How come people are so concerned with their dog's size?

[ruby55]

I for one am concerned with weight & size because these guys are AKC; I know the breeders & littermates. If our dogs are off as they grow, there might be something wrong. Sunny didn't really start to fill out until he was about 4 years old. His littermate was neutered at 12 months, & looks like a brindle deer. And Sunny is still on the lean side for a bullmastiff. I'll try to get pics of him in the sun tomorrow.
As for Thor, he was all skin & bones when he was young, as a dane should be. Especially an American dane. I've never seen a chunky young great dane. It's just not how they're built, or how they grow. He still on the slender side now, as he should be.
AKBull: That joker was probably thinking of an EM. Whenever I get that "Isn't he/she pretty small?" I ask the poor ignoramus "Are you thinking of the dog that weighs about 200 lbs & comes up to here(gesturing to my hip)?" I get "Yeah; THAT'S IT!" Doh. :banghead:

 

[mightymastiffs]

I know absolutely nothing about GD when I saw the first pic I was like that dog must have health problems then I continued reading the thread ohhhh sound normal

You DO know about GD's. Since the GD is essentially the exact same dog as you have, but just another specific strain that a people through history wanted to pronounce. You have the Italian version, the GD is simply the German twin.

Even I, being an experienced pack leader have anticipation for my dogs. It is natural to want something for them and have specifc desires. Would I be happy if I was looking to get a big guard dog and instead of it being big it ended up being 74lbs? Personally I would not lose any sleep, but for the novice I am sure they WOULD want what they had in their mind initially.. It is the age-old kid under the christmas tree syndrome..

 

[AKBull]

.
AKBull: That joker was probably thinking of an EM. Whenever I get that "Isn't he/she pretty small?" I ask the poor ignoramus "Are you thinking of the dog that weighs about 200 lbs & comes up to here(gesturing to my hip)?" I get "Yeah; THAT'S IT!" Doh. :banghead:

That's exactly what I thought since I get so many of those comments at the park. "Oh, he's a BM eh? He's gonna get up to here!"... No, that's an EM... Heh, Mastiff snob! I was the only person to correctly guess someones new pup the other week. I saw this "little" 3 month old EM looking pup with a massive afro. "Is that a TM??" You'd have thought the lady saw a ghost, apparently no one knew what it was in the week she'd been going there. Yeah, I'm on a forum.

 

[NeoBull]

I won't lie, I'd be a little bummed if Branka didn't break 100lbs, I guess I just have it in my head that she's a mastiff, a giant breed, and a respectable mastiff should be at least 100lbs? lol silly maybe. But I think if you're getting a mastiff you want it to look like a mastiff and size is a pretty defining mastiff trait. Anyway, she's 102lbs at 12 months so I'm good

I have people say to me all the time, oh? isn't she small? or short? and I have to explain that she's not an EM and that Neo's and BM's aren't supposed to get super tall, that she's actually already with in the standard for a female Neo and BM and that she still has time to grow and fill out. I also mention that she's a runt compared to her siblings, some of which are up to 150lbs now. I also love, hearing "A mastiff? How much does she weigh? My Lab is 100lbs!" Well I'm looking at your Lab and he's about 30lbs over weight buddy! lol

I'm fine with her being smallish, I'm sure it's healthier for her, and I think she's fairly athletic and wouldn't be as athletic at 150lbs.

---------- Post added at 11:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:54 PM ----------

But speaking of big dogs, can anyone recommend a good loading ramp for suvs?? Mamie is already 60lbs and I can't lift her safely anymore into my suburban, she isn't able to jump. I want the folding portable ones that holds at least a few hundred pounds. Thanks

Branka was like 85lbs before she could jump in ours! It was really fun trying to get her in lol, I'd get her front paws up in the back and then lift her back half in.

 

[NeoBull]

But speaking of big dogs, can anyone recommend a good loading ramp for suvs?? Mamie is already 60lbs and I can't lift her safely anymore into my suburban, she isn't able to jump. I want the folding portable ones that holds at least a few hundred pounds. Thanks

Branka was like 85lbs before she could jump in ours! It was really fun trying to get her in lol, I'd get her front paws up in the back and then lift her back half in.

 

[AKBull]

Heh. Remindes me of some years back. We're going on a camping trip and I'm trying to load the EM and BM in the back of the Excursion. I pop the door open and expect them both to jump up with their front legs and wait for me to lift their rears. Well this time the BM jumps right up in there! I was so proud she finally got her butt muscles working. After some praise towards her I look over at the EM.. He's got this look like, "well, this ass ain't gonna lift itself!".
Junior is 13 months and he's more than happy to have me lift his rear in. He know it so well. I toss a cookie in, he pops up with his front legs, then slightly lifts his right leg for the boost. Who's trained who?

 

[chuckorlando]

I love BIG dogs. Pit's are to small for me. That being said 100lb is a big dog. I say Kona's bout 120 but I think thats a lie. She is to big, strong, and heavy to be 120. Over 100lb I dont much care long as their healthy. Most folks have heard of a mastiff, bull mastiff, english and maybe a neo. Most I'd say figure their all called a bull mastiff and all are as big as a english. Tell someone you have a Fila Brasileiro and they look at you like your speaking in tonges. You sure that aint a mastiff? HAHAHAHA. Or a huge ass hound mix. Kona aint usually friendly enough to get alot of strangers wanting to talk about how pretty she is. Uness they are yelling it from across the street. HAHAHAHAHAHA.

 

[Jeri]

Camo is 5 mo now & about 64lbs. He's a lean, not at all mean, snoring, farting snuggle machine. Had him out at bike night last night & had a guy come up & say, "that's a Shar-Pei/Pit mix." I say, "Strike one." He says, "ok. it's a Shar-Pei." Me: "strike two." Him: "Heinz 57." Me: "He's a Neo Mastiff & you need to move on." Next lady - "oh,,he's such a beautiful Bloodhound!" I almost cracked my neck whipping around to stare at her in horror! Really???

Camo may not be the biggest, and that's perfectly fine with me. I don't need the biggest,,I need healthy. He's growing nice & slow just as he should.

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

Lol, we get that all the time. Aurora is at the small end of the standard. She is 23.5" and around 90lbs, very lean. I get comments all the time about how how so and so's buddy has "one of them who's like 160-180 lbs" weight varies according to time of day and the need to go bigger.
I usually just smile. Sometimes add a "wow" with a nod
I find it amusing as those weights are so far out of the standard (Canada and Europe) and even in the AKC where there is no weight limit(there is height limit w/ weight proportional)a dog of those weights would stick out and look absurd.
Don't get me wrong, I love giant dogs, and at some point will have a larger male, but it is just the constant need to have the biggest out there that annoys me.

Me too.

Our only concern was the attitude and character of the pup we got. I have always loved the breed from the first EM I met years ago, gentle giants was the perfect description. Our sweet girl is growing nice and slow, only 12lbs in the past month. We are hoping for a healthy girl and don't want her too big for health reasons. I want her to be happy and active and move easily for as long as possible. I wouldn't mind if she were petite, for a mastiff. lol. I know that when we go out and people comment/ask about her size, we just tell them she is exactly where she needs to be and she is happy. It almost reminds me of when I was pregnant and people used to tell me how "HUGE" I was that I must be having twins. Why do people feel the need to inform you that your dog is big? I feed her daily, I am well aware.

But speaking of big dogs, can anyone recommend a good loading ramp for suv's?? Mamie is already 60lbs and I can't lift her safely anymore into my suburban, she isn't able to jump. I want the folding portable ones that holds atleast a few hundred pounds. Thanks

I forgot the name of the ramp but there's one I Costco I used for Thor, built to hold up to 500lbs.


Ruby yeah I get that too my "insert relative/friend here" had a dog that was bigger than yours and weighed twice as much.

---------- Post added at 08:16 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:13 AM ----------

I know absolutely nothing about GD when I saw the first pic I was like that dog must have health problems then I continued reading the thread ohhhh sound normal

LOL its fine, like I said I got a lot of greive from some people even when I tried to explain it was just him. He'd get some weight on him for a few days then BAM he has another growth spurt. These guys grow like weeds.

I can understand if your show your dog because they need to be in standard but for some average joe looking to have the biggest dog on the block is sad..

Still waiting to see pictures of everyone else dogs and their growing stages.

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

I know absolutely nothing about GD when I saw the first pic I was like that dog must have health problems then I continued reading the thread ohhhh sound normal

LOL its fine, like I said I got a lot of greive from some people even when I tried to explain it was just him. He'd get some weight on him for a few days then BAM he has another growth spurt. These guys grow like weeds.

I can understand if your show your dog because they need to be in standard but for some average joe looking to have the biggest dog on the block is sad..

Still waiting to see pictures of everyone else dogs and their growing stages.

 

[stephanieb]

I'm the same. People will comment on how big they are and I just don't get it, I still see them as my "little" puppies.

 

[ruby55]

I can understand if your show your dog because they need to be in standard but for some average joe looking to have the biggest dog on the block is sad..

Still waiting to see pictures of everyone else dogs and their growing stages.

Decades ago, when I first got married my a$$ husband HAD to have a dog, since he wasn't allowed to have one as a kid. He insisted it had to be a "man's dog"; something big & tough. He wanted a protector, since he had custom motorcycles & hot rods. We ended up getting a hybrid; timber wolf/GSD. He topped out at about 90 lbs, & the hubby was disappointed that he wasn't bigger. But he got what he asked for in personality; Shiva(I didn't pick his name) was so protective he had to be PTS at 7 yrs old for attacking a 14 yr old kid. That's when I realized that I needed to go w/my heart & keep dogs I could trust & love. Screw his gotta have the biggest & the best.
We didn't have a camera up until about 6 months ago, so I don't have many baby pics. I'll look around; see what I can find.

 

[Rugers-Kris]

Just wanted to add my little Ruger to this thread. He is only 11 weeks but I have to say, his growth, has shocked me. He is my EM and I did know that he was going to be a giant but the growth spurt that he has had from 7 - 12 weeks has actaully floored even me. I don't care about size .........I do like big dogs versus little dogs and obviously Ruger will be a big dog (He is an EM) but I am happy that he is growing steady and healthy as he can be.

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

Decades ago, when I first got married my a$$ husband HAD to have a dog, since he wasn't allowed to have one as a kid. He insisted it had to be a "man's dog"; something big & tough. He wanted a protector, since he had custom motorcycles & hot rods. We ended up getting a hybrid; timber wolf/GSD. He topped out at about 90 lbs, & the hubby was disappointed that he wasn't bigger. But he got what he asked for in personality; Shiva(I didn't pick his name) was so protective he had to be PTS at 7 yrs old for attacking a 14 yr old kid. That's when I realized that I needed to go w/my heart & keep dogs I could trust & love. Screw his gotta have the biggest & the best.
We didn't have a camera up until about 6 months ago, so I don't have many baby pics. I'll look around; see what I can find.

Timberwolf hybrid.......I'd be constantly worried. You right ruby you could never trust them like you do with your current crew. Please post the pictures when you get a chance although think Neobull has a thread about it now.

Just wanted to add my little Ruger to this thread. He is only 11 weeks but I have to say, his growth, has shocked me. He is my EM and I did know that he was going to be a giant but the growth spurt that he has had from 7 - 12 weeks has actaully floored even me. I don't care about size .........I do like big dogs versus little dogs and obviously Ruger will be a big dog (He is an EM) but I am happy that he is growing steady and healthy as he can be.

View attachment 6651

Awe, cute I still am amazed how fast they grow. lol

 

[bullyBug]

Woah. I can't believe that I had to see Thor's puppy pictures to remember that German Mastiff = Great Dane. And here I thought I was so well versed in dogs. Major blow to the ego. I've never seen one that looks quite like him...just the usual American stuff. I'm guessing he's from Euro/older lines?

Re: the size thing, I definitely run in to more men that are pre-occupied with the topic.

 

[chuckorlando]

I also subscribe to men having a man dog. But that could be a bassit hound. I just think a grown man and poodle is absolutly absurd looking. I dont care if it's the sweetest sleep monster the world ever seen, must be knee height

 

[Smokeycat]

I admit to weighing my dogs at least once a month but it is a way to help control the amount to feed them. One dog his coat makes it difficult to feel his ribs and impossible to see them so monitoring his weight makes sense. The other is only 15 weeks and growing rapidly he will be weighed every week until his growth tapers off.

 

[NeoBull]

Please post the pictures when you get a chance although think Neobull has a thread about it now.

Yep, that's why I started the then and now thread

 

[Mamie2shoes]

Wow, ya'll are cracking me up!!! And everyone down here seems to know exactly what Mamie is. Everywhere we go it is "Oh look at the mastiff puppy" or "wow, she must be a mastiff". I do prefer the one guys"hey what is she?? She looks just like a mastiff."LOL I will say she is growing faster than I had anticipated at the rate of about 1lb a day right now. We have been going to the vets a lot lately duet to her surgery and she is weighed every time. Even a vet we saw monday saw her again today and said he thought she was bigger, yep, by 4 lbs. They say not to worry this is normal. But in the month I have had her, she has out grown both of my daughters and is 62lbs today, biggest 5 month old I have ever seen. This only 1 month difference, but 22lbs later, I can see it.

 

[NeoBull]

You can definitely see it, looks like more than 22lbs!