31
Old English Mastiff Discussions / Re: American Mastiffs
« on: June 20, 2005, 11:05:06 am »
OK... let's see if this works...
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32
Old English Mastiff Discussions / Re: American Mastiffs
« on: June 20, 2005, 10:38:27 am »
Thanks for the warm welcome! I'd be happy to post some photos, once I figure out how to do so. I have a huge collection of my AM (Leon)'s photos attached to e-mails, but I haven't taken the time to learn how to upload the images to this site. I'd be happy to e-mail the photos to anyone who'd like 'em, in the meantime, though...
From what I've been told by other AM owners, these dogs seem to average about 100-pounds at six months, about 180 at one year, and continue to pack on weight until about age three. And that's part of the fun in having a mastiff in the family -- not only are they dogs, but they're also science projects! Watching 'em grow is fascinating stuff -- and they grow so quickly, I swear you can hear the bones creek at night!
BTW, I've been weighing Leon every week since he was six-weeks old (when he joined our family) by weighing myself -- and then picking him up, and standing back on the scale. I don't know how much longer I'll be physically able to continue doing that, but if any mastiff puppy owners have questions about their dog's growth rate through 21-weeks, I can help w/ that.
From what I've been told by other AM owners, these dogs seem to average about 100-pounds at six months, about 180 at one year, and continue to pack on weight until about age three. And that's part of the fun in having a mastiff in the family -- not only are they dogs, but they're also science projects! Watching 'em grow is fascinating stuff -- and they grow so quickly, I swear you can hear the bones creek at night!
BTW, I've been weighing Leon every week since he was six-weeks old (when he joined our family) by weighing myself -- and then picking him up, and standing back on the scale. I don't know how much longer I'll be physically able to continue doing that, but if any mastiff puppy owners have questions about their dog's growth rate through 21-weeks, I can help w/ that.
33
Old English Mastiff Discussions / Re: American Mastiffs
« on: June 20, 2005, 09:39:13 am »
AM owner here, lookin' to chime in.
The advantage of AMs over OEMs is health, less drool, and a more controlled breeding arangement. OEMs are a wonderful breed, but unfortunately not all breeders have employed great caution & foresight in many OEM's family trees.
By contrast, AMs tend to live significantly longer (12+ years), have fewer health complications, it's easier to trace their lineage, they drool far less, and still exhibit all the terrific traits of OEMs (including size -- male AMs seem to average about 220 - 260+).
The drawback, of course, is the limited quantity of AMs (which can result in 'em costing a bundle), the lack of "pedigree" incumbent with a more-established breed (which seems to be important to lots of folks), and because of their newness, you don't have decades of empirical evidence about their tendancies. Also, I think it's far more noble to adopt an animal from a shelter than pay four-figures to a breeder -- which is what you've gotta do with AMs, because of their limited number.
A great dog is a great dog, of course -- and I hope I don't sound like an elitist! OEMs are fantastic creatures, but as an owner, it's nice to know that my puppy (21-weeks -- 85 pounds) has a family lineage with dogs living long, healthy lives.
The advantage of AMs over OEMs is health, less drool, and a more controlled breeding arangement. OEMs are a wonderful breed, but unfortunately not all breeders have employed great caution & foresight in many OEM's family trees.
By contrast, AMs tend to live significantly longer (12+ years), have fewer health complications, it's easier to trace their lineage, they drool far less, and still exhibit all the terrific traits of OEMs (including size -- male AMs seem to average about 220 - 260+).
The drawback, of course, is the limited quantity of AMs (which can result in 'em costing a bundle), the lack of "pedigree" incumbent with a more-established breed (which seems to be important to lots of folks), and because of their newness, you don't have decades of empirical evidence about their tendancies. Also, I think it's far more noble to adopt an animal from a shelter than pay four-figures to a breeder -- which is what you've gotta do with AMs, because of their limited number.
A great dog is a great dog, of course -- and I hope I don't sound like an elitist! OEMs are fantastic creatures, but as an owner, it's nice to know that my puppy (21-weeks -- 85 pounds) has a family lineage with dogs living long, healthy lives.