The Pet Owner's Guide to the Bullmastiff (Pet Owner's Guides)

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Editorial reviews

Product Description
Pet Owners Guides Help You Learn About Choosing A Puppy Basic Obedience Training Grooming And Coatcare Exercise And Diet And Healthcare For Your New Pet.

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Synopsis
Pet Owner's Guide to the Bullmastiff examines the breed's origins and tells you all you need to know, from selecting a puppy, training, nutrition and health care, through to training and preparation for the show ring.

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From the Inside Flap
The Bullmastiff, the traditional gamekeeper's dog, is highly valued as a loyal companion and guard, and this superbly illustrated guide is an indispensable handbook for the caring owner.

Learn all about:
Choosing a Puppy
Basic Obedience Training
Grooming and Coat Care
Exercise and Diet
Health Care

Author Janet Gunn has been involved with Bull breeds for more than forty years. She now devotes herself purely to Bullmastiffs and has bred many Champions both in the UK and overseas.

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About the Author
Janet Gunn came from a family involved with the Bull Breeds for more than 40 years, initially Staffies, Boxers and Bulldogs. Prior to devoting herself full-time to Bullmastiffs, she owned and showed Great Danes, mainly in the 70s. Under the Flintstock affix, she and her husband, Alex, owned and bred numerous top-winning bullmastiffs in the UK and abroad, the most notable being 1992 Crufts Best of Breed winner Ch. Lepsco Lady Elise of Flintstock (whose sire she owned). This bitch won the Challenge Certificate again at Crufts 1994. Formerly secretary of the Southern Bullmastiff Society, Janet has judged Bullmastiffs both in the UK and abroad.

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Excerpted from The Pet Owner's Guide to the Bullmastiff (Pet Owner's Guides) by Janet Gunn. Copyright © 2000. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bullmastiff is a powerfully built dog of great strength. His temperament is reliable and faithful, though high-spirited and alert. When interested, the broad, deep head wrinkles expressively. These are big dogs, with the males weighting up to 60 kg (132 lbs), with bitches proportionally smaller, weighting aroung 50 kg (110 lbs). Because the breed was evolved as a working guard dog, capable of working rough terrain and holding his own against anything on four legs or two, some of the old working spirit is still there. Even though the Bullmastiff is a guarding breed, he can make a loyal and affectionate family pet, gentle and patient with children.

EARLY HISTORY
Althought the exact origins of the Bullmastiff are open to conjecture, the breed as we know it today was bred for the sole purpose of accompanying and proteting the gamekeeper as he went about his task of apprehending poachers in mid-19th century Britain.

THE GAMEKEEPER'S DOG
Before the name Bullmastiff was established, the gamekeeper's companion was variously called the 'Bull and Mastiff' and the 'Gamekeeper's Night Dog'. The requirement was for a dog of sufficient agility to pursue a man, together with the power to bring him to the ground and hold him there, without savaging. Numerous crosses were introduced over a period of time, including the St Bernard, Great Dane and the Bloodhound, before the combination of the Bulldog and the English Mastiff was established, with the ratio of 40 per cent Bulldog and 60 per cent Mastiff being preferred.
The Bulldog of the Victorian period was a considerably more streamlined specimen than that which has been developed in recent years, and his agility, ferocity and tenacity, coupled with the weight and size of the Mastiff, made him a formidable poachers' opponent.
Some of the early Bullmastiffs were indeed terrors, but needed to be, as the penalty for poaching was death. Therefore any means of violence could be anticipated that might facilitate escape and capture. Hence the importance placed upon a dog with a broad, square skull with a good distance between the eyes, in the event that one eye might be put out by an assailant with a club or iron bar. The recognised colours for the Bullmastiff are fawn, red and brindle, with brindle colouring favoured by gamekeepers in the early days, as being less conspicuous at night. Another requirement was that the dog should accompany his master silently and you will find to this day that the Bullmastiff rarely barks without good reason, which can be a distinct advantage for today's pet owner.

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2004-07-20 rating:
Fantastic Book For Novice To Breeder!!
As a past bullmastiff owner myself I already understood the breed and have bred bullmastiffs, so I understand what makes for a good bullmastiff publication.
This book is a "MUST HAVE" item and includes all the information that you will need as a new owner or as an existing owner/breeder.
I loved the no-frills, shoot-from-the-hip approach and would highly recommend this concise, easy to follow publication for anyone considering the bullmastiff breed.


review by: date: 2001-02-27 rating:
an easy to understand, comprehensive guide for the pet owner
Congratulations to the author. This down to earth, easy to follow guide to the Bullmastiff is just what is needed for the person thinking of buying their first Bullmastiff. I particularly liked the excellent photos of the different colours of the breed. Also the section on puppy rearing and training was very helpful, and the information on health covered a larger variety of topics than I would have thought possible in a book of this size. An excellent read, and a must for anyone contemplating sharing their lives with one of this lovely breed.

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