8 month old french Mastiff

Question
Hi, I have a 8 month old male, not yet neutered, french mastiff named Diesel.  He has been very loving and attached to me and my kids (i am a single mom).  This is my first mastiff.  My son fell off of the couch and landed on Diesel, who was sleeping on the floor below the couch, and he jumped up and bit my son in the face.  I believe he was just startled and irritable because it was a very hot day and he was cooling off, but with his size and power it really scared me.  It was an isolated incident, what should i do?  Do you think obedience training will help?  I have had Diesel since he was 12 weeks old but the breeder i got him from seems very unreliable and the condition of the puppies and the parents were not very good, could his environment in his first 12 weeks have made  an impact on his temperament?

Answer
Hello Sara,

Because of your dog's size he must learn focus and discipline. This does not come naturally to a dog. I would therefore highly recommend that you have Diesel obedience trained. It should help him considerably. Also you should have him neutered. You don't need to complicate matters by having all those hormones triggering aggressive instincts.

Diesel's actions were understandable, however they cannot be tolerated due to the risk to your children. He must be trained to better control himself.

Good Luck!

Sandy