What makes a better pet, a male or female bullmastiff? Either animal makes a wonderful family pet as long it is spayed or neutered by the age of 6 months.

Is the bullmastiff good with other animals? The Bullmastiff is good with dogs, cats, or any other animals as long as it has been exposed to them as a young puppy.

Is the bullmastiff good with children? The bullmastiff is excellent with children as long as he is adequitely socialized with small children as a young puppy.

What are some of the Bullmastiff's most common health problems? Some of the most common health problems are 1) Hip Dysplasia, an abnormal looseness or malformation of the hip joints. To prevent this debilitating disease, you must first find a reputable breeder who will breed stock that has been OFA tested by their veterinarian. If both the mother and father of the puppy have passed their OFA test with a 'good' or better, then the puppy has a very small chance of developing the disease. However the owner must make sure to avoid too strenuous excercise for young pups, and to avoid high jumping and heavy pulling. This can cause a lot of stress on the puppy's hips, making him more prone to the disease. 2) Entropian is another common disease. It occurs when the dogs lower eyelid turns inward, and the lashes rub against the eyeball causing painful irritation and excessive discharge from the eye. To prevent this disease, make sure the breeding stock has been CERF tested for all eye disorders. 3) Bloat is a painful and deadly disease where there is rapid expansion of the dog's stomach. This causes and inhability to pass gas or stool, resulting in twisting of the intestines. To prevent this disease, the owner must make sure that he/she does not feed the dog immediatly after excessive excercise. Two moderate, spaced meals, preferably one in the morning and one in the evening will ensure that the dog's previous meal has been fully digested. If you suspect bloat, bring your dog to the vet immediately, for it can cause sudden death.

What is the color 'brindle'? Brindle is a bullmastiff with a base coat of black. Over the basecoat are many tiger stripes usually fawn or reddish in color. Brindle was actually the prefered color in early breeding since it was a natural camoulflage. Today, both fawn and brindle are common colors and it is the owner's matter of choice to which color he/she likes best. For more information on the brindle color, read this article on brindle gene inheritance in puppies.

What is the bullmastiff's life span? A bullmastiff usually lives about 8-10 years. We have had one Bullmastiff live a healthy life to the age of 12, and we have one who will be 12 in January of 2001, so if they are healthy, and well cared for, they can live a fairly long life.

Do bullmastiffs make good house pets? Bullmastiffs make excellent additions to the family if trained properly.

Do you reccomend crate training? Yes, crate training is essential with bullmastiffs since they are such a large dog. If crate trained properly, the bullmastiff will learn to love his crate, and will think of it as his den.