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Adopting a Two year old

A big HI from India

Well when I was searching for bullmastiff pups online I came across this listing for a two year old mastiff for adoption . And I spoke to the owner and he said I may come take the dog this weekend as he is moving abroad he would rather give it to a loving home for free than sell it to a breeder .

So I have been reading about the breed for like almost a week . I have had a great dane and a doberman before . Will I be able to train a two year old well . Is there anything else I should keep in mind when adopting an adult dog .
 

musicdeb

Well-Known Member
Welcome aboard and thank you for adopting~

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

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 “sitâ€, “look/focusâ€, “stayâ€, “comeâ€, “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~
 

musicdeb

Well-Known Member
It's always best to have a lean mastiff to prevent health issues, as they continue to grow until 2-3 years of age. You should be able to feel the last 3 ribs while they are standing without a lot of pressure.

A better pic would be necessary to see the dog's body. It helps to have a pic of the dog standing from the front, the side and the rear.
 
I havent seen him yet and this picture was emailed to me . another two more days to bring home . I was told that he is very playful .
 

musicdeb

Well-Known Member
He may be playful with the current owners but he will be stressed due to the environmental change and may not be playful around you until he trusts you. He will require lots of patience.
 

Harrygto

Well-Known Member
he is a good looking pup
it might take some time before there is full trust like Deb stated lots of patience
thanks for adopting
 

musicdeb

Well-Known Member
Have you spent any time with the dog before adopting him? I would recommend spending a few hours with him to see if the 2 of you mesh together.

Blindly adopting a dog can lead to some major issues.
 

DennasMom

Well-Known Member
I hope they're not expecting you to just come for a first visit and then take him with you?

You should be able to go visit for a few hours, then go away for a while to think it over and get your feelings straight - go somewhere quiet so you can listen to your intuition...
Make sure you "hit it off" well with him before you just grab & go.

When you meet him, have the owner play with him some and introduce you into the game... then maybe go for a walk the three of you, and then have the owner drop out of the walk... see how he takes to you being there without his person around... will he listen to direction from you? take a treat? come to you? walk politely?

He may not be perfect, but hopefully he won't get over-anxious about being without his previous person, too... since you've had big dogs before, I think you're totally capable of knowing what you're looking for. At 2, he's still got some puppy in there, so hopefully will make the transition without too much self-induced stress.

Scratch him under the chin to reassure him of your kind intentions, if he won't let you pet the top of his head (many dogs won't).

When/if you take him home, limit how much freedom he gets - let him take in one room at a time. Keep him in the same room with you at all times. Set your rules early and enforce them consistently. It could take him a few weeks to get settled before you see the "real" puppy that you have with you, and it can take much longer for him to relax and accept that this is his new home - depending on where he's coming from and how easily he adapts to new situations.

And please let us know how it goes!!
 
His previous owners had him in an apartment. He loves it over at my place with a decent yard . gave him a bath the first day he came home . sticks to me all the time and wherever I go. Gets excited every time I start the car .
 
He is a well behaved dog and loves coming around with me in car . It will take some time for me and the family to get used to his drool .
 

musicdeb

Well-Known Member
He is a well behaved dog and loves coming around with me in car . It will take some time for me and the family to get used to his drool .
hahahahahaha It takes all of us some time to get used to the drool. I find drool on my walls, ceilings, clothes, refrigerator, stove, let's just say just about everywhere. Comes with owning a mastiff. :)

Thank you again for giving Hector and loving and caring home!