Neo mastiff help

[ruthcatrin]

Ask about health testing. For Neo's the basic requirements aren't much (and IMO should include a longer required list), and are fairly simple. Both parents should have had a CERF eye exam, a thyroid test run, and an OFA heart exam. My personal preference would be to ALSO have hips done via either Pennhip or OFA, and elbows via OFA, however it appears that the breed club doesn't require that. OFA results can be checked here: http://www.offa.org/ at no charge to you.

WHY did they pick these two dogs to breed together? The answer should be more than "they make pretty puppies". The goal of a good breeder should be the betterment of the breed, there should be specific reasons why THIS male was picked to mate to THIS female, conformation, temperment, working ability, etc. And be very very wary of repeat litters using the same sire and dam as a previous litter, there should be a REALLY good reason for a repeat (and I'm hard-pressed to come up with one off the top of my head, but ask, the variations are always interesting).

Conformation titles are frankly over-rated, but I want to see that at least one of the parents has done SOMETHING to make his or her genes worth passing on. If not a conformation title, then a working title, or proof of working ability. Under the right circumstances I'd accept a proven therapy dog. But give me something besides "he's handsome and my baby and I think he's gorgeous!!!".

Ask about puppy contracts, what is expected of you ask a puppy buyer, and what is expected of the breeder after you take the puppy home. What everyone wants to see out of a contract varies, but if you're paying good money for this puppy you should at bare minimum expect the breeder to be willing to support you and help you with any problems you may have with the pup down the road.

Explain to the breeder exactly what you want out of this dog. A good breeder should be able to tell you if thats a realistic expectation of a pup from this litter or not.

 

[masteneo]

hmmmmm. a coach potato. thats a tough one in my own opinion, to predict. my female is a tidbit agressive and very active. yet her parents were completly the oppisite. i think to some extent my females agression comes from me more than her breeding. i tend to be a more cautious slightly paranoid kinda fella. my dog keys off on it. so dang this could be more complex of an issue than breed or breeding.this is probably the reason for so many posts. i have A.D.D. so i didnt read half the post as usual.

 

[HeatherC]

We have a 2 1/2 year old female Neo. She's a sweetheart. She will follow us around non-stop. Leans on us a little when we let her. She is great with people we invite over. Loves them, licks them, leans on them, you name it. If you're not invited over then you better wait until we accept you to come in. The one thing she doesn't like is when we get rowdy, like playing football or sleigh riding; she will go after you so we have to put her in the house or on a chain. The only person she doesn't like is the cable guy, hmmm.... wonder why....

 

[tojvan]

I don't think you should get a neo, the things you want is clearly not what a neo is, basically you want a neo with a temperament of an EM, which is not happening. See this is what I hate people like the look of a dog but don't want the temperament, so they start changing the temperament. Neo was created with a clear purpose as an estate guard and a natural guardian, which they excel at. There are plenty of outgoing friendly breeds. You should give them a chance it would be better for you in the long run. A lot of the Neo's are very prey driven, which is another drawback in your case. There is a user with two Neo females on the this forum, she had a farm and is working diligently to train her females not to attack other animals; I can't remember her username but please talk to her she can definitely tell you all about the temperament.
I hope other users agree with me on this, because the energies of the dog and the owner has to match, specific breeds are good for specific type of people, of there happens to be a mismatch then it's just a disaster waiting to happen. There are plenty of dog whisperer episodes where this has happened.

 

[stellafrances]

We have a pair of neos. We looked at the breed for a solid 10 years before we bought our male. He is a GIANT moosh. He is super laid back and a really lazy guy for the most part. He is an excellent guardian. He has "bursts" of energy. Loves long walks, fetching ball and trying (emphasis on trying) to herd cattle. He is very very good at judging who is a "good egg" and who isn't.

our female is the dead opposite. She is very very energetic. She is quick to bark and growl at people coming by the house or car. She is never more than ten feet away from me.

both dogs are well socialized and well trained. But they are very very different personalities. We have had to work with our female to over come some of her quirks that I fully believe came from the breeder. She was 4 months old when we bought her and was well imprinted with several fears.

Idon't know if my neos are the norm or not. I believe that there are certain traits they both possess that are breed specific but then there are other traits that are individual and definitely related to their breeders. (we got our male at 4 months as well)

do lots and lots of research. Temperament is hereditary. Some people breed for a more aggressive dog than others. Ask to see the dogs and referrals. A breeder who is dedicated to the breed will be honest about their lines and know their dogs well enough to advise you further.