Shannon_C

I have to say but your the kind of people that put these dogs in rescues. Why on earth did you have these Labradors if your just going to get rid, and why are they kept outside, these dogs could have had proper training and socialised with your family, friends and other animals, that would have made them good house pets. Especially as you had them both from puppies, there is no excuse for people like you...you either wanted them or you didn't. You carn't just have puppies because they are cute to look at, cuddly and able to do what they want, and then when they get older they are dumped outside because they are too big, start moulting, etc. (because your two darn house proud) I can see that this is one of the reasons your Labradors are outside. *ANIMALS ARE FOR LIFE NOT JUST FOR HAVING, THEN GETTING RID OF WHEN YOU GET FED UP* You do realise that getting rid of the Labrador they will pine for each other because they have been together a long time. Is this what you really want or dont your family care. I mean what are you people like..you just make me sick. I have 3 great dogs, they have all been bought up together, being one a 2 year old Bullmastiff and the others medium crosses age 6 and 13, plus 3 cats. I would never dream of putting them outside, they are my children..the house is there's as well has mine (and my home is nice not dirty) If you really have to get rid of the Labrador, then I suggest both of them, so that at least they have each other, otherwise you are heading for heartbreak with both Labradors. DONT HAVE ANY MORE DOGS THOUGH. They will be better off with someone who loves and cares for them for the rest of there life!

My Bullmastiff and my other 2 mongrels are fed on Pedigree Chum Complete Biscuit now. The reason for this is, because Bullmastiffs are prone to skin problems mainly from there diet, I had to change the food about 5 times to find the best one for him, and as so many breeds differ with there diet. I found the Pedigree to be best without the price being to high, he just as to have more fibre in his diet which is plenty of fruit and vegetables, his skin and coat as made a difference since he as been put on Pedigree. Shannon

What is the reason for people complaining about the dogs, is it noise, viciousness, or is it that some neighbours dont like the dogs ? What breed are they ? Shannon

I am happy that the dog as found a loving home like yours, it means a lot to me when animals have found good homes. It sounds like this poor baby as been illtreated, the dog needs to be encouraged to come to you, this will take time but this can only be done by trust. First of all the dog needs to be in a quite household away from any noise, otherwise its fear will never go away. You need to sit quietly with the dog, talking to him in a soft voice, maybe putting a treat on the floor where he can see it, still talking to him, this is were he will learn to trust you, but he needs to be the only dog in the room with you at that time, give him a toy to play with. Baring in mind, a lot of patience is needed, it might take up to a few weeks before he comes round but you should see some progress, especially if he does something different like coming closer to you. Try this and see how it goes, also give your other dogs plenty of attention so they dont feel left out, but only when you have spent time before or after with your newcomer. Shannon Bullmastiff Owner, Researcher/Adviser of the Breed. Lover of all animals!

Give your dog an handful of biscuits or meat only twice a day, and a little bit of fruit like slice apples, pears. (these are very good and healthy) Give her plenty of excercise about an hour after she as eaten her food, do this often, weighing her...you should notice how much she as lost within a week, but dont starve her. Keep at note of her weight as well. If you exercise her a lot, remember to give her extra food, the more she burns off the more she needs, but exercising her often and not giving her fattening foods will help reduce the putting on weight. In many breeds, you should be able to feel some rib without seeing it. Good Luck Shannon Bullmastiff Owner, Researcher/Adviser of the Breed, and Lover of all animals!

Get all your dogs vaccinated at the appropriate times, this is done once a year, but if they haven't been done for a few years then they might require 2. and then once there after, also get them wormed and fleaded regular. Wash all areas where your dogs have been, including there sleeping places, carpets, curtains, furniture etc with a good strong product from your local good pet shop, your vet may be able to help you with this. The only way you could catch worms is by letting an infected dog lick your face and mouth. If this is so then I recommend a visit to your doctor. Good Luck! Shannon Bullmastiff Owner, Researcher and Adviser of the breed, and Lover of all animals!

Yes its true, the reason is, bread can expand in your dogs stomach causing blockage, (being dough) its even worse if they have a drink straight after. Bread is much safer when toasted. My dogs have a little bit of toast now and again, but I never give it them straight from the bag. Shannon Bullmastiff Owner, Researcher and Lover of all animals.

Hi there. I am sorry to hear about your Labrador, its sad when dogs age. Going by the age of your dog, it sounds like he is having trouble with his back legs, he does need to be seen by your vet who can help your Labrador. I hope all goes well! Keep us posted . Shannon Bullmastiff Owner, Researcher and Lover of all animals.

I thought i should have my say about rawhide dogs chews. I would not recommend these given to dogs'*THEY ARE LEATHAL*. large or small. A few years ago my dogs used to have these and I was always there to keep an eye out for any problems, while I was sitting watching the telly one evening, my Bullmastiff who is 2 years old now...was there munching away with his, next thing i knew he was choking, i immediately rushed over to him to find that half of the rawhide was lodged down his throat, i quickly pulled it out. Thankfully he was ok. If I had not have been there with him or was not quick enough, i might have lost him. I found out a few weeks later that a 2 year old Bullmastiff had choked on one, while his owners were in bed, they found him gasping for air the next morning, but it was too late. So please do not give your dogs rawhide, I also stopped giving my dogs bones, as they become very brittle and splinter, which can also be dangerous if swallowed and the stomach gets punctured with these sharp bones. Instead I give mine plenty of Bonio Biscuits, Frozen Carrots, Plenty of fruit which is very good for them, they have there teeth cleaned on a regular basis to prevent the build up of tartar. So they dont need bones to keep there teeth clean. When my dogs are alone they have about 6 or more Kongs each with various foods to keep them occupied till I return, and you can guarantee thay there will be a couple that haven't been touched because they are still working on the other one. The Bullmastiff as the large ones because of his size and the other 2 who are medium size, have the smaller ones. While there are new products coming out, who knows what they will do to your pet. You might have been giving your dogs rawhide and bones for years with no problems, but there is always the first. PLEASE DONT WAIT FOR IT TO HAPPEN. There are plenty of other toys and treats on the market! Shannon Bullmastiff Researcher,Owner and Lover of all Animals.

Yes Carol. You forgot to mention toys lol. If your area is a safe place from would be thieves, then by all means leave your dog outside, otherwise it would be wiser and much safer to leave indoors. You could ask your neighbour to go round to let your dog out, or stay there till you return. Shannon Bullmastiff Owner, Researcher and Lover of the Breed!

Before embarking upon the breeding of your dogs, serious consideration should be given to whether you: Can give the mother and pups your undivided attention for at least the first few weeks of life(ie until the pups are weaned) and are also prepared for the subsequent demands that a litter of boisterous six to eight week old puppies makes upon you. Can afford the costly vet fees which invariably occur, the equally costly feeding of both mother and offspring, plus the registration of a litter, all of which have to be found before there is any sign of a return. Are you confident that you will be able to find suitable homes for perhaps a litter of ten, and if not, have you the facilities to be able to run on those which are not immediately placed, while their appetites grow along with there size. Are you willing to accept responsibility for the puppies should a problem occur at any time in the future. Are you able to afford the cost of worming the puppies, and fleaing them once they are old enough to be, prior to this the adult dogs should also be wormed and fleaded on a regular basis. It is essential that the brood female and stud male is in excellent health, currently innoculated and wormed, not over weight and is at least 2 years old. Shannon Bullmastiff Owner, Researcher and Lover of the Breed!

Charlie my 2 yr old male Bullmastiff likes going out for rides in the car with the window open,(although its only a gap) and when ever it rains, he puts his nose out and tries catching it, i dont know what the passers by think when they see him, but some do have a chuckle! Shannon Bullmastiff Researcher Owner and Lover! Member of Bullmastiff Welfare, and Welsh and West of England Bullmastiff Society.

Hi there. Anyone who would like to email me there photos of there crossbreeds to look at. Please feel free!

This one is for Trey. It is good that you are studying all the breeds, you will learn a lot as you get older. Might I just say that all puppies chew, its not because this problem is within the Labrador breed. The reason for this is upto 6 months or more they are teething, at at that stage it is very painful for them so they bite on things, including hands, legs, feet etc. There are many solutions to help youngsters through this. Here are a few! When my Bullmastiff was teething, i squeezed a little bit of Bonjela on my finger and massaged it over his gums, this helps to heal the discomfort, he was also given frozen carrots cut into small strips. Plenty of toys should be given as well! I am a researcher of the Bullmastiff! Care to share your views of the breed with me. Thankyou.

Can I ask why your vet had to drug your dog to have his nails clipped and why on earth were they bleeding ? No wonder your dog won't come to you or eat from you, the poor thing is terrified that he's going to go through that same ordeal again. Clipping a dogs nails is quite simple as long as your dog keeps still and they aren't allowed to grow too long, your vet must have cut the quick, which is part of the dogs toe. Im not blaming you, it just seems that some vets are useless when it comes to treating animals, I know' we have some like that in England. What I suggest you do is keep talking to your dog in a calm voice, put his favourite toy or a treat on the floor, still talking letting him know that he is safe and that know one is going to hurt him, be patient give him time...it might take a while but your dog should start to come round. I suggest you use another vet, otherwise your dog will end up back to square one.

Hi there. The earlier the better really, waiting a few more months won't do any harm though as long as she is well socialised around dogs and people, build her confidence. She should still be socialised at home, and given lots of love and attention, she will be a great dog to have around' with plenty of training. GOOD LUCK.

re/ breeding! How old is your female ?

I wouldn't reccomend breeding from two different breeds, even though you say you could provide a home for all the puppies, which could be something like 10 to 15 pups, they would need a considerable amount of undivided attention spent with each one, including the mother for at least the first four weeks of life (ie until the pups are weaned) and are also prepared for the subsequent demands that a litter of boisterous six to eight-week old pups makes upon you. Would you be able to afford the costly vet fees which invariably occur, and to worm the pups as well as the mother and father at the appropriate times, fleaing them once there old enough, the equally costly feeding of both mother and offspring. Even though your friends say that they would like a pup, and have already made there mind up that if it was impossible to keep, they would return it. But saying this if your friends really want one, then the pup should stay with them for the rest of its life. Dogs bond very quickly to there family and if a sudden change is made, that could damage the dog. Have you had a word with your vet about breeding your dogs, if he is a good vet...he will tell you the same.

I might be wrong, it could be the ass holes who bred these puppies that did this.

How can anyone be so cruel to an innocent little puppy, what goes through these sick peoples minds to do something like this is beyond me. The breeder must have dumped those cute puppies hoping that someone nice would find them,(but nevertheless why didn't they hand them over to a rescue or the police) and the female must have got seperated from its litter mates to have ended up in the hands of those evil, cowardly, bastards (excuse my french) if I got my hands on them they wished they had never been born. They must be caught, tortured, locked up and the key thrown away, let them suffer...see how they feel. Believe me it will come back to them, some way or another.

Your Labrador is probably teething, so he needs to have plenty of his own toys to naw on...provided you carefully watch over him, in case he swallows bits. Carrots are also good for dogs teething, as well as being healthy. You can also use bonjela which is a gel. You can get it from any chemist. Squeeze a tiny drop onto your finger and rub it over his gums, this will help ease the discomfort he is in. Teething is a distressing time for puppies, just like babies. Good Luck (with your bundle of joy)!

Hi there. I have never heard this about dogs having orgasms, perhaps your dog as a health problem as she is continually licking herself. I would advise taking her to see your vet immediately, before this problem gets worse. GOOD LUCK!

Can I just say that even if your dog is friendly with these cats. I would advise not to let him chase them...It might seem funny to watch but disasters can happen not from your dog, but from other dogs who hate them, your cats being friendly with your dog is likely to think that all dogs are the same. I have 3 dogs in which one is a Bullmastiff, and 3 cats, the dogs are never allowed to chase or jump at them. Please take my advice, otherwise you could find your cat or the neighbours cat dead in someones garden.

Your Welcome. What I can suggest in the long run is to try and distract Jack with his favourite toy, or if this doesn't work, you could spray Jack with a water pistol or something else. Do this everytime he gets excited round your children saying (NO) in a firm voice and send him to his bed, make him stay there. Be firm with your dog, if you dont already do so' but dont smack him, just show him whos boss. I had this problem with both my males, but only with my other dog who is female, no children, so that wasn't a problem for us. I used the NO word and sent them to there beds. If your children play rough with Jack, rolling over the floor, which children do, then this could be triggering the excitement even though he as been neutered. Do you take your dog to training school, this could help...he will be socialising with other dogs and people, and will probably take his mind of his sexual behaviour. (THIS IS JUST A SUGGESTION) I dont have children myself, so I carn't give you much advice, only what I mentioned. I hope it helps! Good Luck

Why is your friend getting rid of the Bullmastiff, carnt he/she take the dog with them ? Why did your friend have the dog in the first place ? 4 years is too long for the dog to be dumped on some one else. Does your friend realise that Bullmastiffs bond so quicky to there family, to just suddenly not be wanted anymore will damage the dog, 6 months old is bad enough, They lose there appetite and just lie around, is this really what your friend wants, to see his dog misserable. I own a 2 year old Bullmastiff who I love dearly and would never part with him, no matter what the circumstances are. Is there a good reason for this ?