Shannon_C

I am very very sorry to hear the sad loss of your dog, its so sad...I feel your pain and i also feel sad that nothing can be done to that evil culprit, laws should be stronger for our animals around the world, i bet god is so appalled of what goes about on this earth, after all he made us all. I know there are strict laws about firing guns at animals in England, where i am from, just wished that many others were to....oh its just darn sickening. Love Shannon xxxx Bullmastiff Owner, Researcher/Adviser of the Breed. Lover of all Animals!

Hi Monica. I have the information you require, [url]http://www.showstopperkennels.com/presaHome.htm[/url] They have all the advice about this breed. Including History, Standard, Health, Photo Gallery etc! Shannon Bullmastiff Owner, Researcher/Adviser of the Breed. Lover of all Animals!

A lot of breeds have the instinct to fight, but this depends on owners and of course breeders. If you had your puppy from a well known breeder who shows there pets, really cares for them, (in other words puts there dogs first), you should not have a problem. A lot of this trate comes from people who breed them to fight...which is a genetic problem, but to avoid this you should only buy from a reputable breeder. As for your puppies fighting, that is just play no need to worry, just dont encouraging them to bite your hands, arms and legs or your clothes, if they do bite you, just hold there head facing you and say (NO) in a firm voice....do this and in time they will learn who the boss is, which should be you. Give them plenty of toys to play with to prevent boredom, avoiding rawhide chews, bones or anything that will become brittle. ROPE TUGGERS are fun. my Bullmastiff loves his! You can also try Kongs filled with food, they come in sizes small, medium, and large....mine have several each. REMEMBER WHEN YOUR PUPS START TEETHING just put a little bit of Bonjela on your finger and massage it over there gums, this will help the pain! One last thing, to prevent tartar build up brush your dogs teeth often, this can be done when they are 7 months old, it will give them a nice sweet breath smell. Shannon

WARNING ABOUT RAWHIDE! Please read this before you give any more rawhide to your pet. My 2 year old Bullmastiff (when younger) was chewing away one night, while i was in the room and he started to choke, i immediately rushed over to him and pulled half of the rawhide out that he had swallowed, thankfully he was ok and no harm done, but had i not been quick enough or not been in the room at the time i hate to think what could have happened. A few weeks later i heard that a 2 year old Bullmastiff had the same happen, but unfortunately it was to late for him...his owners found him the next morning. As you may have noticed, these chews when wet, do become very soggy and can easy get lodged down the throat which are very dangerous. I give my dogs Bonio biscuits now, they also have several Kongs each to work at, these prevent boredom...you just fill them with the dogs favourite food, they will play for hours. I also give frozen carrots as they are very healthy for dogs, and have there teeth cleaned regular to prevent tartar from building up. Shannon Bullmastiff Owner, Researcher/Adviser of the Breed. Lover of all Animals! Shannon Bullmastiff Owner, Researcher/Adviser of the Breed. Lover of all Animals!

Hi there. I own a 6 year old Border Collie cross who was supposedly have been a Springer Spaniel, she grew up to look like a Collie instead, but she is a lovely girl and loopy with it lol. Penny is always hyper even when she as had her long walks twice a day and plenty of play in the garden. I cannot find anything that will tire her out lol. As you might know Border Collies are working dogs and they are always on the go, no matter what you try to do.....to be honest with you having another dog will keep your Collie company, but it will not slow him/her down. I have a 13 year old Westie and a 2 year old Bullmastiff, but these dont slow Penny down lol. Shannon

Thats not a nice way of putting it (to the person with the Sharpei cross) who had to be put to sleep, this would be upsetting as it is for the person asking for help. PLEASE THINK before you say anything. If your dog is shaking his head a lot, holding his head to one side and seems sleepy, this indicates infection in his ears, my 2 year old Bullmastiff does this. It is right that your going to take him to see your vet for this who will show you how to clean his ears. Its quite simple really....I have to do my Bullmastiffs ears twice a day. As for the chewing making a noise part....he could have teeth problems, these can also be checked by your vet. GOOD LUCK! Please let us know how you get on. Thank you Shannon Bullmastiff Owner, Researcher/Adviser of the Breed. Lover of all Animals!

Im sorry to hear about both of your dogs with bad hips. I have a breed that is prone to this condition as well. Many breeds have Hip Dyslasia, this can depend on how they have been bought up from puppyhood to adult mainy, or whether it could be genetic. I would say a lot of the dogs in rescues are not born with this problem and that people who buy these dogs do not know much about there health, so therefore the pup is allowed to exercise until its exhausted, at the same time damaging there weak bones, which at 8 weeks old up to 12 months old, they are still soft and when a dog becomes lame, there hips feel tender and the dog may yelp, which in this case the owner should seek advice...but sometimes when this happens after the vet tells them its HD and what the cost will be, instead of getting there pet done the poor dog is sent straight to the rescue. There are many ramps for dogs who have bad hips..you can find them on the web. They are easy for pets to walk up instead of steps! You could try Google Searching for (vehicle ramps for dogs). Your vet would be your best bet for pain relief for pet. GOOD LUCK! Shannon Bullmastiff Owner, Researcher/Adviser of the Breed. Lover of all Animals!

Hi there. Do your dogs listen to you when you tell them to do something ? Ideally it would be ideal and safer to put them on the lead sitting by you, let the cat wonder around. If the cat see's that the dogs are calm and dont want to hurt her, she will start to trust them and will be willing to investigate, but your dogs must be sitting still or lying bye you, and at no time should they be allowed to jump up if the cat does decide to come closer, this would scare her off. Just be patient and relaxed, (the key is if your relaxed, your dogs will be). Give the cat time to adjust to a house with dogs. Shannon

Hi Vicky. The best way to get your cats and puppy introduced properly, is by getting a cage for the pup so that he can go in there with his own bed, food and water, toys....this will be his own where he will be safe and secure. This is a good training aid, the cats will be able to sniff and look round, as well has your puppy, they wont be able to come to any harm. Leave them for about half an hour or so. then bring your puppy out put him on a lead..sit down with him if he tries to run or jump at the cats...hold his head with him facing you and use a sharp NO....this can be used everytime he does. Do not punish him. When he just sits there you can praise him!. Do this often, in no time he will know what (No) means, then you will be able to let him wonder round sniffing the cats without scaring them. *I bought all mine up this way* and they get on great. Please never leave them alone when your out, just incase something does happen. My dogs have there own cages and the cats have there own room. GOOD LUCK! Shannon. Bullmastiff Owner, Researcher/Adviser of the Breed. Lover of all Animals!

I am so glad that you have made the right decision to get both your dogs spayed/neutered. I wish many others would do the same. A dog from a rescue could not have been a better choice as so many are unwanted! GOOD LUCK with your new baby, on whatever breed you decide to have! Shannon Bullmastiff Owner, Researcher/Adviser of the Breed. Lover of all Animals!

Also you mentioned that the dog wont become aggressive if it does wrestling with his owners, what if a child wants to play and the dog tries to wrestle with it. (THE DOG WILL HAVE TO BE DESTROYED THEN). Would you want to wrestle with a Bullmastiff. I think not....Get your priorities right, these are the kind of things that people do with there dogs to cause attacks on people.

Do you know that large breeds are prone to hip dypslasia, and (therefore should only be having a gentle walk twice a day up to a year old, and lots of play in the garden). To much exercise can cause this condition. It sounds to me that you allow your pups to become exhausted before you allow them to rest. This is harmful, when a pup begins to show tiredness, he should rest...not when he becomes exhausted. Can I ask a question ? When you feed your dogs, how long is it before you exercise them after there meal ?

Ideally if she is spending a lot of time in her cage, then she needs someone to be there with her to let her out. Clean fresh water should be provided at all times even when she is in the cage, and untill she is mature enough, she should not be left in there longer than 1 hour....and then at around One year old she should be able to be left a little longer like 3 or 4 hours at the most but if your able to get a friend, neighbour to let her out, this would help her a lot with her house training. If you have a chosen area for your pup to use, (instead of a spot that you dont want her to use) then this should be told to whoever is there with her so that she knows were to toilet. Good Luck! Bullmastiff Owner, Researcher/Adviser of the Breed. Lover of all Animals.

Take your puppy to the vets incase she as an infection, if everything is ok it could be that she is being lazy. Try letting her out everytime she wakes up, as her drink and food, and when she as finished playing, take her to her favourite spot in the garden, this might take a while but when she is done, praise her and say (GOOD GIRL)...be patient with her. It might take time but it will be worth it. What breed is she ? Shannon Bullmastiff Owner, Researcher/Adviser of the Breed. Lover of all Animals!

Hi Derek. Your dog is probably warn out if he is being exercised a lot, therfore he will just want to rest and sleep. Might I just say that at 7 months old, your German Shepherd should be having more gentle walks as the breed is prone to hip dysplasia if exercised to much, and you are wise not to wrestle with your dog as this can cause aggressive behaviour later on. How old is your dog ? Shannon Bullmastiff Owner, Researcher/Adviser of the Breed. Lover of all Animals!

Hi Derek. Your dog is probably warn out if he is being exercised a lot, therfore he will just want to rest and sleep. Might I just say that at 7 months old, your German Shepherd should be having more gentle walks as the breed is prone to hip dysplasia if exercised to much, and you are wise not to wrestle with your dog as this can cause aggressive behaviour later on. How old is your dog ? Shannon Bullmastiff Owner, Researcher/Adviser of the Breed. Lover of all Animals!

I would go by what your vet says about fleas as these can cause hair loss, leaving bald patches. Your dogs should be fleaded regular to prevent getting those horrible things. Shannon Bullmastiff Owner, Researcher/Adviser of the Breed. Lover of all Animals!

Start to think about tightening your dogs muscles when he is a year and a half, this is when the dogs joints are fully developed and then on, they can take as much exercise as you wish to give, but in the mean time just train your puppy to go to the toilet, basic training like sit, stay, wait, down etc and feed him the right diet, not letting him get obese....you must be able to feel the rib without seeing it. Only take him for short walks (when he as had all his innoculations first), upto 6 months then a little longer, playing with him in the garden. Wait an hour after his food and drink before exercising him. He must also be wormed regular, and also fleaded when he is older. You can get these from your vet.

Keep your dogs seperated when your not there, all mine are in there own cages just incase of any accidents. It doesn't matter if they are small medium or large, when left with toys to play with, jealousy can set in' and trouble can start. My 6 year old Border Collie cross tries to jump on and playbites with my 13 year old Westie cross when someone is at home and he snaps at her, but she doesn't give in. So I carnt immagine what they would get up to when left alone. I also own a 2 year old Bullmastiff who is really gentle and loving, he plays lovely with my eldest dog, but even so i would never leave them alone together when we are out, the cats have another room as well. Shannon

Maybe your brother acts differently when he approaches Bear, or maybe its the different smells thats confusing him, as you both look so much alike. Ask your brother to spend more time with Bear like you do with him, but instead of you being in the same room, stand just outside the door and peep through the gap, see how your dog responds to your brother. Shannon Bullmastiff Owner, Researcher/Adviser of the Breed. Lover of all Animals!

It can also be caused by worms, whatever your puppy eats is taken by them, so if you dont already have him wormed i suggest you do so immediately by your vet. If left unattended, your pup will be at risk. Shannon Bullmastiff Owner, Researcher/Adviser of the Breed. Lover of all Animals!

Yes its normal, for unknown reason whenever some dogs hear a siren they do howl. I have heard that many years ago, people used to think that when a dog howls after hearing sirens, they could see death, my friends dog used to howl when he heard sirens and would shake.

What breed is your dog ?

The Bullmastiff as the shortest hair which lies flat and taught against there body. Males stand at 26-28 inches at the shoulder and are 90 to 110lbs in weight. Females slightly smaller in size and weight. The Mastiffs coat is a touch longer than the Bullmastiff! Shannon

Hi there James. I think your dogs legs might be slightly bruised which is why hes still limping. Give him plenty of rest for a few days then see how he goes then! Keep us posted to let us know how he gets on! Shannon!