Author Topic: American Mastiffs  (Read 25255 times)

Offline greek4

  • Majestic Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 966
  • Kole with Maia, Baxter, Rocco, and Cody
    • View Profile
American Mastiffs
« on: May 26, 2005, 12:21:25 pm »
What do you guys know about American Mastiffs?  I have Flying W farms in my OEM pedigree.  I joined some yahoo boards and many people on there are very negative about Flying W.  It is said (I don't agree) that the owner is breeding mutts.  I understand that to create a new breed you must breed two different breeds together.  I am kinda skeptical of doodles so I don't really know where to stand on American Mastiffs. :-\
Thanks,

Emily and 1 husband, 1 boy, 1 on the way, and 4 crazy dogs

Offline mastiffmommy

  • Chief "All Knowing"
  • *****
  • Posts: 2099
    • View Profile
Re: American Mastiffs
« Reply #1 on: May 26, 2005, 12:46:08 pm »
I dont know very much about american mastiffs either, and if, when and how to "create" new breeds is a very touchy subject. Many of our todays pure breeds, are actually a mix of two or more breeds from the beginning, just many many years ago, and today totally accepted as pure breed bogs. Having said that, I think all the breeding and "creating" of new breeds have gone a little overboard, today it seems like everything you breed with a poodle is okay, it gets a name and then people breed the two as if it actually were a breed, I am not so sure I agree with that. In general (and I may get shot here now lol) I think we have so many breeds today, so there should be something for everyone, no matter what size or what you want to do with your dog, there is a breed that should work for you, and to me it makes more sense to try and breed to "better" the breeds we already have, rather than all the time try to "create" new ones. Mostly the breeds we have today, were mixed up and "created" to get a dog that were extra ordinair for a certain job. They wanted them as protectors, hunters, guardians or herding. So if there wasnt a breed that totally fitted what they wanted to use the dog for, they tried to combine two or sometimes more breeds to get a dog that were perfect for the job, so it was breeding with purpose. Today well we have pretty much covered everything they need to do and how to look, we have the pumis and pulis with the cork screws, the chinese crested with no coat at all, and everything inbetween. And that sometimes makes me wonder, why we need more breeds.

"greek4" I know there is a lot of different opinions about the Flying W, and all I can say, no matter what the pedigree, as long as you have the dog YOU want, and he works well in your family, that is all that matters, if you want to conformation show, the judges wont know the pegidgree anyway and what other people think, well take it with a grain of salt. It doesnt matter what lines you have in your dog, there will always be people who have something negative to say about that perticular line. Have you posted any pics on here, of your OEM??? It would be real nice to see a pic (or ten lol...) of him.

Marit
what the lion is to a cat, the mastiff is to a dog

Offline Rachel

  • BPO Guru
  • ****
  • Posts: 1006
  • Sophie
    • View Profile
Re: American Mastiffs
« Reply #2 on: May 26, 2005, 12:50:17 pm »
Does Flying W farms breed OEMs also?  All i've heard about are their American Mastiffs.  Maybe we're on the same mastiff yahoo list.   I just don't see the point of an American Mastiff.  I know they supposedly live longer and drool less...  Take a look at this website about the Maso breed.  They say the same things about the Maso..live longer and less drool.  The website has lots of really great pictures of OEMs and Masos

http://www.massivedogz.com/

We went and visited them early on in my mastiff hunt.  They breed both Masos and OEMs  They were very nice and the dogs were really really sweet.  But i'm still just a little learly of paying for a mixed breed.  I would rather rescue, which I did.  Granted the Maso's were cheaper then an OEM but you just never know what kind of dog you'll have.

« Last Edit: May 26, 2005, 12:58:38 pm by Rachel »
Rachel and Sophie

My new venture...
www.seasidequi lts.etsy.com

My blog for Sophie, crafting, and life in general
www.seasidequi lts.com/blog

Offline greek4

  • Majestic Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 966
  • Kole with Maia, Baxter, Rocco, and Cody
    • View Profile
Re: American Mastiffs
« Reply #3 on: May 26, 2005, 01:05:58 pm »
Here you go.  Aren't they the cutest ;)
Thanks,

Emily and 1 husband, 1 boy, 1 on the way, and 4 crazy dogs

Offline greek4

  • Majestic Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 966
  • Kole with Maia, Baxter, Rocco, and Cody
    • View Profile
Re: American Mastiffs
« Reply #4 on: May 26, 2005, 01:08:51 pm »
Flying w used to breed both kinds, but stopped breeding OEM to focus on American Mastiffs.
If I can figure out how to upload Maia's pedigree I will share it.
Thanks,

Emily and 1 husband, 1 boy, 1 on the way, and 4 crazy dogs

Offline mastiffmommy

  • Chief "All Knowing"
  • *****
  • Posts: 2099
    • View Profile
Re: American Mastiffs
« Reply #5 on: May 26, 2005, 01:13:30 pm »
They are soooo cute, I simply love the faces of our mastiffs, well hmmmm come to think about it, I love all the faces of all the dogs on this site, so if hubby let me, I would probably end up with a doggy farm, we would have to move out to the garage and the dogs would take over the house lol.... How old are your guys??

Here is a pic of my baby, Galahad and his fav toy, the cow, well it was for about three days, then it was a "gonner" all the toys here last for only a week or so, except the "boring" toys, them we have had for years lol...

Marit
what the lion is to a cat, the mastiff is to a dog

Offline greek4

  • Majestic Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 966
  • Kole with Maia, Baxter, Rocco, and Cody
    • View Profile
Re: American Mastiffs
« Reply #6 on: May 26, 2005, 01:22:12 pm »
Rocco, Newf mix  male will be three in August.
Maia, OEM, was 1 on May 12th.
Soft toys or toys with squeakers only last a few days.  They are well loved for those few days though.  I get toys by the box load from Petedge.com, they are cheap.
Thanks,

Emily and 1 husband, 1 boy, 1 on the way, and 4 crazy dogs

Offline mastiffmommy

  • Chief "All Knowing"
  • *****
  • Posts: 2099
    • View Profile
Re: American Mastiffs
« Reply #7 on: May 26, 2005, 01:27:31 pm »
yeah, I love that place, get their catalogs and they have I think the best toy prices around, and when a toy doesnt last more than a few days that is a rather important factor lol.... My dogs does that too, try and dig out the squeeker or noice maker, when thats done the toy is not funny anylonger, I have tried to sew them together where they dug the squeeker out, but nope.... just like kids, want new toys

Marit
what the lion is to a cat, the mastiff is to a dog

Offline Mountainmom

  • Gnawer
  • *
  • Posts: 11
    • View Profile
Re: American Mastiffs
« Reply #8 on: June 06, 2005, 08:56:26 am »


I heard American Mstiff and I had to speak...

I love OEM's and AM's I have owned 2 AM's and have vistited Flying W. For me and my family the AM fits well. OEM's have health issues that I didn't want to deal with. AM's are the same as OEM's and who cares about the drool.... Slingers are good for a laugh.

Behavior wise they are how you raise them.

Offline greek4

  • Majestic Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 966
  • Kole with Maia, Baxter, Rocco, and Cody
    • View Profile
Re: American Mastiffs
« Reply #9 on: June 06, 2005, 08:58:25 am »
What kind of health issues?
Thanks,

Emily and 1 husband, 1 boy, 1 on the way, and 4 crazy dogs

Offline Mountainmom

  • Gnawer
  • *
  • Posts: 11
    • View Profile
Re: American Mastiffs
« Reply #10 on: June 06, 2005, 10:56:10 am »
What I was concerned with was Cystrine, Kidney Failure, Blindness,Wobbler's, allergies, ect.

I was concerned with this, I know that there are breeders who have excellent healthy lines but I don't show, breed, or anything else other than have couch potatoes who love to play and lean.

Would I own an OEM? Yes, if the right one came along.

Offline greek4

  • Majestic Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 966
  • Kole with Maia, Baxter, Rocco, and Cody
    • View Profile
Re: American Mastiffs
« Reply #11 on: June 06, 2005, 11:47:54 am »
You had me scared there for a little while.  I thought there were health problems I hadn't heard about that you knew about.
Thanks,

Emily and 1 husband, 1 boy, 1 on the way, and 4 crazy dogs

Offline dutch1204

  • Gnawer
  • *
  • Posts: 13
    • View Profile
Re: American Mastiffs
« Reply #12 on: June 08, 2005, 11:35:09 am »
Hey all.  I have to speak up too.  My baby, Duchess is a Flying W American Mastiff and she is WONDERFUL.  And I do not consider her a mutt.  She is a pure breed American Mastiff.  She may not be recognized by the AKC, but maybe, someday, they will.  All in all, Flying W has done a wonderful job developing this breed.  They are the best! ;D

Offline mastiffmommy

  • Chief "All Knowing"
  • *****
  • Posts: 2099
    • View Profile
Re: American Mastiffs
« Reply #13 on: June 08, 2005, 01:09:31 pm »
What I was concerned with was Cystrine, Kidney Failure, Blindness,Wobbler's, allergies, ect.

I was concerned with this, I know that there are breeders who have excellent healthy lines but I don't show, breed, or anything else other than have couch potatoes who love to play and lean.

Would I own an OEM? Yes, if the right one came along.

These health issues, are not too uncommon in any giant breed, well some of them are actaully more likely in way smaller breeds than our big guys.

A good responsible breeder, who follows OEM's ethical rules should have both hips and elbows tested on both parents, and then you can go ahead and make sure the blood line is tested however far back you want, and if you are not happy with the results or if there are not a good amount of dogs tested you probably want to choose another line. The health cert. is not given unless they have a cardiac test too, and the eyes and thyroids are something more and more breeders volunteer to do to better the breed.

I honestly dont see a reason for being afraid of the OEM's health more than most of the big or gaint breeds out there, you have to research and make sure you find the right breeder and the right lines but no matter what breed you look into, even the smaller ones, you will find a long list of health issues, things they recomend you to look into on each and every breeder you are interested in.

Marit
what the lion is to a cat, the mastiff is to a dog

Offline rv581

  • Ankle Biter
  • *
  • Posts: 33
    • View Profile
Re: American Mastiffs
« Reply #14 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.