Deb2023

Thanks for your comment/advice, I totally understand about female-female aggression and the male-male aggression and it’s definitely something for me to consider with the Amstaff breed. I’ve owned Rottweilers all my life up until my first Amstaff 10+yrs ago and a couple of times with the Rottweilers I had 2 bitches at the same time, they were raised together from young, ALWAYS in separate yards when any sort of food was given and training always started from day dot. Being such big strong dogs I knew the damage they could do to each other if things ever turned bad, maybe I’ve just been lucky to never have an issue having 2 bitches live together but it is definitely something for me to put more thought into considering Lexa being deaf and taking the Amstaff breed on there own merits as each breed is different just because it worked well with my Rottweilers it doesn’t mean it will with 2 Amstaffs. Thanks again

Dumdum another Amstaff type and preferably another female.

Rebanne thanks for your comment/advice, Lexa has a beautiful temperament, she gives the best greeting to everyone she comes across, tail and body wagging, she is very much a social butterfly haha, she was doing the typical puppy chew on anything and everything including fingers/hands and clothes with her greetings but I’m winning the arguments on this one haha every now and then she needs reminding not to do it but she is a pup so it’s to be expected. I have no doubt she will get over the current spooky behaviour, I just worry about her getting clingy towards me, I had an Amstaff Mastiff rescue for many years that suffered extremely bad separation anxiety and was very gun shy, I also had a Rotti with him and she helped him immensely.I really don’t want Lexa going down the separation anxiety path and I think having another pup in the house will help her in the future when she does have these episodes or gets frightened by something when I’m not around. I think Lexa will thrive with another pup/dog around 24/7

Loving my Oldies thanks for your positive comment, from the research I’ve done and people I’ve spoken to that have experienced owning and training deaf dogs, they have all said the same thing, a deaf dog isn’t really harder to train it’s just a different training method and I must say with my experience so far with Lexa that’s very true, she is very smart and picks hand signals up very fast. I started giving Lexa the hand signal to drop/lay down one afternoon and by lunchtime the following day she was laying down every time I asked and has done since. I honestly thought it was going to be a lot harder than it has been, I know there will be hurdles ahead especially bringing another pup into the house ( double trouble haha ) but I’ve also always been a 2 dog person and I think Lexa will benefit having a best friend to share her life with.

Dogsfevr thanks for your comment/advice, you raise a lot of very valid points all of which will have great impact on Lexa’s future if I take the wrongs paths. As I’ve said in previous replies Lexa has been with me since she was 8 weeks old so we have had 6 weeks of one on one training and have set a great foundation with her training, even when my neighbor brings his foxie X for play dates, whilst they are playing I can get Lexa’s attention, ask her to sit, lay down and stay without drama, she walks great on the lead with a collar or harness too. I live on a farm so Lexa is exposed to ALOT (horses, ducks, chooks, tractors, quad bikes other dogs ect ) around the outside boundary of her yard area, the neighbors also have light planes that fly low over the house regularly, we have also done a road trip to NSW staying in a cabin for the weekend with my sister and her kids. I’ve made sure Lexa is exposed to a lot because she will be going in the ute (canopy on the back) whenever I leave the farm. Up until Lexa got the fright she had taken everything in her stride, was always super confident with everything, nothing fazed her at all. The main setback since she got a fright is her toilet training due to being scared to go outside the door sometimes unless I’m with her. Otherwise she is still doing great with all her other training, I just think bringing another dog into the family will give Lexa a better life and at times help with guidance. After speaking to a few people that have owned deaf dogs, they have all said they thrive with another dog for companionship. I’m lucky enough to have the time, space and setup at my house to accommodate another pup and be able to separate them for individual training sessions. I’m also very prepared to bring in an expert trainer if any major issues I can’t handle arise. Yes Lexa will have to find her own independence to get over certain things in life as she will with this current situation because if I get another pup it won’t be until at least next month as I know she needs to work this fear thing out on her own and I would like abit more one on one time with her to learn a couple more training tricks anyway but I also don’t see the harm in Lexa having a companion to help her with guidance and sometimes abit of confidence in certain situations. Thanks again for your advice there is still a lot for me to think about and consider before making such a big decision. Cheers

Persephone the spots just keep on coming haha the older Lexa gets the more spots she gets and they are more prominent through the white hair too. Her nose also had a lot more pink when she was younger but is now nearly all black. I love the changes happening with her colour, I look forward to seeing what her final coat patterns will be when she matures.

Just so everyone knows who we are taking about, this is my beautiful Lexa

Persephone thanks for your comment/advice, yes bringing another pup into the mix will definitely be more work and at times trouble haha Lexa has been with me since she was 8 weeks old so we have had 6 weeks together and have set a great foundation with her training, I’m very lucky that my property is set up so puppies can be easily separated for individual training sessions, I’m home all day every day so have plenty of time for 2 dogs, I know Lexa will need extra attention in some areas and I’m prepared to bring in an expert trainer if needed with any issues that arise that I can’t get under control. I always planned on getting another pup down the track, I was initially going to wait until Lexa was 6-12 months old but after Lexa getting a fright outside recently she seems scared to go outside at times but when my neighbor brings his foxie X around for a play date Lexa is totally confident outside with the other dog, since she got the fright she has also become clingy with me and I worry this clingy behaviour will become a separation anxiety issue, I recently said goodbye to my old Amstaff Mastiff of 13 yrs that suffered from extreme anxiety and I really don’t want to go down that road with Lexa so am hoping that bringing in another pup as a companion for her will help her with her confidence and independence. Thanks again for your comment/advice. Cheers

Mairead thanks for your comment/advice, since realising Lexa was deaf I’ve done a lot of research on the possible causes and I’m guessing her colour genetics have played a big part ( she is white with a little bit of black ) as for her training, although I am using hand signals I still use voice command at the same time, some of the info on training deaf dogs also states using voice commands as they do pick up on facial expressions and lip reading to a degree, I’m lucky enough to have a close friend that owned a deaf Doberman for many years, she has been great with advice on all aspects of training and living with a deaf dog. I’ve also had advice from half a dozen other people with deaf dogs and they all say there dogs are much happier having another dog in the house for companionship and to a degree guidance. I’ve had Lexa since she was 8 weeks old so have had the last 6 weeks to be able to set a great foundation with her training before bringing another pup into the house, I’m home all day every day as I don’t have a life haha and I’m very lucky that my property is set up so pups can easily be separated for individual training sessions. In the past I’ve had 2 pups at the same time to train and it wasn’t an issue. My neighbor brings his foxie X around for a play date daily and Lexa loves the interaction, she also seems a lot more confident outside with another dog around. I know Lexa is different and needs certain different things to a pup with hearing but she has come along in leaps and bounds so I can’t see bringing a pup into the mix as a negative for Lexa. In saying that I’m happy for any comments/advice positive or negative, any advice gives me more avenues and options to look at before taking the next step for Lexa’s future so thanks again for taking the time to comment. Cheers

Thanks for your comment Loving my Oldies, the laser pens are sold as cat/pet toys although I don’t use it as a toy, there is a condition called laser syndrome that pets are susceptible to, it causes anxiety among other things as the dog can never get the laser so becomes anxious from the research I’ve done so I’m very careful not to use it as a toy. When I use the laser I turn it on and as soon as Lexa makes eye contact with the laser dot I turn it off and give her a treat straight away, now when she sees the laser dot, she runs to me straight away for her treat, it’s only used as a tool to get her attention and get her to come to me, never used as a toy. I will keep putting updates on here to let you know how Lexa is going. Cheers

Thanks for your advice, yes if I do go down the road of wanting some sort of refund I want to have the hearing test results first for confirmation. I’m lucky enough to have a friend that owned a deaf Doberman and she has been fantastic with advice on training with hand signals and tools I can use for communication with Lexa and I must say Lexa is a very smart pup, she is already sitting for food/treats and has now started working out the drop command to lay down. I’ve been using a laser pen as a retreat tool( not a toy at all) as soon as Lexa sees the laser dot she now runs to me for a treat so I don’t think training will be a issue at all I guess it’s more about me learning than Lexa haha. I’m also now looking at getting another pup in about a month, I would like to have abit more one on one time with Lexa to get a good head start with her training but I think getting another pup will give Lexa a lifelong companion/ partner in crime and also maybe help her with abit of guidance. Thanks again for your advice it’s very much appreciated.

Hi everyone, I’ve recently purchased a beautiful Amstaff pup she is just gorgeous but sadly I’ve realised she is deaf. I will be getting her tested with the BAER hearing test, just sorting out the referral atm. Her training had been going great but earlier in the week something frightened her outside (we think it was magpies at the bird bath) ever since she seems to have these spooky moments where she will jump up startled with ears pinned back or pricked, it’s as if she has heard a loud bang yet we hear nothing when she does it. Since she got frightened she has gone backwards with her toilet training, seems to scared to go outside the door at times unless we are with her. I’m ignoring the spooky behaviour at the moment as I don’t want her thinking she will get comforted every time she is scared but it’s very strange behaviour and very sad to see her so scared. We are wondering if she can hear a certain pitch or tone at times so at least the BAER test should give some answers hopefully. I have contacted the breeders twice with an update and told them Lexa seems deaf and will be getting tested, they seemed shocked and disappointed, I’m happy to keep Lexa as I love her to bits but wonder if paying $1500 for a pup that is deaf is expensive and should I be asking for some sort of refund once the BAER test has been done and I have confirmation ?