>>437603You don't own a mastiff, do you. They are great dogs, loyal and gentle, but they are house dogs, they are big and not overly active. When they mature they have 30 - 45 minutes of solid active time and then they need to rest. Great guardians, not great for /out/.
/out/ dogs are just like your gear. You have to have the right one for your activity and weather.
I've had a black lab, a Siberian husky, two English mastiffs and a Great Pyrenees...
the great Pyrenees is my favorite so far but I could not have handled him as my first dog. Too me, the great pyr is the best fit my /out/ because he is smart on his own and doesn't afraid of anything.
The Mastiffs are awesome but they tire out and if you work them to hard they'll be broken down old men before they are 5.
The husky was fun... I rescued him at the age of two and was his 5th hike because he was a "problem dog" he took a lot of work but was awesome with his stamina and eagerness to be /out/ but he was very aloof overall and if we ever faced something dangerous on a trail he'd have either been too stupid and tried to play with it or ran the other way.
The black lab is a great all around dig and easy to train. They are great dogs for nearly anybody who doesn't need a specific task handled like herding or guarding or pulling and they are great in most weather aside from very cold.
My recommendation for your first /out/ dog without knowing the climate you are going to be in is either a black lab or a golden retriever.
>>437502This is an awesome dog too, if I ever have the room and time to devote properly to another dog I'd really like an Airedale Terrier or a Komondor.
