Hello....I need some advice on Staffys

[Kiaclare]

I have just got a staffordshire bull terrier bitch who is approx 6 months old. She is currently in season and I am wondering how long she will be in season for? Also what do people find is the best food to feed her on as she doesn't seem to eat much. She was spoilt by her previous owners and has been allowed to eat all day everyday, sleep on the beds, has no lead training and is very quiet and lazy. Any advice appreciated. I have had a staff before but it was male

[maxlee]

hi 1st thing welcome to the forum :cheers:

i look after my friends dog (chad) he is a staffie he is on biskets and meat mix.
he plays a wating game, this is were he wont eat coz he thinks he can get better like the food we are eating after a day he soon gives up ;)

as for the lead training there is loads of advice tips etc on here and it works i find changing were i am going or walking backwords both work on my friends dog were i only have him for 4~7 days at a time i dont get long to try and train him

i find he lissons to you after a long walk/play

this is what i do to keep him busy when i am

http://http://www.dogforum.org/showthread.php?t=6551 (click link)
its easy to make and cheap to replace the eaten bits ;)

get some pictures up :D

[Kiaclare]

Thanks for that :)

I have had a few puppies before, but never one this strong or lazy!!!

She has finally eaten her breakfast after I stood over her - she doesn't seem to like being alone.

I will post some pics later, my digi cam is in the car and I cant be bothered to go and get it :p

[Katlovesdogs]

heya, your puppy will be on season for approximately 3 weeks. The first week its blood, the second week its pink stuff and that'll carry on for the last week. obviously you'll need to keep her away from male dogs until your sure its over. its very important that you begin socialising her as much as possible, with other dogs especially. I'd advise taking her to puppy socialisation classes and training classes (which can be just as good), so that she gets to meet lots of different people and dogs of all shapes and sizes. The best food for dogs ARENT the ones in the supermarkets, remember to look at the ingredients and pick a food that names its meat and dosnt have 'cereals" as a major ingredient. If I were you, id feed your staffy naturediet or james wellbeloved, which are very good quality, natural foods. At 6 months, she should be on two set meals a day. Best of luck with your doggie, id love to here how you get on and see some piccies:D . :drunken: :) :p :cool:

[Katlovesdogs]

ow yea hand by the way, I dont think you'll have much of a problem with your dog eating if you feed im naturediet, most dogs go crazy for it:)!!

[Katlovesdogs]

you can get it from most pet shops, jolleys and pets at home etc.

[Little Miss Road Rage]

Hiya my staffie bitch is a year old and was in season for 4 weeks!!!!! She doesn't eat much and I leave her food down and she snacks when she wants (naughty really). I also find she doesn't like eating by herself and she loves cuddles. Good luck and welcome to the forum

[eb4i]

Heya... sounds like you've got some separation anxiety issues going on. Shouldn't be a big deal from the sounds of it, but you might wanna read up on it. Here's agreat place to start: http://www.dogforum.org/showthread.php?t=3937

Did the previous owners 'free feed'? Is that what you mean when you say that she was allowed to eat all day? Free feeding is a practice I have used before. I Didn't see any adverse effects.

[skunkstripe]

Hi Kiaclare and http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q108/2dogmom_album/crittergraphics/whitedogwelcome.gif
Looks like you have a fair amount of work ahead of you if the previous owners have not tried to train her at all. Hopefully she is housebroken(?)
Anyway I am a big believer in giving dogs plenty of exercise as if she eats and lies around all day she is likely to become overweight as an adult.
You may want to use the NILIF approach (http://www.dogforum.org/showthread.php?t=4618) and start from the beginning, "sit" "stay" etc and work your way up to the lead training.

Best of luck.

[redstaffs]

hiya i have 4 staffys and have had them from pup i,ve allways feed them on beta first" beta pup " and " now beat active " its always seemed to do mine good and other people i know use the same
http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/5144/dsc00417qh2.th.jpg (http://img110.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc00417qh2.jpg)

[KatzNK9]

Hello and welcome to the forum! Great to have you with us! Congrats on your new family member! I hope you'll post lots of pics & tell us of your adventures with her.

I don't have any advice for you as respects staffies in general (I've lived with one years ago but it was my roommate's dog) but I do love them and have several friends who have them.

I do think this is a breed that benefits greatly from structured obedience training & a advise you to start training your girl as early as possible.

[staffilover]

my 2 staffs will eat anything they'd eat me if i stood there long enough:eek:

i dont know of any staffie that dosnt like tripe, and its cheap. it stinks but its cheap....

mine eat regular tinned dog food, in between they have dog bicuits
i give them tinned tuna or pilchards once a week too..

on the other point of not wanting to be alone, if you've only just had her from 6 months of age shes going to be a bit down, she's probebly missing her previous owners, i dont think she's lazy, just a little down.
thats why she's not interested in eating imho.
she'll be fine just give her time to settle in and get used to you..
show her lots of love & let her sleep in bed with you they're the best toe warmers...
love
staffilover x

[Shankly]

Hi

We fed Shankly on Bakers puppy and now on Bakers adult and he seems to like it. We picked Bakers mainly because there are 2 flavours for the puppy food so he didnt get too bored.
We will also feed him mince beef or lamb, tuna, pasta probably once fortnight he does also like his weetabix in the morning (dont ask, blame the wife).

As for the walks i advise to get her to heel as soon as you can we struggle sometimes with him but the changing direction 180 degrees works well.
Remember they are not the cleverist of breeds so keep up with the training as you will notice when you stop (trust me).
I am sure she will be up and running soon as already said prob missing previous owner Shankly loves his walks and can walk for hours!

[Kiaclare]

She is settling in a lot better now. She was ill over the bank holiday and wouldn't stop being sick. The vet gave her two injections and some special food and now she is as fit as a fiddle.

She quite happily sleeps on the bed, snoring her little head off.

As for food she seems to eat pretty much anything but the vet thinks she has an allergy so she is now fed on a food like James Wellbeloved and not the bakers mix I had her on.

Going to take her to some socialisation classes and try to get her used to people because she is embarrassing when she barks and creates around people.

Fingers crossed....

[staffilover]

hiya i have 4 staffys and have had them from pup i,ve allways feed them on beta first" beta pup " and " now beat active " its always seemed to do mine good and other people i know use the same
http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/5144/dsc00417qh2.th.jpg (http://img110.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc00417qh2.jpg)

i must say your dogs a beauty, lovely build..:)

staffilover xx

[shirlsstaff]

HI I am new to this forum but have had`staffords over 13 years

your pup will be in season for 28 days in a peak from 9/17 days so keep an eye on her and dont let her out of your sight.

[xnaomix55]

hey we have 2 staffie bitches and was both just in season they didnt eat much at first then after the first week they just ate everything in sight that they could get their paws on lol. be careful with her with other dogs because male dogs will do anything (and i mean anything) to get to a female in season.

[skunkstripe]

This is an extremely old thread and the original poster is not likely to benefit from any advice that is added at this point. Thanks for your contributions.