i-tails.com Community - Lamars' Kahless The Unforgettable

He is gorgeous!

(10-27-2010 08:05 AM)harleymom Wrote: [ -> ]He is gorgeous!

Thank you! Smile

I'm a little late updating the thread but here's his latest info from birthday #2. He is 35"+ at the shoulders. His head has been getting broader. He might fill out over the next year.

I'm very glad he is well trained! I'm a big guy but when I see him charging across the backyard under full power it's awesome and I wouldn't want to be bumped by him. It would be like getting tackled or blocked by a pro linebacker.

[Image: KAHLESS-GROWTH-RECORD-1.jpg]

These photos were shot on his 2nd birthday 1/5/11:
[Image: IMG_5067A.jpg]

oh wow. he is so hansome, what a giant i would love to see more pictures of him.

(01-25-2011 10:47 AM)diesel Wrote: [ -> ]oh wow. he is so hansome, what a giant i would love to see more pictures of him.

I thank you and Kahless thanks you...

[Image: Kahless-Head.jpg]

More to follow. Smile

Oh Kahless, Your so handsome! I just want to kiss that huge wrinkley face!

(01-26-2011 08:02 AM)Ileana Wrote: [ -> ]Oh Kahless, Your so handsome! I just want to kiss that huge wrinkley face!

Kahless says thank you for the compliments and he would love to get and give a kiss! Heart

Early Happy Valentines!

(10-27-2010 08:24 AM)robo21 Wrote: [ -> ]
(10-27-2010 08:05 AM)harleymom Wrote: [ -> ]He is gorgeous!

Thank you!

what a handsome boy! I just started a thread on our Adelaide (st bernard), but my first love is our bullmastiffs..I love all three of my dogs but Mabel my eldest bully has my heart more than any of them! She is a pet quality bullmastiff and besides her smaller size (130) she looks much more mastiff to me than bullmastiff as she lacks the shorter "bully" type snout.

I loved looking at the photos of Kahless..The one with him with the stick made me literally laught out loud, just seems comical his expression!

I am really enjoying this site!

(01-29-2011 03:36 PM)Mabelmom Wrote: [ -> ]what a handsome boy! I just started a thread on our Adelaide (st bernard), but my first love is our bullmastiffs..I love all three of my dogs but Mabel my eldest bully has my heart more than any of them! She is a pet quality bullmastiff and besides her smaller size (130) she looks much more mastiff to me than bullmastiff as she lacks the shorter "bully" type snout.

I loved looking at the photos of Kahless..The one with him with the stick made me literally laught out loud, just seems comical his expression!

I am really enjoying this site!

Thank you Mabelmom and welcome to i-Tails Smile

(02-03-2011 08:35 AM)robo21 Wrote: [ -> ]
(01-29-2011 03:36 PM)Mabelmom Wrote: [ -> ]what a handsome boy! I just started a thread on our Adelaide (st bernard), but my first love is our bullmastiffs..I love all three of my dogs but Mabel my eldest bully has my heart more than any of them! She is a pet quality bullmastiff and besides her smaller size (130) she looks much more mastiff to me than bullmastiff as she lacks the shorter "bully" type snout.

I loved looking at the photos of Kahless..The one with him with the stick made me literally laught out loud, just seems comical his expression!

I am really enjoying this site!

Thank you Mabelmom and welcome to i-Tails

Thanks for the welcome! I am enjoying it here already!

Kahless at 2.5 years old now weighs just over 250 lbs and has matured enough that he has started winning points. In fact at Ventura on 7/9 and 7/10/11 he got 2 Majors and Best of Winners on Sunday.

Here he is with handler Kelly and judge:
[Image: kahless7-10-11.jpg]

He is just soooo striking looking!!! What a very handsome boy. I love our Otis too of course, but his parents were just not as big and not as wrinkly so he will look different, but be loved just the same!!! Love the updated pictures!!

(10-11-2011 10:39 AM)Otis Wrote: [ -> ]He is just soooo striking looking!!! What a very handsome boy. I love our Otis too of course, but his parents were just not as big and not as wrinkly so he will look different, but be loved just the same!!! Love the updated pictures!!

Hi Otis' Mom,

Thank you for the compliments on Kahless (sounds like Kay-less, he's named after a famous Klingon). You're right, his mom was extremely tall and dad was very big. Kahless was up to 255lbs last April but he lost a little over 5 lbs by July when he won his two majors. He is big for a Mastiff.

It's funny how Mastiffs can differ in appearance. Our Sadie is petite (155lbs now at almost 4 years old) and Samson (recently passed at over 11) was nowhere near as big and wrinkly as Kahless. Also, Sadie has funny ears - they kind of stick out to the sides sometimes.

One thing is for sure, we deeply love all of our Mastiffs regardless of their appearance. They are a very special breed. So loving and gentle.

Kahless is almost a champion now, he just needs a few more points. After a recent show win we stopped at McDonald's for a treat. He gets an Egg McMuffin for each win.

I began feeding him his sandwich after his last win and he accidently bit my finger - not hard but I felt it - and I said "ow, he bit me" (not loud but like I felt it) to my wife. He literally hung his head in shame, and hid behind the backseat of the SUV. He forgot about the remaining half sandwich, I coaxed him up to finish his sandwich and he did so with care that he had not previously shown.

Mastiffs, in general are the gentlest, most loving dogs I have known and I have owned many breeds throughout my life. What they have on the inside is so special, who cares what they look like on the outside?

This is Sadie with her orthopedic surgeon and my wife after her TPLO surgeries on both legs:
[Image: IMG_2129a.jpg]

And this was Samson at about 3 years (2002) Angel

:

Wow you must be soooo proud of all that Kahless has accomplished! Thats sooo amazing! Wow Sadie and Sampson are soooo striking as well! So many people seem to be so unattracted to the breed but I am just soooo in love with everything about them even their drooly faces!!

Sometimes I wish there was a community like i-tails in my area where we could just all get together and talk mastiffs and have playgroups. We had wanted to add a mastiff member to our family for probably over 6or 7 years. But for various reasons....being in college, living in a condo that only allowed 1 pet (already having comitted to a cat), moving and having a temporary housing, and finances pushed us off until finally this past June we welcomed home our furry bundle of joy. And although I will admit there have been difficult times since Otis is only coming up on 6 months, I still love him so much. Most recently Otis had the worst case of diahrea. We had just visited the breeder where he enjoyed some treats and even scarffed someones food down. I assumed that is what it was from bc he has had a sensitive stomach to new things. But I monitored him and something didn't seem right bc of the frequency, sense of urgency, and strange burst of liquid that came out. It did seem to let up ( we slowed down on giving food, did more mild rice and chicken, and some pepcid ac, to help the poor guy out)....and then when I took him out today he seemed to struggle to poop, and when it came out (soooo sorry to be gross) it was a long piece of something, and I knew it was some sort of object, so I washed with some water....it turned out to be a pair of my underwhere. During all this I felt like I bonded even more with Otis, but man I've never been so scared....we could swear that we keep a close eye on the poor guy and now we feel like failure as parents. I can only be thankful that he passed it....wow I sure hope we don't ever make such a mistake, I have no idea how he got them, but he did and thats all that matters. Well sorry to ramble but it had me so startled how serious it could have been I had to share. This is my first dog ever, and some people think i'm crazy for taking on a mastiff as a first. But I feel comitted to gaining all the necessary knowledge to do it right and care and love him as best we can. And I love being able to reach out to others that may have more knowledge like yourself. So thanks!!!!! You really have such a handsome bunch! rip to sampson

Oh and I should add....hearing your story about mcDonald's.....I hear so many things about how kind and sensitive mastiffs are....since im' new to this and Otis is so young we aren't quite there. I know he loves us, but he doesn't always show us in ways such as that....but it gives me hope that someday he will be more attached to us and have more desire to stay by our side. Do you think this is always true for the breed. At this point Otis would totally take off and go find another furry friend or human to hand with if he was off leash. Oh and while training a young pup, do you have any collars you like? Otis is so strong at 6 months, and we are not quite there with heel ect. I'm not sure if we are not doing our job properly or what. My 18 month old wants to walk him, of course i'd love for her to someday be able to, but at this point its just not an option.....any tips with this type of training? What should we have for expectations?

wow....here i go again....I was wondering where you guys go to shows. We are on the East coast in MA. But we would love to go to a show and learn more about the breed and connect with other people, but honestly don't even know how to find out where and when they are located. Please let me know where to find this info

Yes Kahless has surprised us with his big size and his winning streak at shows since reaching young adulthood and of course we are very proud of him. And thank you for your compliments and kind words.

It is obvious that you love Otis deeply. Wink

Starting off with a Mastiff indicates to me that you are people who know what they want and just go for it! Right on! What a way to begin. Had I known Mastiffs as a kid I highly doubt I would have experienced other breeds. They seduce you with their gentle, loving, and kind loyalty. They impress us with their size and power. And we get all kinds of comments from people who have never seen a full grown Mastiff - usually with their mouths agape - and always with a smile.

Do not worry about Otis not showing much "sensitivity!" He is still a baby. He will learn it if you show him how. Be loving and kind - never punish him for accidents etc. Remember Mastiffs mature more slowly than other breeds. They really aren't mature until about 2.5 years and not fully grown until 3.

Yes, they require more and better food (we fed Kahless premium large breed puppy and now adult food), more attention, more clean up (drool and bigger poop piles) and living indoors. But I wouldn't have it any other way. We are delightfully hooked. Just while I was typing this reply, Kahless came to me for some face time. He likes to hug in the morning. They are not a breed for everyone as they do require inclusion in daily activities, exercise, etc.

Your story about the underwear reminds me of what Samson did one time. He ate one of my white crew socks. Of course it had to come out and when it did it didn't come all the way out but was hanging out of him about 9 or so inches. My wife was outside and noticed him struggling to go to poop. When he stood up fully the sock slapped him on the testicles and scared the heck out of him (something unknown "attacking" me there would scare me too) so he took off running in big circles around the yard. Everytime the sock would slap him there he would accelerate with renewed vigor. Finally, the sock dropped all the way out and my wife was able to rein him in.

While this is a funny story it could have been deadly for him. Intestinal blockages of course can be lethal. We no longer leave laundry anywhere the dogs can grab them. They love socks, underwear, shoes, bras, etc. Toys must be extra large and extra safe with this breed's extra size kept in mind. Even a tennis ball can be a choking hazard for a big Mastiff. Kahless, as a puppy, used to eat rocks so we had to "puppy proof" the back yard by raking up all of the stones he had access too. Stones can kill them as well. Fortunately, he outgrew that.

For collars, I would start Otis off with a good quality adjustable collar (he will grow quickly) and maybe (for training) a Martingale collar. And definitely find a good *positive reinforcement* basic obedience class immediately! Kahless completed his by 6 months - it was an 8 week class. The LAST thing you want is an unruly, untrained Mastiff. They are too big for that. And definitely find a good *positive reinforcement* basic obedience class. The LAST thing you want is an unruly, untrained Mastiff. They are too big for that. That is only the beginning, I would recommend you follow up with more obedience or conformation class training, the latter if you plan on showing Otis. Here is a link to find good, positive based trainers:Association of Pet Dog Trainers Website

Dog shows are a great way to meet other Mastiff owners and there are other forums you can join that are more active than this one. mastiff.org The AKC can direct you to dog show administrators in your area. We are in Southern California so I can't help you there.

And I strongly urge you to avoid any class that uses choke chains or aversive training techniques. Mastiffs are sensitive and want to please, the respond best to reward based, positive reinforcement training.
Even with training, caution must be exercised!

I would never let your child walk Otis unless you go through advanced obedience and maybe not even then. Here's why. Samson graduated from puppy obedience class at 6 months old and did very well. We continued working with him on basic training but perhaps should have gone to intermediate and advanced.

I warned my wife, Nikki, not to walk Samson without me present and we have a big back yard where they have room to exercise I felt they would be fine. I was out of town and sure enough, she got out to the sidewalk, leash around her waist through the belt loops in her jeans, Samson (2 years old at that time) saw another (off leash) dog and went after it. Nikki was amazed at how strong he was and hit the ground. Samson dragged her 40 feet across the street until she hit the curb on the other side whereupon her belt loops all ripped and Samson took off after the other dog - not aggressively - I think he wanted to play. Nikki had road rash on her arms and knees and the jeans were ruined, pride bruised. Samson was caught by a vigilant neighbor and everybody healed but we learned an important lesson.

Nikki weighed about 125 lbs at that time. Samson was about 200 pounds at the time. Just imagine what would happen to a child in that situation! Either the child gets hurt or the dog gets loose or both.

These are huge and powerful dogs and need proper leash and obedience training. Even then, caution is the order of the day.

I would NEVER, EVER let our Mastiffs run loose unless it was in a safely fenced area, just because I would never forgive myself if they got lost or hurt. We are contractually prohibited (by our breeder) from taking our Mastiffs to a dog park. A smaller dog could attack the Mastiff, the Mastiff might bite to protect itself, easily and unintentionally killing the smaller dog and thereby ruin their good reputation. It has happened so that's why she puts that clause in all her puppy contracts.

Please PM me or email me if you have any further questions. I apologize for the length of the post but I feel the info is important. And please let me know your first name at least so I don't have to continue calling you Otis' Mom Smile