Mastiffs in Texas

[kfair]

My name is Kathy and we recently had our first litter of English Mastiff pups. I am a little concerned, I read on a puppy chart that at 4 weekas they should be at 15 pounds. My pups are 3 weeks and are around 4 pounds. Is this normal? Or are the pups small for their age? Tobie my male is 20 months and at 195, Maggie is also 20 months and at 155, are they considered small?

If anyone knows the average, let me know.

I have attached a picture of the pups GUARDING their blanket.

 

[Danté Vivi & Bella's Mom]

Hi Kathy. Welcome to the forum. You will likely find a number of people here that will be perfectly welcoming and helpful to you so, I believe that you will enjoy your stay.

I have to be completely candid and say that I find it disappointing that you are asking these questions AFTER your first litter of pups. A good breeder that seeks to improve the breed ensures that the sire and dam are excellent representatives in both conformation to standard and temperament. This is done because breeding should only be about passing those aforementioned qualities on to any puppies produced.

I want to add that you should spend a great deal of time researching the breed and breeding so that you will be prepared to provide proper responses to those interested in your puppies - and be able to screen parties appropriately. As a breeder, you will need to be ready to educate and provide lifetime support. You cannot do that without being educated on the breed yourself.

I don't want to be harsh, but I really find it distasteful to wonder what the standards and averages are after you have a litter. I wish you had come to the forum well before now. I know I'm belaboring the point so, I'll stop now. What is done is already done.

Good luck and best wishes with finding your pups the very best of homes.

 

[Brutes momma]

She is asking a question based on a chart used as a reference, she would like information based on personal expirence. Kathy when I got Brutus, at a young 6 weeks he was only 9 pounds and my vet said he was a healthy weight for a large breed. He is now 6 months and about 108! Hope that helped, I'm no expert!

 

[Sabrina]

Sorry I can't help with your question but that sure is a cute picture!!!!

 

[STEVSH]

I know nothing about weights/puppies. But that is such a cute picture!!

 

[Diesel2011]

All puppies are different however check your litter for Giardia or Roundworms and Hookworms which can be pass from mommas milk.

 

[moose]

Welcome!

 

[dpenning]

Welcome Kathy. Love the first pic. We need more.

 

[Tailcreek]

You can clearly see the ribs on a couple of the pups in your picture. You should not be able to see their ribs at this age. Do you have them on solid foods now? Have they been dewormed? Does mom still have an ample supply of milk? I don't know what growth chart you are looking at, but 15 pounds at 4 weeks is high in my opinion. I would say closer to the 10 pound mark at 4 weeks...20 pounds at 8 weeks.

I must echo the post above - please educate yourself before breeding again. YOU are responsible for these lives. We don't need any more mastiffs in shelters, with poor temperaments etc. The people buying these pups are going to look to you for information and support. Join a mastiff club and or find someone willing to mentor you...please.

Jennifer
www.tailcreekmastiffs.com

 

[TankNDaisysMom]

You can clearly see the ribs on a couple of the pups in your picture. You should not be able to see their ribs at this age. Do you have them on solid foods now? Have they been dewormed? Does mom still have an ample supply of milk? I don't know what growth chart you are looking at, but 15 pounds at 4 weeks is high in my opinion. I would say closer to the 10 pound mark at 4 weeks...20 pounds at 8 weeks.

I must echo the post above - please educate yourself before breeding again. YOU are responsible for these lives. We don't need any more mastiffs in shelters, with poor temperaments etc. The people buying these pups are going to look to you for information and support. Join a mastiff club and or find someone willing to mentor you...please.

Jennifer
www.tailcreekmastiffs.com

Hi Kathy. Welcome to the forum. You will likely find a number of people here that will be perfectly welcoming and helpful to you so, I believe that you will enjoy your stay.

I have to be completely candid and say that I find it disappointing that you are asking these questions AFTER your first litter of pups. A good breeder that seeks to improve the breed ensures that the sire and dam are excellent representatives in both conformation to standard and temperament. This is done because breeding should only be about passing those aforementioned qualities on to any puppies produced.

I want to add that you should spend a great deal of time researching the breed and breeding so that you will be prepared to provide proper responses to those interested in your puppies - and be able to screen parties appropriately. As a breeder, you will need to be ready to educate and provide lifetime support. You cannot do that without being educated on the breed yourself.

I don't want to be harsh, but I really find it distasteful to wonder what the standards and averages are after you have a litter. I wish you had come to the forum well before now. I know I'm belaboring the point so, I'll stop now. What is done is already done.

Good luck and best wishes with finding your pups the very best of homes.

I think both of these posts were worded very nicely. I wouldnt even begin to consider breeding without doing all of my research and have a mentor to help me along the way. A responsible breeder wants to better the breed and a lot of factors go into that.

Good luck with your litter and I hope you understand where we are coming from. I hope that in the future, if you decide to keep breeding you are more prepared, do your research and find a mentor.