TessiesTracey

Ok. So for example, I'm trying to teach a close controlled heel at the moment. Stationary to begin with. As soon as the desired behaviour, i.e. the dog is next to my left leg and watching me (not the treat hand), I am clicking then rewarding with the treat. Once this is perfected, I can then introduce either a voice cue or perhaps a tap to the left leg to maintain that desired behaviour?

Fab, thank you. Baby steps

Could I possibly ask some advice on the back of this thread too? I've took the step toward having a go at clicker training. This is gonna sound really dim.. but when do you start to add in voice commands - or in fact do you add in voice commands at all? I'm assuming you would have to to gain each of the actions you want, i.e. sit? heel? down? stand up? At this point do you stop marking with the clicker too, and use only the command? Help!!! Complete noob at this!!

Could the blood have been from a nose bleed, which can somtimes happen if a dog has become extremely heat stressed?

Not going to get into a s**t fight about the rest as, IMO if someone doesn't want to be educated they won't be. Blue fawn is a red (fawn) dog with a blue overlay. If the dog didn't have the blue dilution gene it would be a red (fawn) dog with a black overlay. In Staffords this is called red smut. AFAIK no one has ever disproved the belief that this is the same as sable in other breeds and requires the tan-pattern gene to express itself. So a blue fawn is a tan pattern carrier at best, actually tan pattern at worst. Black and tan is not encouraged in the breed. I am aware of instances where red smut Staffords breed in the same expected ratios and colours as black and tan Staffords. Thanks Sandra, I am sure you have probably explained this a hundred times and feel like beating your head against a wall sometimes. After I had a rethink, I have to agree with your first line which is why I edited my posts Did I miss something then? lol Don't know if this link is of more use to you? Anyway.. http://abnormality.purpleflowers.net/genetics/dilutes.htm

Well they probably wanted to make sure your dog wasnt going to kill their children...gotta watch those pitbulls lol they didn't have children.. but yep, get your point

Have I got a licker! My female Stafford is absolutely obsessed with feet - particularly my husbands! Eugh!! She sits and waits in anticipation when he arrives home from work, staring at his socked feet, poised and waiting for him to remove the socks so that she can get to work!!!! Gross!!!

I have Staffordshire Bull Terriers... that's it... period... not 'types', not 'varieties', but plain and simple Staffordshire Bull Terriers..... Oh I was once asked (when I'd only just arrived at the Coast and had taken my two to the beach) if my male Stafford was a pitbull.... ;)

If you use the search facility on the forum, you should find lots of information about the dilute gene that is present in blue Staffords. However, for some light reading (!) here you go: http://www.gopetsamerica.com/dog-health/co...n_alopecia.aspx http://www.italiangreyhound.org/pages/702h...hpages/cda.html - please note that although this page is specific to the Italian Greyhound, the info regarding diulte alopecia is correct.

There was a lady on the local Gold Coast news the other night who had the police approach her after she left her two dogs in the car outside the court room she was attending in Southport somewhere. She was most put out at having a news camera in her face, and insisted that the dogs were ok, as was the cat that was left in the car too - only the cat could not be found - had apparently escaped out of the crack of the window... !

Except in parts of Germany BSL exists sadly, which would count me out

I'm British. I don't think it's funny.

Likewise. On Pac Pines Gold Coast.. have room for a couple of dogs if needs be.

Yep, my Stafford bitch is weak nerved and trembles if there's yelling in the house. She's not ever been mistreated, apparently her sire is the same. I love her to pieces but wonder why the sire was bred from when he is renowned for being very soft. The breed should be game and confident. Hi Clyde and Casablanca...do your staffies whimper or make any sound at all because ours doesn't she leaves the scene and we find her later on trembling.She isn't scared of thunder or fireworks! do they get a bit startled by some objects you pass whilst out for a walk? sounds like she could be going through her 'skeletons in the closet' phase?? have heard this mentioned a few times with Staffords (my own male went through it)... whereby they become wary and skittish with anything that takes their fancy really.. Alfie didnt' show any of this behaviour until he was around 2 - 2½ years old.. he then became extremely scared of the noise of car tyres on a wet road... he's fine again now.. but we had a good 6 months of him being petrified.. he'd been fine previously..

Scolly.. does she only seem to behave this way when it's raining or is it at other times too? Sorry if you've already said, and I've missed it! I have a female Stafford here who is 'funny' when it rains.. (aside from the precious 'not wanting to get wet' scenario).. she seems to be worse when we have very heavy rain. I'm fairly sure this is due to the fact that she then expects thunder too which she's petrified of.

She might have had an icy pole headache? Brain freeze? How scary... glad dog is ok now

Sorry! lol I was taking things a bit 'literal' like (tried to do the dunces hat there but the whatsits aren't working on my laptop!).

Yay! I give up on the others, have no idea! lol But do know the pot casse ring bark!!

Breed 3.. Old English Sheepdog?

Hybrid vigour does exist. Unfortunately, the hybrid vigour as known to gardeners is not the same as that exhibited in dogs. Don Burke was always raving on about "hybrid vigour" when 2 different dog breeds were mated together. There is hybrid vigour if a pea is crossed with a bean, which was what he knew about as a gardener. Unfortunately, he thought it could be simply extrapolated to mammals. More unfortunately, a whole lot of people who should have known better believed him. It is not so simple with dogs, and crossing one breed with another doesn't do it. Crossng one species with another does it, although that is largely impossible. Hybrid vigour can be introduced to a hugely inbred line by introducing another strain, (not another breed). However, hugely inbred lines, as has been proven by the scientist who bred 200 generations of inbred rats without them having problems, do not necessarily need this. Very complicated subject! Tessies Tracey, did you eat something that disagreed with you, to be projective vomiting all over the forum?? lol No, Jed, 'twas meant to be more of a bleugh reaction to that video..

Death row? Great story, and one very lucky dog to have found a new, loving home

So what about all the people who emigrate to Australia???? What are they going to do if they want to bring their pets into the country? This sounds crazy!!

BBO is a bull breed forum.

Personally I would have posted it as a subject of its own in the Stafford Debate section. More of the "opinionated" folk tend to post in there. Eek! Exactly! lol Well...... I don't mind putting it there.... I guess... It's important to me that the right information is given out, so I guess it should be open to discussion...