French Mastiff Puppies – Don’t Get Bamboozled

All-right you're in the market and you got you heart set on an adorable French mastiff puppy. Good for you! Hey, but don't look now but you may be in for a heck of a ride and if your not careful you could end up with a sick puppy with a load of problems and huge vet bills throughout it's life.

Ok, maybe I may like to sensationalize the risks out there, but they do exist and you should be aware of them. So how do you find a French mastiff that is of the highest quality and within budget?

Well herein you'll find what to avoid and what to pursue when hunting for the perfect French mastiff with good temperament, good energy, and life long health.

Let's begin...

Three Places to Take with Extreme Causation When Looking for a French Mastiff Puppy

Pet shops

With pet shops you never know what you're getting, the pedigree (the records held on the genetic background of the dog) the breeder etc are usually unknown. You'll pay a high price but you run the risk of your puppy being completely unclassified.

The pet shop will also not take back the dog later in life, the pet shop has limited knowledge and staff, and it completely undermines the quality breeding standards held by reputable breeders.

Backyard breeders (posing as professionals)

Ok, you might just bump into a few of this people. Some may even run puppy mills, puppy farms etc. They're basically in it for the money and less so for the passion of the breed. A reputable breeder aims always at higher standards of the breed; backyard breeders look at it as a way to make a nice profit back on the dog they bought a year ago.

You may see some French mastiffs being advertised in the local paper, kijiji, or craigslist. Again this could be anybody and is most likely a backyard breeder; although some reputable breeders will use the classifieds to advertise. Be wary of free offers, the dog may be sick, ill tempered, untrained, and maybe even be abused.

Three Excellent Places to Start off Your Search

Let me start off by saying that you're going to find the best French mastiff puppies with the most reputable French mastiff breeders. And you know what? Many breeders don't even advertise so you got to get a referral usually through word of mouth; here's how...

Dog Shows

Hey if you got a dog show coming to town; especially if it's a show all about mastiffs then get it in gear and head down the show. When you see a French mastiff on display - don't be shy - go up to the owner and start up a conversation.

Complement the owners on their show dog and ask if they could recommend a breeder. You might just find out that your speaking to the breeder, at which point you can further the conversation to probe a little on how reputable, trustworthy and serious this breeder is about the French mastiff.

It could be a long shot, if you live in a rural area or a city with a small population. But if you go to a park in the late spring and summer moths, during the weekend, in an off leash area, you see all types of dogs and you may luck out; finding a French mastiff in the bunch.

Again, go approach the owner and ask for a recommendation for a breeder.

Veterinarians

You certainly have vet's in the vicinity. You can easily poke through a phone book and call a few. Ask if they could recommend any French mastiff breeders in the area and you might just luck out.

With any luck you'll build up a nice reference list of 5-10 breeder recommendations (with name and phone number) now you can call around and setup some viewings.