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HI Barts, Sorry if this has been covered ( I don't have time read all the prior posts) I take my Staffies everywhere I can and it is because of this that I crate trained them. When I go to a friends farm or my sister has to look after them for a night we can set up their crates and they are happy. Also if you get stuck with someone baby sitting them who doesn't like dogs inside, they can play all day outside and then come in at night and be locked in their crates, that way they are warm and safe at all times while contained so as to not worry the householders. Second point is I would strongly encourage you to rethink the inside/outside aspect of your dog. Staffies are a breed that really love (and I mean really love) their humans. While your dog will be fine outside , you can be sure that she will rather be sitting by your side. You can train them to sit on a mat inside and to stay there. As long as she can see you he will be happy. The benefit of the breed is the strong connection they form to their humans which allows you to have dog that will be happy to go where ever and when ever with you and not be a pain. They can be stubborn at times but if you allow them to form a close bond you can get them to do anything for/with you. They are a compact unit with short fur so they don't do much damage inside. Erik will just sit on the rug and go to sleep while I am inside. The key to this is to never ever ever play with a staffy inside. Erik knows 100% he is not allow to even get into second gear inside, no confusion. If he runs inside he is pushed outside very quick. It only took him about 1 week to work this out. Even as a puppy I didn't play with him inside. A couple of other points. Read K9force's post on Socialisation ( Do a search on DOL.) Go to the training forum and read up on the 'triangle of temptation' it is sticky (permanent) topic at the top of the forum Go to www.k9force.net and read some of his articles, I have done a one on one with him and would highly recommend his theories ( so do a lot of Dolers), the nothing in life is free training program is perfect. (NILIF) Either buy one of the premium leads from K9 or get one sent from here www.leerburg.com. Staffies are incredibily strong and paying 70 bucks for a top quality lead will be the best investment ever. I have 100% faith that no matter what happens with Erik and other dogs that the lead is going to hold, and I can get him out of trouble at all times. ( not that I have ever had to). Most staffies don't bother starting any scraps, but you do need to be aware that if they get involved in one they will more than likely finish it or cause some major damage to the other dog. And while I may be flamed here, Joe Public will blame your dog due to his breed no matter if he didn't start it. Also make sure you get her desexed, there are a number of benefits with this, for mine the most important one is that she wont get stolen (less attractive if he can't be bred from) and typically wont be stolen to used in baiting/fighting. And make sure whenever you meet someone just let on that she is desexed. (even if she isn't at first) Now that I have finished my preaching , you NEED/MUST go to the staffy thread and post more pics. Where is the little gal from?

steer clear of plants and grass. Seriously though, plant a lot of mint and lavender it keeps the fleas away. (and smells nice)

Same Same but different for me. (not being a smart arse, just if I posted it would pretty much be the above post, without the rental bit)

As above for Erik the wrecking ball. Cheers Roo

For a balanced view on Socialisation take a read of this http://forums.dogzonline.com.au/index.php?...l=socialisation I use a combination of this and what most others would consider socialisation. I want my dog to consider other dogs as neutral. IMO one of the flaws (if you could call it that ) of the staffy is that the bloody breed just loves everyone and everything about life and in 99.999999% of cases just loves other dogs too much. Cheers Roo PS Definatly get a crate, Erik was the first dog I used one on and I will never be without one. He loves it. PPS Make sure you come over the 'real' dog thread http://forums.dogzonline.com.au/index.php?...p;#entry1740160

During the night, (from the time YOU go to bed and the time YOU get up) you should only take the pup outside to toilet and then straight back in. No conversation, no nothing. Just use your toilet command (mine is "do wees") once she has wee'd then priase her, but no playing. Then walk her straight back in the crate and say 'good girl' and close crate and go back to bed. (if you have trouble controlling her and her desire to play, put her on a lead) In the morning, if she wakes first, take her out again and repeat above, but put her back in the crate, untill YOU get up. This will establish a bullet proof routine. Keep everything consistant and you will have no ongoing problems. Do not be tempted to relax this if she gets up at say 5am and you get up at 6am. Make sure she is not allowed out of her crate until you want to get up. You are the leader and you lay down the rules. This is just my view, (some people , don't worry if the dog wakes up and hour or so before them and put them outside to play. totally up to you) Good luck. Roo

With Erik I moved him to two meals a day at about 10 weeks. He is now 5 1/2 months and is still on 2 a day. I will move him to one meal a day at about 12 months.

You could try this 1/ No matter what the dog has done, if he comes after you call his name, praise the roof down. For example when Erik picks up a shoe, if I haven't seen it, I can't correct him for it. I call him over and praise him when he comes over, then I say "let go" and again when he drops it he gets praise. I missed the picking up of the shoe, so he won't know why I am correcting him so I don't bother. He could confuse coming to you as being bad. 2/ Never ever ever call your dog to then punish him. It is hard to remember this. But always go to your dog to 'correct' If he comes then the only thing to do is to give praise 3/ See point 2, I can not overstate this point 4/ Take him to the off leash park at some ungodly hour ( I used go at 5.00am and pouring rain days) so there are no distractions. Give him a treat so he knows you have some in your pocket. Then try this , when the dog moves away give the signal (I use a whistle if I just want him close, or a verbal command if I want him back and sitting) when he looks up just turn around and start walking the other way, when he comes back give the treat. Now this is the best bit. Once he knows you have treats, walk as usual and start counting in your head, the moment he first looks away. When you get to 4, just randomly change direction and keep walking ignoring him. (remember it is at an ungodly hour so now one around, make it 3 in the morning if you have to) when he comes to you, as you have changed the rules of game, give him a treat and keep repeating. If he checks in with you under 4 seconds just give praise and keep going. The key is to get the dog to constantly 'check in with you' ( I didn't use treats, as I did this from the first day I had Erik and as puppies just want to be with their owners, Erik soon got the message that he had better keep an eye on me or he might lose me, I reinforce this behaviour in a controll environment, when Erik losses me I just disapear and watch him for a while while keeping out of sight, then I just 'turn' up and act like nothing happened, Erik is just so relieved to see me that he wont take his eye off me, that also leads to being able to give hand signals for other commands when off lead) Not sure if this makes much sense, it has been a long day. So grammer and spelling just went out the window. Cheers Roo PS: Do not ignore this behaviour , you are the boss so start acting like one.

You need to remember a bit a of short term pain is going to be the long term gain. The only time you should go to you puppy at night time (once YOU go to bed) is to take pup out for toilet, no conversation, no playing no nothing (or if s/he has hurt themselves) . You have just taught the pup that if s/he makes enough noise you will get up and play. You will regret this if you keep doing it . Be strong. It will get worse if you repeat the part I bolded. I am also willing to bet it is going to now get worse before it gets better, this is known as the extinction burst. (google it). Puppies pick up a lot more than you realise during this stage. And this sort of thing will/can turn into a very bad habit. Not just through the night, but anytime the dog feels they want more attention. I am going to post a copy of two recent posts of mine just to help. (you can just replace "crate" with "confined space" 1/During the night, (from the time YOU go to bed and the time YOU get up) you should only take the pup outside to toilet and then straight back in. No conversation, no nothing. Just use your toilet command (mine is "do wees") once she has wee'd then priase her, but no playing. Then walk her straight back in the crate and say 'good girl' and close crate and go back to bed. (if you have trouble controlling her and her desire to play, put her on a lead) In the morning, if she wakes first, take her out again and repeat above, but put her back in the crate, untill YOU get up. This will establish a bullet proof routine. Keep everything consistant and you will have no ongoing problems. Do not be tempted to relax this if she gets up at say 5am and you get up at 6am. Make sure she is not allowed out of her crate until you want to get up. You are the leader and you lay down the rules. This is just my view, (some people , don't worry if the dog wakes up and hour or so before them and put them outside to play. totally up to you) 2/In addition and I am sure DOLers are getting sick of me posting this. Your dog does not live in a democracy and nor does s/he want to. Dogs want to lead by a confident, trusted leader who is consistant in their own behaviour as well as consistent in what they expect from them, so that they know what is expected of them. (make sense ) Be a leader , a fair leader and lay down some rules that are not negotiatable, you will be amazed at the response, especially at his age. They just want to please and do what is right so set parametres that the dog can operate in. Not only will he respond he will gain in confidence and get a better understanding of what is expected of him. Also there are a number of opinions on this, but I rarely use treats, if ever really. Especially not for general behaviour issues And finally take a read of the article posted here: http://forums.dogzonline.com.au/index.php?showtopic=62375 Cheers and good luck Roo PS In case you missed my point , :D DO NOT GO TO PUP DURING THE NIGHT FOR PLAYING OR EXERCISE, TOILET BREAKS ONLY :D

Great news. Well done. Erik is the first dog I have use a crate with, and to be honest I just don't know why I didn't use one previously. A great investment.

Erik the Staffy, took about 3 - 4 days to fully settle at night. It was only the first two nights which were a bit nuts.

Keep in mind, being firm does not mean being unfair. I would also get a wire crate if you can afford one. Best thing I ever did. Cheers Roo

During the night, (from the time YOU go to bed and the time YOU get up) you should only take the pup outside to toilet and then straight back in. No conversation, no nothing. Just use your toilet command (mine is "do wees") once she has wee'd then priase her, but no playing. Then walk her straight back in the crate and say 'good girl' and close crate and go back to bed. (if you have trouble controlling her and her desire to play, put her on a lead) In the morning, if she wakes first, take her out again and repeat above, but put her back in the crate, untill YOU get up. This will establish a bullet proof routine. Keep everything consistant and you will have no ongoing problems. Do not be tempted to relax this if she gets up at say 5am and you get up at 6am. Make sure she is not allowed out of her crate until you want to get up. You are the leader and you lay down the rules. This is just my view, (some people , don't worry if the dog wakes up and hour or so before them and put them outside to play. totally up to you) Good luck. Roo

As Bruno said. In addition and I am sure DOLers are getting sick of me posting this. Your dog does not live in a democracy and nor does s/he want to. Dogs want to lead by a confident, trusted leader who is consistant in their own behaviour as well as consistent in what they expect from them, so that they know what is expected of them. (make sense ) Be a leader , a fair leader and lay down some rules that are not negotiatable, you will be amazed at the response, especially at his age. They just want to please and do what is right so set parametres that the dog can operate in. Not only will he respond he will gain in confidence and get a better understanding of what is expected of him. Also there are a number of opinions on this, but I rarely use treats, if ever really. Especially not for general behaviour issues.

How many times a day do you feed him? If it is once, try and feed him in the mornings just so you can see if there is a difference. If you feed him twice a day, make his nightly meal the smaller one, again just to see if it is the food that may be hypering him up

ok here is what I do, I have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to my dog inside. If my pup even gets into second gear, I give a stern QUIET, if he slows down he gets a crazy amount of praise (he is still a pup , so everything is over the top), if he doesn't comply he is scooped up with a stern NO and placed outside and door closed. No discussion and nothing more said. I leave him out side for about 15 mins, then we try again. My Staffy is 21 weeks and is as calm as church mouse inside. (He will only forget at the most once a week now). I can say QUIET when outside and he slows down straight away, I rarely do this as I believe he should be able to run around to his hearts content in the backyard, unless there is an important reason for him to calm down. Cheers Roo

Please don't take my post the wrong way, I agree with screening future puppy owners and have filled in a few forms myself and have no issue with most of the questions. However it does worry me when I see a question asking me for my drivers licence number, how this is relevant to a rescue/breeder is beyond me. My issue is not about letting a breeder or foster owner know my daily routine etc or even inviting them around to my place to take a look themselves , it is more putting it in writing on a form that for all I know is going to thrown in the bin, or left in an unlocked filing cabinet etc etc for anyone to find. If you think this doesn't happen, it does maybe not at breeders or rescue places but it does happen. And I for one would rather it wasn't my information that was let out. This is very reason the privacy act was enacted. Anyone who gathers such data really should make themselves aware of the requirements for keeping personal information. Cheers Roo

Thanks again Freckles, The last time I made it clear that the foster parent of the dog could come around and personally look at my house and yard. (500m to beach, 200m to two massive off leash parks) personally meet me, see where I work (Dogs I own come to work with me) . I would explain the dogs daily routine, I am one of those owners who takes their dogs nearly everywhere I go. I put hours and hours into their training. But I wasn't prepared to give the required information on paper. Their reply was "supply of the information is the policy of ........ and sorry but you can't adopt without providing the information on the form" My attitude was "no problem", I am trying to right thing, but hey it was off to a breeder I went. No skin off my nose, I tried to help an abandoned dog. I personally have no idea who I am giving the information to and hence there is no way I am giving it out willy nilly. Privacy act 2001 was enacted for this very reason. And I am not sure asking for a driver licence number is permitted without a policy in place for the correct disposal of the information. Not trying to start an argument but my view is this: I have been a regular visitor to the Animal Welfare league as I would much rather save a dumped dog than get another puppy from a pet shop or breeder. Pet Shops and the Animal Welfare League do not ask such questions that impose on my privacy. And I am surprised that adopting a dumped dog from the rescue places requires more information on my part than buying one from a pet shop and in some cases from a breeder . I would rather see Pet shops’ put future owners through the wringer ( as it could be reasonably suggested that at least some of these purchases are made on impulse, and that rescues are less so) but hey just my point of view. The animal welfare league were litterally throwing dogs at me , due to the fact that I spend a lot of time with them and they listened to what I told them about our lifestyle. None of the dogs were suitable for us however. Cheers Roo

thankyou Freckles. The only issue I may have is the last time I enquired about a rescue dog, I was ask to fill in a form giving my drivers licence number, how many days I work from home and what hours I am home during the week. I am not prepared to answer these questions as I want to protect my privacy. So if this will be a requirement then I don't want to waste their time. Cheers Roo

Where is the mother located and how do I organise a meeting with her? I have never done the whole rescue thing before.

and make sure you stick around DOL . My Staffy pup is now 19 weeks old and there is plenty of good advice to be had around here. No question is stupid. I would take what some of the previous posters have posted very seriously, they do know what they are talking about. 8 weeks is the mimimum time you should remove the pup from mum. Cheers Roo

a couple of questions: 1/How long do you need to wait before desexing a bitch after she has had pups? 2/ Does the mother have a home to go to yet? 3/ What is her temperament like? 4/ Does the mother have a name? We want to get another staffy and she may be perfect, any information on her would be appreciated. She would have to get on with a 19 week old staffy pup though. Cheers Roo

Welcome to my world!!!! I feel for the OP, my new pup (now almost 18 weeks) has only just got it and he was a fountain. :D Just keep at it. And follow the earlier advice posted above. Using a crate is the way to go. I had never used a crate previously with other dogs, now I am waxing lyrical about them to everyone who cares to listen. A dog owners second best friend. Cheers and good luck Roo

you may have already read this, it is a good way to remained focused on establishing a good pattern of interaction with your pup http://forums.dogzonline.com.au/index.php?showtopic=62375 I flick though it quite often just to keep me focused. Cute habits quickly turn into terrible habits.

In no particular order, talk to breeder and find a new vet. ASAP