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To
New Owner,
When purchasing a puppy from Kampbell Kennels, you are receiving
a puppy that has been family raised and treated with much love.
We strive to provide as much socialization as possible before
the pups leave our home and we encourage all new owners to continue
with frequent socialization opportunities. Below is a check
list of things that will be provided to you when you take home
your new pup
1. AKC Registration Application
2 Signed Contract
3. Puppy Instruction Handout
4. Small picture scrap book
5. 3 Days supply of Puppy Food
6. Immunization Record and vet record. No pups will
leave until they have their initial shots
7. One Year Health Guarantee
We hope you enjoy your new bullmastiffs for many years to come
and we like to hear from you. Please e-mail us frequently with
updated photos to add to our website.. Our
services do not end when you leave with your new pup, we
are always available to answer any questions you may have once
you get your pup home. Dog Obedience training will
be available for additional fee and remember if you ever need
to get away, you can always bring your dog back to our home for
boarding. (we would love the visit).
Good luck with your wonderful breed!!!
Dennis and Susan Campbell
423-605-3171 or 423-508-2828
kampbellkennels@yahoo.com |
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RAISING
YOUR BULLMASTIFF PUPPY - A FEW SIMPLE GUIDELINES
Your
puppy will need lots of gentle attention when you first introduce
it to its new surroundings as it will be in a completely new
environment to what it is used to and will be missing its mother
and siblings.
If you have another dog, ensure your puppy is protected from
any rough play as this can frighten your puppy as well as put
it in danger of injury. It is important that you are able
to secure your puppy away from other dogs when not being supervised
as adult dog especially, if they are large and/or heavier than
your puppy, can cause irreparable damage to young and growing
bones and joints if they fall or jump on them.
Your puppy should have an area that is 'theirs'. Whether
this be a small run, a laundry or a crate, this area should be
a safe zone for your puppy to be able to retreat when necessary
and to place them away if necessary.
If you have young children, make sure they are supervised and
gentle with your new puppy. Please discourage young children
from picking up your puppy. A Bullmastiff is quite heavy,
even at eight weeks of age, and dropping a puppy again can cause
irreparable damage to growing joints and bones.
Young puppies cannot maintain body temperature as well as adult
dogs. Your puppy will require a clean, warm, draught-free
place to sleep. A pup should be housed in a placed that allows
for frequent interaction with the human members of the household.
You will need a heavy container for water, as large puppies have
a habit of knocking over their water containers. Make sure
it is not too tall and skinny (such as the galvanized cleaning
buckets often used for older dogs) tat may allow a puppy to get
caught upside down and drown.
Please ensure that your pup always has access to clean water
at all times that is changed daily.
"Hip Dysplasia is not entirely an hereditary disease and
environmental factors such as feeding, exercise and, even, the
position the young dog is made to sit in, may be responsible
for 60% of the occurrence of the hip dysplasia changes seen on
X-Ray. The disease has only a moderate hereditability of
30 to 45%".
To help reduce the risk of hip dysplasia, I strongly suggest
that you adhere to the following guidelines:-
NEVER allow your puppy to jump in or out of the car, dog trailer,
lounge, bed, or any place higher than it's trampoline bed. (At
least until the puppy is 18 months of age).
NEVER allow your puppy to jump off the back of a Ute, from the
back of a 4WD or any other high obstacle AT ANY AGE..EVER.
NEVER over feed your puppy. Bullmastiffs ADORE food, but
a large heavy boned pup that is also over weight puts a lot of
unnecessary stress on joints, bones and ligaments that could
lead t disaster.
NEVER over-dose on calcium and vitamins. Good quality commercial
foods provide a balanced diet and don't require any additional
supplements. If you feel you dog requires any additional
additives to their diet, please contact us for advice FIRST.
TRY to feed your dogs' whole days dinner in two or three smaller
portions. Better to feed smaller amounts more often than
in one large sitting. Puppies MUST be fed at least twice
a day.
NEVER over exercise your puppy. Let your puppy exercise
itself. For at least the first 12 months of its life.
Make sure your puppy has some enforced resting times.
NEVER allow bigger or older dogs to jump on your puppy or rough
play with them. Supervise at all times and keep the older
dog on a restraint.
NEVER allow young children to pick up your puppy.
ALWAYS pick your pup up with one hand under its chest and the
other supporting its bottom. Never allow you pup to jump
out of your hands.
STAIRS are a concern for your puppy. Please ensure you
have barricaded any stairs that you have so that your puppy does
not become at risk from falling down them.
Please consult your breeder or Vet with any concerns you have
regarding your puppy and it's care. They should be willing
and grateful that you are taking the correct measures to ensure
that you have a happy healthy Bullmastiff.
By Nikki Marshall
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GROWTH
CHANGES
The day
has finally arrived when you can bring home that cute bundle
of eight week old puppy. A nice square head, broad muzzle
and underjaw, good stop, dark mask, slight wrinkle, well arched
feet, tail reaching to the hocks, a good bite, bluish/grey eyes
and those lovely correct ears, are all the qualities of a good
Bullmastiff puppy.
Red
and fawn puppies may have darker markings on their chest and
down their back and tail. This will fade as the puppy gets
older.
You may see amongst the litter other traits such as white markings,
crank or short tails, long or narrow snipey muzzles or dome shaped
heads. The only white that is permisible is a small white
mark on the chest. These features don't stop the Bullmastiff
from being a good guard dog or family pet, they are just unsuitable
for breeding or showing. If the bite is under at 8 weeks,
the chances are that it will finish up fairly undershot.
The standard requires that the mouth be, when fully mature, level
to slightly undershot
Suddenly within the next few weeks everything starts to change
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Teeth & ears: at about 10 weeks of age teething commences
and the ears that were sitting perfectly are now flying away
from the head or folding back. Massaging the ears forward,
giving the puppy large (uncut) marrowbones to chew on, or taping
the ears in the correct position all help. This changing
process can last until the puppy is approximately nine months.
Maintaining the ears folding over helps to give the head the
square appearance.
Eyes: from this early age (8 - 10 weeks) the eyes also commence
to change from the bluish/grey to finish up dark brown or hazel.
Feet: this is a common problem with young puppies - down on pastern
and splayfeet. Too much bounding around, overweight, jumping
up and down stairs or in and out of the car, spending too much
time on shiny surfaces (i.e. linoleum or smooth concrete), can
all attribute to this. Correction can be aided by cutting
back on food intake, calcium increased, raising off the ground
of food and water bowls and by placing small rough stones (screenings)
in kennel runs. Regular trimming of the nails may be necessary
during the early months.
Head & body: while all these changes are happening, the head
and body are also changing. Suddenly you have a leggy,
pin headed, ugly duckling on your hands; don't despair.
When you see other Bullmastiffs around the same age as your one
or its litter mates, don't compare. All Bullmastiffs are
individuals and grow and change at different stages. If
you don't like your puppy at 8 - 9 months, remember what it was
like at 8 weeks and "hang in there" until it is 14
- 16 months. Maturity cannot be rushed along by trying
to change your leggy youngster into a solid dog by fattening
them up to fill them out, this will only damage the bones.
Some Bullmastiffs can be mature by 14 months whilst others not
until 2 1/2 - 3 years of age. Give the dog time and all
body parts will equal out and you will end up with a very nice,
square headed, compact bodied Bullmastiff.
Even if your Bullmastiff is not for the show ring, remember your
little puppy will grow very fast and if training is not done,
before you know it you will have a large dog that does what it
wants. Training can begin once your puppy has settled in.
The most effective form of training is in small time frames,
2 - 5 minutes at a time, once or twice a day. Whilst still
a youngster don't take your puppy for any walks longer than 10
- 15 minutes. Once inoculations have been completed,
socialize your puppy, not necessarily in the showing environment,
just down to the local shops or market before the crowds arrive.
The first few months makes all the difference. Be
sure to have a kennel that your puppy can be confined in if need
be.
By Barbara Wright
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