Bullmastiffs were originaly used by game keepers, they were trained to track down poachers and protect the gamekeeper. In training they were muzzled so that they could not bite, they soon learned the only way to stop an attacker was to knock them to the ground with the use of their front paws. Once on the ground the poacher must have been in total fear seeing a large Bullmastiff upon them, also imagine this was often in total darkness. They could climb high walls, to which we have seen with our very own bullmastiff, as a puppy she got trapped on the other side of a five foot wall, with one leap she scaled it easily, this is the only time we have seen this ( she now has learnt just to go straight through the fences)
Our personal views of what a bullmastiff should look like is, a large head and front body, deep black mask also covering the eyes, dark ears and black toenails. We have seen a few bullmastiffs with pink toenails, even though this is a small point once you notice, it sticks in the mind. In regards to the colour we prefer a dark fawn, but I have not seen a colour I really dislike, but my least prefered is the fawns that are nearly white. In regards to the size the bigger the better, you really notice the difference between the male and female.I would have loved to own a dog, but I have heard that a dog and a bitch together as pets can cause problems with territory.
Please note: These are only my views, I am not a judge on the breed, this is my personal thoughts on the breed, everybody will have their own views on the colour and size. As you can see from our photos, a bullmastiff can have many different looks, when alert they appear totally different from when they are relaxing
We had rabbits and chipmunks, though she would have loved to have played with the rabbit she was just too powerful, and does not realise her stength, the chipmunks sent her crazy as they ran about thier cage , she would jump up onto their netting , once busting open the door resulting in one lost chipmunk , we dont have any chipmunks anymore!! but we still have the rabbit, she does not bother that cage at all , she also does not like cats, but I know of many bullmstiffs who do
You dont see many Bullmastiffs winning obedience classes, but the basics are easy.Ali is quite good, but we wish we would have taken her to puppy classes, this i am sure would have helped in taking what is learned in the comfort of your own home out into the open with all the other distractions. Sometimes she plays deaf, if her attention is elsewhere it is now routine that she comes to me on the third shout .
House training was difficult but again our fault, we changed her food too often as a pup because she didnt seem to like it, in hind sight our older dog often growled at her when she tried to eat at the same time, it was as if she knew the food we gave her was our older dogs, so we gave them opposite kinds, it did work, but i think we should have just fed them at seperate times
We have found that one good walk through the day and a rough and tumble at home keeps Ali very happy. Her favourite place is by the river, but if she drinks the river water this can lead to problems in the "wind" department, and believe me when a bullmastiff goes you know about it.
we are lucky with having four children who keep her amused, but only the oldest (14) is allowed to take her a walk, she is a very powerful dog for a young child to take a walk, I am not sure but I also belive that it is the law that cetain types of dogs can not be walked in public by children under a certain age, I will look into this a bit more and update as quick as I can
AS a puppy Ali had the company of an older dog, so i cant say the effect of being alone without company, i don't see a massive problem, but house training would be difficult,I also don't know what they would be like as an outside dog, I could quote on others but that would be unfair.In regards to barking this is very rare, but when Ali barks we know its for something.She does not bark at a knock on the door or at strangers,but you do see her face change as she looks them over, within 10 seconds she knows if its ok and she wags her tail like mad, then does the usual "embarassing sniff" to the poor stranger, to which we get replied 80% of the time, "she can smell our dog" our usual reply is shes just saying "hello" it can be funny at times i think
Bullmastiffs are a short-haired dog which have minimal shedding.(but when they do dont wear black)
Ear cleaning is a must as is nail clipping.
Introduce ear cleaning and nail clipping as soon as you feel your puppy has settled in to its new home.This might not involve actually cutting or cleaning, but both you and your puppy need to feel comfortable about what should soon be routine.
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