Mastiff age

Question
I recently rescued a Mastiff, and the people I got him from said he was about 3-4 years old. I'm starting to question that now, cause i've been doing a little research and I believe he's pure Mastiff. Currently he weighs 160lbs, and the vet said he's a little over weight. I'm confused, almost everywhere I look online I'm reading that a male Mastiff should be weighing in at around 250lbs. How can my boy be overweight? I found a chart that said at 12months they should weigh about 150. Is my dog only a year old rather than 3 or 4? He's well behaved in and outside. I have a neighbor with a Great Dane and when they're out in the front yard my boy gets really excited and wants to play. Is there a way for me to estimate how old he is?

Answer
Hi CJ,

At 160 pounds, it doesn't sound like your dog is over weight, on the contrary, he's small for a 3 or 4 year old Mastiff!  You can se a weight/age chart for Mastiff's here:

http://xandermtmastiffs.tripod.com/id41.html

http://kiokeemastiffscom.blogspot.com/2008/03/how-much-should-my-mastiff-puppydo...

For judging weither or not your dog is over weight, you should be able to see his last two ribs and he should have a waist. You can see a chart illustrating how to spot your dog's body condition here:

http://www.vet.ohio-state.edu/1851.htm


While it's not unusual that a 3 or 4 year old dog would be playful, it's possible that your dog is younger than the age you were told. You can read how to judge a dog's age here:

http://www.publicbookshelf.com/public_html/The_Household_Cyclopedia_of_General_I...

http://www.geocities.com/petsburgh/Zoo/1224/canineteeth.html


Best of luck,

Patti