She's gorgeous! And I must say that I absolutely love her name. Ella was supposed to be named Tonks to go with our HP theme. We tried it for a week, but it just didn't fit her. My boxer boy, Al, is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledog. I also have an Oliver - Oliver Wood. Lol.
Please post lots of pictures as she grows. I'm so happy for you!
That's a great picture! I'm going to give just a small bit of unsolicited advice. Consider taking that collar off when she's crated, or take off those tags for sure. If that's not an option, then get her a breakaway collar (a true breakaway, not just a easy release buckle). She's still small enough that there are ones available in her size on Amazon. I've had tags get caught on the crate and was lucky to get the collar off. I know that she's in your office and you can see her, but the way those tags are hanging worries me.
Good looking pup and good weight for her age. Odi was 22lbs at 11 weeks and has perfect form now at about 3 years. I love that you waited until 10 weeks. Iv'e seen so many leaving their mom and litter at early ages and later on see bad temperament issues. Congratulations.
That's very interesting that she is not affectionate. Almost every BB I know of wants to be close to and touched by the owners. That is except the ones that have temperament issues. I would personally have some concerns and try to work very hard at getting her to be more receptive to you and family members touching petting and cuddling with her. Unless you are going to train for PP and guard work I guess. BBs being aloof to strangers is normal. But they bond fast to family. I hope it is just transitional period for her.
Are you certain that it is a lack of affection or not liking being pet? When my non mastiff was a puppy any sort of attention when he was over stimulated caused an increase in stimulation. He usually needed a nap when his behavior got that bad and many times he was asleep before the crate door even closed.
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These dogs are incredibly smart and want to please so much that it is easy to train them. The problem is after awhile they get bored of the routine. it's like a high IQ kid, you must keep things fresh and entertaining or they get the "I already did/new that" attitude. Some people think it's stubbornness or even stupidity but it is just them being tired of the same old thing. Challenge her with new things as often as you can. Like walking across a 2x6 on short blocks, then once she has that down make it a 2x4 (nail it down so it won't flip). It is very hard for a mastiff to do this because of size and how wide their legs are set but it can be done. Take her swimming early, they have webbed toes for a reason. The more people and other dogs she meets early one will make a huge impact on her temperament so socialize often and introduce her to new places and objects. Some Boerboels can be very skiddish of new things like statues and even garden decorations like gnomes and clay or wood animals. Let her explore them if you find any. I also have mine so that even power tools are interesting to them and I often have to make them go away when I run a circular saw or other sharp tools. They just don't fear them.