Best Of The Mastiff Breeds?

I Have done ALOT of research on many of the mastiffs and going to buy a car soon. I am looking for a Mastiff that is intelligent, loyal and brave. Now I know Mastiffs are by nature suppose to be already needy to their masters. But I want to know is the South African Mastiff -- Boerboel the top best? I'm looking for a quick, thinking calm dog that will protect my PROPERTY and ME. I work about 5 to Seen days a week for 8 hours and I need a dog that is pretty smart and can pick things up quick. I am in love with Mastiffs and am quite infatuated with a boerboel. But when I get home I want to know my other dog Hercules will be ok. He is a toy Maltese poodle. And when i go hunting I need a strict brave dog that can travel across a lot of land. English Mastiffs can't do that and Bullmastiffs are out as well. Is the Boerboel the best of the Mastiffs? Or have a overlooked something. These dogs need a firm leader, i am that, need room and or exercise i can offer that, they need socialization? Yeah i can definitely offer it. I listen to a lot of music mainly indie rock, i like to watch tv, go outside to exercise, stay active, my girlfriend and I lobe dogs and animals in general. I'm 19 and by the end of the year i'll have my own place. So i just need to see which of the players within the mastiff breed will be the best. I spoke to a lot of let's say Bull Mastiff breeders and they say their BM's are the best, the English Mastiff breeders say their EM's are the best and of course the Boerboel breeders are just as righteous. And I am not speaking of just these three Mastiffs type's. I mean the WHOLE mastiff family. Which is the smartest, fearless for me when I hunt and all around best companion? I'm the alpha their my pooch. What do you guys think?I'm Sorry about some of the spelling errors I obviously didn't get them all. Anyway thanks for answering please help me out. Is the Boerboel the best of the best of the Mastiff breeds?

Get a German shepherd very smart very agile and should by theory "protect" your "property"(this theory being assumptions of what people have said)the GSD sounds like a better pick I wanted and English mastiff and after finding someone who had german shepherd puppies I've gotten that breed instead since I wanted a dog quick and I won't look back love him but I will get a English mastiff when I have my own place

Looking for a dog of the Mastiff family myself, but I have somewhat different needs than you. I think I am going with a Boxer. I need a dog that will protect me when I am home alone, can live in a medium sized apartment, is friendly towards other pets ( a small dog and a cat), needs moderate exercise, and is intelligent yet independent. And of course, fun! German Boxers were originally bred to hold boar/pigs down until the hunter could get there, I think most Mastiff's were bred to hold larger game like that as well, probably not any good at bird hunting. Anyways, most boxers today are German Boxers Crossed with English Boxers, which is where most Boxers you see today come from, and I think they were bred more to be guard dogs, than hunting dogs.-Add-Dog Section Regular- Actually, boxers are a member of the Molosser family, which in Layman's terms is the Mastiff Family. The Mastiff Family (AKA Molosser Family) Includes the breeds; Dogo Argentino , Mastiff, BullMastiff, Neapolitan Mastiff, Bulldogs, Rottweilers, Boerboel, Great Danes, Dogue De Bordaeux, The Boxer and a few others. And they were in fact bred "to run down and hold large game such as wild boar and bison until the hunter could arrive." And Yes, a guard dog, and intelligible, "Instinctively a hearing guard dog, his bearing is alert, dignified, and self-assured. In the show ring his behavior should exhibit constrained animation. With family and friends, his temperament is fundamentally playful, yet patient and stoical with children. Deliberate and wary with strangers, he will exhibit curiosity, but, most importantly, fearless courage if threatened. However, he responds promptly to friendly overtures honestly rendered. His intelligence, loyal affection, and tractability to discipline make him a highly desirable companion."Moderate exercise because they are Brachycephalic meaning it could be dangerous to run them for hours on end and expose them to high temperatures, as their wind pipes and nasal passages are restricted and overheating can lead to heat stroke and many other serious problems.

Dogo Argentina,or GTFO.

Ciara - I think you need to do some more research. Boxers are NOT in the Mastiff family, Since when were they bred for hunting big game?And you want a dog that "needs moderate exercise, and is intelligent yet independent", and has guarding abilities? Ha! A Boxer is not for you. On to the question - A Boerboel is not a dog to be messed with. It takes an EXPERIENCED owner. NOT for a first time owner of a giant/guardian breed. A 19 year old cannot handle such a powerful dog. Can you afford to feed it? I don't know of a 19 year old who can take on the responsibility of a powerful dog, and afford to feed and care for it.

There is no such thing as Best of, there is what is a good fit for you and your lifestyle and what is not. What do I think? That you haven't done nearly as much research. Start looking up the breed clubs for these breeds and start doing some REAL research and talking to REAL breeders.