New Owners

This page is for the proud owners of a new puppy that was purchased from me. First of all I would like to say thank you! Below is some information that will help with the transition for you and your new addition. Please remember that if you ever have any questions, dont hesitate to give me a call! I will be glad to do whatever I can to ensure that your puppy has a happy home. New owners are also encouraged to check out my "useful links" page. There is a lot of information to be learned from some of the links there.

Your puppy has been raised on Diamond Naturals Lamb and Rice food so far. This is a very good brand of dog food. It is compairable to Nurto dog food, but a little cheaper. You can find both brands at many farm stores and feed barns. It is very important to feed your puppy a quality dog food through out it's whole life. It may cost a little more per bag, but you'll save in the long run on vet bills and on the over all health of your dog. Try to advoid foods that contain a big amount of corn. Corn is just a filler and offers the dog very little nutrition. Your puppy should eat at least twice a day. If possible, I prefer to just leave food out and let them eat as much as they want. Also, please keep in mind that your new puppy is a large breed. They need a large breed puppy formula or an adult dog food. I have a lot of luck in the "lamb and rice" foods. That is what my adult dogs eat, and they do very well on it! And as always, if you have any doubts or are just not sure, consult your vet.

Your new puppy is up todate on all shots and worming. I do all my shots myself. It is the very same as what you would get from your vet, but saves money by doing it mysef. This helps me keep the price down on my pups, and passes the savings on to you. Please consult your vet about when you need to get it's next shots.

Crate training is by far not inhumane if done properly. The dog will look at the crate as their personal space, and you will find that there will be times that they would ruther be in there. The purposes of crate training is to protect your puppy from getting itself into trouble, and to give the puppy a place of it's own. It's crate can be a place where he/she can go to not be bothered. You can use the crate to house break your dog, to give them a safe place while you cannot be there to watch them, and to give them a place of security. First, you should make sure that you get a properly sized crate. The dog should be able to stand up, turn around, and lay down in it's crate. You have two choices here: in order to properly house break a puppy using a crate, they need just enough room to turn around, stand up, and lay down. If given too much room, they will potty in their crate. So you can either buy a crate that is just right right now (you'll have to buy another later as your puppy grows, that's a gaurente), or you can get one that will be big enough for your dog when full grown, and use dividers for now to keep the size of the crate down to where you need it. This is the best route. So once you have the crate, you can start the training. Number one rule, is never to force, or throw your puppy in it's crate. It should be a happy place for the puppy. Use treats or toys to encourrage it to go inside. Once in, make a big deal over it and praise the dog! Attatch a command to this behavior, such as "kennel" or "go to bed". You can make it comfortable for the dog with a rug and some toys. Once you have your dog going in its crate, spend some time nearby before just running off and leaving your dog alone in it. Now that your dog is comfortable with its new crate, you can use it to put your puppy in while you are away from home, or just any time you want him/her to stay out of trouble. Please keep in mind that Mastiff's are extreemly loving and are very attatched to their people. You need to spend a lot of quality time with your puppy. They NEED to be around their family!

As with any breed, socialization is VERY important to your new puppy! If not properly socialized, a dog can develope habbits that we do not want to encourage. And even though the Mastiff is a very laid back breed, this is still a very important part of raising your puppy. It is not a hard thing to do. Just try to get your puppy out and introduced to as many things as you can. Take it to the park. Take it for car rides. Take it to the pet store, many will let you bring your pets inside. Enrole it in puppy classes. Don't lock him/her up when company comes over. Teach it proper behavior when you have guests. I asure you, you will have a far nicer dog when it is grown, and this will make it that much easier to enjoy your pet.

General training is also a very important step in your Mastiff's life. The main thing to remember is how big your new baby is going to get. It is not unusual for these dogs to get over 200lbs. So no matter how cute and cuddly your puppy is now, just keep in mind that he/she will get bigger, lots bigger. If you think it is cute for your puppy to sleep in bed or lay on the couch with you, just think of what it will be like when they weigh 150-220 lbs. For some (like me), this is just fine, but if you do not want a dog that big to be in your bed or on your furniture, start right now. It is much easier to teach them not to from the beginning than to try to teach them other wise later. This is a general rule for the whole process. Remember how big they will get! If you do not want them to jump on you, teach them now. If you do not want them to tug or pull on the leash, teach them now. And so on... You should start training your puppy immediatly. If you need help with this, find an obedience club or school in your area. Also, young Mastiff's like to chew just like any puppy. Make sure you keep toys around for them. Keep in mind, a toy that may be fine for a poodle, may not last long with a Mastiff pup. Think of the durability of the toy when buying them. If you find your puppy chewing on something that you do not desire them to chew on, just tell them no, and replace it with a toy that they are allowed to chew on. They pick up quick, and are very smart dogs. You deffintally should start obedience training your puppy as soon as you get it home and settled. If nothing else, teach them how to walk on a leash while you still can or they will be walking you.

If you wish to follow through with registering you new addition, it is very easy. All of my puppies can be registered through AKC. You just follow the directions on the form. Please remember that whatever registered name you pick for the dog, cannot be changed. It will follow the dog through out it's whole life. So be sure about what you want before you send the papers in. Unless they decide to change it, you have a year to send the registration papers in before you are charged a late fee. If you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call, or contact AKC, there will be a contact number on the form.