Bullmastiff

Description:-

The Bullmastiff is massive, very powerfully built, but is not a cumbersome dog. The large, broad skull is wrinkled and the muzzle is broad, deep and usually darker in color. The forehead is flat and the stop is moderate. The black nose is wide and has large nostrils. The teeth meet in a level or undershot bite. The medium sized eyes are dark hazel. The V-shaped ears are set high and wide, carried close to the cheeks, giving a square appearance to the skull. The strong tail is set high, thicker at the root and tapering and is either straight or curved, and reaches to the hocks. The back is short, straight and level between the withers and the loin. The short, dense, slightly rough coat comes in brindle, fawn, or red, often with black markings on the head.

Height, Weight:- 

Height: Males 25 - 27 inches (63 – 69 cm) Females 24 - 26 inches (61 – 66 cm)
Weight: Males 110 - 133 pounds (50 – 60 kg) Females 100 - 120 pounds (45 – 54 kg)

Living Conditions:- 

Bullmastiffs will do okay in an apartment if they are sufficiently exercised. They are relatively inactive indoors and a small yard will do. They cannot tolerate extremes of temperatures.

Grooming:-  

The shorthaired, slightly rough coat is easy to groom. Comb and brush with a firm bristle brush, and shampoo only when necessary. There is little shedding with this breed. Check the feet regularly because they carry a lot of weight, and trim the nails.

  

Boxer

The Boxer's body is compact and powerful. The head is in proportion with the body. The muzzle is short and blunt with a distinct stop. The nose is large and black with very open nostrils. The jaw has an under bite. The eyes are dark brown. The ears are set high, either cropped or kept natural. When cropped they are trained to stand up on the head, tapering to a point. When left natural the ears are thin, falling forward, lying close to the head. The neck should be round, strong and muscular, without a dewlap. The muscular front legs are straight and parallel when viewed from the front. The back legs are well muscled. The tail is set high and usually docked. The AKC severely penalizes a natural tail, while most of Europe has outlawed this practice. Dewclaws are usually removed. The short, smooth, close-fitting coat comes in fawn, brindle, tan, mahogany and black often with white markings. Boxers also come in a white coat that cannot be registered with some clubs.

Temperament:-

The Boxer is happy, high-spirited, playful, curious and energetic. Highly intelligent, eager and quick to learn, the Boxer is a good dog for competitive obedience. It is constantly on the move and bonds very closely with the family. Loyal and affectionate, Boxers are known for the way they get along so well with children. A well brought-up and properly socialized Boxer will also get along with his own kind and other household pets such as cats. Animals such as rodents, ducks, chickens and other farm birds may be too tempting, however, they can be taught to "leave it" but it is still not recommended they be left alone with them. It has been said that the name Boxer came from the way the Boxer likes to use his front paws for just about everything. If you have ever watched a Boxer go about his business you may have noticed the way he paws at his toys, food bowl and you for that matter, in a very playful cat-like way. While participating the sport of Schutzhund, Boxers are known to jump up and use their front paws as if they are boxing. They are very clownish and playful. The Boxer's nature is to protect you, your family, and your home. Known visitors will be welcomed. They are always keen to work and play. Boxers need lots of human leadership. Teach the Boxer not to be boisterous and especially not to jump up at people. This breed is noted for courage and makes a great guard dogs. Boxers have a wide use in military and police work. An excellent watchdog, the Boxer will restrain an intruder in the same way a Bulldog does. They are extremely athletic, sometimes even in their old age. This dog needs to go on a daily pack walk. Daily mental and physical exercise is paramount. Without it, the Boxer will become high strung. This breed requires a dominant owner. Training should start young and be firm and consistent. The objective in training this dog is to achieve pack leader status. It is a natural instinct for a dog to have an order in its pack. When we humans live with dogs, we become their pack. The entire pack cooperates under a single leader; lines are clearly defined. You and all other humans MUST be higher up in the order than the dog. That is the only way your relationship can be a success. Meek Boxer owners will find their dogs to become stubborn. If they do not take you seriously they will be sneaky, demanding, boisterous and hard to control. Teach the Boxer dominating another dog is not acceptable. Any signs of dominance need to be immediately corrected by the owners in a calm, but firm, confident way.
 

Height, Weight:-

Height: Males 22 - 25 inches (56 - 63 cm) Females 21 - 24 inches (53 - 61 cm)
Weight: Males 60 - 70 pounds (27 - 32 kg) Females 53 - 65 pounds (24 - 29 kg)

Living Conditions:-  

Boxers will do okay in an apartment if sufficiently exercised. They are fairly active indoors and do best with at least an average-sized yard. Boxers are temperature sensitive, getting easily overheated and chilling very quickly. 

 

Dalmatian (Dalmatiner)

The Dalmatian is a large, strong, muscular dog. The skull is about as wide as it is long, and flat on the top. The muzzle is about the same length as the top of the skull. The stop is moderate but well defined. The nose can be black, brown (liver), blue or a dark gray that looks like black. The teeth meet in a scissors bite. The medium-sized round eyes are brown, blue or a combination of both. The ears are set high, hanging down, gradually tapering to a rounded tip. The chest is deep. The base of the tail is level with the topline and tapers to the tip. The feet are round with arched toes. Toenails are white and/or black in black-spotted dogs and brown and/or white in liver-spotted dogs. The short coat has fine dense hairs. The symmetrical coat is predominantly white with clearly defined round spots. The spots can be black or brown (liver) which are the preferred colors in the show ring, but can also be, lemon, dark blue, tricolored, brindled, solid white or sable. Not all of these colors are accepted into the show ring, but they do occur in the breed. The more defined and well distributed the markings are, the more valued the dog is to the show ring. Puppies are born completely white and the spots develop later.

Temperament:-

Dalmatians were bred to run under or alongside horse-drawn carriages and therefore have a vast amount of stamina and energy. They do not like to sit around all day with nothing to do. They are playful, happy, easy going and very dedicated. The Dalmatian needs a lot of leadership along with human companionship in order to be happy. They will not do well left out in the yard all day and have been known to dig crater-size holes when done so. The Dalmatian enjoys playing with children, but if they do not receive enough mental and physical exercise they may become high-strung, and too excitable for a small child. This buildup of energy causes their minds to become unstable and they can become timid without enough socialization. They get along well with  other pets, but without proper human to dog alpha communication where the human clearly tells the dog that he is not in charge and fighting is an unwanted behavior, they may become aggressive with strange dogs. Quite intelligent, but can be willful if they sense their owners are in the slightest bit meek or passive, and/or if the owner is not properly communicating with the dog. Generally does well with firm, consistent training. The Dalmatian is trainable to a high degree of obedience. They can be trained for defense and are good watchdogs. Half of the people who adopt a Dalmatian puppy do not keep them past the first year. Young Dalmatians are very energetic, and need a tremendous amount of leadership and exercise. If you give them what they instinctually need, daily walks where the dog is made to heel beside or behind the human, never in front of the person holding the lead, and very stern, but not harsh leadership, they will make a wonderful pet and will calm down after a few years. People who keep them long enough to get past their active stage tend to be very pleased. If you are thinking about adopting a Dalmatian puppy be sure you have the time, are authority driven and have the energy for them. If you cannot provide this for them they will become very high strung, hard to manage and destructive. If you are a very active person who has the time, and knows what it means to be a pack leader then a Dalmatian may be right for you.

 

Health Problems:-

Deafness in this breed is relatively high; about 10-12% are born deaf. Dalmatian puppies should be BAER-tested for deafness at about 6 weeks old, and totally deaf puppies should be spayed or neutered. While the breeding of deaf puppies should be avoided, it is very possible to raise a well-adjusted deaf dog. Prone to urinary stones, as uric acid levels in Dalmatians are in general higher than in any other breed, sometimes causing urinary blockage. Also prone to skin allergies, such as synthetic fibers in carpets and upholstery.

 

Grooming:- 

 The Dalmatian sheds all year round but does so profusely twice a year. Brush frequently to help manage the constant shedding. They do not have a doggy odor and are said to be clean and even avoid puddles. Bathe only when necessary. 

American Cocker Spaniel

The Cocker Spaniel is a medium sized, sturdy dog. The head is rounded with a pronounced stop. The muzzle is broad and deep with square, even jaws. The teeth meet in a scissors bite. The eyeballs are dark, very round with slight almond shaped eye rims. Merle Cocker Spaniels can have blue eyes. The long, low-set ears are well feathered. The topline slopes slightly from the front of the dog to the back and the legs are straight. The tail is docked. Note: docking tails is illegal in most parts of Europe. The dewclaws may be removed. The silky coat is flat or slightly wavy. The hairs are medium length on the body but short and fine on the head. There is feathering on the ears, chest, abdomen and legs. The coat comes in any solid color, black with tan points, merle, solid color with tan points and parti-color. Examples of parti color combinations are white with buff or red, white with black, or white with black and tan points. Field lines have shorter coats than show lines.

 

Height, Weight:-

Height: Males 15 ½ inches (38 cm) Females 14 ½ inches (36.8 cm)
Weight: 15 - 30 pounds (7 - 14 kg) 

Health Problems:- 

Some major concerns in American Cocker Spaniels are cataracts, glaucoma and patellar luxation. Some minor concerns are hip dysplasia, ectropion, entropion, PRA, allergies, cherry eye, seborrhea, lip fold pyoderma, otitis externa, liver disease, urolithiasis, prolapse of nictitans gland, CHF, phosphofructokinase deficiency and cardiomyopathy. Occasionally seen are gastric torsion and elbow dysplasia. Also IMHA (Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia). According to a few owners:

"Our Cocker never had a sick day in her life until she suddenly became lethargic and urinated blood. Six days later and $3000 in vet bills, she died. I know you can't list every illness due to space limitations, but the internal medicine specialist that treated our dog said that IMHA is relatively common in Cockers, and almost always fatal. It's a fast-acting, silent killer."

Reported by Cocker Spaniel owner—"My American Cocker Spaniel dog died on 9/26/2011 of IMHA. She was given immunizations on 9/20 and showed first signs of a problem on 9/22. She was 6 1/2 years old in good health. Please pass on that owners of American Cockers need to be acutely aware of this disease and the possibility of their dogs contracting it. They should always have a blood test before immunization and at any sign of a problem afterwards should immediately seek treatment from a vet. We knew nothing of the disease and were never advised by the vet of the possibility in this breed. We have since learned it is common and needs to be looked for in this breed and age dog. Vets need to make sure owners are aware of it and the possible relationship with vaccinations. I just want to help get the word out."

"My dog also died of this disease (IMHA). He was 7 1/2 years old. He showed no signs of being ill until two days before he died. The disease works rapidly. At the first sign of becoming ill the pet needs to be brought to the vet and will probably need a blood transfusion. Our vet decided to wait and see in the morning, by then it was too late. This disease does not always stem from vaccines; my dog was not due for shots for another two months.”

Living Conditions:-

Cockers will do okay in an apartment if they are adequately exercised. They are fairly active indoors. A small yard is sufficient. Not suited to live outside alone in a kennel. 

Exercise:- 

American Cockers have plenty of stamina and need regular exercise. They should be taken on daily, long walks. When walking, avoid brushy thickets that can tangle the coat. Be sure to have the dog heeling beside or behind the person holding the lead, as in a dog's mind the leader leads the way, and that leader needs to be the human, not the dog.