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Welcome Home Dante! :)

dantesmom

Well-Known Member
So today we brought Dante home! He's a BIG boy! Breeder told us he last weighed about 13 lbs Sept 27, today he's 7 weeks old.

He's already getting along with Bubu (our golden retriever), although he's shown some signs of dominance. (Is it normal for a 7 week old pup to hump to show dominance? ><) But I hope Bubu shows him where he belongs in the family and hopefully he will learn lots of other stuff from Bubu too.

Still trying to get him housetrained. He's already peed and pooped a few times in the house, and I found roundworms in his stool :/, very unfortunate. Gotta get him to the vet tomorrow.

His little bed fits him so much, he already likes sleeping in it. But I'm sure soon enough he's going to outgrow it. :x

So I have a few concerns:
1. I try to crate train him, but SOON as I put him in the crate, he wants out. He cries and whines like there's no tomorrow. NONSTOP. I know I'm not supposed to go to him and open the crate door when he cries, and wait till he stops then open the door. But he cries SO LOUD I'm afraid he's going to bug the neighbors. What do I do? Can I just NOT crate train him, if that's possible?

2. Breeder recommended Royal Canin Giant Puppy food, does anyone have any particularly good or bad experience with it?

3. Is it normal for him to have roundworms even though he's been dewormed three times? I've never had this issue with Bubu.

4. So this is what happened. Bubu wants to play with Dante, she gets one of her toys, has it in her teeth, and tosses it around. Dante sees it, and wants to join and play with, so he chases Bubu down and tries to grab the toy with HIS teeth. It's all fun and cuteness until Dante snaps at Bubu and growls/barks. Then they go right back and do it again. Should I be concerned that Dante is too dominant (which he shouldn't be), or are they just REALLY playing?

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, What do you guys think of Dante!? :D
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Smokeycat

Well-Known Member
Not everyone crate trains so it can be done. I was lucky and both of my dogs took to the crate with only minimal crying. So I haven't tried this but maybe start by putting a high value treat inside the crate and let him get used to going into the crate on his own. Once he is comfortable being in the crate with the door open then try shutting the door. Personally I think that all dogs should at least be familiar with a crate even if it isn't used regularly.
The playing thing sounds like a lack of manners. You didn't say what Bubu's response to Dante is when he growls. My older dog growls/barks when playing. It sounds bad if you don't know him but there is a distinct difference between that growl and when he is upset. Given that it sounds as if play resumes quickly (or doesn't stop) my guess is that you have a play growler but you do want to watch closely until you can read his body language so that you can see differences and know when to step in because he's not having fun anymore.
 
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anw6943

Well-Known Member
I don't have much mastiff experience as I recently got my 4 and a half month old corso but I do have an Olde English Bulldogge (1/2 English Bulldog, (1/6 a.p.b.t, 1/6 American Bulldog and 1/6 Bullmastiff) whom I got at 8 weeks old. As far as crate training, I bought him a little bed that I put in the floor in the living room and he loved it. So the next day I moved the bed into his crate leaving the door open and he went right in and took his naps. I would then close the door for short periods, praise him for being quiet and put nylabones, a Kong, etc that he only got in his crate. As far as at night, he slept in his crate next to my bed from the first night. I bought a "snuggle puppy" ahead of time and it really worked wonders. You can buy these online or depending where you live, our local petland has them now. Basically it's a stuffed puppy that comes with a heart that beats (after inserting batteries) and heat packets that last for a few days (if only used at night) just by shaking and pinching the packet, both go inside the puppy and then you Velcro puppy together. You can buy extra heat packets as well. It simulates the warmth and heartbeat that the mother dog or littermate would provide. I also used an ex-pen with Bronco where e could have more room and play off leash. He was either in his crate, ex-pen or on a leash for quite awhile.

As far as potty training, I kept my guy on a leash so he couldn't run off and potty or chew something. I took him out frequently and he caught on pretty quick. I also trained him to ring a bell at the back door (which he has since ripped off). I used wordsblike "outside" and then "go potty" once we were outside. When he does go potty outside praise him enthusiastically and treats help too!

As far as the round worms if he does poop outside be sure to clean it up immediately so your golden doesn't get worms as well. When I got my corso she had round worms as well, so we've been going through the same thing.

Dante is very cute,I love the wrinkly forehead! I wish you the best of luck with him, enjoy him while he's little and napping a lot as they grow up so quick.
 

dantesmom

Well-Known Member
Thank you guys! Your replies are very helpful. I will try the crate training again slowly with a treat and bed and something else he likes. And the snuggle puppy sounds like a wonderful idea, I will look into that as well. When Dante snaps, Bubu just jumps back. Then they go right back into playing like that. I will monitor them playing for now until I get a grasp of Dante's temperament with other dogs.

I just witnessed Bubu getting on her back exposing her tummy, Dante going for the tummy and starting to hump, I pulled him away as to say you should not practice dominance on Bubu, then Bubu went for him and started humping back. I was almost mindblown. I've never seen Bubu hump before. Ever. We've gotten her spayed at 6 months old, and she's been NEVER EVER humped any dog. She's very dominant, but she doesn't hump. I can't believe it just happened in front of my eyes. LOL. It was intense.

It's only been a few hours since we've brought Dante home, so crate and potty training will still be a while, I'll just be patient. Hopefully he catches on soon. I will update. Thanks again, guys!
 

musicdeb

Well-Known Member
Dante is home! He's adorable!

Consistency with the crate training. Did you add the items as described in my first post to you?

Potty training: Take him on leash every 1-2 hours and give him a potty word, like "go potty." When he pottys, do the potty dance. Yes, the potty dance. Sing in high pitch voice, "Dante went potty. Good boy or good job" and reward.

Puppy playing: All normal behavior what you described. Were you able to watch Dante with his siblings, that's exactly how they play. The humping is not a dominance thing but generally an excitement or stress behavior. Ignore it.