Expert: Jennifer Date: 2/7/2004 Subject: Female Mastiff - 2 years old
Question My female mastiff is 2 yrs old. She is tall (about 30 inches at the shoulder), but has a skinny, lanky body. Her chest is deep, but not filled out in width. Her legs are not as thick as our Bordeaux. All of her markings are perfect, but she is not thick boned like the pictures of other mastiffs that I see on the web. Although I wouldn't trade her for the world, I am beginning to wonder if we got ripped off. Any thoughts?
Answer Hi,
Females do tend to be smaller, but in the breed standard they are still supposed to be massive, not skinny or lanky. What did her parents look like? Depending on when you bought her from, what it a reputable breeder or one that advertises in local papers? Not to say that these dogs aren't wonderful, but most of the time they are not top quality. If it was a reputable breeder, you may want to contact them with your concerns. Backyard breeders do tend to try and breed mastiffs because they are more expensive dogs, but they are sacrificing some key characteristics of the breed. If you want you can email me a picture of her and I could tell you if she was quality bred or not. The one thing that sticks out in my head is if she was not bred well enough for the size and mass to be there, what else did they skimp on? It is always very important especially for mastiffs to have certain tests performed before breeding. Mastiffs in general can have a lot of serious problems if they are not bred with care. Let me know if I can be of any further help.
Jennifer
