Welcome to Dog Training Guide
Advice For Dog Training Article
This is a selection made from among articles on Advice For Dog Training. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for future reading, click here.
Rearing A Top Mastiff
from:Size is a quality very desirable in this breed. The height of many
dogs of olden days was from thirty-two to thirty-three inches. The
height should be obtained rather from great depth of body than length
of leg. A leggy Mastiff is very undesirable. Thirty inches may be
taken as a fair average height for dogs, and bitches somewhat less.
Many of Mr. Lukey's stood 32 inches and over; Mr. Green's Monarch
was over 33 inches, The Shah 32 inches, and Cardinal 32 inches.
The method of rearing a Mastiff has much to do with its ultimate size,
but it is perhaps needless to say that the selection of the breeding
stock has still more to do with this. It is therefore essential to
select a dog and bitch of a large strain to obtain large Mastiffs.
It is not so necessary that the dogs themselves should be so large
as that they come from a large strain. The weight of a full-grown
dog should be anything over 160 lb. Many have turned over the scale
at 180 lb. The Shah, for instance, was 182 lb. in weight, Scawfell
over 200 lb.
One of the great difficulties that breeders of Mastiffs and all other
large dogs have to contend against is in rearing the puppies; so many
bitches being clumsy and apt to kill the whelps by lying on them.
It is, therefore, always better to be provided with one or more foster
bitches. At about six weeks old a fairly good opinion may be formed
as to what the puppies will ultimately turn out in certain respects,
for, although they may change materially during growth, the good or
bad qualities which are manifest at that early age will, in all
probability, be apparent when the puppy has reached maturity. It is,
therefore, frequently easier to select the best puppy in the nest
than to do so when they are from six to nine or ten months old.
Puppies should be allowed all the liberty possible, and never be tied
up: they should be taken out for steady, gentle exercise, and not
permitted to get too fat or they become too heavy, with detrimental
results to their legs. Many Mastiff puppies are very shy and nervous,
but they will grow out of this if kindly handled, and eventually
become the best guard and protector it is possible to have.
The temper of a Mastiff should be taken into consideration by the
breeder. They are, as a rule, possessed of the best of tempers. A
savage dog with such power as the Mastiff possesses is indeed a
dangerous creature, and, therefore, some inquiries as to the temper
of a stud dog should be made before deciding to use him. In these
dogs, as in all others, it is a question of how they are treated by
the person having charge of them.
The feeding of puppies is an important matter, and should be carefully
seen to by anyone wishing to rear them successfully. If goat's milk
is procurable it is preferable to cow's milk. The price asked for
it is sometimes prohibitory, but this difficulty may be surmounted
in many cases by keeping a goat or two on the premises. Many breeders
have obtained a goat with the sole object of rearing a litter of
puppies on her milk, and have eventually discarded cow's milk
altogether, using goat's milk for household purposes instead. As soon
as the puppies will lap they should be induced to take arrowroot
prepared with milk. Oatmeal and maizemeal, about one quarter of the
latter to three quarters of the former, make a good food for puppies.
Dog biscuits and the various hound meals, soaked in good broth, may
be used with advantage, but no dogs, either large or small, can be
kept in condition for any length of time without a fair proportion
of meat of some kind. Sheep's paunches, cleaned and well boiled, mixed
with sweet stale bread, previously soaked in cold water, make an
excellent food and can hardly be excelled as a staple diet. In feeding
on horseflesh care should be taken to ascertain that the horse was
not diseased, especially if any is given uncooked.
Worms are a constant source of trouble from the earliest days of
puppy-hood, and no puppy suffering from them will thrive; every
effort, therefore, should be made to get rid of them.
With proper feeding, grooming, exercise, and cleanliness, any large
dog can be kept in good condition without resort to medicine, the
use of which should be strictly prohibited unless there is real need
for it. Mastiffs kept under such conditions are far more likely to
prove successful stud dogs and brood bitches than those to which
deleterious drugs are constantly being given.
Get Outstanding Savings On Dog Treats.
Whether you're training with positive reinforcement or simply bonding with your companion, choose a treat that suits your dog's size, age, health, activity level, chewing style and taste.
 |
 |
Advice For Dog Training News
Showing entries for Category: dog-training - San Francisco Examiner
You've probably been told that puppies and young dogs can cause a lot of damage in a little time. Perhaps you've heard that puppies should be confined to a crate when unsupervised for any length of time, both for their safety and the safety of the ...
Read more...Rescue Me brings dog training to homes - Des Moines Register
If you're setting New Year's resolution to get your dog - and yourself - a few lessons in how to follow orders, Jennifer Parker might be able to help. She is setting up an in-home dog training business beginning this week. Parker currently works with ...
Read more...Ask Dog Lady: Make a dogged effort to quit smoking - Norwich Bulletin
Matty, a petite Maltese has much smaller lungs than a human. If secondhand smoke is toxic for our lungs, can you imagine how it affects your dog — or any living creature in your smoggy orbit? Sure, it’s hard to think about — and easy to feel ...
Read more...Bella the labrador saved from an icy death - This is Wiltshire
A DOG was dramatically saved by fire crews after falling through an icy lake in Swindon. Fire crews from Westlea, supported by specialist Water Rescue teams from Stratton and Chippenham, attended the incident at Mouldon Hill in north Swindon shortly ...
Read more...Guide Dogs of the Desert to appear in Rose Parade - Mydesert.com
Phil Weliky was given one piece of advice about walking in the Rose Parade on Thursday. “I was told to practice my wave,” he said with a chuckle. Weliky will be one of three Guide Dogs of the Desert representatives riding and walking alongside ...
Read more...