Love my Sonny and Neko

We weren't happy with the training provided basically. It's no excuse for not finding another school though.

My partner usually takes one (the girl) and I take the boy.

Thanks Fat Mongrel. We are just using 'normal' leather collars - on the advice of old trainer - at present but will have a look for the prong collar. and you are right - we need to get off our butts and find a new obedience class. Cheers

Thanks poodle wrangler. That is v helpful.

Hi all We have 2 eight month old staffy pups and our family walks are a nightmare! They pull on the leads as if possessed - for up to 40 minutes. The second we separate them, they are fine - perfectly heeling etc. We have taken them to obedience training (although have slacked off lately) and the only advice was to train them separately. The problem is that when walking them together they turn into little devils. So - keep up the group walks which are a nightmare for all or keep going with separate walks? Thanks! Amy

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to respond. Greatly appreciated.

5am? That is harsh! I thought Neko was bad waking us up at 7.30am on non-work days with her non stop "hey - get up" barking. The annoying part is that once we are up she jumps back in to bed to happily snooze the morning away! :p

Hi Just wondering when the bigger meal should be fed. I have always thought a small breakfast and a larger dinner - but wanted to hear other opinions. Thanks :p

I can't really offer any advice as we were home for the first 3 weeks of our pups lives... just wanted to say how GORGEOUS Charlie is... I want him for myself :p

www.vetstop.com.au is a pretty good site and the prices seem quite reasonable. I got puppy kongs on there for a fraction of the price the pet shop and vet were selling them for!

i have in the past made them for my old lil doggie. i am going to take a pattern off staffords bigger coat and make him a polar fleece one too, i priced them at pet shop yesterday and they wanted 40 dollars for a simple polar fleece jacket it was lined so was double thickness, but still, you could make it for less than half that price.. i saw them at stafford show recently and i think they were 20 or 30, someone had made them, i realy shoudl of got one of those ones..lol but i dont mind making them myself. If you do make a good pattern - feel free to send it my way I think I could sweet talk my mother in law into making one!!!

Thanks poodle-wrangler and Rexy for your posts. Rexy - where do you get the polar fleece ones from or do you make them yourself?

Hi Kavik I am worried too about them pulling and chewing them but the time that I am worried about them being cold is when I put them out in the morning. So many people say 'they are dogs. They don't get cold' but I read on a thread on DoL that Staffies don't handle the cold too well. And sometimes Sonny shivers! I guess there is 2 of them so they can cuddle up right? Anyway - thanks!

Hi Pencilnibbler Just to let you know that we have 2 7 month old pups and they have been a delight. One downside is that they do rev each other up at times but we love them to bits and it is all part of their charm. I would have plenty more if my council would let me!!!

Hi all Over the weekend I got my 2 staffy pups a little jumper each. They are really cheap ones and aren't made too well but I got them more for a test. When I leave home some mornings it is only 3 degrees and I hate the thought of them going from a warm house to their cold laundry bed! I am just wondering if any fellow staffy owners have any tips on the best types of jumpers for staffs (or any other dog I guess) including fabric and where to buy them. also - am worried at the thought of the jumpers getting wet so assume it's best to put a little waterproof jacket on too? Cheers! Amy

Excellent thread! I too have just read the Dog Whisperer and was wondering what other books people recommended. Cheers! P.s What sort of pup do you have?

Oh dear. Neko has controlled amounts of water added to each meal (60mls for each 1kg) which she laps up happily and seems to be doing well although we have no clue how it will affect her in later life. There is a specialist in Adelaide who we are planning to see in the next couple of months.

Thanks to everyone for their responses. Will certainly continue on with the ignoring... it does actually seem to be working - and the leash for when visitors arrive. Cheers! :rolleyes:

Hi My 7 month old staffy male goes ballistic when anyone arrives at the house and especially when I get home from work (which is understandable after being left in the yard all day). He yelps and crys and whines... Basically he loves too much. The worst part is that he leaps up and nips at your hand, ear, neck, back.. .whatever he can latch on to. I am trying the ignore technique at the moment and have tried the sit and reward combo but that wasn't too successful. Our obediance instructer told us to knee him in the chest?. Our female staffy pup doesn't jump up at all. Any ideas? Thanks!!!

Thanks! She is absolutely gorgeous... we are enchanted by her.

The name of the condition is Primary Hypodipsia.

Aside from the limp, it sounds remarkably like a simple dose of Kennel Cough... which wiol also cause pups to stop eating and possibly drinking if they feel bad enough.... which in turn leads to dehydration... increase in sodium levels as well as putting other levels outta whack. Please post the name of the condition.. would love to read up about it! Hi - Yes, very similar. They initially thought it was kennel cough and possibly even distemper due to her runny nose. They also thought it was a problem with her kidneys too... to be honest, . Will definitely have the name tomorrow.

Love the sound effects! - this is Neko having a play in her water bowl. She won't drink water but LOVES to play in it.

Apparently they don't really know enough about it although they think that it isn't hereditary. There are 4 vets at our surgery and it took them 3 weeks or so to sort it out with the help of a pathologist and they said that on their vet's forum there was only 2 mentions of it listed. There is a specialist in Adelaide who deals with this sort of thing and we are going to see him in a couple of months after observing how Neko is getting on - as she 'may' grow out of it. I have the name at home and will hunt it out so others can search the web for it. Cheers A

Thanks!