Advice needed

shelley_crow

My staff is nearly 12 months and they are a wonderful breed. Staffys get a bad press because of the history of the breed and their use in fighting (more so since Mike Skinner made them a favourite of chavs, sorry).

Mine goes running with OH three times a week, and walking in between, if they get bored then they'll chew more. My mom had one when i was young and he chewed most of a door and the doorframe when she went to work. Due to the fact thewy love to chew, sqeaky toys aren't a good idea, they chew the sqeaking part out and can choke on it.

Diet wise dry food is better for them than wet. Mine is on Pet plus which is about £40 for an 18kg sack, this last for about 2 months. Other than that unless there are health issues then they will only require water and maybe a few chews.

I'd agree to invest in a harness, its better for the dog and gives you more control once they learn to walk properly.

My DS and my staffy are best friends, they cuddle up together on the sofa before bedtime. In my experience of a few different dogs, they are protective of family, especially of women and children. My OH works shifts and my dog keeps me company. If OH isn't here then the dog sits with me on the sofa. If the dog hears a noise outside he'll sit by the door until he knows what it is. OH has come home from work a few times in the early hours to find the dog sat by the door growling. As soon as he knows it's OH he'll wonder off to bed.

I crate trained by dog when he was a puppy and he slept in his crate until he got too big for it. He sleeps under the stairs in a big bed area, there is a babygate on the front as he likes to chew still. This cost next to nothing to do, as we cut the door in half so he can see out and put the babygate on. I bought a few big blankets from a charity shop for a few pounds. I'd be wary of using a duvet, if it gets chewed (very likely) i don't think the stuffing would be very good for them.

In terms of insurance we use direct line which costs around £15 a month for the gold package, although it might be best to shop around. Not meaning to worry you but this is especially important due to the high instances of staffys being stolen, DL cover for advertising. Likewise microchipping. Staffys are a desirable dog for theives so make sure your garden is secure and you don't advertise the fact that you've got one (eg, garden gate signs with pictures of staffys on).

Start obedience training and socialisation ASAP (unless you get an older rescue dog). My staffy doesn't mind other dogs or people, he just has a thing about people on bicycles (he tries to chase them, i don't think he saw any when he was very young).

Apart from the start up costs (eg, bowls, harness, name tag, vaccinations etc) the main costs are food and insurance. Good luck xx

candygirl

Totally agree with the point about squeaky toys and normal rubber toys.Don't ever give them to a staffy, as they rip them apart in seconds and them often choke on them.The only toys mine have are leather case balls.Recently a friends staffy died after swallowing aprt of a rubber tug toy, and it became trapped in his intestine, and he bled to death on the vets table:(:(
My two dogs have tried most dried dog food and like Wagg chicken and veg the best.It's £9.99 for a 17kg bag which lasts a month.Vets bills are usually about £150 a year for their jabs and worming stuff, and they are not insured anymore(long story) but I have a savings account for them just in case:D

elsien

Mines not a staffy, but an English BT. Some similarities though - if you have problems with the dog pulling, Halti's are wonderful inventions. I find they give more control than a harness. Re toys - the nylabones and kongs for power chewers are ok (she can't have other toys, for reasons as above). They last for ages and have taken the dogs attention away from shoes and furniture. Not the cheapest toy, but worth every penny.


Make sure you really ask questions about how the dog reacts to people and other dogs. Mine came from a BT rescue kennel, after being picked up off the streets, and taken to Battersea. They said she was ok, but she's not - nervous aggression with people, with a tendency to snap ( which wasn't obvious when I first went to see her.) Factor in the costs of dog training, just in case. You may not need it, but worth thinking about just in case - it's not just for puppies, older dogs sometimes need a bit of help too.

Alibi_2

:j Staffies are great!!! Although they are hard work!

My little Staff was dumped in a bin at 8 weeks with parvo (a usually fatal infectious disease) I spent the first 2 weeks sleeping on the sofa whilst she was vomitting and squitting bloody liquid - it was a close call for her but she got through it all and id never ever let her go.

They chew everything. When I'm out for a couple of hours she and her 2 other doggy companions are kept in the kitchen and the kitchen gets sprayed with a citronella Training Spray and the are left with lots of rawhide chews and Kongs filled with buttie paste, if i'm out for any longer they are taken to the stables and locked in a stable where they can't do any damage (still with lots of treats).

She is also a constant spring, always on the go, even when she falls asleep she still growls and her little legs pedal away.

It is quite common for staffies not to get on with other dogs, but if socialised correctly this shouldn't be a problem, but something to be thought about when choosing a dog. It can be a pain in the back side to have a dog that can't mix with other dogs, I also have an Akita cross who will try and kill any strange dog that it sets eyes on - its horrible to walk him in the park or any public place where you know there will be other dogs, he can't be let off the lead and I also make sure he has a muzzle on when we go out.

When you go to a rescue place ask to take the dog for a walk, see what he or she does and ask for another dog to be walked with you too so you can assess the potential dog as best as possible.

Def. get insured, when I worked at the vets Staffies were notorious for skin and ear problems, both can be very expensive!

Good luck!

han2505

Hey all,

Thanks for the advice. Just come back from the rescue centre near us and have seen a gorgeous Tan Staffie called Stella, who is only 1 years old. She has been there for a little while, but they said that she is good with other dogs, happy to let you near her when she is eating and seems to be a pleasure. Were going back tomorrow to take her for a walk and hopefully all will go well.

Were just a bit worried that as she was a stray they have no background information on her, so they dont know if she was house trained, chews etc.....any advice on how to house train as never had to do it before??

Anything else to look for when we take her out tomorrow?

Thanks all x

elsien

Not an expert on house training; mine was somewhere between one and two when I got her, and was totally untrained. The first thing she did when she walked in the house was to wee on the carpet!
I took her out at hourly intervals, and praised her up to the skies for doing any of her business outside. Then as she got better, I increased the time intervals. It took months, but we got there in the end. Make sure that at night, she's somewhere where it's easy to clear up any accidents. Also be careful what you use to clear up if you need to - some disinfectants smell to the dog like urine, and it makes them keep going in the same place. You can get stuff from pet stores that take all the smell away, if you need to.

At oneish, she's still a bit of a puppy, so expect something a bit like a 3 year old in a dog suit. "Dog proof" the areas she'll be in until you know if she's going to chew or not - move things that look like toys, or that might be dangerous/expensive (such as dad'd £1000 hearing aid - mine was a steep learning curve)
Another thing you might want to consider is putting the dog on a long house lead when you first get it home, and follow it around where it wants to go, until it gets used to the place. Mine nearly jumped out of a first floor window, because she got over excited and very bouncy when I got her home- if she hadn't been on a lead, it wouldn't have been a good start!

One last thing - don't give in if she starts crying during the night - make sure she's warm and comfy and leave her to it (unless you don't mind a dog in your bed forevermore.)

Good luck, bull terriers are great! Don't let me put you off with any of the above - my dog was unusually untrained, nervous and badly behaved -( yours sounds lovely), but after training, I wouldn't be without her for the world. If yours is friendly, inquisitive and responsive when you take her out. she'll be fine.

shelley_crow

Assign a corner for the dog to use, layer with newspaper. When we were training our staff a sign we looked for was he'd sniff around constantly before going. Encourage the dog to use the paper and praise with treats when it does. When it goes on the newspaper by itself, move the paper bit by bit towards the back door (move slowly). Eventually the newspaper will be against the backdoor, then move it into the garden. Start phasing out the newspaper and the dog should have learnt that outside is the only place to wee. Be prepared for lots of accidents but you'll get there eventually. This is the way i did it anyway ) Oh and if the dog has an accident, make sure you clean it up ASAP using dettol, if it's left for a bit then the scent will linger and the dog will think it can go there IYSWIM. good luck

scheming_gypsy

£100 a month is a lot to put a side. I've 2 dogs, a northern Inuit and a Staffy Cross, at the minute only the staffy is insured and that's about £15 a month, need to get the NI insured.
Both need jabs once a year which isn't expensive and food costs about £10 a month, but thats petrol till i find somewhere closer. I've got mine on the BARF diet and get the food for free as it costs butchers to get rid of the bones. its better for them as there's no crap in it and the bones are good for their teeth.

Also not as much poo to clean up.

Miss.Sian-Marie

I have an 11 week old Staff puppy and know a lot of people who too have Staffies.
They're lovely dogs, I don't know of anyone who has had problems with theirs. They have such lovely temperments too and ar fantastic with kids.
We've had Talula since she was 8 weeks old and it took all of about 2 days to get her toilet trained and now she lets us know when she wants to be let outisde on the patio for a wee.

han2505

I have been looking at staffys for a while now. We went to the rescue today and saw a 1 year old but as she was a stray they have no history on her so were being a bit wary about her, even though she seems quite friendly.

Were thinking that we might get a pup and then we can bring it up ourself. How much should i expect to pay? anyone know anywhere/anyone in Darlington area?

Thanks