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That's great news and definitely a positive step. I didn't realize she was only 6 months old.

I've tried all sorts in the past. I fed my shar-pei raw for a whole year, but they actually did much better on a senior recipe kibble - better digestion, shinier coats and more energy. I think some breeds do better than others on lots of meat. I've found that the oriental breeds I've had don't do as well on lots of meat or high protein food and are often intolerant of beef, wheat, maize and soya.

My Tibetan Mastiff puppy was awful on the two premium large breed puppy foods we tried. Diahorrea and scurfy skin. As a breed, they don't do well on too much protein even as puppies. So at 4 months I put him on a 21% protein lamb and rice kibble available here in England called Superdog Sensitive - it's mid range in price but all it contains is lamb, rice, beet pulp and vitamins. I saw how well my friend's 12 shar-pei looked on it and gave it a go. Flynn's coat and digestion improved within a week and he's never looked back.

As well as his kibble (always soaked in warm water), he gets a spoonful of yogurt in the morning and a chicken wing, lamb ribs, tinned sardines, high quality 'wet' dog food, fresh meat or whatever with it in the evening. My shar-pei has the same minus the chicken as she's allergic and anything bony as it doesn't agree with her. They both look great on it and my shar-pei looks better than she has for a while despite being in the early stages of kidney failure. She used to be on a senior diet, but they changed the recipe and she suddenly lost weight and had no energy - I thought it was the end of the line, but she's like a new dog on this food. I know she should really be on a kidney diet, but I'd rather her enjoy her food for whatever time she has left and she's blooming at the moment.

I think it's horses for courses. Many dogs do well on BARF, many do well on kibble and there's a whole spectrum in between. the trick is finding what works best for your dogs. I think a bit of raw food several times a week is beneficial and especially raw meaty bones as it help keep their teeth clean.

I found that I thought of a dozen names for my Tibetan Mastiff puppy. But when I first met him they all went out of the window and he was Flynn immediately.

Maybe when you get him home and he will 'tell' you what his name is.  I have a friend who's puppies are often called s**thead for the first few days till a name suggests itself.

Great pics.  Huh, you don't see long haired shar peis very often, do you.  They probably don't have as many skin problems, though, or do they?

I do know a couple of bearcoats with skin problems, but they seems slightly less prone to it than the two other coat types. The very short prickly 'horsecoats' seem the worst affected and the brushcoats not so much. Skin problems in shar-pei are something the reputable breeders have been working on eradicating and they are much better than a few years ago.

The bears don't turn up that often and I only know so many because Phoebe had her own website and I get mail from other bearcoat owners all over the world.

BEAUTIFUL dogs! We don't have any Ovcharka in England at all. I own a Tibetan Mastiff and they sound very similar in temperament, though the TM's are not supposed to be so highly aggressive (though you wouldn't take liberties with one). I know the TM breeders here are VERY choosy about puppy owners as these are not dogs for the inexperienced or faint of heart. The females only come in season once a year - do the Ovcharka females do that too?

I'm sad to say that I agree with Yaz about bullmastiffs and a lot of the mastiff breeds here in England. There are way too many Neo's, bullmastiffs and bordeauxs bred indiscriminate ly here.

Should I turn her over to a rescue?

I'm so sorry to hear that you may have to make such a heart wrenching decision with Petra. Whatever you do, please don't turn her in to another rescue society. It sounds like the poor girl has been through enough without the mental anguish of being abandoned again by the only person she trusts and either end up being passed on to somebody else who can't cope and biting somebody or euthanized alone by strangers at the rescue.  Psychological damage is much harder on the owner and the dog than a physical problem. It would be hard enough if she had cancer and was obviously sick, but contemplatimg putting a perfectly healthy young dog to sleep is horrible.

My heart goes out to you both, but I'm sure you'll take responsibility for Petra. A Neo is too big a dog to be unsure about and if she did bite, she could theorteically kill somebody. Our dogs rely on us to make decisions for their best interests and tragically, sometimes it's the ultimate decision.