Guess what my neighbor just BOUGHT!!

[asganga66]

I can't believe it ....... my next door neighbor went to the mall and out of the blue goes into the pet store and buys a dog. Not any petstore dog but a BULLMASTIFF!! I was totally in shock. Who just walks into a mall to go shopping and walks out with a dog without doing any research on the breed or anything. The dog is a 3 month male and is very cute but she has no clue on how to control him on the leash so now I am left wondering if I will ever be able to walk Kiki with that dog living next door. He is going to be around 150 pounds.

This morning I brought Kiki (6 lbs) to the bus stop to drop off my daughter and the Bullmastiff was there - the minute he saw Kiki he started jumping on my legs trying to get at her. I was holding her in my arms and she was shaking.

It took me so long to get Kiki used to walking around the neighborhood getting accustomed to other dogs since she is so timid. Does anyone have any experience with a large breed dog like a mastiff?

Anna
http://www.dogster.com/dogs/511397

[BLowry]

Originally Posted by asganga66

I can't believe it ....... my next door neighbor went to the mall and out of the blue goes into the pet store and buys a dog. Not any petstore dog but a BULLMASTIFF!! I was totally in shock. Who just walks into a mall to go shopping and walks out with a dog without doing any research on the breed or anything. The dog is a 3 month male and is very cute but she has no clue on how to control him on the leash so now I am left wondering if I will ever be able to walk Kiki with that dog living next door. He is going to be around 150 pounds.

This morning I brought Kiki (6 lbs) to the bus stop to drop off my daughter and the Bullmastiff was there - the minute he saw Kiki he started jumping on my legs trying to get at her. I was holding her in my arms and she was shaking.

It took me so long to get Kiki used to walking around the neighborhood getting accustomed to other dogs since she is so timid. Does anyone have any experience with a large breed dog like a mastiff?

Anna
http://www.dogster.com/dogs/511397

Good Morning Anna and Welcome to YT!
I agree with you on buying from petstores..I won't even go into a pet store that sells puppies/kittens. You have alot of people that do NOT research. They just see something the like and buy it...Now, I know that these puppies need loving homes but, by buying from pet stores they are only supporting the mills...You CAN'T make people understand that! This just makes room for more puppymill puppies. I feel, the reason for people buying from pet stores is 1. it's easier to find the puppy you are looking for and
2. they are cheaper than buying from a breeder.
This doesn't make it ok to buy from pet stores but if someone really wants a specific breed and find it in a store they are going to buy it.
A Bullmastiff is bigger than a mastiff...they are 2 different dogs...sort of.
My daughter friend has a bullmastiff, her name is Dora, she is HUGE!!! and so looks like a Dora! She is a very powerful dog weighing 170 lbs!!! There was a tragedy in a town around where I live a few years ago where a little boy was killed by a Bullmastiff, one out in (I think) Calif where a woman was mauled and killed by 2 of them and the owner was right there and couldn't pull them off of her. And another (can't remember where) where a woman was attacked by her own,....don't know if she was killed though. Although any dog can attack and kill these are so big and powerful they can do alot of damage with just a bite. Dora is a very docile dog....she loves people (not to eat!!) and is a big baby however when walking her, if she sees something that she wants to go after you'd better let go of the leash!
As for little KIKI...I wouldn't put her on the ground around this pup....He could kill her just trying to play..

[girltime]

Great Ana you are trying to socialize Kiki to your neighbors new dog. Yorkies and large breeds can coexist, but it will take both you and your neighbor working together to ensure it's success.

We have 2 yorkies which are 4 lbs each and also 2 outdoor Great Pyrenees dogs. From day 1, each day I would take our yorkies outside and introduce them, and at first the yorkies would not leave my arms. As the yorkies needed to be taken out for potty breaks, I would put them on a leash and keep introducing them to my Pyrenees's.

Now my two yorkies roam my yard with my supervision. They both go to my back pasture area to relieve themselves, my Pyrenees give me this look like "oh it's those two long haired squirrels again". My friends are amazed our Pyrenees have no interest in our yorkies. Reason I think, is because they see each other every day, know their scents, and they also know there not a threat.

This is much easier said thand done when you own both of the breeds. The key is for you and your neighbor to make sure your two dogs are very well socialized with each other.

[Deenie]

I thought I'd heard somewhere that BullMastiffs have good personalities, I hope your neighbor learns enough to socialize her dog. Suggest obedience training. I am scared of larger breed dogs, I know my fear comes from not being around them much. If I'm scared of a large dog, I'm sure my Yorkie would be LOL

[domesticated08]

I'd be nervous also!!

[asganga66]

Oh boy ... thanks for the info. I am scared to death of most dogs myself (except Kiki of course) .. so I don't think this is going to be a good situation for us seeing as we live next door and they don't have a fenced yard. I know this dog is very strong already at 3 months old.

What really bothers me more than my neighbor buying from a pet store is knowing that this family doesn't have the time to devote to such a large breed. The wife works nights as a nurse and sleeps during the day, the husband works regular hours, they have 3 children under the age of 7, have elderly grandparents living with them and also have an uncle with lung cancer living with them. It is a bad situation with such a large, powerful dog and the wrong family who I know isn't going to give him the proper training.

I guess I'll be driving Kiki to my sister's neighborhood for walks if this dog is going to be out.

Anna

[asganga66]

Originally Posted by Deenie

I thought I'd heard somewhere that BullMastiffs have good personalities, I hope your neighbor learns enough to socialize her dog. Suggest obedience training. I am scared of larger breed dogs, I know my fear comes from not being around them much. If I'm scared of a large dog, I'm sure my Yorkie would be LOL

I have read that Bullmastiffs are very loving and devoted to their families but they sure do need to be socialized with people and other animals as pups. Well I don't see any socializing happening with Kiki ... because I refuse to go near it. I am SO scared of large dogs.

[Deenie]

Originally Posted by asganga66

I have read that Bullmastiffs are very loving and devoted to their families but they sure do need to be socialized with people and other animals as pups. Well I don't see any socializing happening with Kiki ... because I refuse to go near it. I am SO scared of large dogs.

Give it some time. Since he's a puppy right now, it's a good time to get to know him. A friend of mine started dating a guy who had a large blue doberman named Ruger. She has two little dogs like me. I was sooo afraid of Ruger, but he was so socialized and such a big baby. He would press his nose on the glass door and it would pull his lips up so it looked like he was smiling. He would try to sit in your lap. They had block parties, and all the people in the cul de sac would leave their doors open, pets and kids all over and we'd eat/drink/ be merry and he was the only well behaved dog! Kids would crawl on him, etc.

He later got a female and she was skittish, now SHE made me nervous, but never Ruger.

[asganga66]

Originally Posted by Deenie

Give it some time. Since he's a puppy right now, it's a good time to get to know him. A friend of mine started dating a guy who had a large blue doberman named Ruger. She has two little dogs like me. I was sooo afraid of Ruger, but he was so socialized and such a big baby. He would press his nose on the glass door and it would pull his lips up so it looked like he was smiling. He would try to sit in your lap. They had block parties, and all the people in the cul de sac would leave their doors open, pets and kids all over and we'd eat/drink/ be merry and he was the only well behaved dog! Kids would crawl on him, etc.

He later got a female and she was skittish, now SHE made me nervous, but never Ruger.

How cute .... that would be the ideal situation with this dog if it happened. I will keep my fingers crossed that the family starts with some obedience training and socializing.

[oopsmyhalofello]

Are you at all sociable with these neighbors? I would use this as an opportunity to make sure that your dog and theirs get to know each other. Regardless as to whether or not they end up doing any training if you get the dogs to know each other they will be friends and you won't have to fear that your dog is going to get hurt kwim? If you happen to see the dog out then pick your baby up to avoid any accidents.

[mistyinca]

Originally Posted by asganga66

I can't believe it ....... my next door neighbor went to the mall and out of the blue goes into the pet store and buys a dog. Not any petstore dog but a BULLMASTIFF!! I was totally in shock. Who just walks into a mall to go shopping and walks out with a dog without doing any research on the breed or anything. The dog is a 3 month male and is very cute but she has no clue on how to control him on the leash so now I am left wondering if I will ever be able to walk Kiki with that dog living next door. He is going to be around 150 pounds.

This morning I brought Kiki (6 lbs) to the bus stop to drop off my daughter and the Bullmastiff was there - the minute he saw Kiki he started jumping on my legs trying to get at her. I was holding her in my arms and she was shaking.

It took me so long to get Kiki used to walking around the neighborhood getting accustomed to other dogs since she is so timid. Does anyone have any experience with a large breed dog like a mastiff?

Anna
http://www.dogster.com/dogs/511397

Simply because the dog is a larger breed shouldn't give you concern as far as overly aggressive. Right now, remember he's still a young puppy, and he doesn't even realize his size. What may have seemed like him jumping to try and get her most likely was him just excited jumping that he and his owner haven't worked out with obedience yet. It just looks different to see a big dog doing it vs. a yorkie doing it LOL. I'd keep things very friendly, and seek out your neighbor and get her talking about dogs and training and such, and suggest something like Petsmart training in a friendly way. If you've gone through that, it can come out like a fun and friendly suggestion for a great help in teaching her dog basic obedience. With the proper training, your neighbor can be a good owner , and her dog may turn out to be an oversized lap dog! Stay positive!

[Sookie]

We have a Boxer on one side of us and a Golden on the other side. My Yorkies put their heads thru the fence and both those dogs are great with my Yorkies. The most they do is kiss them. Usually all four of them will run back and forth on their own side of the fence - it's very cute to watch. I wouldn't let my Yorkies play with them one on one though - if the Boxer or the Golden were to accidentally step on one of my girls they could get killed. You have to be very careful of that. The size, however, doesn't seem to be much of a hindrance for any of them if well supervised.

[yorkieusa]

[QUOTE=asganga66;1658891]Oh boy ... thanks for the info. I am scared to death of most dogs myself (except Kiki of course) .. so I don't think this is going to be a good situation for us seeing as we live next door and they don't have a fenced yard. I know this dog is very strong already at 3 months old.

What really bothers me more than my neighbor buying from a pet store is knowing that this family doesn't have the time to devote to such a large breed. The wife works nights as a nurse and sleeps during the day, the husband works regular hours, they have 3 children under the age of 7, have elderly grandparents living with them and also have an uncle with lung cancer living with them. It is a bad situation with such a large, powerful dog and the wrong family who I know isn't going to give him the proper training.

I guess I'll be driving Kiki to my sister's neighborhood for walks if this dog is going to be out.

Anna

No. You should not be taking your yorkie (which is on a leash) to another neighborhood to walk her. Your neighbor needs to contain her dog. If not, there is always animal control to do it for her!

[asganga66]

Thanks everyone for your posts. I am going to see what happens next time we are together with my neighbor and her dog. I am very friendly with this family but I still will not let Kiki down if I don't know how this dog will react. My neighbor is a very petite female so she has to be in control of the dog on the leash if I were ever to leave Kiki down near him.

In talking this morning with her at the bus stop she mentioned that her husband wants to put a heater in their shed so they can keep the dog in there. I don't know much about large dogs but do you think leaving a dog in a shed all day is a good idea? I'm thinking NO but it isn't my place to tell them what to do.

[oopsmyhalofello]

Originally Posted by asganga66

Thanks everyone for your posts. I am going to see what happens next time we are together with my neighbor and her dog. I am very friendly with this family but I still will not let Kiki down if I don't know how this dog will react. My neighbor is a very petite female so she has to be in control of the dog on the leash if I were ever to leave Kiki down near him.

In talking this morning with her at the bus stop she mentioned that her husband wants to put a heater in their shed so they can keep the dog in there. I don't know much about large dogs but do you think leaving a dog in a shed all day is a good idea? I'm thinking NO but it isn't my place to tell them what to do.

Oh I wouldn't trust to have your little one on the ground with any big dog, even if it is on a leash. Even accidently something could happen. You can introduce your dog to theirs without having them romping around on the ground together.

Your neighbors don't have a fenced yard and they plan to keep their dog in a shed, imo thats just mean. However, there are a lot of people who keep their dogs outside year round and as long as they have shelter, food and water it is ok. Whether we feel like it is our not unfortunately