|
Feeding Here
at Danier, we feed both homemade food and a premium quality pet food,
with both mineral and vitamin supplements too. Depending on the age and
size of your puppy, it will probably be on puppy food. Try to resist the
temptation to make your puppy plump, as this can cause major health
issues for the rest of your puppy's life. If your puppy and/or adult dog
is maintaining a healthy weight, you should not be able to see the ribs
of your bully but you should be able to feel them with no fatty deposits.
Your puppy should not be potty looking (rounded belly). To know if you
should be changing from a puppy food, or the amount you are feeding, you
should contact your breeder or your vet. If you are calling your breeder
try to have weights and measurements ready to give them. Height should
be taken from the top of the shoulder blades to the floor and lenght
should be taken from the front chest of the dog to the back end of the
dog.
Danier puppies are fed 3 times a day. A good time schedule of
feeding is 7:00, 1:00 and 6:00pm. Do not feed your puppy later in the
evening as it makes house breaking more difficult during the late
evening. Your bullmastiff's food should always be slightly moistened to
avoid bloat. You should be feeding your puppy three times a day, till
the age of six months and gradually while you increase the morning and
evening meals you will decrease the middle meal. After you have changed
your puppy over to two meals a day, feed your dog for the rest of its
life two times daily to avoid bloat (a disease that affects this any many
large breeds). Always have fresh water available for your adult dog but
limit your puppies water intake in the later evening while you are house
training.
Remember this is a big breed of dog that needs a top
quality food to maintain proper health. We here at Danier, give all our
bullmastiffs Vitamin C and start out our puppies from when they first
start on solids. We start our puppies on 125mg of Vitamin C daily until
it reaches the 4 months of age, then raise the dosage to 250mg till the
age of one year, where we increase the dosage to 500mg daily for the
remainder of its life. Vitamin C helps in bone, muscle and teeth
structure and is good addition to a top rate feeding program. We also
add to our bully's diet garlic and parsley as blood purifiers, in small
dosages. Also our puppies and dogs are given yogurt on a daily basis as
well as fresh fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. We have noted that
apples, oranges, banana, broccoli and carrots seem to be among the dogs
favorites. We also feed raw (adult) cow lower leg bones to our dogs and
puppies.
Top of Page
Grooming Supplies
Your puppy can be bathed, whenever
you feel it is dirty or has that doggy odor, but be careful not to bathe
too often, as you will wash away the dogs natural protective essential
oils. Loss of these oils can cause flaky or itchy skin and can actually
lead to more doggy odor as the dog scratches. If your dog seems to have
a more than amount of doggy smell or flaking take your bully to your vet,
as the dog might be having a food allergy or health problem. Remember
that your dogs skin and eyes are the window to their health. I use
shampoos that are not full of harsh chemicals and like to use healthy
products with Tea Tree Oil in it, if you can not find one you can us a
natural healthy shampoo and add your own Tea Tree Oil to it (just a few
drops). You can get this product at any drug store or health food store.
For extra conditioning you can use a little Alpha Keri or again Tea Tree
Oil in a spray bottle with water. Mist the coat and rub well with your
hands, take off the excess with a hand towel. A bullmastiff should be
brushed weekly, with a rubber brush or glove (my personal preference).
The rubber glove is not only good for dry brushing, but it helps in deep
coat penetration when you are lathering the dog in the bath. A light
stipper rake is handy to help remove dead hair (and yes they do shed a
little). The rake also works great on the carpet for picking up the same
dead hair before you vacuum. A flea comb is also a useful tool for
detecting and removal of fleas, ticks and little burrs too. In case of
fleas we have found that Citronella or again Tea Tree Oil based products
work best and you again can create your own. Also a product called
Advantage (can be purchased through your vet) seems to work best in bad
flea locations. These same products also work on gnats, black flies,
ect.
Trim the nails on a weekly basis taking care not to cut the
quick (but don't panic if you do, both of you will survive this). If you
accidentally cut a nail too short, you can use a commercial blood freeze
like Quick-Stop or a styptic pencil. Always have this on hand as well as
a hand towel in the event of an accident (and yes even the pros have
accidents). A light set of clippers can be used until your puppy grows
into adulthood, then it is wise to buy a heavy duty set of clippers of
stainless steel to avoid the nails shattering while cutting. There are
two different types of clippers, a scissors like type (my preference) or
the guillotine style and you can figure out which you like by trial.
Ears should also be cleaned on a weekly basis. Never use an alcohol
based product to clean ears, as it tends to dry them out too much. The
best cleaning method is to moisten a cloth with warm water and Tea Tree
Oil combination and gently wipe the inside of the ears to remove excess
wax build up. You can also purchase ear cleaners from your pet stores
and your vet. Use this time before you start to clean to have a look for
mites, redness or a funny smell, if any of those are in effect, contact
your vet or call your breeder. Take care not to let water enter the ear
while bathing and be sure to check for foreign objects after running
through tall weeds and grass. Grooming a bullmastiff is a simple job and
can be a relaxing way to spend time together, always finish with praise
and a treat.
Top of Page
Helpful Hints
Take your puppy with you in the car
as often as possible to expose him/her to a variety of different
situations. Try hard to avoid bad experiences. Remember to be very
careful not to over exert or overheat your puppy. Always provide plenty
of cool fresh water for your puppy to drink and a cool shady place to
lie down. Never leave your puppy or adult dog unattended in a car during
the summer or warm weather, not even for a few minutes. A car's interior
temperature can reach oven like conditions in very little time, even
with the windows down and shade on the car. Try to restrict your puppy
from jumping from extreme heights as this can damage his/her young
growing tendons and bones which are most softer than an adult dog. Do
not use a flyswatter, folded newspaper or other items to punish your dog
and never hit your pet.
Bullmastiffs love all the comforts of life
but do not allow your puppy on the furniture unless you will not mind it
on the furniture when it is full grown and over 100 pounds. Do not allow
your bullmastiff to become over weight as this is a quick way to shorten
any pets life. Exercise is very important part of your dog's life but do
not over do it. Never road work a young bullmastiff or take it jogging
until it is full grown. Bullmastiff puppies are young children and need
to be loved and nourished but also need a firm set of rules and
guidelines as they mature.
Top of Page
House Crate Training
We here suggest crate training for
your puppy. Any puppy raised properly in a clean environments will not
want to soil in its sleeping quarters. (Another reason why it is
important to buy from a caring breeder). It is important to take your
puppy outside to relieve it self every two hours when first house
breaking or as often as possible. Good times to do this are first thing
in the morning, immediately after meals, during playtime. When your
puppy performs outside, remember to praise lavishly. If it makes a
mistake in the house and you can actually catch it in the act, scold the
puppy verbally and take it outside to reinforce the idea of where it is
expected to go. Praise your puppy as soon as it goes in the proper spot.
Clean the mistake area thoroughly to remove puppy's odor and then spray a
little vinegar and water over the spot. Crate training and house
breaking will not take long if you are persistent, patient and kind. A
crate should never be used as a punishment or banishment place to send
your puppy as this is where your bully will freely go when something is
troubling them or they are not feeling well, if you have made this a
safe and friendly place to go.
We also train our dogs to eat their
bones in their own open crates to help keep things clean as well as
gives them a place to go away from other bully's while they enjoy their
treat. This can also stop arguments over possession of the bone. We also
recommend in the case of more than one dog that each have their own
crate. Keeping your puppy in its crate when there is no one in
attendance or if it is impossible to keep your eye on it, to help ensure
your puppy's safety...
Top of Page
Obedience Training
We highly recommend obedience
training for your puppy. Obedience training teaches your bully house
manners. Please take extreme caution when choosing an obedience school
or class, attend a class without your puppy before you sign up and watch
the way they handle the animals and be sure that you are comfortable
with the way they treat the other animals. Observe carefully the
trainer's dogs, do they do they are asked out of a sense of fun or out
of fear. If this is how you feel you would like your puppy trained, you
may have found the right class for you and your dog. If you don't like
their approach then go out and look for someone else. There are many
trainers out there but not near as many good trainers. Avoid trainers
who push "bitework or sleevework". These are not part of
regular obedience training and should only be done after an evaluation
by a porfessional protection dog trainer. This type of taining is not
suitable or recommended for very young puppies.
Basic training begins
early at Danier, we begin by teaching our puppies not to bite or chew on
skin. (This may seem silly, but will be appreciated when your dog
reaches his or her full size of about 100 pounds or better and is
playing too rough). If your puppy is intent on biting or chewing on you,
a flick under the chin and a sharp "NO" should do the trick,
followed by a "good puppy" if it stops promptly, do not turn
this into a game with your puppy. Your breeder or obedience trainer
should be able to help you with little problems like this, so don't be
afraid to ask questions. As your puppy gets older, it may require a
choke chain collar or promise collar (a kinder way to train, ask your
vet) for training purposes. If you use a choke chain, be sure that it
fits properly over the head with only 2-3inches to spare when pulled.
When on the dog, the choke collar should be loose but never dropping
down on its chest. Never leave a choke chain on your dog when you are
not in attendance. The animal can get caught and choke to death very
quickly. This type of collar is only used for training purposes. For
every day collars and leashes, I suggest good quality leather. It is
easier on your hands and on the fur and skin of your dog. All your
training techniques should be with kindness and fun.
Top of Page
Toys
A few of the toys I have found that
puppies and adults alike enjoy are a medium sized Kong, a good rubber
frisbee, large rubber balls, rubber tug toy and rope pulls. A plush
buddy of some sort is also good toy but do not leave with a puppy
unattended. Do not play tug of war too hard with a young puppy as this
can cause some damage to the jaw or damage the teeth. Care should be
taken not to allow older dogs and children to play too rough with very
young pups as this can be detrimental to the development of hips and
other joints. Play with most toys should be supervised so the pup or
older dog does not chew them apart and chew on the pieces. Also check
over toys for signs of wear and tear and dispose of them if necessary.
Top of Page
Vaccinations
Here at Danier, we give our first set
of inoculations at the age of 6 weeks. The puppies are given the
inoculation of Duramune DA2pptCVK, canine distemper, adenovirus type,
parinfluenza, parvovirus (modified life) and canine coronavirus (killed
virus). The next vaccination should be given 4 weeks after the first set
and the third set (and final set of the series) should be given 4 weeks
later. At that time, the vet will also give the rabies vaccine as well.
Yearly vaccinations should be given one year after the last shot of the
puppy series.
Top of Page
Worming
All our puppies have their stools
checked for worms and parasites and if they need to be dewormed we use
Strongid-T. Worms are not anything to panic over and can be easily
treated as well as easily contracted through animal feces contact. We
suggest that at every vet visit you take a stool sample in to your vets
to be checked. Do not use the over the counter wormers sold in the
stores as these are not strong enough to effectively kill most parasites
and deworming should be done under veterinary supervision. There are
also more natural ways to work or to keep your animal parasite free.
|
