"Dogs were used and worked in the true sense of the word and any weakness appeared very quickly as a result of the rigorous life expected of dogs in those days. The breeders of this time had a natural instinct for their stock and new a good dog by feel and observation. They did not need a pedigree to tell them which was a good specimen; they knew every dog and it's offspring for miles around.." The Bullmastiff Manual Bill Walkey
General Health
The question is, what has changed in the past 200 years that mastiffs are now considered a short-lived breed? Farmers who still use the mastiff breed known as OWE, treat or care for them much the same way it was done 200 years ago. This is what preservation is all about. In our modern world, we tend to over medicate, feed expensive feed and generally pamper, using various soaps, dips and creams. We become alarmed at minor skin irritations, such as localized demodex, various cuts, scraps and abrasions for which rustic working dogs have always had. These are not show dogs, they are rustic working farm dogs where maintenance and training have long been kept at a bare minimum due to the long working hours of the farmer.
This rustic life has always culled out the weaker dogs, leaving only the strongest to perpetuate the breed. It is not unusual to hear of these OWE living beyond 20 years, with females often having pups into their teens. This is not a method our members practice, though it was and still is a common practice of rural southern farmers.
Whelping is a natural process that has taken place long before man's intervention. Rural southern farmers utilizing the OWE, have long left this process to the female unassisted and in a completely natural state. This is simply natural selection at work, where only the strong survive to further perpetuate the line. Following the process of natural selection, loss of pups is a natural culling process. This is a process that has worked with superior results since time began and a process that has been allowed to take place within the OWE since their beginning. Part of our preservation efforts include preserving traditional methods and practices. All puppies of any breed will have worms. The OWE are no exception. Careful monitoring throughout the first year of life is recommended.
The OWE and specifically the CWE are very slow to reach physical maturity, on average for the CWE 4-5 years. The head will get longer as the dog reaches maturity, giving it the characteristic CWE 'cinderblock' shape. During puberty, the first sign of yellow ticking will appear along the neck, shoulders, back and or hips and thighs. This ticking will increase with maturity as well, up until about 5 years of age. This is a fact I've known all my life; the CWE are very slow to reach physical maturity. While recently reading through a book on the English Bulldog, I found this statement by the author as told of the old baiting bulldog, 'Their ligaments were not considered at full strength and hardness until they were two years old, and the most experienced breeders declared that the bulldog did not reach his prime until he was five years of age.' The New Bulldog by Bailey C. Hanes
The question is, what has changed in the past 200 years that mastiffs are now considered a short-lived breed? Farmers who still use the mastiff breed known as OWE, treat or care for them much the same way it was done 200 years ago. This is what preservation is all about. In our modern world, we tend to over medicate, feed expensive feed and generally pamper, using various soaps, dips and creams. We become alarmed at minor skin irritations, such as localized demodex, various cuts, scraps and abrasions for which rustic working dogs have always had. These are not show dogs, they are rustic working farm dogs where maintenance and training have long been kept at a bare minimum due to the long working hours of the farmer.
This rustic life has always culled out the weaker dogs, leaving only the strongest to perpetuate the breed. It is not unusual to hear of these OWE living beyond 20 years, with females often having pups into their teens. This is not a method our members practice, though it was and still is a common practice of rural southern farmers.
Whelping is a natural process that has taken place long before man's intervention. Rural southern farmers utilizing the OWE, have long left this process to the female unassisted and in a completely natural state. This is simply natural selection at work, where only the strong survive to further perpetuate the line. Following the process of natural selection, loss of pups is a natural culling process. This is a process that has worked with superior results since time began and a process that has been allowed to take place within the OWE since their beginning. Part of our preservation efforts include preserving traditional methods and practices. All puppies of any breed will have worms. The OWE are no exception. Careful monitoring throughout the first year of life is recommended.
The OWE and specifically the CWE are very slow to reach physical maturity, on average for the CWE 4-5 years. The head will get longer as the dog reaches maturity, giving it the characteristic CWE 'cinderblock' shape. During puberty, the first sign of yellow ticking will appear along the neck, shoulders, back and or hips and thighs. This ticking will increase with maturity as well, up until about 5 years of age. This is a fact I've known all my life; the CWE are very slow to reach physical maturity. While recently reading through a book on the English Bulldog, I found this statement by the author as told of the old baiting bulldog, 'Their ligaments were not considered at full strength and hardness until they were two years old, and the most experienced breeders declared that the bulldog did not reach his prime until he was five years of age.' The New Bulldog by Bailey C. Hanes
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