Vito: Fawn Brindle English Mastiff 02/18/09
Mom: Reverse Fawn Brindle English Mastiff 140# @ 18 m/o
Dad: Apricot English Mastiff 200+ @ 2 y/o
8 weeks: 12.5 lbs.
10 weeks: 18 lbs.
12 weeks: 21 lbs
18 weeks: 46 lbs.
20 weeks: 51 lbs.
Vito is a beautiful boy & we love him very much but are concerned that he is not getting enough food. He does have a little bit of a sensitive tummy (even with a limited ingredient diet). We would love to supplement his diet with snacks that will help him to grow happier & healthier and wonder what would be the best to add in?
We currently feed Blue Buffalo 2cups @ 3 times per day plus "dog log" as a sort of appetite stimulant.
Wow, he sounds really handsome. Post some pics!
If I can give one bit of advice. Keep away from humans snacks. When we first got our pup, he never bothered us when we ate or went into the kitchen. Then we started giving him "treats" and now we have created a monster! He is big enough to into the sink and will remove glasses, dishes, thawing meat and either eat or clean them. He has broken glasses as he is taking them outside, one day my daughter caught him chewing on a kitchen knife!!
He has gotten in to the fruit bowl and emptied that. We can no longer leave a morsel of food on the counter or in a bowl as he will get them.
My understanding is that the giant breed have to be kept "lean" so there is less stress on their bones. Our pup has been kept on the thin side, and we are also feeding three times a day. We have been buying large beef bones for him to gnaw on.
Yes, it's best not to overfeed (especially with puppies) and keeping them on the thinner side rather than overweight is easier on their joints.
Personally, I wouldn't feed my dogs kibble only. To me it seems the equivalent of people eating only processed foods (think cereal - it's not bad for you, has vitamins in it, will keep you alive, but to stay healthy you need to eat fresh foods, too.) Some of the things I give my dogs: grilled chicken breast slices, carrots, plain yogurt, green beans, broccoli, peas, strawberries, apples, oatmeal, blueberries, bananas, green peppers, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, celery and eggs scrambled in olive oil. If you decide to work in new foods, just do it really slowly and in small amounts until he's older.
Keffri1: Have you tried clicker training? You can get your pup to stop stealing things pretty easily. I don't think it's related to giving him "people" food - I think it's just puppyhood. If something smells interesting, they take it. Let me know if you know the basics of clicker training and I'll post a mini tutorial for you. If not, I highly recommend a clicker training class to learn the basics & you can adjust the "off" command to keep him away from anything on your countertops or tables.
I am not familiar with clicker training...any tips will help.
On Sunday he got into my "Fiber pills" and ate the whole bottle (100 tabs). It looked like we had a cow in our backyard!!! Yuck.. He took a whole can of salmon I had draining in the sink and then snuck out into the back yard to enjoy it. When I discovered what he did, I went into the back yard and he had the whole can hidden in his mouth and was laying there with this "What?" expression in his face. I had to put my arm wrist deep in his mouth to retrieve the can. Luckily the lid stayed on, but I had to throw the whole can out! Then yesterday, he pinched a bottle of 250 fish oil tabs, but fortunately only got a few out, so he only smells somewhat fishy.
He is soooo bad...I think it is the combination of big....plus puppy that gets him into so much trouble. Good thing he is so good natured or he would be in the dog house.....
I'm jumping in a bit late but our Georgia (5 1/2 month old English Mastiff puppy) will eat or chew on anything......chewed up a $32 lab manual our son left on the table (he just started college two weeks ago) and our son knows not to leave anything paper around. Georgia will tear up magazines, paper towels, or her all time favorite, toilet paper!! We have tons of chew toys and she does play with those for the most part. It's only if we've been gone for a while and she gets bored that she goes into destruction mode....and I don't think its deliberate. I really do think it is boredom so my bad for leaving her for too long. It's such a relief to read about someone else's dog getting into just as much mischief if not more than ours!! I did find out recently from a veterinarian that if you need to make a dog throw up something, you need to use a syringe (without the needle) and hydrogen peroxide. Just shoot the peroxide down their throat until they throw up.....I've already called poison control once because of something Georgia ate (turned out to be benign) Anyway, Georgia is on EaglePack Holistic Select for large and giant breed puppies, fed three times a day,
1 1/2 cups each time with treats throughout the day for good behavior and she has just in the last two weeks stopped showing her ribs so sharply I was concerned also about her getting enough. Her vet has been fine with her weight all along but she looked too thin to me. Now she is looking a littlle less thin so now I'm worried about giving her too much!!
It sounds like you guys have your hands full! OK, here are some tips:
Puppies under 1 year will get into stuff. It's just what they do. Things are new and they like to explore. Just picture what your house would look like if you left a 3 year old child home alone all day - same thing! You may want to consider keeping your pup in an extra large kennel or in a laundry/mud room while you are away so they cannot get into dangerous items. Remove any potentially dangerous items, make sure they have plenty of toys and soft bed, and your pup will likely sleep the entire time you are gone. Take a walk before you leave and after you return to allow your pup to drain some energy.
Dogs go through an adolescence period around 18 months. Just when you think you've got them trained, they may start acting out again. This is normal. Revert to keeping your dog in a controlled area when you cannot watch them until this phase is over. It usually only lasts a few months.
This allows you to control what your puppy can and cannot do in your house because they do not have "free range" unless you are there. When they go to grab a roll of toilet paper, you will be there to say "no" and redirect your puppy to play with a toy. It will not take long before your puppy learns the limits.
keffri1 - I will write up a tutorial on the basics of clicker training and send you a link when it's up.