Staffyluv

Thanks guys but she was always an awesome dog, she just needed someone to show her how awesome she could be. They aren't bringing her to our training group, they are taking her to Symonston.. I thought I was going to get to see her each week.. Probably for the best.

They called to say that she definitely won't be coming back.. They are as smitten with her as we are and after just a couple of days, can't imagine her not being there. Wishing our pretty girl a very happy new beginning.. Is it possible to have happy and sad tears all at once?.

Totally agree - learn to be assertive with oncoming dogs. Stand in front of your dog and growl a big, mean 'no, get' and mean it.. I have had more success with this than anything else. It is going to happen again and again because so many people think it is OK for their dogs to be uncontrolled off lead and to approach other dogs - it's the world we live in as dog owners. I also agree with MUP - dogs live in the now, just move him away as soon as you can, as calmly as you can and go home if 'you' need to. He would probably have been fine in a couple of minutes and sniffing around again.

.... toes crossed now, too. :) It won't be totally devastating if she comes back - everyone around here is somewhat flat now she has gone over for a trial. We have decided if it doesn't work out and she comes back, she stays..

Zippy is on trial

Long walks are not suitable for pups and biking at 5 months old isn't suitable in my opinion. It isn't the physical exercise that they need - it is the mental stimulation. They do need physical movement but teaching them manners, tricks, herding etc is more mental exercise and will wear out a dog more than hours of physical exercise. You do realise you will create an extremely physically fit animal who will require more and more exercise.. This is the mistake I made with my current boy - I was running him for a couple of hours. Now we train, mentally for half an hour. His physical exercise consists of play time, ball chasing and socialising with other dogs..

She is worth every minute - she really is a sweetheart.

Do they have another dog? or does she not need another dog? They don't have another dog yet - but are wanting to get another one in the future. They have friends with dogs and only want a dog that is dog friendly - Zippy is perfectly happy with all other dogs and is quite submissive to every dog she meets. I would prefer she went to a home with another dog but as these people intend to have play dates with their friends with dogs (and he works from home), it might be an acceptable arrangement for her and the possibility of another dog in the future.

I am happy if people ask if they can say hello.. Zig isn't particularly interested in other people when we are out (different here at home, he will say hello to everyone).. If they have a dog it is a different story - he loves other dogs and wants to say hello to the dog.

Just an update - we had an enquiry about Zippy today. The hubby works from home (bonus), they have older kids (bonus), they have a dog park nearby (bonus) and they want to continue her obedience training (WIN )... The man and his daughter came to meet her this afternoon and they are bringing back the wife back next Tuesday to see if they hit it off.. They did appear to be a bit smitten with her - she was on her very best behaviour. Being sweet and doing everything that was asked. They liked the fact that she was crate trained and already had basic beginners obedience, all vaccinations and heartworm treated..

No luck yet but I am sure her forever home will come along. It would be good if it was soon, as dog training starts up again in a couple of weeks and as her class and Zig's class is at the same time - she will miss out because I don't have anyone else that can handle her for me (and I can't do two dogs at the same time).. She is so good at it, it really would be a shame if she didn't get to continue. Please feel free to copy the flyer and share it around :)

Correct. No DGR status, it isn't a deductible donation. If you total deductions are over $300, then you must ba able to substantiate them.. So you need to confirm that your donations to rescue are actually made to a rescue with a DGR status..

I have two staffys inside together - they have rules. They are allowed to play in the lounge room but not in the kitchen. In fact, when I am cooking, they are not allowed in the kitchen under my feet and tend to sit at the door (or go out and play). If they break the rules, they go on their mats.. Set some rules and boundaries about how you expect them to behave inside and then you can enjoy them as much inside as outside :)

She is as pretty as a picture.. Welcome to the DOL family Miss Rosie

I have Ziggy come, that is return to me and sit in front of me and wait for the next command. If I add the word 'finish' that means come around to heel position - I rarely use this at the dog park (but it would be good practice).. If he doesn't come at the first call (and he isn't perfect), then I yell 'Ziggy, lets go' - this brings him running.. The thought of leaving him seems to be more than he can cope with and he comes every time I say this.

The oldies break my heart as much as anyone else's. So do the puppies and the untrained dogs who never get a chance - they all break my heart. But just maybe, the old dogs owner really didn't or couldn't think of euthing the dog themselves, maybe they were very elderly themselves and heartbroken at the thought of giving up their elderly dog, that they could no longer care for because she was ill (but didn't know what else to do).. Not everyone knows there are rescues or other resources that can help them with their pets - we do take for granted (being overzealous dog lovers) that everyone thinks like us - they don't.. I am trying to help a young family who are just now going through a difficult time (they didn't even know about rescue), they have to give up their two dogs - they never saw this coming and they are absolutely devastated at the thought of dropping the dogs at the pound - because there is no room in rescue here at the moment for surrenders, they can't take the dogs with them into a unit, they don't have the surrender fee for the RSPCA and have no family or friends in a position to help them with the dogs (one pup and one older dog) - they are nice people who have been dealt a rough blow and their dogs pay the ultimate price having to go the pound because there is nowhere else for them to go.. It isn't like they haven't tried - they have been trying for weeks to find an option for their dogs. No one wants an older Bordo/mastiff cross and a staffy pup.

Oh, that reminds me of Ex-Mother in law...Who in a VERY offended tone said to me.... "You Vaccinate dogs, not Children. Children are immunised." But then she thought Hepatitis B was an airborne disease. It came from a moron at the leash free park. Our park is divided in two, so I tend to go when it isn't busy so my boy and the foster girl can have a leash free run in a big space in one side. Fool turned up with his two big dogs and said, these two look like more fun we will go in here.. I asked him to wait a second while I leashed them so I could take them home. He was offended I was leaving, I think - so I explained that Zipp is a foster and I am personally responsible if she gets hurt and I can't afford it if she did.. So he snorted at me and said 'never heard of it, no such thing as foster dogs - people foster kids not dogs'.. I leashed the dogs and left..

There is no such thing as foster dogs - people foster kids, not dogs..

Flat collar on young pups and dogs and martingale for training..

Believe it or not, dogs would see this as correction - moving them to or from things or situations etc is all correction in one way or another. Like Sandra777 said, this is pretty typical stafford play - some dogs don't mind and others may react badly to it. There will also be dogs that love to play like this (my boy and foster girl are two that love this sort of play and rough housing). Find a couple of dogs that allow her to play and go for it but it still needs to be addressed and this is a forum, without knowing the pup (or your experience with training), it is best that you seek professional help. In the long run you want what is best for the pup and learning to meet and greet and play appropriately is the best thing for everyone.

The best suggestion I can give you, is that you need a reputable behaviourist to assess the situation now before it gets out of hand. I note that you are in Victoria, there are some really good behaviourists down there. Nekbet, Cosmolo are both members here and may know someone in your area. Well bred SBT are no more prone to aggression than any other well bred dog. Between myself and my siblings and parents, over the years we have owned many SBT and only ever had one that had aggression issues and he was put to sleep at 18 months old because of it.

My old stafford was allergic to bees. We nearly lost him on the vets table once after he was stung on the face by one. I think it was about 15 minutes from when we saw him stung to when he was unconscious at the vets. He was give adrenalin into a vein as well as cortisone. It is very scary when they react like that to bees - I removed all plants with flowers from the backyard after that.

I know and I did actually write it like that to begin with - but because there isn't a lot of info on her, it read like it was a bit 'cold'. She is such a warm and sweet girl, I guess what I was trying to impart was that she is loved and adored by everyone who meets her (as well as her foster family).. Her name is Zipp (given to her by her original owner), I never really liked it but she simply wouldn't respond to anything else.. So she is Zipp - I use Zippy when I am talking about her because it is a tad more feminine and sound more puppy.. I also think it sounds more appealing - but I was going to explain the name if and when anyone calls for her. The name was a choice between a set or bike wheels (called Zipps??) and the puppy - he got the puppy.. So called her after the wheels..

Link This is a link to all the dosages for all the human antihistamines in the health section of the forum.

I guess not everyone would know, so I have fixed it and uploaded it again :)