Staffyluv

That is awesome advice, thank you. I will try that on Saturday at training.. Would it be more beneficial to get there earlier than the others and start before the other dogs get there? I will do it tomorrow and Friday at the park when we go for our early walk.. He is a pretty quick learner, so hopefully a change of pattern from me, might be just what he needs... Thank you.

ok but what im getting at is this. Do they seriously think a pedigree on a piece of paper includes a dog from being aggressive? Just dont understand the reasoning if they think all bully dogs are inherently aggressive why not papered amstaffs as well? I agree with you.

It doesn't exclude them. Unpapered amstaffs are in as much danger as any other pit type dog. Same goes for unpapered staffys and any other bull breed type dog without certain parentage... There is a checklist and if the dog meets a certain score based on the checklist, they can be deemed pit bull type.. There is more to it but that is the crux of it.. Papered dogs are safe...

His responses at home are great.. we do different stuff at home with training inside and outside, sometimes in the driveway, sometimes around the back on the grass.. I might be cooking dinner and I will call him and get him to heel beside me, drop or stay while I get stuff out of the fridge and stuff - to try to vary his training situations at home. It is a long time to be at training, I think that is why the trainer says to put him in the car a bit because he can't just sit there or just stand there with the other dogs in sight - he constantly pulls on the lead to go to them (but I don't let him). When he is being really good, we might say hello to the puppies for 3 seconds and then walk away, so he gets used to saying hello without the play involved. But he always pulls back towards the other dogs, especially the puppies.. As rough as he is with big dogs, he is so gentle with the little ones. We have a 14 week old lab pup and a 16 week old greyhound cross in class and he crawls on his belly to get to them.. Thanks for the tips, I am willing to try whatever works for him... He is a big dog now at 25kg and he must be scary to some dogs when he starts pulling towards them so eager to get there..

I feel like I am juuust starting to climb out of the "valley of the teenager" now, after much hard work and frustration - and I can assure you the view looks much better from this side :laugh: I am sure it does - we just bought a Lupi harness as we need one now but I will order a better one online tonight. It goes around his legs and chest and pulls him up if he pulls. I will be honest, it does not look strong enough for him (it is just some soft rope type material).. They did say I can take it back if it is not suitable...

Kavik, our training sessions go from 10 to 12 every Saturday.. I think it is much to long but as the trainer said, she doesn't expect the dogs to stay focused the whole time (considering there are 4 of us, 2 with 14 week old pups) - I am glad she doesn't expect complete concentration for that time. The time spent with her gives us lots to work on during the week... It is really basic stuff and Ziggy can do most of what we ask when on his own... She has seen him in his home environment and suggested he needed a group environment to get used to the idea that he can be around other dogs and he doesn't have to play.. So far it is not working out like I hoped but I have faith :laugh: Weasels, he is very much a teenager now (that is what the trainer keeps saying to me - be patient, he is a teenager and he will grow out of it and calm down a bit)... :laugh:

A friend showed her 5 year old a picture of rainbow bridge on the internet and said that is where their dog was staying until we can see him again. Kids love stories and telling them the truth through a story makes it easier for them to understand and to cope. Maybe get a tree for the backyard and get them to help plant it and look after it so they remember At.. Tiny ones don't really comprehend death (IMO), they just need an explanation of why they can't see him anymore. Perhaps say something like At was sick and we took him to the vet and the vet helped him to go to the Rainbow Bridge - where all eventually go. They wait for us there and we can see them again when it is our turn to go to heaven (or whatever your explanation for this is)...

I had to take the car over for a service this morning so called into the pet shop on the way back. They have a variety of front attaching harnesses and head halti's there - but said they need to be fitted to the dog and to bring him in this afternoon and they will have someone there that can help me fit him correctly. So I think I am going to buy both - I can always sell off one if it does not work for us but I want to try everything for him to see what works best for both of us... Thanks for all the advice and experience...

Yes, yes and yes... I do realise that it is more me than him and that he is young and excitable.. That the other dogs offer more than I do (to him), with play and excitement for him. Treats don't really mean anything to him - he couldn't care less about them. He is very ball focused and I have found these squeaky tennis balls made by kong that he is mad for... I can get his attention with these but it doesn't last long - maybe 10-15 minutes and he is looking for the other dogs again.. No amount of calling, squeaking or treats in front of his face will take his attention away from the other dogs (if there are any around)... We have a martingale collar but the trainer said to take it off him as he does not respond to it at all - he literally keeps going gagging and choking. I need to learn to watch him better to respond before he escalates to a level of excitement (the point where I lose him).. In saying that - if he thinks I am leaving, or I say, that's it lets go, he walks away with me... He is 16 months old now and I know he will settle with time and training.

He lets the other dog get the ball and runs with them... If there is a dog within about 50m his focus is totally in the other dog.. It's like he doesn't even hear my voice.. Yes he works fine when there are no other dogs around. He recalls, he sits, stays, drops, looks at me... He comes and waits for his lead to be attached before we leave and is happy to do so... He loves training... Even at home, we do stuff all the time.. If he comes into the kitchen, I will ask him to look at me, or heel beside me and he will do it with just pats and good dog as reward... Weasels it is the same issue I was having before.. We haven't been to an offlead dog park in a long time... We only go to places where he can be off lead on his own and he is leashed as soon as I see another dog (which is rare as we go when it is unlikely to run into another dog like that).

That is what the trainer has us doing... The better he does the closer we get to the group. When he does the wrong thing we move back out again.. We made it all the way into the group last weekend but it didn't last long... So he is improving, albeit slowly..

This is one of the things I am having problems with (still). At home, even with other people around or at the park on our own, I can get him to do just about everything (even his recall is awesome)... As soon as there is another dog around, I lose him.. He is more interested in the other dog or dogs... I gave him half his dinner last Friday night and no breakfast, so he would be really hungry at training and focus on me (with the food). I had raw mince and liver treats, which he loves... After about 15 minutes, not even the food could entice him from wanting to play. He was totally focused on the other dogs... He values tennis balls higher than food, even when he is hungry he will chase a ball non stop for ages... I put him in the car for a few minutes but as soon as he was out, he was pulling towards the other dogs... Moreso the 2 puppies in the group.. Look at me works great but not when there are other dogs, not even with his favourite foods... It really is frustrating but he is much improved on what he was like, so I am hoping with persistence from me and constant training he will eventually turn a corner... I really do wish I had made the time to take him to classes before now.. He would be great at agility or flyball (he is tennis ball crazy) if he could focus long enough to go through the course.. Bless him, he would see another dog and be off to play.. All in all, I think he is a pretty awesome dog... I am sure he will get there

Thanks pers... It's not him, it's me.. I am way to soft on him and he gets pushy with me... I can see what I am doing and I am working on it.. Our trainer is awesome, she is like a female version if the dog whisperer.. She brings her 'pack' with her every week and uses them to demonstrate.. She only has small classes (only 4 of us). My problem is that every time Ziggy has been around a group of dogs, he has been allowed to play.. I need him to focus on me the whole lesson but he gets about half an hour in and all he wants is to play, so he loses focus and gets restless.. It's all a learning curve.. I wish I had taken him to a class earlier. We will get there.. Zig has a great personality and he is a great dog... He is never going to do agility or anything like that but we will get him to a point that he uses his manners all the time (not just at home)..

Oh so that is what she was talking about.. Our trainer also suggested a front clip harness but I had no idea what she was on about,.. Thanks ETA, he is snoring his head off at the moment, so I will measure him tomorrow and order one..

I agree with juice. Can you try to encourage a nice walk for the whole family together? Pets can be such relaxing creatures and relieve stress. Our boy knows when I am feeling low and just sits with me.. Taking him for a walk is a real destresser for me personally...

Hello all, Ziggy is doing pretty well at training... He can do everything that is asked of him (we are still working on the off lead recall). However the trainer has suggested I get him fitted with a halti as he is so strong now and he stills gets really excited when he sees another dog.. So excited that he just wants to make a bee line for the other dog... He is super friendly but he is so string now that he is starting to really pull. If it is just him and I walking to the park or going for a awlak and we dont see any ither digs, he is pretty good most of the time. So I have come to ask the wealth of knowledge at DOL for suggestions on which halti would be best for a strong dog that only really pulls when he sees another dog.. I thought maybe one of those head halter ones (gentle leader, I think they are called and i think that is what our trainer was referring to) But as I have never needed one before I thought it prudent to ask opinions before going to the pet shop to get one fitted... Thanks in advance.

You did everything you could lovely - you were lucky to have each other... Rest in peace At - DOL will miss another of it's furry angels..

You could send her profile to staffy rescue and maybe even Mina at BDR as they might know someone looking for a purebred and they might be happy to put her on their websites.. Good luck rehoming her, she is beautiful..

Peter (surname?) from dogs NSW on the seven morning show this morning talking about how the country needs national dangerous dog laws like the ones in Victoria but not BSL as it doesn't work.. We need to focus on the individual dogs that are an issue and not a whole breed as BSL doesn't work.. It's been tried lots of times and failed... Also the change in law means that instead of just the $11,000 fine, the owner could get up to 6 months in prison... My heart breaks for the Chol family..

What about clam shell pools? May not be big enough for big dogs with large litters but they are really easy to clean and cheap to purchase. Not that hard to store on their side, up against a wall.

It is ST but it is the way most humans form opinions about anything - experience...

I disagree with the dog not receiving the same treatment in my home because they might not be treated the same in their new permanent home. I actually look for homes similar to mine when rehoming... I like the thought that they can come inside and be part of the family.. Honestly (and I will probably be flamed for it) but I would never consider a permanent home for one of my fosters where they were not allowed to be inside at some time (I understand keeping them in a secure yard while at work and that is fine)... I also don't have an issue with dogs not being allowed on the furniture in a new home (that is very much a personal preference), that's why they are invited up here, not just free reign to do as they please..

1. I feed fosters the same as Ziggy, barf patties and royal canin. I explain that dogs do better on better food that agrees with them and changing food needs to be done slowly over a couple of weeks.. The choice to drop to a lower quality food is theirs but I do try to encourage them to use better foods by explaining that the higher quality food, you need less of, smaller poops etc.. 2. I crate train my fosters but they are also invited onto the bed. Getting on the bed (or the lounge) is by invitation. This way, the new owners can choose to invite the dog onto the bed or lounge or not.. 3. See number 2 4. My first foster, Gussy a lovely little kelpie cross was very hard to let go. I think I interviewed 3 homes before the right one came up.. My second, Coco was much easier to let go as she went to friends of mine and I get to see her and know she has a great home.... My third was very hard to let go of, I became very attached to Pippa and still today, think it was a mistake to let her go... She should have been a foster failure.. I miss her heaps. 5. I think the basic commands of sit, stay, drop and recall are great if you can get them all before they are rehomed. Some are easier to teach than others..

Oh thank you so much for taking him on... I have known Barney and his owner for a very long time... I know Jen was heartbroken to ,wave him and basil... Barney is a lovely boy who will do much better being rehomed in Australia rather than being shipped overseas (the crated flight would not be good for for him).. I hope he finds the perfect home.... Thanks again..

I'd have to say the opposite here. My favourites are GSP's and my least favourites are Staffy's because my GSP has lost part of his ear to a Staffy. He was chasing his ball in the park when a staffy came from nowhere and chomped his ear. I had my grandson with me and he wont go out in the park with me anymore as it upset him so much. I guess it all comes down to experiences with different breeds.. Sadly I still live next door to the two that bark all the time all because of their stupid owner.. They lunge at my staffy every day that we come home from our walk... I do believe it is the owners fault these two are like they are but I admit, I would never want to own one because of the way these two are...