SoL

the only fate the idiot's given his dogs is the big green needle.

The only one I know of and will recommend is the Lochinvar Pet Motel in Lochinvar (obviously!). They have fantastic facilities, knowledgeable and attentive staff and they feed a decent food (from memory). The only problem we had was that they fed our dogs way too much and they ended up like wombats. They also deal with a lot of breeders nationally so they are more than capable of minding entire dogs and bitches. I don't know if that's too far for you to go though.

Bench presses and push ups! Sorry, being serious ... Your boy is only young, his growth plates would have only just closed over so you wouldn't have wanted to exercise him too much anyway. As Sandra said, most judges wouldn't have a clue what a Stafford SHOULD look like, so don't pay too much attention to them. Learning how to analyse your own dog is key. Exercise and diet and genetic make-up are the key factors to producing a muscled dog. If the dogs preceding Blitz aren't known for being high in muscle mass then únfortunatley no amount of work will make Blitz look like Arnie Schwartz 20 years ago. If this is the case you should still aim for fit and cut as this will still define his lines and you will probably do better under breed specialist judges than all breeds, who tend towards the heavy set, bullish type. At 12 months old, a Stafford should look gangly still, with plenty of daylight underneath him. If he looks heavy and overdone at this stage he will only look more so at full maturity. This is nothing to do with building muscle, this is to do with lines and genetics. Our lines take at least 2 years to mature physically (mentally is another matter!) and even then we get some dogs that are slower to mature. A diet higher in protein (but not too high) and constant and consistent exercise will help build muscles. Have faith and aim for overall health and fitness instead of concentrating on muscle mass (sounds like he's doing alright in the show ring despite this though from what you've posted in teh past).

I have nothing to say re the medication but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that your girl as a successful operation with a speedy recovery.

One very valid point that Sandra has made applying to Staffords: decided why you want to show - do you want points and titles and public acumen of all breed showing or do you want your dog to stand up against its and your peers at a special? They are 2 VERY different types of dogs unfortunately. If you are thinking of getting into breeding down the line then the second option should be your only option but you are probably going to be disappointed in the all breed arena. Sad but true If you choose all breeds, then at least get your dog into good condition - there are WAY too many fat Staffords out there at the moment and people are starting to believe that a Stafford should be one solid block of a dog. And remember - the bigger head doesn't necessarily mean the better dog, it should flow in its conformation. You will probably have more success with breeders if you choose a male. Wanting a bitch on the main reg without having a proven track record in the breed usually means you want to breed and that rings warning bells with breeders. Research research research and keep talking to breeders. Get the breed standard and memorise it and learn to pick a dog apart conformationally. That way instead of thinking 'don't like that one' you can figure out WHY. Get a mirror and learn to stack in front of it so you can see how your dog is standing from the judge's perspective. My biggest fault in showing (I'm crap) is that I get very nervous and this travels down the lead and we both go to pot. So don't be nervous! Wish it was that easy!!! (Actually alcohol does help!)

Whatever you do, do NOT let this behaviour continue. Sounds like she's getting too big for her britches. Have you (yourself) tried taking food or bones from her whilst she's eating? Does she challenge you too? Firstly, never feed these dogs unless and until they are separated. Secondly, make that little girl stand and ask for permission from you before you allow her to eat, which means standing over her food, not allowing to rush to her bowl, you pushing her back, whatever it takes until she gets the idea that you own the food and you are letting her eat when you say so. I would do this every time you put food down for her and this includes bones too. That would just touch the tip of the behavioural iceberg though and for the rest I would really suggest a GOOD behaviouralist. Good luck with it all

You have the new Charlestown Square in one direction (it's a bit of a sheisen fight as it's massive and I always get lost) or, if you go in the other direction there's Maccas at teh roundabout if you're desparate. If you turn right at that roundabout you go towards Glendale and Cardiff and there's definitely supermarkets there

Take a tent and a chair and a book then ... plenty of time for nanna naps in between shows We're there only for the Sunday shows - it gets too much for the kids otherwise.

and there's me wanting to give my dogs more energy ... that's where I'm going wrong then

awful stuff, second to Supercrap in my book - heaps of poo, heaps of fillers and didn't do anything for my dogs' condition. If you're looking for something to just fill a dog up then ok but if you're wanting something extra from the food then look elsewhere.

A few of our local rangers could do with realising that fact RSG!

Yes to first and no to second, entries are usually quite big though I heard a rumour of around 200 or so entries. Unconfirmed of course.

Nope, this weekend is the special and this is the first time she's done it (she's 17 mths), she usually shows like a champ so I'm going to concentrate on making it a bit more fun for her and take her back to basics. Hopefully she won't show us up too much Good idea about turning inside with a toy though, will give that one a go, thanks

Yes to first and no to second, entries are usually quite big though

Okies peeps, need some extra brain cells thrown my way. One of my girls has gone a bit show sour. Now, I can get her moving well enough but everytime I now ask her to do an out and back, on the 'back' command (where I stop and she walks round my front to return back) she puts her head down and does a 4 wheel lock up and I have to drag her which is NOT a good look! So I'm trying to break this (pref. before this weekend!). I'm thinking a new command word or a new way of turning might do it, just something new and novel. What do you guys do?

They make you learn new skills too - like how to plaster a wall after they've put bloody great big holes in it! Long story short, they were bored and that is when destructo dog takes over. So heaps of things to keep them entertained and be prepared to put at least 40 mins exercise in. If you're going to play ball i'd advise warming them up first with a walk and then playing on a flat area - uneven ground can put shoulders out, damage feet and wrists. Staffords have a knack for charging into things so you will probably end up at the vets for things you never even realised a dog could do!!! As Sandra said, make sure your fences are more than adequate. I have 2 dogs here who are jumpers, one can manage the 5ft fence standing and the other can get to my OH's shoulder - and he's 6'4"! If you have weak fencing they will exploit it, be it over, under and never discount through! Food wise you will have to monitor as loads of Staffords are complete garbage guts. I have two girls who have figured out how to get the lid off a locked garbage bin of dog food and help themselves! Good quality food is a must as Sandra has explained. Some Staffords are also prone to grass allergies - not much you can do there and ear infections. Then there's teh basics of worming, vaccs, flea and tick control. Washing, well to be honest, I don't if I can help it. the show girls get washed on show days and the others only have about 3-4 washes a year or if they've found something amazingly fantastically attractive to roll in. Leads and collars, well they need to be strong. Lead training is essential as you have a little tank to walk who will think dragging you along is just a weight pull contest. Harnesses, not too keen on them. We use one on our boy because he damaged his neck so a collar's out of teh question but it just transfers his centre to the middle of his back, which makes it easier to pull. So all up it's worth investing in good quality leather leads and collars - and believe me you can really go overboard with this, they're addictive Bedding, don't bother, they'll just want to sleep with you!!! It's worth getting a tramp bed for them to lounge outside on and also a clam shell or other plastic paddling pool for them to bathe in during summer. Make sure they have adequate shade and shelter from the elements as they hate extremes and you will need a coat for them in winter.

In NSW you need to sign a Stat Dec sign by a JP to change from Ltd to Main. The fact that this has happened is horrific and I hope a one-off admin mistake.

the only problem you'll have is them licking it off - pawpaw ointment doesn't present too much of a problem as it's just pawpaw. I've used this and also bepanthen in times of dire need - they work well

Chester will sit on your feet, Burton would sit on your lap given the chance All of the girls will sit on the feet but Shaz at the moment prefers to lord it up on the chairs (she's a laaaaadyyyyy!) Wouldn't have it any other way

So another newbie is pissed off because they haven't gotten the advice in the form they think they want. NO. You have been given the advice you NEED. Take it, it's good advice and it's FREE (unlike the medication you will probably need to pay for the multitude of issues that pup's going to have if you don't change your course of training now ). Dammit, I used a sad face! A Stafford that is ill trained, noisy, destructive, has seperation anxiety is only known as one thing: poundfodder (dammit another emoticon!) T hough it might sound drastic to you, what issues do you think forcing it to stay in its crate (which is supposed to be its safehaven security blanket) and soil its bedding will produce? Or blaming the pup for doing so? Or shipping it off to yet another strange place with NOBODY around at night just so you don't have to deal with it's noise when it's a breed that evolved around being a fundamental part of a family? You need to put the time and effort into the pup now. That means getting up a couple of times a night to let it out to toilet. Playing with it, training it, socialising it, figuring out a way in which it can stay in your apartment whilst you're out with minimal destruction without it being in a crate all day (good luck with that one!). Not to teach it how to become a well adjusted social adult (starting from right now) will lead to issues. Maybe not right now but I guarantee issues down the line. Take the advice given to you and use it FOR THE GOOD OF THE PUP.

if i'm not home my dogs are crated and when i'm home supervised in the yard, i've only ever owned 1 female and we clashed big time, for some reason i've always perfered males fair enough but what if you're away 8 hours plus? You can't crate them for that amount of time. What if they don't get on even when you're home? As Sandra has said, not all get along and you have to be prepared to accept the fact that the dogs may just hate the sight of each other, in which case it's rotational play and permanent separation. Thin crate wire and glass sometimes just won't cut it. If you are serious about getting more than one Stafford then I would seriously suggest you look at runs as an insurance policy.

Use this time to get your yard sorted out then. It will also help you more with breeders if they know you have the ways and means of keeping them seperate when you are out, and, if you're thinking of getting a bitch, when she's on heat. With Staffords when a fight is on, it's on! It's bad enough happening when you're there, don't take the chance of it happening when you're not.

I feel like an in law here,Sandra777. Bull mastiffs are a great dog as are wolfhounds. As a mix, it doesn't always work as well due to conflicting instincts. But every purebred dog has to deal with the situations crosses cause and blame falls on the innocent. I'll go out on a limb here and say that Sandra777 knows full well the blame purebreds get from crosses going off the rails. I also don't believe she was dissing either distinct breed. to the OP: everybody has given you the only piece of advice you need from this forum: get professional help. The quicker the better.

It's not just the breed but the individual dog as well. Our oldest boys are nearly 10 and they have lived most of their lives entire, Chester was chopped a couple of years ago now for health reasons. He was the only stud dog though, his brother will die a virgin! They are and always have been thick as thieves but they are VERY different personalities. As pups, Chester was teh naughty one and Burt was teh quiet one. They've grown up and swapped over We have been very careful though making sure they are trained (to a certain extent) and never put them in situations which could trigger an argument, such as feeding, bones, women etc! When we introduced Kevin to the mix, well, we would never let them run free with each other. Not that it was overtly aggressive, but the elders could potentially see a young pup coming in to take over as threatening but they would lose a fight if instigated. Again, it's all about management and not letting that particular situation happen. If you're thinking about running more than one Stafford of any sex (and believe me, bitches are probably worse than dogs because they can really hold a grudge if they don't get along!) you have to make sure you have the facilities to keep them separate whilst you're out of the house. Sure they could get along famously but one tussel over a toy left lying around could potentially turn nasty. If you're not there to stop it you will come home to a very nasty scene. The only way to ensure their safety is to have runs made up so they still have room but are separated.

My boys are stoooopid to the enth degree when a girl is on! Crying, panting, not eating, pacing and nights are a disaster, wanting to go out for 5 mins, then in for 5, then back out again :rolleyes: We've also got the back garden where teh girls are fenced off otherwise they'd spend all night sniffing at their runs, scenting, over scenting, you name it. When Chester was whole, he lost so much weight through refusing to eat it was scary and he was so bad in primetime that the last resort of 1/2 an ace was used just so we all could get some shut eye (dogs included!). Chopping him has cured that to some degree though he still thinks he can mount anything with 4 legs (much to his brother's annoyance!!)