Hilda, the Rescue Mastiff Mix

[HildaDoglittle]

Hi all!

We are fostering-to-adopt a wonderful pooch named Hilda. She's definitely part mastiff, and we think she's part basset hound too, although we can't be sure. She was a stray, so not a lot is known about her history before we came along.

Hilda has a big personality. She's really friendly, and easily excited (although she spends most of her time sleeping). We're new dog owners, so naturally we have a TON of questions, especially regarding obedience. We're doing our best and being patient, but we believe that as a result of her breeding, she's a very stubborn dog (and likely has had a difficult past). She loves people, and makes friends everywhere she goes. It is obvious she's very happy in her home, and we're excited to give her the love she deserves.

We're happy to have found Mastiff Forums, and plan on being active members as our family grows! Nice to meet you!

 

[Sue42576]

Oh my! She is beautiful! Can you post some more pics so we can get a better look at her?

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

 

[musicdeb]

Welcome aboard and thank you for rescuing~

Here are tips/suggestions to help you with your new pup/family member. The following tips/suggestions are based on my experience (I rescued my pup in Feb. 2012 and volunteered at an animal shelter for a year) and forum posts from other members. Basically, I’m lazy and didn’t want to continue retyping the following tips/suggestions.

*First, I’d like to say it generally takes a re-homed pup 8-12 months to fully accept and trust their new family.

*The new pup will be stressed due to the environmental change and they may not eat or socialize much. Most will sit in their crate in the corner because they are stressed. Do not force the pup to eat or come out of the crate. The pup will let you know when they are ready. It helps the new pup to sit by the crate and talk to them and give them high value treats. They may or may not eat the treats.

A rescue requires TONS of patience, consistency in training and LOTS of love.

*BONDING WITH NEW PUP

The family will need to bond with the new pup. Bonding can be established by walking the pup, brushing the pup, hand feeding the pup, training the pup and good old cuddling with the pup.

If you have a puppy, younger than 3-4 months, I have a word document with tips and suggestions for a mastiff puppy. Reply to your post asking for the document and I will post it for you.

*HISTORY OF THE NEW PUP

Many times when you rescue a pup, you do not know their history. Generally, the pup is at the rescue or shelter because of owner surrender. Many times, mastiffs are surrendered because the previous owner didn’t know they would get as big as they do, they are messy because of their drool, or they no longer have time for the pup. Regardless of the reason, you generally do not know the pup’s history.

*INTRODUCING NEW PUP TO OTHER FAMILY PUPS

Generally, if you plan to rescue a pup, let the current pup(s) meet the new pup before signing on the dotted line to rescue the pup. I have seen many pups returned to the shelter/rescue because the current pup did not accept them.L

If you have other pups, then you need to introduce the pups on neutral ground. I have a word document explaining how to do this. If you are interested, please post a reply here and I will post the word doc.


*CRATE FOR THE NEW PUP

It is highly recommended to crate the new pup. Look at it as if it is their own little room where they can go to decompress when stressed. Do not use the crate as a punishment tool. Place a blanket, towel, pillow, and/or stuffed animal in the crate. Be aware that some pups do not like items in the crate with them but if they do, it will help the pup to relax.


*POTTY TRAINING

The pup may have to be re-trained to potty outside especially if they have lived in a cage at the shelter/rescue. If the pup has been in the shelter for more than a couple of days, they have learned to potty on the concrete in a cage.

*FOOD

Find out what kind of food the shelter/rescue was feeding the pup and continue to feed it to the pup until you transition to a newer food, if you want. Most shelters and rescues use the cheapest food, meaning it is not very good for the pup.

Slow transition to the new food is as follows to prevent diarrhea. If at any time during the transition, the pup has diarrhea return to previous amounts of food per feeding.

Amount per feeding:

Day 1-4 ¾ cup of old food and ¼ cup of new food.

Day 5-9 ½ cup of old food and ½ cup of new food.

Day 10-14 ¾ cup of new food and ¼ cup of old food

Day 15 Start 100% of new food

Generally, mastiffs are allergic to grain and chicken found in kibble. It is best to feed them a grain and chicken free kibble.

You can check www.dogfoodadvisor.com and www.dogfoodanalysis.com

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/05/31/large-dog-feeding-mistakes.aspx

You may want to check out the raw diet for your pup. Check out the raw diet section of the forum that has a wealth of information.

Check out Dr. Becker’s videos on youtube.com for a lot of great information regarding the raw diet. It’s a 3 part series with a wealth of information.

[video=youtube;Qx2YIIpF4cc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qx2YIIpF4cc[/video]

*PUP NOT EATING WHEN YOU FIRST BRING THEM HOME

They not used to their new environment and this is a natural behavior. Take the pup to a quiet place at meal times and sit and hand feed the pup. This will help the pup to eat when they are placed in a calm atmosphere and it helps you to bond with the pup and helps the pup to establish trust with you. As they become settled, they will naturally follow your routine.

*VACCINATIONS

New Vaccination Protocol - CarePaw.com

*TRAINING

Train the pup as if he has not had any training. Start with basic commands.

Teach the pup to “sit”, “look/focus”, “stay”, “come”, “leave it” and “drop it” in that order. Use high value treats for training.

For an older pup, train for about 10 minutes a day to start and increase training time as the pup starts to trust you more. For a younger pup, train for about 5 minutes a day to start.

Socialize, socialize and socialize some more. Do not take your pup to dog parks until you have learned his body language. Know when he is getting stressed or excited around humans or other pups. Walk your pup at a regular park on leash to learn his body language.


*CHILDREN IN THE HOME

Until you know how the new pup will react to the children, leave them on leash while in the house. Teach your children to bond with the new pup by hand feeding the pup, brushing the pup, walking the pup in the house or your own yard and training the pup.


DO NOT allow the children to get on the floor to play with the pup.

DO NOT allow the children to play around the pup while the pup is eating their food or high value treat or their favorite toy.

The new pup may have resource guarding due to their life in a shelter or rescue.
If the pup has resource guarding, here’s a great article: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/food-guarding

This type of behavior can take up to 4-6 months to correct and requires a lot of patience and consistency. During this time, DO NOT ALLOW children or other pups around the new pup while they are eating or enjoying a treat/toy.

Enjoy your new family member~

 

[HildaDoglittle]

Here are a ton more pictures!

Deb, thanks so much for the advice! She is REALLY difficult to train. We've had her about 14 days, and she hasn't gotten "sit" yet. She has a short attention span too. So far we've tried clicker training and high reward treats -- the only thing that really seems to have an impact on good or bad behavior is praise (but she doesn't seem to learn tricks). Is this normal?

 

[cinnamon roll]

Welcome to the forum.

Hilda is gorgeous.

 

[irina]

She is very cute. What makes you think she has Bassett hound in her? I am no expert, my I don't see it. How much does she weigh?
I see a lot of English mastiff, and if that is a big part of her breeding, they can be very stubborn. Well, all mastiffs can be. It's a bit of a breed characteristic. We have a cane corso who is very hard headed. I would continue being patient, find something that motivates her, like a treat she REALLY loves. It can be people food too, like cooked meat, a lot of people use cheese. Whatever works for her, and then use this treat for training only.
To teach sit, put a treat in front of her nose and move it up, she will naturally sit, then say good sit, praise and treat. Repeat until she can do it only with voice command. Work on one command at a time, don't overload her, don't expect her to do tricks yet. I heard one trainer say that a dog has to do an action/command 30 times before he/she learns it. Just to give you an idea.
Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[HildaDoglittle]

She is very cute. What makes you think she has Bassett hound in her? I am no expert, my I don't see it. How much does she weigh?

Hi irina! The adoption agency suspected she was basset because of the way her legs/feet look; her body is also elongated, so that might be why too. Personality-wise, we think she has some hound in her, because she is very interested in sniffing/tracking. However we agree that the mastiff seems to be predominate in her appearance. She weighs 102 lbs, but is relatively short -- we haven't measured her, but her shoulders are about as tall as my knees, and I'm 5'4''.

 

[DDSK]

Welcome to the forum.
She definately has a mastiff face.
What a pretty girl she is!
I love her coloring and that face.

 

[musicdeb]

View attachment 38650View attachment 38651View attachment 38652View attachment 38653View attachment 38654

Here are a ton more pictures!

Deb, thanks so much for the advice! She is REALLY difficult to train. We've had her about 14 days, and she hasn't gotten "sit" yet. She has a short attention span too. So far we've tried clicker training and high reward treats -- the only thing that really seems to have an impact on good or bad behavior is praise (but she doesn't seem to learn tricks). Is this normal?

That could be the mastiff part of her, they tend to be very stubborn. I would offer a high value treat such a boiled chicken breast, hamburger from mcdonald's without the bread, etc. She's only been with you for 2 weeks, give her time. She's adapting to her new surroundings.

It can take a rehomed dog 8-12 months to fully trust you, consistency is key. Mastiffs do not do well with yelling, feeling your impatience or hitting.

Remain consistent in training with motivational rewards and do not let the dog feel your impatience. If you become impatient, walk away to take some deep breaths. When you return, stand tall with shoulders back which signals to the dog that you've got it.

Keep us posted on her progress.

 

[CeeCee]

Oh my Lord! That little girl is ridiculously cute!!!

Welcome Aboard!

 

[HildaDoglittle]

Thank you Deb, that is wonderful advice!

CeeCee, I love the quote in your signature

 

[Harrygto]

what a good looking pup

 

[Sue42576]

I see a lil bit of Sharpei there I think...the muzzel, and the texture of her fur in the second last pic of her...doesn't explain the length, but that could just be mastiff growth....they grow in all directions then even out...either way, she is very cute and looks like a cuddly baby...enjoy

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk