Training Buster?

[julialyle32]

Hi Everyone! I just posted in the introductions as well. My husband and I are getting an English Mastiff tonight for the first time! He is 9 months old, purebred, apricot colored and his name is "Buster." The lady is finding him a new home because she has an adult mastiff as well and 2 of them are too much for her. He has been socialized with cats, other dogs, older kids, and she says he is shy but a giant sweetheart. My only concern is this: he has not had as much training as I would like. Is 9 months too old to start basic training? He's never been crate trained or obedience trained. We would like to have him be able to go into a crate for the in the car, but if he is okay in our home while we're at work we have no issues letting him roam free. With our old dog we went through a breeding/boarding program but we would like to do it ourselves this time using the skills we learned with our old dog. We want him to wait for us to enter doors before entering himself, heel when walking, sit, stay, lay down, wait, find his spot, etc. Is it too late to begin this training? Our old dog had some mental disabilities and was never trained properly (not for lack of trying) and it made him dangerous to us and our younger siblings and nieces and nephews. With a dog this large we want to have no doubt that we are the Alpha and that we are in charge. How do we assert that from day 1 while still being kind and helping him transition and know he is in a loving home? If anyone has any tips/tricks/advice that would be WONDERFUL! Thanks!

 

[Rugers-Kris]

It is never too late to do any kind of training. EM's love to please thier owners and are incredibly intelligent and, as a rule, are easy to train. The difference is that you are training a much bigger and stronger puppy who has to unlearn any bad habits he may have picked up along the way. Training is very important but so is bonding and trusting and when your boy comes home, he will need some time to settle in and realize that this is home and a safe place. I am not suggesting you let him rule the roost but being too pushy while he is trying to figure out where he is and who you are can have the opposite effect. Just take it slow, show him a ton of love, exercize him well and let him bond to you and once bonded you will wonder what took you so long to get a mastiff. Personally, I don't worry too much about the whole "alpha" thing. Ruger is will be 19 months the midle of this month and I have never had any issue with him trying to be "Alpha" with me. I mean, I conrol his entire exsistence, I provide the food, the access to everything and dogs just figure that out, In my opinion. There are quite a few people on here that do all of the "Always walk through the door first, Eat Last. Ask and earn every little thing type training" and seem to be happy with it.

One thing to keep in mind is that you are getting Buster at an age where many EM's are going through "teen years" and they will try to push thier luck a bit and most owners just go back to square one with them as far as obediene goes at that point anyway.

Good Luck and just be patient and rememeber that a Mastiff is a very different dog and does not respond to harshness in corretion and will shut down if you are too hard/mean to them. Take a fin approach and show lots and lots of love and your boy will repay you ten fold in the long run.

I wish you the best. Keep us updated and I would love to see a photo of him.

 

[angelbears]

No, it is not to late to train him. It might take patience to break old bad habits but it can be done. The key is consistency. Do a search here on the forum for "NILIF" training. Seeing as this is an older pup, you may have to give him some time to adjust and bond with you but start the training as soon as you get him.

 

[fila4me]

I too was going to recommend the NILF training. http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm I also agree with taking your time to bond and let him figure out he is now in his forever home. for such big dogs, they are the biggest babies and can shutdown quickly. I love a well behaved dog. you have hit the mecca of Mastiff knowledge on this forum!!

 

[LizB]

I also agree with the above!

I adopted a 9-month-old dane mix and I wanted to get him into obedience classes immediately, but I missed the deadline for the ones in my area and had to wait. I am SO glad I did. He really needed some time to adjust to our family and our life, and our millions of RULES, lol, but the structure and routine was really good for him, compared to what he had before we got him. He has responded beautifully, and now that he's more comfortable (about 6 weeks later) I feel much better about starting formal obedience classes. He has really blossomed in that time and I think we needed the bonding time FIRST.

We always use the NILF method for new additions, and though we are always pretty strict with our dogs the rules relax a bit once they're mature and settled.

I recommend sticking to a very predictable schedule for the first month. This will reassure him and give him confidence so he can overcome the "shyness" that the previous owner reports. Shyness can mean a lot of things, including fear aggression, so keep a close eye on him and learn his cues.

Good luck and thank you for adopting the big fellow!

 

[julialyle32]

Thank you everyone for all the support and great advice! I'm so glad I found this board! I should give some background info on this - normally I am pretty mellow when it comes to dogs. I grew up with farm dogs following us around, outside dogs, and inside dogs that got to know us, we got to know them, and obedience training was never necessary. My old dog Moose tainted that for us. Moose was half chocolate lab and half red heeler and 100% crazy (may he rest in peace.) I loved him to death and we gave him the best life we could, but there truly was something wrong with him - we were told by trainers, vets, and numerous people that he was mentally unstable, something was wrong, and to put him down. I, ofcourse, was not having that so we kept him - but at a danger to ourselves. He would attack us for no reason, or just simply when he just didn't want to do something. We tried training classes, neutering, different diets, medication, everything we could think of. Our home, resources, and relationship were drained from him. He ate glass, metal, cans, screws, sheet rock off the walls. He would knock over lamps just to eat the bulbs out of them. There was no kennel, door, or room that would hold him. Poor Moose finally had a freak accident that he couldn't survive (again, may he rest in peace.) Of course I never wanted anything bad to happen to Moose, but at the same time I would never willingly get another dog with his same special needs. That is why I am hesitant and want to make sure that our new dog is well trained, respectful, and most of all: safe to be around.

 

[angelbears]

I'm sorry that Moose had such problems, it does happen and it is very sad but it is a very small percentage that suffer in that way. Try not to project those feeling on to Buster. This is a new day and a different dog. Relax, enjoy him and the process of getting to know him and training him.

 

[julialyle32]

You're very right - thank you! I think I'm just so excited that I'm hyping myself up! I'll post pictures for you guys as soon as we pick him up tonight.

 

[DennasMom]

I applaud you for all your work with Moose (RIP).

You've got some great advice above on bringing Buster home.
He's still a puppy - no worries on timing for training, he's still very young.

I would set a few ground rules from day one - and be VERY consistent. If you always want him to sit and wait at the door, so you can go out first, do that from day one. I would use a lot of treats (as rewards, not bribes) and also lots of calm, happy praise and pets (assuming he likes human contact... he might shy away from contact until he bonds a little more with you, I would respect that so he doesn't get anxious about the potential contact).

One of the most important lessons I've learned with "difficult" dogs (i.e., smart, independent breeds), is that you must Out-Stubborn the dog. You must wait out his tantrums and not give an inch until he does as you asked. I have occasionally adjusted what I asked for... but I make sure I still win!! There is no yelling, no pulling, no punishments for Out-Stubborning... just waiting and not giving in, and not letting the dog "out" of the request, either - i.e. no walking away.

Just remain calm and in control - Buster will quickly learn to respect you when you are consistent, fair, and forgiving.

That's just my two cents... of course when you bring him home, he could fall right into your laps and just roll over and be yours from the first instant... in which case, a lot of all this posturing goes right out the window - as he's won you over to his side!

Good luck, and enjoy the new puppy!!

 

[julialyle32]

Hi Everyone! I said I would update so here goes! We pulled into the dog park to meet Buster and his mom last night and it was love at first sight! ...Well for us anyways. Buster is terrified. Of us, our house, our truck, our cat, the wind, the fan, people moving, people breathing.. you get the picture. Poor guy - I hope he adjusts quickly! He cowers and hides under the table if we get near him. I'm a little concerned that this isn't normal but then again he is a 1 year old dog who just got taken from the only home he's known since he was 10 weeks old and his family and put in with strangers in a new place. I've just never seen such a skittish dog! The only background I have on him is this: he isn't registered but can be registered with the APRI (American Pet Registry, Inc). He was born on September 14th, 2012 so he is just shy of 1 years old. His papers are listed as Apricot and she says he's apricot but to me he looks more fawn. He was born from a not so reliable breeder. The lady we got him from said when she went to pick him up the mom and babies were all inside a chicken coop and the mom and pups all scattered as soon as she walked in. She said she literally had to catch him and scoop him up. She adopted him at 10 weeks and she says while he is shy and somewhat of a giant chicken he's a normal happy puppy. He's a little thin (hips are bony - can feel his backbone), but seems healthy and has all his vet records. Here's a picture of our new (gigantic) baby .

 

[julialyle32]

Hi Guys!

Just thought I'd update and show off my Bussy (my husband hates that nickname but it's pretty much all I call him lol =P.) He has quickly become the center of our household and I have bonded with him probably more than any other dog I've ever had. He is completely my best friend! He is still shy around strangers but we're working on it. Any tips on that would be much appreciated. He is starting to play with, kiss, and go near people who are familiar (my parents, close friends who come over a lot, etc) and is 100% a normal healthy dog!

My husband thinks he's big for his age (1 year 3 months) but I think he's a bit small myself. He's tall and very muscular, but lean. He's young though and runs and plays a lot so I think he just burns it all off lol! We haven't made much headway with training - he doesn't sit, stay, shake, or really do anything on command truthfully. He's just well behaved on his own though and happy and that's good enough for us for now!

Here are some pictures!

 

[musicdeb]

Bussy looks good in the pics. How much does he weigh? How tall is he? Slow and steady growth is key for a healthy mastiff, as they continue to grow until 2-3 years of age.

Socialization is key for a dog to accept strangers but be aware that most mastiffs are very leery of strangers. They are a guardian breed so they will always be leery until you give them the ok. If the dog has not been socialized, then it is a long, hard road to get them to accept strangers.

Titan was not socialized or trained when I got him. He does not like men or male dogs. It takes a few minutes to warm up to females. We're still on our long, hard road.

Sometimes, you just have to accept that your dog will not be very social and take the necessary precautions.

 

[season]

Looks good. Great pics (except for the Bear's jersey I was wondering how come in 5 months time you haven't made any training headway? That's an awful long time. I'm just being upfront and honest (you can take it or leave it) but it seems to me you have not put forth the effort in getting basic commands down. It's not difficult to do (if you do it) but it could potentially save you headaches in the future. Having a dog sit on command and wait for you to do whatever it is you're going to do (feed, walk, drink, in and out of doors etc) are all ways to establish leadership. And remember this and I'm sure most will agree who have owned multiple dogs. There is no such thing as a 100% "normal" dog. Good luck with your training.