. I chose function over looks.

                    The Cane Corso I personally didn't mention. This was because my experience with the breed as well as other breeder that I know personal that breed or bred Cane Corso.

                    The Perro De Presa Canario is my breed of choice now. They are loyal family guardians. They are affectionate with the family. They won't hesitate the defend it's family. They excel in defending the family. But of course I'm biased.

                    • The working pit bull, can withstand the heat quite well and run all day in the heat if given proper shaded area and fresh water in a large enough bowl to re-hydrate from time to time.

                      The working dogo argentino can run all day as well in the heat if given the proper shaded area as well and fresh water with a large enough bowl to re-hydrate from time to time. The dogo you may have to monitor a little bit more than the pit bull because the dogo has a white coat and is more susceptible to skin cancer.

                      The lighter weighing working Tosas ranging from 80 to 90 lbs imported from Japan lines will also run all day and same as above with water and shade.

                      Basically you want a dog that is from working lines and with a long enough muzzle as mentioned before and add in the trait of excellent cardio and coat color that reflects the sun instead of attracting the sun. A black coated dog may have a tougher time cooling down than a brown, red or brindle color dog.

                      Purchase an inexpensive kiddie plastic pool from Walmart and fill it with water and put it in a shaded area. This will give your dog of choice an additional area to cool down it's temperature.

                      Sometime you will see your dog digging in the dirt let him. The innate ability for a dog to dig gives him the ability to lay in the dirt which is cooler than the dirt on the surface. This will also cool your dog down. After the dog is done cooling and moves on from the dirt recover it later on in the day.

                      • hey my friend simPle solution put in the web dogs from hot countries and there u go somE are presas corso boerboel spanish mastiff dogo fila ec.ec :)

                        • It is probably time to resurrect this topic since most of the news these days is about how hot this summer is. Personally, I think most of it is hype to impose restrictions on our liberties using the Global Warming, Climate Change mantra. History shows that we have had hotter temps in the summer in many places.

                          Anyway, for our dogs it is still very hot, and we as owners must take the necessary precautions to ensure they are properly cared for. If your dogs are kept outside please provide the adequate opportunity for them to stay cool and plenty of clearn water. Long and double coated dogs should be groomed or care taken to remove the undercoat which is probably already blown.

                          Give your dogs a nice place to chill!

                          • I have a 5 month old Presa Canario I've never seen a dog enjoy and deal with heat better 30 degree days never pants will lay in the sun instead of the shade doesn't drink or pee much no drool. They are described as being one of the best mastitis for heat and I believe it a very different breed in many ways and yes country location of origin does matter

                            • Just buy a Bullmastiff Brasileiro is ready... Tropical breed. Our bloodline comes from Farm Filas and APBT Pat Patricks dogs from desert.

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