Dog trainer reveals breed he will ‘never own again’

A renowned dog trainer has revealed the “heartbreaking” breed he will never own again.

Canine behaviourist Will Atherton, who boasts more than 900,000 followers on both TikTok and YouTube, regularly imparts dog training tips and advice on which breeds are suitable for which people.

In a recent YouTube video, Will responded to a fan’s question: “After Eileen passed away, are you going to get another mastiff?”

He explained that his English mastiff, Eileen, sadly died earlier this year. “Obviously, whenever you lose a dog, it’s absolutely heartbreaking,” he said.

Eileen wasn’t the first mastiff Will has owned; he has had several that have tragically died due to health complications.

He shared: “Before Eileen I had a Bullmastiff pass away at four-years-old from cancer, and I had a Cane Corso – an Italian mastiff – pass away at just four-months-old. Now Eileen has passed away at such a young age from what the vets think was a very aggressive cancer as well.”

Consequently, Will doesn’t want to endure the heartbreak again. He added: “I don’t think that I can go through having another dog that is riddled with the health problems that most of the mastiff breeds are. Eileen in particular was from literally the best English mastiff breeder on the planet, and they still struggle with health issues. It’s just something that comes with the breed.”

Will does own a mastiff mix currently, but said that will likely be the last mastiff he has. “It’s just too heartbreaking for me and my family to go through that process of losing dogs young, when there are other breeds like Labradors that are just so much more healthy and robust,” he said.

According to Canna Pet, the most common cause of death in mastiffs is canine cancer. The second major cause of deaths in mastiffs is gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV), also known as bloat, which causes the animal’s stomach to dilate and twist.