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New Cane Corso!

Awesch007

New Member
Hello everyone!

First time on this forum. I never knew how much research it took to fully understanding the right way to feed a dog. With that being said I have come into a bit of complications. I am stationed overseas, so all of this wonderful food you guys are referring to isn't so easily accessible over here. There really is no butcher shops or much of anything of that matter. Of course we have pork, ground beef, chicken, and cow liver but that is about it. I do not have the rabbit, duck, elk, venison, buffalo that you guys all have access to so my situation is a bit different. We pick up "Rocky" from Bologna Italy this Saturday. As of right now he is on a kibble but I am wanting to take him off of that immediately. I also just subscribed to the PreyModel and love it. The only thing that is holding me up is the food that I have available. I am looking for a company that ships overseas. Frozen Raw Diet that is. And if there is not what are some suggestions that I could do with my limited resources. I do not hunt, just extremely expensive over here, and I am also considering freezing all of the food that I get, what do you guys think? We do have fish. What I see mostly from PreyModel is he uses a lot of chicken. Which we have but I do not want Rocky to get burnt out on that. I am a bit discouraged but still very adamant about feeding a raw diet. PLEASE HELP! Thank you for all your suggestions!
 

Awesch007

New Member
Thank you! I am stationed in Spangdahlem Germany. The online business has been my greatest assest over including amazon. So if that could be a start but I would much rather greentripe.com or hare-today.com. But I do not think of that as an option. Sorry for all the questions but I am just looking for my best options. Thank you!
 

DDSK

Well-Known Member
You may not have the resources that we have, but I know it can be done.
My son has a shipmate that lived in Italy and she had 2 Cane Corsos that she fed raw.
I can't really help you with details as she is deployed right now, but I do know that a good portion of their diet was raw fish which is pretty much available as long as you are stationed near the coast, goat, lamb, pork beef, chicken and other fowl also.
Check with your breeder and see what they feed, maybe you could do a combo Kibble/Raw diet.
 

Awesch007

New Member
Great thank you for the info. Now would you suggest that I should freeze everything before feeding it? Or just the pork? Also do either of you know any site that I could get the exact measurements of the amount of food I should be giving them. I am aware of the 80-10-10 but still just unsure of how much service size of each. Maybe you could just provide me an example and I could go from there. Sorry for the questions but I really appreciate all your help. The other thing is treats. What is the best treats that I could give or company I could purchase treats from. Are either of you fans of stella and chewy? I know they ship overseas. Or any products from natures variety. This is just in case my corso doesnt eat raw right away. Thank you again.

And proud to Serve.
 

musicdeb

Well-Known Member
The meat you have access to is great meat for the raw diet. What you have access to is what Titan eats all the time. I do not follow the prey model. Do not feed organ meat for at least 2 weeks of being on raw.

How old is the puppy? You may do better with small chicken legs or chicken wings. Watch the puppy the first few times they eat raw to be sure they can navigate the raw meat and bone since they are used to kibble.

The raw feeding section on the forum has a wealth of information.

Remember to post pics.

BTW, Titan was born in Germany. His past owner was in the Army. I, too, would like to thank you for your service.

If this is your first mastiff pup, here's some info for you and the new pup (baby).



The following tips/suggestions are based on my experience as a dog mommy, forum member’s posts and volunteering at an animal shelter for a year.

*CRATE THE PUP

You want to crate train the pup. Make sure you have a blanket, stuffed animal (about their size) and white noise (ticking clock or ipod with soft music) so the pup can sleep. The pup is used to cuddling with siblings.

*SECURE THE PUP NEAR THE FAMILY

You want to keep the pup in a room with a family member. Mastiffs need to be near their family members.

*FOOD

Find out what kind of food the shelter/rescue/breeder was feeding the pup and continue to feed it to the pup until you transition to a newer food, if you want. Most shelters/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. There are a number of posts on the forum regarding kibble for your new pup. Do a search for food to check them out.

You can check www.dogfoodadvisor.com www.dogfoodanalysis.com On this forum, Smart_Family is our resident food guru.

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. Do a forum search for raw or raw diet.

Check out Dr. Becker’s videos on youtube.com for a lot of great information regarding the raw diet. Here is Part 1 there are 3 parts to the series. Well worth the time to watch the videos.

[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, help you to bond with the pup and helps the pup establish trust with you. As they become settled, they will naturally follow your routine.

*GETTING THE PUP USED TO THE LEASH

You want to keep the leash on the pup for a few hours each day while in the house so they gets used to it. This will help when you try to walk him outside.

*PROTECT THE PUP FROM DISEASE

Keep the pup in your yard and place newspapers down where they will walk on the ground. Keep the pup away from dog areas unless they have had their 2nd set of shots, leaving the pup prone to infection with Parvo or other illnesses. This is very important!

*HOUSE TRAINING YOUR PUP

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/house-training-your-puppy

*TRAINING YOUR PUP

Start basic commands. Train for about 5 minutes per day and slowly increase the training time. Teach one command at a time. Once they master one command, move onto another command.


Number one command is sit. Teach the pup to sit, by placing a treat in front of his head and move it to the back causing him to sit to get the treat. When the pup sits, tell them good sit and give them the treat.

Second command should be "focus/look" This will help you tremendously when the pup is over 100 lbs. Put the pup into sit. With a treat in your hand (let the pup smell it), put the treat up to your eyes and tell the pup to look or focus. They may only do this for about 1-2 seconds. As soon as they look at your eyes, tell them good look or good focus and give the treat. Generally, mastiffs do not like to look anyone in the eyes for long because that means a challenge to them. Titan is up to 55 seconds of looking me in the eyes.

Other commands are stay, come, leave it and drop it.

When you are training and when the pup does not do as you ask, then tell him no no no and redirect back to command in a normal voice. The only time a stern and somewhat loud NO should be used is when they are doing something that can cause harm to themselves or others.

For example, when I'm doing the look at me training with Titan. He will look at me and then his eyes will move to the left or right. I say, "no no no, look at me" and he returns to the look to my eyes.

When they do what you want them to do, get all giddy and excited and say, "Yes, good look!" I clap, giggle, and sometimes do a little dance. My dog looks at me like, really woman?

Mastiffs can be extremely stubborn and if you get frustrated with them, they will shut down. Mastiffs do not do well with yelling or hitting. Hitting can result in some unwanted mastiff behavior meaning fear aggression, which equals biting.

*EXERCISE

Puppies can exercise with natural movements and free play like running, stretching, playing on soft surfaces (grass and dirt). This type of exercise is actually healthy and good for their developing bodies but they do need to be able to pace themselves.

Structured exercise/play on hard surfaces and where they don't have they ability to pace themselves is where you need to be very careful. This type of exercise could harm the pup’s joints and bones. Puppies should not do any heavy exercise or walking for the first 1-2 years.

Stairs should be maneuvered while on leash (even in the house) especially going down the stairs. Stairs should have carpet or rubber matting to give the pup traction.

Most mastiffs (DDBs especially) can be very lazy but they still need to exercise. Puppies should not be walked for more than 15-20 minutes for the first 1-3months and do your best to avoid heavy running or jumping for the first 1-2 years. Generally, the amount of time to exercise is 10 minutes per each month of age.

Excessive jumping, running and long walks (1-2 hours) can cause hip, elbow, knee and joint injuries.

*PUPPY BITING/NIPPING/AROUND CHILDREN

Do not allow children and pup on the floor together. Pup will see them as playmates and nip at them. Picture the pup playing with their siblings.

Keep the pup on leash while the children are on the floor so you can have control of the pup. Pup and children should not be allowed to play alone.

If you puppy is biting/nipping, then try the following. This behavior can sometimes take a lot of patience and consistency in training.

They bite because that is how they played with their siblings.
When they bite, tell them “OW” in a high-pitched voice and “NO” in a stern, calm voice. NEVER HIT OR YELL AT A MASTIFF. They will shut down on you and ignore you.

When the pup stops biting, tell them to sit and reward. Tell him “good sit.”

Have the children hand fed the pup and help with training, i.e. teach the pup to sit, stay and come. This helps the pup to see them as non-playmates but as people in authority.


*YOUR PUP AND HEAT

Remember, mastiffs do not tolerate heat. In the heat, reduce walk/exercise times. Have clean water available at all times. I freeze towels to either place on Titan or put on the floor for him to lie on in the summer to cool him off. Buy a kiddies’ pool for the pup to play in to keep cool.

*DE-SEXING YOUR PUP

Mastiffs should not be neutered/spayed until 18 months to 2 years. NO MATTER what the vet says. Early neutering can cause growth problems.

Enjoy your baby! Have lots of patience! The pup will reward you with love and loyalty!
 

Awesch007

New Member
Wow musicdeb. Thank you so much for all of the information. Really that was so helpful. But to answer back to a few of your questions, I really hope that you can help me out with them lol, we pick him up saturday and he will be exactly 3 months. And we will definately post pictures! The dad weighs 168 lbs and in gorgeous shape. And the mom is about 125. So he will be a good size corso. In your post talking about the getting him off the kibble to put him on raw. The only thing I ask is, is that ok? I read not to do that because it messes with the dogs stomach and can cause bad digestive problems. But originally that is what I wanted to do is feed him some kibble and raw as well. Just looking for the best way. The next thing I would like to ask is treats? Should I do raw treats or do you recommend anything that I can get online. Here in Germany like I said before we have limited supplies. Mostly pig ears, and large bones. They also have the blue buffalo treats, but I am really just trying to stick to all raw, so do you have any suggestions?? And I promise this is the last question. Supplements. Are they necessary with a raw food diet? And if they are which brand do you recommend? Also joint supplements. This is something that I am really interested in, which company would you recommend for that? Thank you again for all of your help! And we will pictures up this weekend!! Have a great one and looking forward talking with you!
 

musicdeb

Well-Known Member
YW Awesch007!

To answer your questions.

Your pups size will probably be in the middle of his parents. Generally that's how it works. Mastiffs continue to grow until 2-3 years old and slow and steady is best to prevent health issues later in life.

Raw feeding is better for the pup and does not cause digestive problems. Kibble changes can cause digestive problems. I'm sure he is on kibble at the breeder, but you can switch to raw with no transition. Just remember, no organ meats for 2 weeks. Feeding both kibble and raw, confuses the digestive system. Dr Becker talks about that in one her videos.

Supplements are not necessary when feeding raw. Raw chicken feet are a great source of glucosamine. You can also add unrefined organic coconut oil or olive oil to the food. There are a number of opinions regarding other supplements. You'll go crazy researching other supplements. I believe as long as the pup is eating the right foods, i.e. raw or kibble, then he receives all the supplements that he needs to thrive.

Re: treats. I used to bake chicken livers as treats when training Titan. Be careful not to feed to much of this because it will cause diarrhea. You can also boil some chicken or hamburger or turkey for treats. There are a lot of great treats on the market that have no chicken or grain. You can tell which ones are the best because they are made in the U.S., no chicken or grain and you have to refrigerate them.

Yes, you can feed the pup pigs ears but I would hold off on the large bones. Rule of thumb: any bone that supports the weight of the animals should never be given to a pup. No smoked or cooked bones either. Raw bones only! No rawhides, they get lodged in the pup's stomach and can cause a blockage.

You can ask all the questions you need answered. That is what the forum is for...
 

DennasMom

Well-Known Member
We have used dehydrated beef heart for treats (I bought a dehydrator, but 'fridge dried' also works great), and also dried apple and sweet potato slices. Denna loves all fruits and veggies. I'll freeze the stem off broccoli heads and she'll get that as a chew treat later, too.

When I don't have time to make treats, I use freeze-dried 'raw' food... like this stuff: http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Only-Natural-Pet-Green-Beef-Tripe-Nibblets/999350.aspx

I
"m not sure if they ship overseas, or not...

Any chance you could find a rancher that would sell you, say, a 1/4 cow or whole lamb? That way, you might be able to negotiate on the 'parts', and get the heart, kidney, liver, and head, too...

Be sure you start SLOW, and like Deb said, wait a few weeks before starting to give TINY portions of organ meats. Liver and kidney can loosen up the whole system if they get too much... runny poo is not fun. But... it comes with puppy territory, so don't be surprised if you end up with some.

A 3 month old puppy should make the transition from kibble to raw pretty quick. Just end the kibble meals one evening, and the next morning, start with a small portion of raw (like one chicken thigh)... then build from there!

The only supplement I NEED to use for our raw-fed mastiff, is fish oil. If she doesn't get at least 2 capsules (one human-sized dose) of salmon oil, her skin gets itchy. When eating lean meats or poultry, I up the amount to 3 capsules, and now in winter, when it's drier inside, it looks like we need to up it to 4...

I would hope you don't need to ship stuff overseas... you'd have to ship quick (i.e. 2-day) to keep things frozen, and that would get waaaaay expensive.

I'm curious - What PreyModel site did you subscribe to? I'd be interested to see what they have.
 

Awesch007

New Member
Thank you both for the wealth of information. I have great news as well. We just got back from a butcher that is 10 minutes from our house. And it is perfect. Bought pork, venison, turkey, liver and heart. Like you both said I will wait for the liver and heart. She has also put in a order for lamb and rabbit. Being overseas though I am freezing everything just to stay on the safe side. We pick Rocky up in two days and will post pictures! Cannot wait to see how he does on the raw diet. Thank you again for all of your help, and I will make sure to put an update on this forum the first week we get him! Talk to you all soon :)
 

musicdeb

Well-Known Member
That's awesome! FYI: heart is a meat not an organ meat. You can also feed him chicken gizzards. Remember to do 80% meat, 10% bone and 10% organ meat when he's ready for organ meat per meal.

That's one lucky pup!
 

Awesch007

New Member
Hello!

I just wanted to give everyone an update and again thank you all again for the information and help! Rocky so far has been absolutely amazing. House trained and nearly kennel trained. We still cannot believe how "needy" he is though. I mean we like it for the most part and think it is cute but dang! He sleeps in our room and does good for the most part but my wife just has to sleep at the opposite end of bed so he can see her lol. But that is the least thing we could be concerned about. Anybody have any suggestions for this or is that normal?

Also kind of a random question, with pig ears, the butcher by our house makes them and he loves them. So my question is how much can I give him? I am not doing one everyday, but would that be a problem because they are natural for 1 a week or what...

As far as Rocky's raw diet, AMAZING! We started off with one chicken thigh, unrefined cocunut oil, and a tablespoon of veggies. And he loved it! Then today we gave him ground turkey, a soft boiled egg, teaspoon of yogurt. Again loved it! It is amazing seeing him eat like this. So thank you for all your help again! I do not think he is going to have a problem eating anything. But I am for the most part sticking with the preymodelraw suggestions. I just ordered a few products off of onlynaturalpet.com. I like the site, and also like how they ship overseas :) Purchased salmon oil, a few bully sticks, and some freeze dried trip nibblets. I really wanted to stay away from anything packaged but this product seemed good. Anything you guys suggest I should stay away from next time?

With his meals I have cocunut oil, goats milk, yogurt, veggies, and the only thing with this is how much of each and how often. I know that it is all good stuff but I do not want to overdue it. I am going to give him his first turkey neck tomorrow :) And I think that is it for now! I cannot wait to learn all of this stuff so then I can spread the knowledge just like you all are doing for me. Thanks again for your help and looking forward talking to you!

And DeenasMom I just subscribed to the main web page, I actually didnt even know they had seperate pages. But it was just the main page and I clicked subscribe lol sorry that was not much help.

Also hiccups?! He gets them at least once a day! Any ideas for this one? I will be posting pictures soon as I figure out how lol. Have a good day!

Andrew
 

musicdeb

Well-Known Member
It's better to try one meat at time in case there is an issue with a particular meat. Feeding too much variety all at once could cause some digestive issues. Try one meat for about a week or so and then try another. Around 2-3 weeks introduce organ meats. Go slow with organ meats to prevent diarrhea.

Is the yogurt plain?

Too much of any one thing could potentially cause digestive issues.