Really Important Things to Remember About Your Mastiff Puppy

The other day I was thinking about when I send a puppy to their new home what do I really want to emphasize to the new owners.  My original puppy packet is now a 110 page book.  While I would love for new owners to read and take to heart all of that info, in reality that’s unrealistic, so here are a few of the biggies, in no particular order.
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1 1/2 lbs to 175lbs in 2 years!

Although he is big he is DELICATE.  Your puppy will grow to be nearly 200 times the size he was when he was born in approximately 2 short years.  This means he grows FAST, sometimes upwards of 5lbs per week.  This also means his bones are fairly soft because they are growing at such an exponential rate.  Here are some things that are unacceptable for your Mastiff puppy and can cause permanent bone and joint damage.

Don’t let you puppy play or run on surfaces like tile, hardwood, linoleum or any slick surface. A slip the wrong way can be harmful to your pups joints.

Never put any kind of weight or pressure on your Mastiff’s joints or back.

NEVER let your children lean, drape over or sit on your Mastiff.  Not only can it damage your puppy’s joints it’s a very unsafe activity to let any child do to any dog and children that aren’t taught how to treat and interact with dogs appropriately are much more likely to get bitten.

Never let your Mastiff jump off of anything until they are at least 18 months old, preferably 2 years.  Jumping down off of things can put severe and extreme pressure on their front legs and cause the growth plates to be damaged or bones to be fractured.  If your Mastiff needs to come down off of something, like out of a vehicle guide them down gently or use a ramp or stair steps.

Mastiffs get BIG, we all know that. So just like ANY other dog, NEVER let your Mastiff puppy do anything that you dont want it to do when its 200lbs. Untraining a behavior is undeniably more difficult than properly training a behavior to start with.

Also remember that your Mastiff puppy is a Giant breed, not a large breed.  If you chose to switch your puppy off of the raw diet he was raised on and feed your puppy a kibble diet make sure it is NOT puppy food.  It is important to keep your calcium/phosphorus levels to 1:1 or as close as you can get to that.  The food also needs to contain under 28% protein, 26% or lower is much better. Advice from most veterinarians in regards to the nutritional needs of giant breed puppies is WRONG.  If you plan to switch your puppy’s food please consult us so we can help you review the quality and ingredients of the new food. We reccommend supplementing your Mastiff with Vitamin C, Glusocamine/Chondroitin and Fish Oil for the life of your pet.

Brinkley graduating from puppy kindergarten. 
Socialization is the key to a well balanced Mastiff.

Mastiffs NEED socialization from the beginning.  If you want a well-rounded puppy that can behave around other dogs and people you need to start socialization no later than 3 months.  This includes things such as taking them to your local pet stores where other dogs and people are, taking them to public events or the park, and dog training classes.  As agreed upon when you purchased your puppy and signed your contract with me you are required to take you puppy to at least one round of puppy training classes or obedience before they are 6 months old, however additional training classes are highly recommended.

Remember, puppies from Gryphon Mastiffs are raised holistically.  They are weaned to a raw diet and they have been vaccinated once for Parvo and Distemper.  They will need one additional booster shot when they are 13 weeks old (please be sure that your vet does not use combination shots, those are the most harmful to your pet)The booster for the Parvo shot and the Distemper shot should be given at least a week apart to avoid vaccine reactions.  They will also need a rabies vaccine at 4 weeks after the last booster shot, then one year after that to boost the rabies immunity.  While we hope your Mastiff is already on a Vitamin C supplement, if not Vitamin C helps the body rid the toxins introduced during vaccination, so we reccommend supplementation during vaccination if you arent already doing it.  After these shots we recommend you do not vaccinate your dog again, instead you do a yearly titer test on them to see if they have immunity already in their systems.  Most commercial vaccines last 7+ years.  If the titer shows your dog is protected then there is no need for an additional vaccine.  For more info on vaccine reactions and how vaccines can alter the DNA structure of your dog contact us.

Finally, I should be your first point of contact for anything Mastiff you need, training questions, diet, exercise, behavior, etc.  While I may point you in a different direction for assistance I want to be here for the life of your Mastiff.  That’s my job as a breeder!

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