Q: Do Mastiffs / Great Danes Drool?
by admin ~ July 14th, 2008A: Yes, all dogs drool. The amount of drool certainly varies by size, breed, and specific characteristics of the individual dog. Dogs produce saliva when they are tempted with food or any appealing scent, or when they are panting or excited. Giant breeds will typically produce more drool than small breeds since their mouths are larger.
The size of a dog’s dewlap, the lower lip near the back of the mouth, can also be a factor in determining how drool-prone a particular dog can be. Dogs with larger dewlaps tend to be wetter-mouthed than dogs with a tighter lip. In Example A below, the dog has a larger dewlap. The dog in Example B has a smaller dewlap. Most mastiff-type breeds tend to have a larger dewlap.
Example A
Example B
A dog’s drinking habits can also contribute to a wetter mouth. Some great danes and mastiffs like to stick their entire face in the water bowl when they drink, and they walk away soaking wet, leaving a trail of water on the floor as they go. Other dogs are more delicate about drinking and don’t create as big of a mess. I’ve experienced both habbits with both great danes and mastiffs, and the level of drinking-related drool just seems to be up to the personality of your dog, whatever breed he or she may be.
So, can you live with it? Before you decide to adopt a giant breed, make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into. There is a stain on my kitchen ceiling 10′ in the air from a great dane shaking his head and flinging drool all the way up there. I usually hand out “drool rags” to guests, and sometimes get a funny look until one of the dogs uses their sleeve as a napkin and they find themselves covered in slime from wrist to elbow. As a serious germaphobe, my friends are perplexed by my ability to deal with these slimy strings of slobber on a daily basis, and from time to time, I find myself unknowingly walking down the street with a glob of white goo stuck to my clothes. Rest assured, it’s only dog drool.
For me, the rewards of giant breed ownership make dealing with the drool worthwhile. Plus, not all of my giant breed dogs are extreme droolers. In fact, my great dane has a dryer mouth than many of my friends’ labs and golden retrievers. Over the years, I’ve gotten used to having drooling dogs in the house and have made some simple changes to accomodate, like converting to stain-resistant furniture and washable paint.
If you’re unsure whether or not a giant breed dog is the right choice for you, please spend some time with one. Dog shows are a great place to experience giant breeds in person. You can find a listing of upcoming shows and events on the AKC website.
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Can English Mastiffs Live Outside?
by admin ~ March 27th, 2008Q: Can english mastiffs live outside? I’ve been told they are inside dogs but we live in Arizona and have always had outside dogs.
A: No, they really don’t do well outside. They overheat very easily, and the summers in the desert can kill a mastiff if they are left outside.
You may also want to consider the fact that dogs are pack animals – it is in their nature to live in families. When left alone in the backyard while your family lives inside, giant breeds can become very destructive as an outlet for their frustration - they want to be with their pack but are forced to be separated. Most people that attempt to keep giant breeds as backyard dogs end up turning them over to shelters after having their yards, plants, a/c units, sprinkler lines and even stucco and siding destroyed, or due to constant barking.
They make great pets if you’re able to spend a lot of time training, exercising and socializing, but they definitely are a lot of work in that regard and I would never recommend keeping a mastiff or a great dane outdoors only.
Mastiffs are typically calm dogs as adults, and they are relatively easy to house train. If you really are committed to wanting a mastiff but have never had indoor dogs before, I would check with a mastiff rescue to see if they may have an adult that would be a good match for your family. By eliminating the difficult puppy training phase, you will probably have a much easier time training and adjusting to an indoor dog. You can check out www.petfinder.org or www.azanimalassistance.com for information on adoptable dogs.
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Trimming Nails
by admin ~ February 3rd, 2008Our great danes and mastiffs have huge nails, and trimming them is not an easy task. We’ve struggled with this for over a decade, and have finally found a great solution - the new dremel stylus.
Though we tried using a dremel to trim our 200lb. great dane’s nails years ago, at the time it just seemed to heat up the nail and cause more discomfort than trimming with clippers. We decided to give it another try and purchased the stylus, which is easier to hold than the older versions. This new smaller tool with variable speeds works great. There are a couple of tricks we’ve learned that help to speed up the task:
- If your dog won’t be still, make sure you have someone else keep the dog still while you hold the paw and nail. One slip of the dremel can leave large cuts on your pup, so it’s crucial that you have control of your dog.
- It seems to work best if you can rest the end of the dremel on the ground for stability, and hold the nail firmly to avoid vibrating the nail rather than filing it down.
- Be careful not to file the nail too much (into the quick) as this can make the nail bleed. Keep some styptic powder on hand just in case…
- Do this outside. Nail dust flies everywhere.
- Use the fastest speed and the sanding tip.
Nail trimming used to take quite awhile, and we have it down to about 5 minutes per dog using the new dremel. The best part is, the dogs seem much less stressed out about the whole nail trimming process.
