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Frequently Asked Questions
I know puppies come with a lot of questions, especially when you're starting your search. I've answered a lot over the years and compiled a list of the main ones.
Do you health test?
Yes! We health test all of our breeding dogs. We are very specific and thorough when selecting any outside studs, too. We genetically test every dog through Embark and ensure each dog is cleared of not only their breed specific diseases, but the remaining hundreds of diseases Embark tests for as well. These results are available upon request.
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We are in the process of getting our girls OFA tested per breed standards in the hopes of having our girls CHIC certified. However, in regards to hips, we've done a lot of research on this and find that there isn't a lot of consistent evidence to show that breeding dogs with good rated hips will only produce pups with good hips as well. We have a fantastic relationship with our vet and have our breeding dogs thoroughly examined prior to breeding to ensure their hips are solid. Our goal through these OFA and CHIC certifications is to maintain solid hips.
Is there a health guarantee?
Yes! We offer a one year health guarantee that protects your puppy from health disorders per their breed standard or any life altering congenital diseases including hip dysplasia and organ failure. If the quality of your puppy's life is lost due to something that could have been prevented from better breeding, we will take responsibility and help to make it right. If you feel that there is something wrong with your puppy, please contact us right away. We want to work with you to come up with a solution, you are not alone in this.
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Our guarantee is contingent upon an evaluation from our vet. We strive to produce quality puppies and have never had our health guarantee put in effect. However, if there comes a time where we must act on this we have options of either replacing the puppy, covering the cost or coming up with another affordable and acceptable solution.
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We do place a lot of emphasis on quality feed and age appropriate exercise with our puppies. These are extra large breeds and grow very quickly. We will help guide you through this fast pace growth to ensure your puppy grows soundly.
When should I spay or neuter my puppy?
There is a lot of controversy around the proper age to spay or neuter puppies, especially when it comes to extra large breeds. We feel very strongly about this matter as we were new extra large breed owners once and made the mistake of spaying our first mastiff too soon. Because of this, she didn't have the proper hormones to help her bones and joints grow soundly and she ended up struggling with joint issues and arthritis at a very early age. We swore we would never do it again, nor would we ever allow our Rogue Mountain families to make that mistake unknowingly.
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We recommend waiting until 24 months or 2 years of age before spaying or neutering your puppy. We feel so strongly about this, that if your pup is spayed or neuter prior to 24 months, unless discussed with us, we will void the health guarantee. These extra large breeds grow quickly and need the sex hormones to help with proper bone and joint health and their growth plates don't close until right around that two year mark.
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In regards to females, a fellow breeder explains it best:
"Unlike humans who have a menstrual cycle every month and shed the uterine lining, dogs only shed their lining when they have a litter. Because of this, every heat cycle that a bitch endures and doesn’t get bred will stack in her uterus. If she were to get bred for the first time as a 4-year-old, she would potentially have 5-6 linings stacked in her uterus. The linings make it difficult for the fertilized eggs to attach and the cervix loses its elasticity if it goes unused. What this means is that there is a high potential for puppies to be born malnourished and quite often results in a cesarean. This is quite expensive and REALLY expensive if it’s an oops litter and the puppies won’t help recover any costs. Worst of all it puts the mama dog at severe risk." - Julie from The Honest Breeder
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In regards to males, if you feel you can ensure that your male will not get the chance to accidentally breed another female and there are no behavior issues we don't recommend neutering at all.
How much are your puppies?
All our puppies are sold with an AKC Limited Registration. Full registration is available to approved homes at an additional cost.
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English Mastadors - $2,500 for black puppies, $3,000 for brindles or tri colors.
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English Cream Retrievers - $1,500
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English Springer Spaniels - starting at $1,800 - prices vary depending on coloring.
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Why are they so expensive?
We get "you sell your puppies for how much?!" a lot. So we'd like to explain how our puppies are priced fairly.
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We health test all our dogs using Embark DNA + breed test as well as coloring testing our Great Danes. This tests for hundreds of possible diseases and gives us a complete picture of what our dogs look like genetically. We also make sure our studs are tested as well.
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Our puppies are raised indoors. That means in our home where we sleep, eat and play. We are there for every whelping, for every single puppy born, regardless of the time of day, regardless of plans we may have had. We assist mom when needed and make sure she is staying hydrated and her vitals are at safe levels. Our children get to handle and play with each puppy from the time they're a few days old until they're ready to go home. This almost means lots and lots of clean up. We are cleaning their pens everyday, multiple times a day, especially during the winter seasons when it's too cold for the puppies to be outside. During warmer months, this means puppies get to go outside when it's nice, but someone is always outside monitoring them.
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Because our puppies are raised in our home, we sleep with them and mom for the first few nights (yes, that sometimes means sleeping on the floor next to their whelping box) to ensure no one gets rolled or laid on. We have cameras set up so we can see everyone at any point in time. I can access these cameras from my phone when we leave the house. We also wake up with mom to help nursing for those first few nights to make sure she gets each puppy fed. If needed, we are supplementing puppies to make sure bellies are full and they can grow as they should.
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All this extra time and effort is factored into our cost. We're not just providing you a puppy. We're pouring our hearts and soul into each one of these puppies and we are ensuring they have the best start to an amazing future with your family.
What should I feed my puppy?
We have found that our dogs do best on Diamond Naturals. We currently feed them the beef meal variety, but we do like the salmon variety as well. We start them on with the "Puppy Formula" which provides lower protein to keep their fast pace growth at a healthy speed. We will provide you with a small bag of this to take home. This brand is available at all Tractor Supply stores.
We recommend that between 6-9 months, you start the transition from puppy food to adult food. We recommend either Diamond Naturals or 4health brands. We prefer the salmon fish blend with Omega 3 and 6, because it provides glucosamine and chondroitin to support their joints and keeps their calcium to phosphorus ration close to 1:1, which is important for extra large breed dogs; or the beef meal blend. This food gives a healthy, shiny coat, support to bones and joints and is gentle on their stomachs...which can be a little finicky.
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If you cannot find this food due to location or cost, please reach out to us. We will be happy to give you other recommendations!
When can I pick up my puppy?
My puppy is 8 weeks on a Monday, can I just pick him up the weekend before?
No. I understand weekday pick-ups can be more difficult due to work schedules, but picking up a puppy prior to 8 weeks is illegal in our state. We promise, a few days is worth the wait and I'm willing to meet within 2 hours if it's more helpful.
Will my puppy be potty trained?
While we start potty training at 3 weeks old using the "Misty Method," we cannot guarantee that your puppy will be fully potty trained by the time you pick him up. We do promise that he will have a great head-start and will understand the concept of potty-ing somewhere other than his bed.
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We use alfalfa pellets in a litter tray to teach them that there is a certain area to potty. We use alfalfa to mimmick the scent of grass. They learn to associate the smell with where they need to potty. By 6-7 weeks of age, most of our puppies will stop playing to walk over to their litter tray to potty. When playing outside their pen, we make sure they still have access to the grass or a litter pan if we cannot take them outside due to weather. We want to set them up to succeed!
Do you crate train?
Yes! We love crate training and you should too! Crate training is not a bad or scary thing for your puppy when done properly. We introduce the crate when puppies are being weaned, around 4 weeks old. We keep the crate door open and we make sure they have comfy bedding inside. They are able to go in and out as they please and we often find a cute puppy pile during nap time.
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Crate training allows your family to enjoy your life without your dog, because as much as you love to take her everywhere, sometimes you just can't. When done correctly, the crate becomes her bedroom, her safe spot. The crate can also allow you to take a break from your puppy if you're having a difficult day. Puppies need structure and patience, just like toddlers. Providing them with a safe place to take a nap or a time out will allow you to do life without worrying about accidents or the puppy getting into something they shouldn't.
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For more information about training, please visit our Puppy Training page.
What colors do English Mastadors come in?
English Mastadors come in a variety of colors, but the first generation puppies are 90% of the time black. Traditionally, Mastadors are bred using a female English Lab and a male English Mastiff which results in those black puppies almost every single litter.
Here at Rogue Mountain, we breed our English Mastadors slightly differently than any other Mastador breeder in the country, if not the world. Because we started our breeding program off with English Mastiffs, we had female mastiffs. Hence the reason why we breed a female English Mastiff to a male English Lab. It just made a little more sense to us all around: we already have a female mastiff and our mastiffs are much larger than a lab so we don't have to worry about puppy heads getting stuck due to the blockiness of a male mastiff's head. This does make for a more interesting pairing as there are some breeding logistics that have to be addressed. Without going into too much detail, our lab studs just aren't tall enough to reach our females, if you know what I mean. Enter AI, in this case, artificial ingemination, not artificial intelligence. In order for our females to be bred, I progesterone test each female to ensure perfect timing and then I collect and AI my females myself.
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Because we do the reverse breeding pair, we have consistently had litters with tri colored and brindle, along with the traditional black first generation Mastadors. Why does this happen, you ask? If the genetics are still 50/50, why does it matter which breed is the stud and which is the dam? The answer: I am not sure. What I do know is that I can prove my lineages with my girls and my stud and I can assure you every puppy is a 50/50 blend and a true first generation English Mastador.
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All that to be said: we have 3 colors of puppies:
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Blacks are the traditional color.
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Tri colors are reminiscent of Rottweilers or Dobermans with those classic tan legs and masks.
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Brindles are striped. They can have gold or cream bases with dark striping, or can be very dark with thin golden stripes.
What is ichthyosis?
Ichthyosis is a skin condition found in a variety of dog breeds but commonly found in Golden Retrievers. This condition is not life threatening and does not affect the quality of a puppy's life, it just causes dry, scaly skin comparable to eczema or psoriasis in humans. Fortunately, it is seldom severe and can be managed with shampoos and a high omega 3 diet. While this condition is common, it is genetic and can be tested for. In order for a puppy to be affected by ichthyosis, they need to have a gene from both parents. We always strive for the healthiest puppies, so we make sure that the studs we choose are clear of the gene so we do not pass this condition along.
