Shy5150
Registered: 04/20
Posts: 18
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Posted 05/19
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#1
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I have a 5 month old French mastiff mix. He is 50 pounds and growing fast. I feed him Purina large breed puppy food, 2 cups in the morning, 1/2 cup in afternoon and 2 more cups at night. He gets a short walk early in morning before we go to work, one right when we get home and a long one right before bed.
Is this ok? Should I be feeding him more?
When can I start to run with him? Don't want to hurt his growing bones by doing it to early?
Thanks
Sheilagh
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augusta
Registered: 04/10/08
Posts: 890
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Posted 05/19
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#2
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hi,
it depends on how far you want to run with him.
how far is a 'short' walk?
how far is a 'long' walk?
other than those times, is he loose in the house? confined to a crate? a mix of both?
best,
v
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dirtpoor
SUPER POWER POSTER
Registered: 02/19/10
Posts: 3,876
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Posted 05/20
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#3
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Personally, I would put him on adult food, not puppy food, puppy food can cause them to grow too fast and they will get Pano which is extremely painful for them. Don't worry about weight in numbers, if you can see more than his first 3 ribs, feed more and vice versa. Be careful with excersise(sp?) too much can be stressful on the bones and joints, to keep him in shape play fetch (don't throw the toy very far from you), play tug of war, and stuff that's more moderate than walks and runs. I don't like walks when they are puppies because if they get tired or hot you may very well end up carrying him back.
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Kristie in Texas
Proud mom of Daisy and Gunnar who live in Heaven with God and my daddy, Grace my silly clown who makes me laugh when I cry and every opportunity she thinks she can, Oliver who beat the odds and survived the impossible, Chigger, he's an a$$ but he's my little A$$....
And my new boy Elah!!!!!!
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GinaG
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Registered: 04/09/09
Posts: 3,005
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Posted 05/20
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#4
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I agree with above (both). Your vet should tell you if your pup is at an ideal weight. What is he mixed with? You should be able to feel ribs, not see them. And switch to adult food like Kristie said. Five months is a baby and he is growing, he needs walks but in moderation...
Do you have any pics?
good luck.
Gina
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gina anelli
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Shy5150
Registered: 04/20
Posts: 18
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Posted 05/20
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#5
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I apologies for not being more specific about the walk times. A short walk is about 15-20 mins in the morning, we do this before we leave for work as he is crated or put in a 10x10 pen outside, while we are gone. His long walk is between 30-50 minutes and that is in the evening before he is crated at night.
When we are home he is normally running loose in back yard (1/2 acre) or is on a leash inside the house, with us. We have a 19 month old little girl, so he can not run loose in house with her there yet, as he knocks her over etc, working on that.
He was a rescue, you could see his ribs etc when I got him. You can still see them but no were near as bad as before. I helped rescue him from a hoarders house, where there were 67 animals in a town house. He was in a small crate in an upstairs bathroom. It was horrible.
We are not sure what he is mixed with, I am thinking maybe Cane Corse, Pit bull or maybe even Shepard. He is a beautiful red color with a white chest and a small black tip on his tail. His legs are very thick, the size of my forearm (which is not small) and his paws are about the size of my palm. Whats your guess?
Thanks for your responses. We have always had Rotties or Pits, this is our first Mastiff. He is an awesome dog!
P.S. I just did a DNA test on him, cause I was so curious I will let you know results when I get them. Here is a Picture
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Denny
Registered: 10/26/07
Posts: 742
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Posted 05/20
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#6
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I would change the food to adult and maybe a better quality, I'm not a big fan of grocery store dog food. The walks seem about right - a tired puppy is a happy owner. Mine have always let me know when a walk is not long enough for them so I'd stick with what you are doing and then when they let you know it's not time to go in the house . . . you can increase the length.
Forgot the question on running. Depending on what the darling is mixed with will hopefully contribute to the running gene you want. I've only had one mastiff that wanted to run unless it meant there was a reward (as in meat) at the end and don't make that reward too far away. Mine are almost exclusive couch potato's. Not that they can't and don't run because they do, but mastiffs are not generally known for any kind of running prowess.
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augusta
Registered: 04/10/08
Posts: 890
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Posted 05/20
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#7
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hi,
he's very cute!
when you walk him, is he on a loose leash so he can wander a bit and sniff, trot to the next interesting thing and then sniff? if so, you only need to walk him for about 20 minutes. he'd be using his brain (even tho i suspect sometimes you don't think he has one<g> , besides using his body and that is the best exercise for him and 20 minutes of that is about all he needs.
i would suggest that you not leave him outside. dogs are crepuscular - that means active at dawn and dusk. that's why we can leave them all day while we're at work and they mostly sleep. that sleep is important. when dogs are left outside, there is a lot going on in our world. vehicles, airplanes, birds, squirrels, people walking and talking and many dogs who are outside are sleep deprived and end up with behavior problems. not a risk i would personally take.
good for you for keeping him on a leash when your little child is around :-) i always recommend "living with kids and dogs...without losing your mind" by colleen pelar for everyone with a child and dog. it's full of very useful information.
i'm with denny on the running, probably not the best idea with a giant breed.
best,
v
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Shy5150
Registered: 04/20
Posts: 18
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Posted 05/20
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#8
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I will defenitly look into an adult food for him, his puppy bag is almost out. I dont think I ever mentioned his name, it is Thor. He does seem to be pretty lazy, lol. Our walks in the beging are a little fast pace, he trots next to me. The end part is more him smelling etc. He will walk for the most part as long as I want him to but he also has no problem setteling down in the house and sleeping almost all day. It is defintly different then what i am used to. My last pup, rottie, I could not get him tired lol.
Is there anything I should know about the breed that is not really in books and online. I know it will not be excat as he is mixed but any heads up I would love as I am a first time Mastiff owner. I have done tons of research, looking for real tips and advice from owners.
He currently jumps when hears loud noises and runs, tail between legs ,, is that normal?
(I know its probably because of his prior situation but wanted to ask)
He is very submissive to other large dogs, can I expect that to stay the same?
I cant wait to get the DNA test back, will keep u all informed.
Any guesses on what Thor is mixed with??
Sheilagh
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Cindy
Registered: 04/12
Posts: 79
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Posted 05/20
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#9
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Agree with others. You need to get him off the puppy food and on a all life stages food. The main thing you want to watch for is the calcium/phosphorus ratio. You don't want the calcium to be higher than 1. to 1.5% and the phosphorus about 1%. You don't want him to grow too fast or you will have issues like stated above. The are a lot of good quality kibbles out there, and if you can't find any close to you, you can order online (that's what I do) and have it delivered (free of charge) to your doorstep. Mastiffs often have chicken allergies, and do best on grain free kibble. You want at least the first 3 ingredients to be meat (protein), ie, duck, lamb, bison, beef, etc. You can check out a lot of different dog foods and their ratings at http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/. Quality kibble is more expensive that what you find in the grocery stores, but you will be feeding less of it, and his poops will be smaller.
Some of your other questions are hard to answer given that Thor is only 5 months old. A lot of his behavior will be somewhat influenced by how much and the kind of training that you do with him. I probably wouldn't expect him to stay submissive to other dogs like he is now, but at his young age it's really almost impossible to say. Puppies go through a lot of stages, and they do go through fear stages. You need to expose him to everything you possibly can while he's young...loud noises, motorcycles, parks and places with other dogs (I say park meaning parklike settings, not dog parks), kids, pet stores....take him everywhere you can and if he's afraid don't pamper him...just tell him it's ok and keep taking him those kinds of places until he is comfortable in those settings. (My current pup is 6 months now, and she hated/feared skateboarders, so we went to a park that had a skateboarder section and set outside of it every day until she just learned to ignore and accept it). By doing these things you will build his confidence in himself, and he will also learn to trust you when you say something's ok. You want him to be a confident dog.
Be careful of the kind of exercising you do with him while he is growing...like others stated above. He's too young for you to be running/trotting with him (of course this is just my opinion). If he's running in the yard on his own it's ok, but you need to be careful; just like being careful with stairs, getting in and out of the car, etc, so you don't end up with joint issues.
Hope this helps 
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Cindy
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Cindy
Registered: 04/12
Posts: 79
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Posted 05/21
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#10
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Also, remember that when transitioning your dog to a new food you need to do it slowly; otherwise you will probably end up with tummy troubles and diarrhea. Mix the new food in small amounts into the food you are already feeding to introduce it to your dog. Gradually increase the amounts of the new food vs the old and then eventually just offer the new food
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Cindy
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Denny
Registered: 10/26/07
Posts: 742
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Posted 05/21
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#11
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Tip: About the first thing I think of with your age puppy is - garbage gut. We've all been there. The puppy eats who knows what and the puppy is leaking heavily gawd knows what from both ends. Have an emergency vet on speed dial and some industrial cleaning products. I've got a lid on just about all my trash in the house. It helps some . . . lol.
He's 5 mo, right? He should be running and scared of noises and other large dogs . . . lol. He's a baby even if he's bigger than a normal baby. Not all large males have a clue as to how to be gentle. Many 5 mo would run or just not come out of their crate. The age of the larger male could make a difference too. Some younger males would see a puppy and think toy . . . lol. When he's scared just give a little tug on the leash and tell him it's time to go . . . and then go.
And him being submissive as a puppy will not be any indication of how he will grow into his personality. He's not big enough to be anything except submissive with a larger dog. Now I'm not talking about wetting the floor . . . just normal submissive behavior from a 5 mo would be normal at first meeting and then he should start to make friends after not very long.
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