Hello joining the forum to get help with some ? before becoming a bullmastiff owner.

[crashmydaytona]

Hi everyone my wife and i have been looking for a dog for a while now and we think the bullmastiff is going to be the dog breed for us. Things we are looking for in a dog #1 lovable and completely safe with children ages 8months 2 yrs and 5yrs old (we understand that the size of a bullmastiff can be dangerous and would never be left alone with younger children) #2 a guardian of home and family #3 not overly active and hyper #4 will do well indoors. Of all the breeds we have researched the BM seems to fit what we want best.

The one question i am having a hard time getting a solid answer from multiple breeders is how much a BM will eat in lbs, cups, or quarts. Are there any owners of BM that can tell me how much this breed will eat as a puppy and an adult? I want to make sure i can afford to feed a new member of my family well. I appreciate any help thanks.

 

[Smart_Family]

Re: Hello joining the forum to get help with some ? before becoming a bullmastiff own

Welcome! As far as how much food, it depends on the food. In general the better quality food requires less. You can expect to pay around $50 give or take for a big bag of good food.

 

[crashmydaytona]

Re: Hello joining the forum to get help with some ? before becoming a bullmastiff own

Could you be more specific. Let's say a good quality food at $50 for a 40 lb bag. Would I be feeding him 4 cups day or 4 quarts a day? Would the 40 lb bag last a week or a month? Just trying to get an idea of how much would need to be budgeted a month for feeding a bullmastiff. Thanks again

 

[Smart_Family]

Re: Hello joining the forum to get help with some ? before becoming a bullmastiff own

It depends on the food. I feed Earthborn Holistics great plains feast and feed two dogs (a 7 month old mastiff and a year old shepherd). We usually buy one big bag and one medium size bag a month so it's about $80. It would definitely be closer to a month for one dog and most foods the big bag is 28-30lbs.

 

[AKBull]

Re: Hello joining the forum to get help with some ? before becoming a bullmastiff own

Welcome to the board, Crash!
I've fed my dog Eagle Pack Large and Giant Breed Adult since I've had him. In the beginning he was fed 1.5 cups three times daily, and has gone up to 2 cups three times daily. The average cost for a 30Lb bag is around 42 dollars in Alaska (which is higher than national prices). While the food might not seem top echelon to some members, it seems to suit us fine. It's not bottom of the barrel either.

Something you said that sits a little funny is your concern about being able to afford the food. While it's something someone should consider, there are other things that you should consider as well, like vet costs for a giant breed. Those can hammer you out of no where. My boy swallowed a corn cob when he was around 4 months old. He was prepped for surgery (that he luckily didn't need) and just x-rays and vet visits cost over 800 bucks. I think surgery would have cost an additional 1600, I have the quote somewhere. The prices for vet care are at least twice as expensive as a smaller breed.
Please don't get me wrong, the Bull is an excellent choice in dogs, especially with what you're looking for in a dog, just be aware of the other things that might crop up. Other things to think about are the hereditary issues that crop up in a lot of the giant breeds. Cancer, bloat, epilepsy, entropian eyelids, allergies, hips... Finding a reputable breeder that tests their breeding stock for some things can help alleviate the risks, but almost next to nothing is 100%.

Best of luck to you!

 

[crashmydaytona]

Re: Hello joining the forum to get help with some ? before becoming a bullmastiff own

Thanks for the quick replies I appreciate them. Money is really not an issue but there is a limit to how much I am willing to spend for dog food. A local vet told me a bullmastiff can eat as much as four quarts a day that's 16 cups a day. This could add up to hundreds of dollars a month and I would not be willing to pay that amount. Seems he is way off base with this estimate. Different breeders are saying 3-4 cups daily and this seems more likely. Since the two responses were so far off I wanted to check with actual owners of bullmastiffs. Thanks for helping if there is anything you think I should know before getting a bullmastiff please let me know.

 

[AKBull]

Re: Hello joining the forum to get help with some ? before becoming a bullmastiff own

16 cups would make for a FAT anything. Time to find a new vet.
There are plenty of things to know before getting into a new pup. Digging into this board is a great place to start. You can just about apply anything mastiff related to a Bullmastiff. Little things that might differ could be temperment, but that usually applies to the Fila breed. They are all generally Guardian prone, love their families, not too overly energetic, HUGE, love bugs. If you like them big and dribly, you're in the right place.

 

[chuckorlando]

Re: Hello joining the forum to get help with some ? before becoming a bullmastiff own

Deff depends on the brand food. TOTW was 6cups a day. 3 morning and 3 night. Where as Blue Bufflo is 3 cups a day though I feed 4 as she has started to slim out after switchig. I've had maybe 6 or 7 giant breeds and never seen one eat even close to 16c a day.

I'm fairly certain your vet confused the words mastiff and the word cow. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

[Bentley]

Re: Hello joining the forum to get help with some ? before becoming a bullmastiff own

I know it depends on the food but I wouldn't expect a st.bernard to eat 16 cups a day!

 

[Sabrina]

Re: Hello joining the forum to get help with some ? before becoming a bullmastiff own

I feed my 150 pound 4 year old cane corso 5 cups a day of EVO (2 1/2 cups twice a day)

 

[Tiger12490]

Back in the days of old the only people that owned mastiffs were the rich and butchers......they eat allot

Tapd on my Skyrocket

 

[crashmydaytona]

Re: Hello joining the forum to get help with some ? before becoming a bullmastiff own

Once again thanks for all the responses. I have decided that a security system would cost $125 a month and you can't love and play with a security system. I much rather add a good companion to the family. I know my kids will love a dog and my wife will feel much safer on the rare occasions I am out of town. I have read several hours of info on this breed and am sure it will fit us perfectly .

 

[Oak Hill Farm]

Re: Hello joining the forum to get help with some ? before becoming a bullmastiff own

Welcome to the board!

 

[Tiger12490]

do it i'm sure you're happy would be extremely happy welcome!!!

Tapd on my Skyrocket

 

[musicdeb]

Re: Hello joining the forum to get help with some ? before becoming a bullmastiff own

welcome aboard~

 

[crashmydaytona]

Re: Hello joining the forum to get help with some ? before becoming a bullmastiff own

I left about 10:30 pm to go and pick out a puppy. Me and my dad showed up at the breeders about 5:30 am (6:30 her time) and it took at least 2 hours to pick out a puppy. She had 2 large litters 9 fawns and 11 reds. This was not an easy choice. He did great on the six hour ride home he whined when he needed to pee and never got car sick. Last night was a little rough I had to take him out 3 time before 1:00 am and after that he started to whine and make howling noises in his crate. I let him out and played with him in hopes of making him tired so he would sleep more but since i never slept the night before driving to get him i fell asleep. I woke up to nice little pile and a wet spot on the carpet. Today he has peed twice in the house i caught him both times and was able to tell him no and rush him outside then i stayed out with him until he peed again so i could praise him. Is this the correct way to potty train a puppy? I am wondering what i should do at night when he starts to whine? His crate is right next to the bed should i move him to the living room and allow him to whine until he figures out that no one will come? I have never crate trained a dog and not sure what the best approach is. He is only six weeks old and i am sure he is missing his mom and 10 bros, sisters. Any advice on potty and crate training my bullmastiff pup would be great thanks. will try to add some pics.

 

[Smokeycat]

Unless you think that he needs to go outside as tough as it is let him whine. I got my first dog at 6 weeks and the first month I don't think I managed to sleep thru the night. One trick that I used when he wouldn't stop whining was to make sure that he could see me either by hanging an arm or leg off the bed or a couple of times I did go and lay on the floor near his crate, facing away so that he didn't receive the attention that he was after.
Congratulations and remember as tough as this stage may seem it is worth it in the end.

 

[aphayes96]

Re: Hello joining the forum to get help with some ? before becoming a bullmastiff own

... Wow! 6 weeks is young! I would take him out when he whines to ensure that he's getting it down that he's supposed to go outside and not in his crate. We took Grady out several times a night for the first few weeks. Tiring but worth it and his tiny bladder really can't hold it for long so you don't want him to start peeing in his crate. He will learn with time to hold it longer as he gets older. As far as crate... we have always had the crates in our bedroom. He'll stop whining once he's more settled most likely. It took Grady about a week to be "Settled in" after we got him at 8 weeks. My rule of thumb for a young pup is that I physically carry him from his crate to outside so there's no chance of him stopping to pee on the way. Set him outside and as soon as he goes... praise!!! At night we try and be as quiet as possible with only a quiet "good boy" so we don't get him too excited... and don't interact in the middle of the night. Morning, same thing... carry him outside and let him pee and then praise, praise! Once he isn't having to go out as much and is holding it longer, I quit carrying him out and walk him. Grady is 9 months now and doing well. He loves his crate and never had any accidents in there. Took him about 4 weeks to sleep through the night without needing to pee and he was accident free in the house at about 4 months. Just our experience. Hope this helps a little. Good luck! Puppies are so wonderful.

 

[angelbears]

Re: Hello joining the forum to get help with some ? before becoming a bullmastiff own

6 weeks is very young and may take a little longer for him to settle in. Patient is going to be key. You are going to have to teach him a lot of the things that he would have learned by staying with his mom and litter mates.

 

[crashmydaytona]

Re: Hello joining the forum to get help with some ? before becoming a bullmastiff own

The best thing about him waking up in the middle of the night is he wakes up my 8 month old baby its a regular party. LOL. I will just plan on not getting much sleep for a while but its ok as i have three kids five and under so i have not slept much in years. My wife is a stay at home mom but still has things to do during the day. She could be gone as much as 2-3 hours. Should she just take him out right before she leaves and then leave him in his crate? I don't see any other options.