SoL

Our staffords will move hell and high water NOT to go outside in teh rain - you can actually see them tip-toeing on the wet grass if you make them However, not having opposible thumbs means then can't open the toilet door and flush teh loo, so for a small moment they have to pretend to be dogs again and go to the loo outside - under sufference! A lot of Staffords are also afraid of storms, loud noises, door slamming etc, which can trigger anxious behaviour. Don't give her free reign of the house - close doors and watch her so you can see the signs before she's going to toilet inside - just like you would a puppy. Reinforce the good behaviour. There's no use telling her off because she doesn't know she's doing wrong. The only other thing I can't recommend highly enough is training her to accept a crate. A large crate draped with a blanket over the top with snuggly blankets inside can become a dog's number one safe haven - a place for her to feel safe and secure in, a place where she can go if she's feeling anxious. This can also help in toiletting issues as well.

I asked this question yesterday but since OP hasn't been back I haven't got my answer either. "Big Staffies" is what is generally called an oxymoron (I think! ) Has anyone even seen in the mouth of a Scottie - bigger teeth than any ''staffie'' (big or not!) and usually the attitude to make good use of them when challenged. I would think fence fighting could be an issue with fault on both sides. Swap you my d*ckhead neighbours and their kind-off GSD type, which has decided demolishing the fence is the easiest way to get into the mouths of my Staffords. It'll be declared dangerous pretty soon I should think the way it attacks the fence on the other side which borders a public walk way used by a lot of children. Ahhh you too have dickhead neighbours - I have one who has an HA and DA red cattle dog - she's never walked, never even played with, runs the fence, attacks teh fence to get to you, the dogs or any kid that happens to be near the fence - and yet we are the ones with "savage dogs"!!! Any dog, of any breed, in the hands of a tosser, can be dangerous. Scotties are terriers too, don't forget, with terrier tendencies and a nice set of canines! I would think that the new neighbours would welcome the chat as it would show that you have respect for their dogs as well as your own. If they have any sense about them they will discuss preventative measures with you - remember it is a two-way street though. Just because your perception of Staffords has been coloured, please don't have rose coloured glasses on about what your own dog can do and make no effort to help the situation.

The incident was unfortunate but that's not to say that these new Staffords are going to be owned by idiots but by owners who know and respect the breed and have taken the time to train 2 adult well socialised and mannered dogs. Talk to them and tell then what happened.

It's never to late to call a vet - you should have notified him/her beforehand anyway with a pre-whelp check-up and they should have given you an out of hours number to call.

You have a 5month old baby on your hands so cut him some slack as he will only be as good a dog as you make him. This is, however, a typical personality of this breed and also typical baby behaviour and whilst usually they grow out of it, he will have a good 3-4 years of hyper behaviour until he fully matures (be warned though - some Staffords never really mature!). Plus the fact he is also probably teething by now so get him heaps of things to chew. Smacking him on the nose is not the way to go, if you do have to smack him then contain it to the rump. I find at that age growling works. I also wouldn't wait until February, though credit goes for booking the obedience classes. Start now, with the basics, especially focussing on you. Mental training can be just as exhausting as physcial training, though I would say that taking him out "at least every second day" is not enough. Also, keep a check on how he goes with his playmate - I can't remember what the other dog was like or how old his playmate was, but if it makes your puppy more hyper then it might be an idea to find an older playmate who will teach him canine manners and boundaries. Desexing is not the answer to every problem and I definitely wouldn't desex at this age as it will probably do nothing to change his personality but it will affect his physical growth. Good luck and don't give up on him - calm consistency and perseverence are key with Staffords. Em ETA ditto what Sandra said - DON'T chain a Stafford EVER.

Congrats Mel, Molly does look pleased with herself doesn't she! Hugs to all 2 legs and 4 legs from me

Run, run as fast as you can! Save your money, prepare to spend a little more and buy from a reputable, ethical breeder who will health test their stock for AT LEAST L2-HGA and HC (have you asked this person about health testing???). Do your research about the breed and ask as many questions as you like about the breeder, their practices, their dogs. Ask to see ORIGINAL health clearance certificates and also ANKC main registration certificates (in NSW they are blue). You will be doing yourself a favour in the long run. Ask as many breeders as possible, even if they don't have anything available. The Stafford as a breed is overbred and not everybody who calls themself a breeder should be as the dollar is their bottom line. It really does pay to take your time about things and do your research. Quality comes to those who are prepared to wait. Good luck and there are plenty on DOL who would be more than happy to help answer questions and point you in the right direction

Hey Mel, how's it going??? Zulu whelped litters of 8, 9 and 7 and her daughter whelped 7 and 9 pups, boy have you got your work cut out The most important part I think is the water and calcium but we also use a high quality vitamin/mineral supplement, plus I make a porridge up using oats, water, natural yogurt, honey and raw egg and give that to the mum for brekkie everyday. With large litters we also start to offer scraped meat off the finger to the pups from around the 3 week mark and then begin weaning proper at around 4 weeks. Don't be too scared though, but is this a maiden whelp or a problem mother? I remember Sunny was quite frightening her first litter, she just didn't want to know and I had to babysit her babysitting her pups, if I moved away so would she! Her second litter, however, was a lot less stressful, for which I was very thankful seeing I was also early pregnant myself I think what I'm trying to say (badly!) is not to stress too much. If you need to bounce ideas, you have my email and my number and I can't wait to see piccies. Good luck

Yes, been there done that! I bought 3 Snugglesafe heat pads from them and when I hadn't heard anything (except for payment confirmation) in a week I started emailing requesting shipment confirmation. When I still didn't hear anything, I started ringing the phone numbers provided (one of which listed was for a professor at Sydney Uni - go figure). By this time I was panicking a little and emailed threatening legal action and also to report them to the Office of Fair Trading (I felt I had satisfifed the burden of making a decent attempt at contacting them). Two days later I got shipment confirmation and 3 days after that I received my goods. Will never go near them again.

I also use it on dogs or pups that are travelling. Good stuff

Edited cos basically you've made your decision and it was pretty much what I was going to suggest anyways

I actually would say that the chances of having your two girls co-habit together is pretty slim. If you don't think there's any real damage then you really don't know bull breeds that well. Bitches bear grudges. They don't forget and whilst they may back off for the time being, the time will come again where they will set to and next time you may not be so lucky as to be able to seperate them. Hell, you might not even be there to try and then you are going to come home to either one girl or no girls at all. They are called bitches for a reason, and a trigger can be something you would never have perceived to be a trigger at all. Desexing will not be the answer. Separation is. You need (and quickly) separate runs to ensure their safety when you leave them alone. For the moment you need to separate them and yes, there may be a time where they can be re-introduced (when ALL injuries have completely healed) but you can NEVER leave them unsupervised again and you MUST learn to read their body language. Keep them exercised mentally and physically and NEVER leave balls, bones, food or other prized possessions out in the yard. Feed them in their separate runs and keep the doors shut whilst they are feeding. Good luck with the situation and please have respect for what they have done and what they can do in the future.

It's nearly always rife around here but yes, it has been even worse lately - we don't take any chances. Our pups were vaccinated in the back of our car due to not wanting to take them into the surgery - the vet said that they had been inundated with parvo cases. Funny, in my experience it costs more than $1000 to treat and even then there's no guarantee of success

Especially rubber/plastic toys - such as Kongs! They won't show on x-rays. How much bone have you fed him? Has the vet checked for a blocked intestine? One of my boys kept vomiting after meals and we found that the dry food and also the amount of bones he had had, were like cement in his gut - easily cleaned out thank goodness.

We send off the paperwork after microchipping but usually before the pups leave for their new homes. All paperwork is in our name as owner/breeders to begin with, the papers are handed over when the pup is picked up and the new parent then transfers the paperwork (CCC and Council) into their name.

... and whilst we're on black & white, I specifically wanted a photo of one of our white pups in b&w and wanted to get the ISO really high so the main point of focus were the eyes and muzzle. Not sure about this one, don't know if I've pulled it off - I think maybe the white is too blinding (wish she was that clean looking in real life LOL)

Ok... intention to post: just to get a decent picture of OH on his bike. Decided to also try the monochrome feature on the camera cos I love black and white shots. I had it on manual settings, but forgot to adjust the ISO so the initial photo was too white and the bike/rider were almost lost so this piccy has been cropped and adjusted somewhat but I actually really like the end product, I think it's retro-cool! Would love to hear what you think

Thanks Sandra See, we are of the same mind regarding weaning - mine get scraped beef as well but I've always tended towards weaning them on mostly commercial with at least one raw meal per day when fully weaned. They have also had roo and chicken mince, as well as wings, oily fish (mine love it ) and they devoured half a carcass each today, but do you bother with any vegies as well or just table scraps? I think I'm on the right track, it's just making that transition to complete raw that I'm having trouble with

So can you pls describe, for this particular numpty, the range of foods you would feed pups other than the usual chicken frames/wings, lamb off cuts, fish and eggs? Do you use any fillers such as rice/oats at all?

Do you or have any of you put your pups on 100% raw from an early age? If so, what were the results, especially regarding pasterns, bowels, coat, growth rates and general health and well being? I have 4 11wk old pups who I feed a mixture of dry and raw (not in the same meal). Our adult dogs are now fed 100% raw with good results so I'm wondering whether the pups would do well on this kind of diet or whether their mineral/vitamin, protein etc requirements are too complicated to cater for to ensure their healthy growth into adulthood. If unsuitable at this moment, when would a good changeover age be? 6 months, 8 or 12 months?

First bit of sun all weekend and I found these sprouting at teh bottom of the gum tree down the back garden. I was hoping to capture how the sun was highlighting the colours and also the blades of grass surrounding ...

Very sorry for your loss, she looks a lovely girl.

Is it bokeh you're after or is that another matter entirely? Sorry, no help obviously but I'm curious to know the answers as well

OK, be kind cos I'm cheating a little here with already posted photos The first I had sworn that I wouldn't take until I had a decent camera. I wanted the try and capture the view and how beautiful it is in 'real life' but the first was just plain 'nice', not good enough really. Took on the critiques from teh lovely crew (you guys) and went and took it again. First attempt: Second attempt: Next my boy was puddlebusting down the park - I had initially intended on getting action shots of him on the swings in silhouette but he decided this was more fun, so I changed my mind to trying to capture the movement of the water, along with the fun 'vibe' of the play will post more soon, trying to make up for lack of photos last month

Saw an ad for purebred 'chugs'. (chis x pugs) :D