Great Dane vs Mastiff

Don’t be fooled by the breed’s large size and assume this dog has an intimidating personality to match. Great Danes are, in fact, loyal and kind with happy personalities and they desire to always be near their people. Great Danes prefer to keep you in their line of sight, and you can forget about eating alone or cooking a meal by yourself ever again!

Great Danes can sometimes come off as shy, aloof or reserved. Socializing your Great Dane puppy at an early age will help them become more comfortable around new people and other dogs. They have a deep, powerful bark that can be intimidating to visitors, but this is a case where the bark is really worse than the bite.

The Great Dane was originally bred to be a hunting dog. Today, they mainly fill the role of “lovable family member.” And don’t be surprised if your Great Dane attempts to be a lap dog—the results can be hilarious.

Extreme loyalty and a courageous nature are the defining characteristics of a Mastiff’s temperament. While a Mastiff’s massive weight and height may put off some potential pet parents, this breed is quite friendly and makes an excellent family pet. If little ones are in your mix, know that with early and consistent training, having a Mastiff with kids is very doable since barking and biting aren’t common to this breed. Their kindly personality extends to four-legged pals as well, which means you can often add this colossal canine to homes with cats and other dogs.

A Mastiff has competency in spades, thanks to their innate intelligence and eagerness to please. As a quick learner, the Mastiff thrives on service, perhaps because this working breed has a long history of guarding and fighting alongside soldiers in battle.

It may seem counterintuitive that such a large animal might not have deep energy reserves, but this is actually the case with the Mastiff dog breed. Slow and steady wins the race here, so low-key pup parents are often the best pairing for this majestic creature.