1 yr old Bullmastiff weight

[JennyC]

Hello all. I have two male Bullmastiff's one just turned year old, Timmy, and he is 160 lbs, tall and thin. I know this is a good weight for him but i feel like he is too skinny. When he is just standing i can see the outline of all his ribs just about. My other pup is 8 months and weighs in at 115 already and he is shorter and not as skinny. They eat taste of the wild and usually graze throughout the day. They don't always eat their breakfast fully until about noon and then there dinner is sometimes left over to the morning. They graze throughout the day which I like better then eating it so quick in minutes, esp for this breed with the possibility of bloat. So my question is how skinny is too skinny for this breed? I think he is fine, doesn't act like he is not. It's just me and wanting to make sure he doesn't need to add a few lbs. We are going to vet in a few weeks for his annual checkup but just wanted to check with all the other BM owners who in my opinion know best. Thanks

 

[Joao M]

Hi Jenny,
I would not be concerned about a 160 lbs 1 year old bullmastiff, bearing in mind the standard for the breed is 110-130 lbs for males and at 1yo Timmy still has some weight to put in untill he is 2,5-3 years old (~10% if not more) .
So, if he is thin, Timmy should be a giant. Do you know his heigh at the shoulders?
As regards the pupp, 115lbs at 8 months is also a very strong weight-
My 6 months bullmastiff is 71-72 lbs and well within standard.
Bottom line is don´t be worried, in my opinon.

Finally and as regards letting them graze during the day... I am not a fan of the idea. I prefer routine meals at the same time and never seen grazing being recommended by the breeders I had talked to.

 

[Hiraeth]

Grazing is not good for breeds who are prone to bloat. Small structured meals throughout the day and forced rest before/after meals is absolutely the best way to prevent bloat.

Are either of the dogs neutered?

 

[DennasMom]

If you can see ribs when he's standing - but have to LOOK - that's perfect.
You don't want the hips to be un-padded, but ribs are great when visible.
My guess is he's a good self-regulator, and your vet will love his shape.

I've never had a problem with grazing (but, I don't know the statistics on bloat... I do trust Hireath's take on that... so, something to seriously consider). But, with two dogs... how do you keep track of who's eating how much? How will you know if one stops eating (i.e. due to illness)? If, as it sounds, you have one who loves to eat, and the other that defers and doesn't eat... that's just going to get more lopsided as they get older, and could (maybe) lead to resource guarding issues... just something to keep an eye out for.

 

[JennyC]

No neither of my dogs are neutered yet. I was waiting until they are 18 months old to have them neutered. The hard part with feeding is they don't always want to eat at the same time. I give them food in the a.m. and Andy (young of the two) eats and goes to lay down and Timmy. I have tried the eating at certain times and then taking the food away after a little while and that didn't work because Timmy just decided he wouldn't eat at all then.. These dogs are so stubborn. I'll have to think about trying again. Timmy is going to be a big boy for sure. I can't wait to see what they look like when they are fully grown. I fell better about his size now.. Thanks everyone.

 

[season]

I'd work on scheduled feeding times. Much easier to regulate the amount fed each day. Routine is created by us. They will adjust.


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