Obedience & Dog Training

In the following, I detail my personal experiences concerning obedience & dog training of the bullmastiffs.
I would like to advise you that by having chosen this breed you have taken on a great deal of responsibility.

Obedience:
All my bullmastiff females – I have had 3 females so far – have managed to pass the obedience exams with my help.
Nevertheless, the ways to reach this goal were very different.

My Ambra and my Chelsey did not really have fun presenting obedience.
However, we did accomplish everything we wanted & needed. My Fiona in contrast was a little grade grubber from the beginning. Later on, this was reflected at the shows we participated in. Fiona wanted and liked to present herself and had a lot of fun on the common work. We worked on higher obedience standard, and mantraling topped our activities and rewarded us with great fun and well-spent time out. At this point – to be fair – I have to note that Fiona had the benefit of growing up on a dog training facility.
Maybe this way she was more willing to please.

After Yara is now with me, we will see, if Fiona´s successful trail may be carried forward. Hell yeah! I am sure – it will! Yara has a lot of fun working obedience and tries hard to do everything to my satisfaction. She is very fond of mantrailing! You are very welcome to watch all the mantrailing-videos which I publish regularly on these pages.

Above all training, the bullmastiffs demand a lot of patience, consequence and the ability to get things done. The single training steps must be presented clearly and distinctly to make sure your dog will understand. A plain voice, body language, facial expressions & gestures support the mutual understanding. An initial underlining of the spoken command by visible signs is very useful.
A tasty reward, for example by presenting cheese and/or poultry sausage, in addition to your commendation will lead to a much faster success. There is a saying that the way to a man´s heart is through his stomach – this is also true of the willingness of your dog to obey.

Dog training:
Dog training is not only based on SIT & DOWN. The entirety is expressed by the “Behave-Yourself-Rules”. It starts by:

• getting the dog housebroken as soon as possible
• teaching the dog not to pick up things from the ground
• walking the dog on the leash easily
• letting the dogs run from the beginning and train them to return on command
• teaching the dog not to jump at people
• teaching the dog not to behave aggressively on the leash meeting other dogs
• making it possible to be accompanied by the dog when going down-town or/for lunch
• etc.

This is generally speaking, but especially regarding the bullmastiff?
From the beginning the bullmastiff requires a clear, consequent, and loving treatment. Therefore, clear rules at home and outside are essential. Especially since in 7 states in Germany there are still Character Tests awaiting our bullmastiffs, it is necessary that the bullmastiff is accustomed to all the rules of common life as soon as possible.

Choosing a bullmastiff, you have picked a very self-confident breed.
The bullmastiff will not really voluntarily do things the way you picture it. Those of you who do not establish clear rules from day one will hit the wall no later than when the bullmastiff reaches puberty.

As dog trainer, I must let you know that a “friend” relationship will not work. This extends to all breeds, but especially referring to our beloved bullmastiffs, it will definitely not work out. This is where a precise “Dog-/Dog-Leader-Relationship” is necessary. This is the starting point to develop a deep connection over time. In particular we must not forget one thing: Our dogs have a tremendous weight & an enormous strength. And eventually we do not want to struggle with them, but we do want to lead them!

While many clients tell me again and again, they wished their dog would stay as cute and small for as long as possible, I have to reply that I cannot wait until my dog is finally well-bred.

Usually even a dog trainer cannot escape weird situations. My dogs have had their “ideas & stages” as well. For example as they suddenly tried to catch a cyclist, to “attack” a horse, to block the gamekeeper’s car or to chase a deer. We are all only human, but we have to be prepared for all possible eventualities and then we need to know exactly what has to be done and have a quick impact on our dog.

For this reasons I am asking you ALL to look for a qualified dog obedience school and if possible to get support by private coaching in order to succeed and achieve your own and individual goals as quickly as possible.