Bullmastiff as a first dog - opinions?

[Jen]

Apple seeds contain cyanide, I'd avoid giving them to your dog. The flesh is fine though.

Mastiffs are lovely dogs, bit too big for my yard though, lol, having said that, I have baby sat a Great Dane pony for a week and he was fun to have, my staffy crosses adored him.

 

[Twitch_80]

Yeah I generally stay away from all seeds, pips, and any fruit containing them which is why I asked but I know some things are not so bad in small amounts and people seem to overreact a bit. Great dane pony huh, the kids next door want to ride hector but I said no. Considered a cart though.

Do anyone elses watch tv? I have heard the 2d/3d sight thing but one of mine loves the tv and seems to follow it.

 

[pythonmum]

Apple seeds contain cyanide, I'd avoid giving them to your dog.

. They come through whole - believe me! We considered a cart for our first rottie when the kids were small, but couldn't find a good harness. They were bred to pull carts, as were all mastiff type dogs. They also did herding duty. I really see this when Sasha wants all of the attention and she keeps Fang away from my lap. He usually outsmarts her in the end, but there is clear herding behavior.

 

[Twitch_80]

Ive been looking into the husky harness's but the only carts I can find are horse carts, prob fine though Both of ours are hearding dogs so makes for interesting competitions for affection. Tali is a lot smarter though and generally wins.

 

[jas468]

Agreed my male weighs over 60 kg.

He's taken over his father then.

 

[Erebos]

He's taken over his father then.

Really how much dose riff weigh

 

[jas468]

Usually between 58-60kg. I find that walking them everyday helps as he can stack on weight really quickly. We're both better for it.

 

[Erebos]

Usually between 58-60kg. I find that walking them everyday helps as he can stack on weight really quickly. We're both better for it.

Yeah I struggle to keep weight on my boy he eats more food then me hahah

 

[NotoriouS]

Hey guys! Thanks for all the input and sharing your experiences! I have just recieved the ok from my landlord, and it's time to go find a best friend!

Do you guys know any good bullmastiff breeders that have a litter available?

 

[Smithers]

Sorry haven't read any of the other posts,....

I'd be checking the Mastiff Standard (Guidlines on what to look for) and ask as many Q's of the breeder as possible esp as your getting a larger boned dog you should check for the ailments that can hinder these breeds ask to see their test results like hip score etc,..sorry to put a downer but larger dogs can come with joint issues from memory. Hips etc. Personally I'd have to say go American Staffy but im way biased . I love the Neo Mastiff gorgeous puppy's good luck on your quest for a new fam member.

 

[tempest]

Jumping in a bit late but bullmastiffs are my heart breed, they are the best dogs ever in my opinion! That said, you need to have a firm hand with them from the start and you must be prepared to give them a lot of time and love. They are not a dog which likes being alone for the most part, they love to be part of the family and having people around. They are a big dog and you have to be prepared for big vet bills. Personally, I would suggest if you are looking for one as your first ever dog you get a female because you will have less dominance issues, some of which you may find difficult if you have a male especially as your first dog.

Make sure you find a decent breeder and you find out what the parents hip scores are... and if possible, try and see the parents. There are lots of breeders if you look on somewhere like dogsonline. Powerbullmas and Gameguard are both excellent breeders in NSW. The sire to Sage, my boy, was from Gameguard, but I got mine from a breeder here in SA.

Make sure you research the breed thoroughly and make sure you and your family are well prepared to welcome one into a forever home. They drool quite a lot (drool rags are a must LOL) and they snore. They should only have minimal exercise whilst they are growing to prevent issues down the track.

The only real pitfall to owning a bullmastiff is their lifespan... 8 to 10 years... and when they leave you, it rips your heart to pieces.

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[phantomreptiles]

I pretty much agree with tempest, the only other thing I will add is they can have horrible skin probs, my mastiff is now 10yrs but she lives in NZ, no skin probs there as its too cold for anything to live....lol my home town is just north of Dunedin.
Make sure you get pet insurance..doesn't matter what pet you have they all cost money.
I am also biased towards amstaffs...... Oh my god I just went to post a pic of my amstaff who is the love of my life, all my pics are of snakes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!hmm maybe this should be in "you know your a reptile keeper when......"

 

[Kristy_07]

Agree with most of what tempest has said - mastiffs are my breed of choice, too. But, as per what others have said, be aware of the food bill, the training requirements (which are ongoing, not just puppy school ), the vet bills down the track for joint issues, and also how long you will have a puppy for!

The bigger the dog, generally the longer they take to grow out of the puppy stage. My boy was 2.5years before he started to calm down, and 50-60kg of puppy is a challenge! Just something to keep in mind.

And, the vet costs. We are currently just starting down the arthritis pathway, and it's expensive. Change of diet to $150 per 2-3 weeks per dog, plus monthly cartrophen injections, plus xrays... definitely get insurance! He's 4.5 years old, by the way. We would expect to get another 3-4 years out of him, and I'm already preparing myself for it. It will be worse than losing a limb.

But, otherwise, great dogs And, even though they're big, they have great temperaments (usually!) which makes them suitable as a first dog, so long as you're prepared to train them and put the time in Good luck!

 

[NotoriouS]

Thanks guys! Reading about all the health problems is making me a bit iffy now. Might be worthwhile starting off with a smaller breed, a staffy perhaps. I'll keep researching, thanks for all the input, I really appreciate it!

 

[jedi_339]

If I were to suggest anything I'd suggest a dingo , however they're definitely not for beginner keepers such as yourself.

My Aunty has a pure dingo (or as pure as they come from the Australian dingo foundation), they really are a fantastic animal.

Their agility and stamina is just unreal, they really are a cross between a cat and a dog in their nature.

And they're a much leaner then everyone realises, 20-25kg. It's just a shame QLD classes them as pests (there's no distinction between wild dogs and dingoes)

enough ranting about dingoes, but I do love them so much.

good luck owning a puppy.

and for kawasaki rider I've never owned a dog in my life, nor has my family, however I've owned just about everything else under the sun (except a cat)

 

[NotoriouS]

Yup.. 25 and never owned a dog... growing up my parents never allowed a dog, I've kept snakes, turtles, dragons, cats, birds, tortoises, fish, ducks, chicks - but no dogs
Then when I moved out, never had a place with a big enough backyard to keep one - until now!

 

[pythonmum]

A smaller breed will live a lot longer. Same advice goes for training and choosing the dog, however. A well-trained dog of any size is a pleasure to own. Too many people don't bother to train smaller dogs, hence the happy little terrors that you see pulling people around. My fluff dog and rottie are trained to a similar standard. Well, actually the fluff dog is trained to a higher standard for tricks, but both have rock solid basic obedience and household manners. It makes life so much easier!

 

[CrystalMoon]

Hi there, I used to breed them. Pm me if you want any tips
Kind regards
Crystal

PS... Mine lived around 14 years which was
a good innings