Are stairs dangerous for large breed dogs? Or dogs in general?

[belawyer]

what it means is it's very sad getting dogs back that you placed as puppies , from folks who told you they were capable ....it's easier to place a puppy as opposed to an adult large breed dog that someone has often times messed up .... it's easy to place a puppy if you know your not taking them back no matter what , there's no responsibility involved in that .......... place enough puppies and you'll eventually get it if you actually care about the pups .......... yes , lots of people own a home and have a fenced yard , not all of them are potential good dog owners , if i wasn't sure about them i'd want more money for a pup , if i felt real good about a person i'd want a lot less all the way down to nothing , i've known dog owners i'd pay to take one of my pups ........ not meeting my criteria , no amount of money would get you my pup , i've bred dogs for me , not for money or anyone else , i'm sure i'm hundreds of thousands of dollars in the hole at this point , my perspective is vastly different than yours ................. dogs can live 10-12yrs and cost lots of money and time , anyone can say they can do it , at this point my pups only go to people i know have done it ........ i've had potential puppy buyers tell me how many dogs they've had , like it's a good thing , my thought is , well what happened to all these dogs you've had ? when they tell you , i just shake my head and say no thanks ............ the guy i made the 800-1800 comment to , he wasn't getting my pup for any amount ......... i've bought lots of dogs in my life , my first question was never how much , it was always my last question , because i have the experience to know any reasonable amount is way less than what that pup is going to cost me ........ they're are alway exceptions , when i have to bet , i want as close to a sure thing as possible ......... i care about the pups i've produced beyond when they leave my house ........ as i said i understand your not understanding , you don't and may never have my perspective .......

That was a very long respons,e but I think what you are saying is the breeder is basically factoring in a rehoming fee with the original purchase price anticipating the dog owner will have to return the dog to be rehomed...

 

[Bailey's Mom]

So he offered you two nights a week of personal training with you and your puppy for two months for omly $1,200 and that made you not want a dog?? That sounds like a pretty damn good deal except that your new puppy wouldn’t get the socialization from pups in a group class. I was planning to do obedience school group lessons every sunday afternoon.

The point...well, one of the points, I was making was, this was a discriminating breeder who had seen too many people showing up wanting a mastiff who had watched Hooch or another movie featuring a mastiff and thought it would be cool to own one. His radar was up and operating to disallow such people from adopting His dogs. He wanted serious, prepared and extremely responsible people, not people who were liking the look but had no clue about the realities. And, maybe, he sensed that our marriage wasn't as solid as He would like for one of His pups. Now, add to this dynamic, the fact that we lived 60 miles away from the breeder, and would have to make that trip twice a week, and would have to finish the training before our pup's purchase was guaranteed....WELL, YEAH, WE DEMURRED.WE THOUGHT LONG AND HARD ABOUT IT.

Flighty, pie-in-the sky people need not apply. He was correct in his assessment...God, the 80's must have been hard for that breeder. Movies featuring Mastiffs probably brought him a lot of inquiries from unsuitable people. And as I said before, "Money talks and Bullshit walks." So, His tactics, which would enrich Him would also weed out the undesirable elements. Yikes, hard to accept, but at that time of my life, I was undesirable. I might add that back in the 80's Mastiffs were the status symbol of the day....impressive and desired by the "it people", sort of like purse dogs of the past decade.

Oh, and I'm not a stay-at-home mom...I work, but my dog doesn't like it. SHE REALLY DOESN'T LIKE IT. Mastiffs are often called "velcro dogs" or "kling-ons" because they are want to be with you and touch you ALL the time. They require someone who is willing to sacrifice a lot for them...but the payback in love is worth it. They just aren't for everyone, and that's why so many wind up in Rescues or Humane Societies, it's heartbreaking.

 

[marke]

i'm not speaking for any breeder , i'm answering your question on my motivation to charge some people more money for a pup as opposed to others ......... people are predictable for the most part , the more they pay for something the more value it has to them , give them something easy or free and it diminishes it's value to them ............. if they were to invest what I have invested , they'd value their pup as much as they value their family ......... as far as pick pup , I have zero respect for a "breeder" selling "pick pup" , what was their motivation for the breeding ? a public service ??????? producing puppies is more like a public disservice .......... folks that breed for conformation /show breeders , they're notorious for overlooking health and temperament issues , I wouldn't mention names and dogs , but I've known more than I could possibly remember off the top of my head , epilepsy , sas , hip dysplasia , timid dogs , fearful dogs , dogs with allergies , thyroid disease , lots of them folks breed for pedigree ........ imported dogs , most import puppies , those puppies are getting bred regardless how they turn out , based on pedigree and being an "import" ......... some of the crappiest dogs I've ever seen were imports ...............

 

[marke]

There have been studies that puppies using stairs can contribute to hip dysplasia. http://www.bestinshowdaily.com/first-three-months-strategic-to-preventing-hip-dysplasia/

Also, while large breed adult dogs can be good apartment dogs, puppies are puppies. My Danes generally didn't become calm until they were 3 years old, before that they had relatively frequent bursts of activity that would have annoyed anyone living below us. I've never had a dog in an apartment, but I would worry about the noise (barking and running) and the difficulty of getting the puppy out in time to potty. Not saying that its impossible, but it would be easier with an adult dog than a puppy.

they're right on the exercise part , the stair part is a stretch and wrong , stairs are an exercise in themselves ......my pups are born and raised on carpet for a better grip , as soon as they can wobble they are kept in a pen that's an obstacle course , up down and over ...... you learn to raise orthopedically better dogs as much as learning to breed them ....... any type of exercise is harmful to a pup that does not have the strength to support itself , the trick is to make sure the pup can support themselves easily throughout their growth ......... how fast a dog grows has nothing to do with hd , muscle mass and tone does though .......... as does joint laxity ........ the better the joint is held together the better it will form .........

 

[DennasMom]

Lots of good insights, above.

We have a split level home, so 1/2 flight up to the bedrooms from the living room and yard access. We carried Denna up/down the stairs for about 2 months, and then started letting her SLOWLY go up and then down them. We still made her go SLOW on the stairs, and NEVER NEVER pass a human (i.e. push past and make someone fall down). She's been very good at sticking to the rules - she also was a breeze to potty train, and was able to go from upstairs, down (slowly) and across the whole house to get out the door to the yard in the mornings pretty quickly (before 4 months of age), which I think is pretty amazing for a growing puppy.

I don't see where having stairs would be a problem with a puppy - as long as you're strong enough and dedicated enough to carry the puppy up and down them until they can do it themselves safely (i.e. without "dropping" down the steps and causing repetitive joint trauma).

I do see an issue with apartment living and any puppy, though... you running after puppy, puppy running around, bigger dog jumping around, barking, whining when you're not there, crying through the night, etc... but... you also said you have to sons? So... the neighbors downstairs are probably used to all that noise. HA! Have you asked your downstairs neighbor about what they think of you having a puppy? If you warn them ahead of time, they might be more understanding... they might even volunteer to help with puppy checks /potty breaks during the day (I know I would!)

I like that you've passed this all by the landlord... it does make me leery that they already have a mastiff on their 'banned breed' list. Stupid insurance companies don't know $%&! about dogs. The property owner (or new owner if they sell out), or insurance company could change the rules at any time and evict your dog... So, if I were the breeder, I'd want to know that you have backup living plans in case your apartment is no longer available. Most animals in shelters are there due to landlord/rental agreement issues, not actual pet behavior problems.

The other problem is the velcro dog issue - mastiffs do LOVE being with their people. But, if properly crate trained and provided with enough potty breaks and mind-games while confined, working while raising a puppy is certainly possible. People here on the forum have done it. I work from home, so we've never really had to tackle that hurdle. I'm not sure I'd be able to. I love being around the young puppies too much to go off to an office and leave them behind. Maybe I'm a velcro human! HA!

My sister has a high-energy border collie/heeler mix that needs about 10 miles of running to wear her out. She lives in a townhouse in the San Francisco area (east bay suburb) with a yard less than 10x10 in size. The dog goes to daycare during the day ($35/day), gets LOTS of ball work in the early morning and every evening, and long hikes running along with a mountain bike on the weekends. So, if you're willing to foot the expense and put in the time, you make it work, period.