Sandra777

You won't buy a "show quality puppy" from anyone who knows their stuff - you have a reasonably good chance of eventually getting hold of a pup with show potential though :) Find breeders who have dogs you like the look of and contact them being very specific that you are looking for a pup with show potential. Are you particularly looking for a dog or a bitch because in a lot of breeds a new-comer has much more chance of ending up with a good dog rather than a good bitch. And don't expect it to be a quick find (unless you are incredibly lucky). Have patience and be up-front about what you want.

Why did you do this mating and what factors did you consider when deciding on the stud dog that was used. We also need a thread on what are the "correct" answers to these questions :laugh:

Wow - assumption much? Unless you know for a fact the dog was sold to these people "sight unseen" how do you know they didn't previously live right next door to the breeder in Queensland and bought the dog then? I've sold dogs all over Australia and also to the USA, doesn't mean I don't want to know if any of mine are in trouble! Hope the breeders do the right thing and if not, hope he finds the home he deserves!

'Have you actually contacted them to ask though? Being desexed and 4 years old would certainly not stop me from wanting to get a dog back that I bred, even if it meant paying for the flight. I would be incredibly upset if I ever found out that this happened to a dog that I bred, and that the rescue didn't at least ask me if I wanted to help! x2!!!!!!

Where on earth do people come up with crap like this? If this little gem of nonsense said 50% of crossbred mutts people believe are "staffies" are PTS before they're 4 then I might be inclined to believe it. Interesting that the picture shows blue puppies - along with the SWF the blue Staffordshire Bull Terrier would have to be the most exploited and farmed dog in Australia & the UK.

Really - your dog sweats? :laugh: :laugh:

If this could be a reality would you like to see the APBT taken off the banned list and be responsibly bred? I know i would. x2 Nothing wrong with the APBT, it's the cross bred mutts which are the problem!!

Oh yes, that would stop the bogans dead in their tracks. Bad owners don't obey the laws NOW, why make more and more and more laws which won't be policed but which WILL stop law abiding caring breeders from breeding? And don't say it won't because as soon as you make a law that you need a permit to do something there is a fee attached - and many small-scale breeders simply cannot afford yet another fee on top of the costs they have now for the "privilege" of breeding a litter once every four or five years. Plus most of these laws are made by people who have no clue in the world about breeding dogs and they end up with rediculous requirements such as someone with two chihuahuas having a litter once every three years needs to build a $150,000 "breeding facility" to get a permit to do so. Permits and similar restrictions just opens the gate to large scale puppy farmers - which is the worst thing in the world for companion animals. The answer is education not legislation - always has been.

If you're on the same flight they can usually go excess baggage which is cheaper but doesn't mean anything else really. You will need to check with the airline about availability and as Allerzeit said - some airlines don't take dogs at all. Sedation is a big NO NO. A sedated dog can't balance properly so if the plane hits turbulence it can be very seriously injured. A sedated dog also can't regulate it's own temperature very well and although the area of the hold where the animals are is the same temperature and pressure as the passenger cabin, it can still be a little warm or a little cold for the dog (same as for us) and the transfer from the plane to the freight terminal may take 5 or 10 minutes, which is a long time if it's a hot-ish day. The only reason a dog would find it very stressful would be if they are not used to be crated. Dogs don't appear to understand they're flying so aren't "afraid of flying" like some people are, but there are strange noises, they're in a strange place and surrounded by strange people - but for a normally socialised dog this is usually just a bit worrying not really freak-out material, but if they are in a crate and have never been confined before then it can be very frightening for them.

We talking about the bolded stories at the top of the page? Two stories of dogs attacking either each other or another dog. Two stories of dogs hanging themselves. Two stories of dogs getting out of the yard and being knocked over and killed. One story of a dog being poisoned. Those ones? I wondered the same thing TT and how it was relevant to this discussion (ie. the OP was about a dog biting a child). It's just another excuse for the Bull breed haters, to jump on the media hysteria bandwagon. You might tell that to the sites owner then? I wouldn't bother, because everyone here has a right to post. I just get annoyed at ignorant people who bag Bull breeds because of the media. My boy who is no longer with me, was one of those "vicious" breeds, yet the moment a child, or a small dog came near him, he immediately dropped on his stomach, I never trained him to do that, he sensed they were smaller so didn't want to scare them. The media & Hugh Wirthless are the reason that BSL came in. Are you saying the breeds reported as Bull breeds by the media are falsified? What breed was the dog who charged into the house and killed the poor little girl, a Labrador reported as a Bull/Mastiff X perhaps? Actually there is a very well documented case in the USA where a working collie-type severely mauled a toddler on a farm in the mid west. This was reported all over the USA as a pit bull attack because, in the words of the editor - pit bull attacks sell, collie attacks don't. No I am not saying the dog that killed the child in Melbourne was a labrador, but it certainly wasn't an American Pit Bull Terrier. It was a mutt and who is to say it wasn't a Bullmastiff x Labrador x Staffordshire Bull Terrier x Golden Retriever x Rottweiler x Border Collie - which makes it 1/2 "nice" breeds and 1/2 "horrible" breeds - so which "half" attacked??? Badly bred dogs + ignorant owners = trouble.

Agree with Pav lova too. And remember - the Stafford will grow into a dog perfectly capable of killing the Chihuahua if it continues to behave aggressively and the Stafford decides to retaliate. Keep them separated for everyone's peace of mind.

I won't show under a variety of judges for a variety of reasons - so why should I have to pay to potentially show under a judge who's opinion I don't want for whatever reason?

Please don't be swayed by colour - I understand that everyone has a preference and you have to live with the dog for 12-14 years, but if you search out a puppy based on colour you run a very real risk of being very sorry you did so. You're lucky though, pied Staffords are pretty common so if you look for the good breeders you're bound to find one with a pup that fits in both colour and the important stuff - but you will need to be patient!

Read the breed standard. Staffords come in a variety of colours WITH WHITE. There's nothing in the standard which states anything about where or how much white.

Not a problem then really. If you want a pet pup there's no reason to look for a pup on the main register. However this price is very abnormal for the breed (except amongst the blue puppy farmers) and I would suggest you might be better served looking elsewhere.

$3000 would be a for a blue surely? These aren't rare (more than 1/2 the Staffords in Australia are blue ). Simply ignore any adds for them and from people breeding for them and you will go a long way towards weeding out the majority of the sub-standard breeders and expensive prices. I believe pups in WA are a little bit more expensive but Stafford pups are generally between $800 and $1200 from ethical breeders, so perhaps in WA it would be closer to the top end of this than the bottom end.

The behaviour you are describing does not indicate dominance to me. As this dog has already lunged at a small child IMO you need to get professional help immediately. You need to get someone to come to your home and study what the dog is doing - internet diagnosis could end in tragedy. In the mean time this dog should not be around children or other dogs - it is up to you and you alone to ensure this doesn't happen until you get the issues sorted. Good on you in recognising you have a problem and not waiting for disaster before seeking help.

You need to be very up front about the price you can afford otherwise the breeder might end up investing a lot of their time in checking you out, getting to know your etc only for you to decide at the "last minute" (in their eyes!) that you can't afford their price. I am surprised you would find a Stafford breeder who sells pups for different prices according to their "quality" - I personally am not aware of this being the norm in the breed. To me an ethical breeder is one who will sell you a puppy that suits your lifestyle - eg if you have small children they won't sell you a puppy with a full-on terrier nature and if you want to do lots of dog-sports they won't sell you one that is idle and hard to motivate. Definitely avoid ANY breeder who says which one do you want and when do you want to pay for it! Things to be very aware of in Staffords are allergies and especially skin conditions. Ask lots of questions about the parents, if they have allergies, food intolerances, have had "puppy mange" (which is demodex) etc etc etc. There's not a lot of things that routinely go wrong with Staffords in terms of joint issues for example, but sadly many are being bred from parents who have poor immune systems and pass this on - which is extremely expensive and frustrating for the new owner to say nothing of the discomfort to the dog If you have the opportunity a slightly older puppy is a good thing in many cases - you need to be happy with the environment it's come from but if this ticks all the boxes definitely consider this as an option.

Just a word about the Paws mince. IF it is the same product that I know then don't touch it with a barge pole! Is it in a red bag? Get some of this stuff, wash the crimson dye off it and look at the "chunks" - that was never anything that lived. I used to buy this and it was great but sometime last year it changed from being minced meat into being reconstituted-who-knows-what covered in dye. After several of my dogs threw up what could only be described as lumps of plastic look a like we tracked it down to this stuff. Find a good pet supply place or a butcher who will supply you food that was actually meat in a former life :laugh:

Personally I don't see anything wrong with him sleeping outside if that's where he's happiest - mine aren't but that's not your problem :laugh: If he has a warm draft-free kennel which isn't too much bigger than he is (so he doesn't have a huge area to heat with his own body heat) then he'll be fine. A coat would be great, except don't be surprised if he decides to eat it. Whatever suits you and your dog is best for your dog so don't stress too much. You may well find that when it gets really cold he will discover that inside is better - so supply him with an inside bed and encourage him to use it during the evening (when he's not having cuddles!) so he knows it is his.

Pineapple doesn't work for every dog sadly. But try upping it for a while and see how it goes. Unfortunately if she's that random she'll grab any she can find it could be a long road.

I've found tinned pineapple works fine. You have to put it in the food of ALL the dogs he is with, including his own. A 1/2 slice of tinned for a 15-16kg dog was fine. If he's only recently started doing this consider if anything's changed - has he just been neutered, have you changed foods (or has the food you give them been "new and improved" :laugh: Do any of the kennel mates possibly have underlying digestion issues - failure to fully digest food can be a sign of all sorts of conditions (Pancreas conditions for one) and makes the end result more interesting to other dogs.

I am one of those annoying people that tends to post their entries the day before they're due. If closing date is the middle of the week I'll take a punt that they'll take them without question up until the Friday. No harm in emailing or phoning the secretary and just asking if entries are still open. Don't do a long spiel about being sick or the secretary might think you're trying to guilt them in to accepting it even though you're not - just say sorry I forgot, been a bit sick is it OK. Personally I wouldn't bother if it's more than a week after the closing date even though I've seen messages on lists and boards saying entries are still open until xxx and this has been a couple of weeks after the closing date - and sometimes enter having seen the message :)

We call our dogs "the kids" but definitely do not think of them as actual children. We don't have and don't want children - it may be that we have multiple dogs because we don't have children (thinking of the time and money aspect here) but we don't have dogs INSTEAD of children. I think people who consider their dog to be human are very odd - and also devaluing the worth of a dog far more than anyone who thinks of their dog as a dog. Why on earth would a wonderful animal like a dog WANT to be a mere human?