My name is Martha!

This super sweet puppy is Martha. Martha is a 4 month old mostly Cane Corso with some German Shepherd mixed in. We can’t say her exact full grown size but it’s safe to say she will be 85lbs plus and could reach 100lbs by the time she is done filling out. Anyone interested in her needs to be prepared for a very big dog. She is a very good natured girl, with a great temperament and loving personality. Martha came to us from a rural pound where she was a stray. It’s hard to believe someone could let a puppy wander loose, but it’s for the best as we will ensure that Martha finds a great home with responsible people who will never abandon this beautiful dog and will ensure that she gets all the training and socialization that a big puppy needs to be a well behaved even bigger dog!

Like every dog, Mastiffs need for early socialization and exposure to many different people, sights, sounds, and experiences when they're young is important. Socialization helps ensure that your puppy grows up to be a well-rounded dog. Martha has had a lot of socialization here in her foster home, she will need her adoptive family to continue to socialize her when she is in her new home. She really loves being with other dogs and her play time. When playing on her own she really enjoys bones to chew. She doesn’t tend to bother with the stuffed toys; she prefers chasing balls and chewing bones. Mastiff’s can be destructive, like a lot of puppies; it is recommended that you have lots of chew toys available to your puppy. This will ensure their safety and your house will spared from future repairs. Anyone interested in Martha will need to ensure that their schedule suits having a puppy. She cannot be crated for an 8hr work day as she will need to be let out to pee midday. She is good overnight, but during the day someone will need to be around at this point every 4hrs or so to let her out.

This breed mix is very smart and is typically easy to train and Martha has shown that in her case, this is very true. She tends to pick up on training within a day or two. Martha’s first day in our house, we had a few accidents. But by day 3 she had mastered going to the door to go the bathroom. She learned quickly. She now goes to the door, lets out a little whimper and voila. We are sure to praise her every time she does her business outside so she gets rewarded and is all proud of herself.

When Martha arrived at our house she wasn’t interested at all in putting on her leash to go for a walk. She would pull back and try not to move. Well, she has come a long way in 2 weeks! She now waits to get the leash on and enjoys going for long walks everyday with our other dogs or just one on one with me. She still wanders on leash, but with training and time she will be a great walking companion. She responds well to a little tug on the leash and a verbal reminder for correction. Martha will need continued training as she grows and matures. Because she is going to be a very large dog, we are looking for a family committed to taking her to obedience school and train her very well. We are looking for a family that will ensure she will go to advanced levels of dog training school; basic obedience will not be enough for a giant breed dog. We expect that her adoptive family will continue her training past basic level and will ensure that she is a great example of good dog behaviour when out in public. There is nothing more impressive than a huge dog being walked under control and greeting people appropriately. We want only the best for Martha. If you cannot commit to putting the time in to train Martha to an advanced level and attend a reputable dog school to do so then this won’t be the dog for you.

Martha is fully crate trained! She will even walk into her crate on her own for you. She likes to rest in the evening after supper in her crate. During the day if we are out, she is crated. This ensures her safety and will keep her from chewing or destroying parts of your home while you are away or at work. Martha has also discovered lately that she is able to reach the countertops in the kitchen. So it will be important to keep the kitchen clean and tidy and things (breakables) away from the edge of tables and countertops. We have been working diligently to train her that his is not acceptable behaviour, but this will be ongoing training. Martha loves her meal times! Her first couple of days she would jump up and down waiting for me to place her food bowl on the floor. We have now trained her to sit and wait. She does still get a little anxious and wiggles around, but she must be in a sit before I put her bowl on the floor. Even though Martha is a puppy, she has rules and expectations in her foster home. We don’t allow her to get away with any behaviour that we wouldn’t allow a big dog to do. We are training her right from the start as to what is expected so that she grows up knowing right from wrong.

As Martha will be a very large and powerful girl full grown, we don’t recommend her for families with very small children. We are looking for a home for her with kids over 12yrs of age. We suggest that you do your research on her breed mix, Cane Corso’s in particular. They are a very athletic mastiff and are powerful and majestic dogs. They are much more active than a typical mastiff so she will need an active family who will ensure she is properly exercised. She doesn’t require a lot of exercise now as she is a puppy, but as she grows her exercise requirements will grow with her. As a full grown dog she will need daily long walks, hikes, even runs (when fully grown) to ensure she is a happy dog. She is not a suitable dog for an apartment or small condo setting. Martha needs a fenced yard to run around in and play in. Martha is good with other dogs and would love a good natured dog sibling, but would do just as well being the only dog as long as she has a few suitable dog friends to play with routinely to keep her dog socialization up. Martha plays rough so they will need to be sturdy dog friends who like to wrestle play. She is also being fostered with a cat and is learning that cats are not to be played with.

Martha is a blank slate for the perfect family to mold and train and help her grow into a wonderful, happy big girl. She is a cuddle bug and big suck and she thinks she’s a lap dog. She will be extremely loyal, loving, and devoted to her family and she is looking for that love and devotion back. Big dog lovers, this may just be the puppy for you! Puppies aren’t for everyone as they take a lot of your time and they are a LOT of work. But if you have a schedule to suit a puppy and are willing to put the time and effort in to train her and socialize her extremely well, then this gem of a puppy may be the perfect fit.

All Pound Dog Rescue dogs are spayed/neutered, vaccinated, heartworm tested, de-wormed (if required), and micro-chipped prior to adoption. The adoption donation of $400 is applied to assist in the costs of veterinary care and the overall care of the dog. For more information and adoption applications please consult our website at www.pounddog.ca.