Sandra777

Best dog I even had slept on my bed all her life, with her head on the pillow. She was totally obedient but the absolute boss of all the other dogs so not "submissive".

Maybe he needs a special lycra pouch for them. Budgie Smugglers for Bullys ;) :p :p :p FranCQ - if you don't want Atlas to lie "above you" then make him get off. Don't even let it start - not that I believe half the stuff you have mentioned is actually an issue, but that's JMO He's a Bull Terrier - a degree of DA is part of the breed, you can't train out the hard wiring!

Yes I have heard of it, can't recall the name right now though so not a lot of help. I thought it lasted a much shorter time that 2 years though? But I have to ask - why bother. Why not manage the behaviour you perceive as being a problem instead of covering it up?

Sorry, if she was mine and had reacted like that the first time, there wouldn't have been a second time! It could be the active ingredient which is causing the problem or some minor component, you'd need to read the labels of all products to make another choice. What did you use before? Did she react to that?

Ah, so not a food related skin allergy which is what I thought you meant from your first post. As you were - feed him variety

Hmmm, so you are sure it's not the chicken he's allergic to? Novel protein like I mentioned above Mine have had tinned sardines, tuna, herrings and mackeral (even had herrings in tomato sauce when I grabbed the wrong tin ). I bought them salmon heads once and they refused to touch them even though they're happy to eat pigs heads. They don't get salmon fillets because it's just too expensive. As it's a allergy issue I would be using ONE species of white fish and sticking with it for a while.

Raw fish is fine (as long as it's human grade) and some raw feeders use a lot of whole fish, fish heads etc. The fish sold for bait is quite affordable (must be the plain versions, nothing that has been salted or preserved) and can be fed whole. Have you definitely established the dog is OK with chicken? Some dogs are allergic to chicken and it's often recommended that they be fed only a protein they've not had before (hence the fish suggestion)

:p Ours get out of their nice soft beds with wooly blankets and rush outside to lie in the dirt and stones in the sun.

Just watch out, cause it blocks up the vaccuum cleaner tube too. Had some of that for a young Stafford bitch I had that ate all bedding she was given - it didn't last long

Don't worry about him sleeping on hard surfaces no matter how uncomfortable you'd be - dogs like comfort for sure (esp Staffords ) but sleeping on a pad of sheets and towels won't do him any harm so long as he is warm. Does he sleep in a crate? If so make sure it doesn't sit directly on concrete or tile, even if this means you have to lift the crate and put something under it - couple of boards, a pad of cardboard, some insulation. Then with his sheet & towelling pads he'll be comfortable and not getting cold up through the base of the crate. Cover the crate and he can keep himself warm and cozy. Other thought Straw or shredded newspaper make a warm soft bed and not a lot to shred.

So far as I know dogs don't have cholesterol problems so I wouldn't trim the fat for that reason. Pancreatitis can be a problem and also some dogs simply don't tolerate a lot of fat and it gets the dire-rear going. I wouldn't fed huge chunks of fat, but if the individual dog has been proven to cope with it then I don't see there's any harm in it. You have to remember that in the wild most prey animals aren't all that fat - sure they might have a good summer and put on some weight, but not many will have masses of fat as we see on older mutton, some beef etc.

A lot of your questions (better!) be answered in the information pack the breeder should give you - things like vaccination schedule, feeding, tips on exercise (which does depend a bit on the breed) training etc. Provided you have not had a sick dog in your yard before then there's no reason the puppy can't go outside in your yard the day he comes home, no reason to keep him locked inside and in fact keeping him locked inside until his vaccinations are complete will make toilet training him very tedious! If you have friends or relations with healthy older dogs there is also no reason pup can't go and visit them in their homes after he's been with you for about a week or so (give him a little time to adjust to one new place before bombarding him with more changes) Coming in to summer I would say by the time the pup is 5 or 6 months old you should be able to have moved it to sleeping outside if this is what you want - personally I don't see the point but this is what you want to do and it's your dog IMO you'd be better off getting the pup on a Friday afternoon or Saturday morning (assuming you work Mon-Fri) and having say the Monday - Wednesday the next week off, then saving some of your three weeks holidays for when the pup is older. An 8 week old pup in a play pen with toys, food and shelter will be lonely, but a 3 month old pup will be lonely, rowdy, boisterous, destructive and in need of training and attention. Just my opinion of course.

It It It It. Does IT have a name (sorry if the pom's name is "It").

A while back AHT in the UK developed DNA tests for Staffords. A lot of people from both Australia & NZ tried to send blood (which could be chilled) and ended up with nothing but a big freight bill. Thankfully both tests can now be done in Australia plus they are doing it by cheek swabs now. You could contact the lab and ask if they have a specific freight company they prefer to work with, and ask for their advice about packaging etc. One issue is that not all freight companies will deal with biological samples and another being that Australia to Switzerland is not exactly a direct route :-) Another option would be to see if the DNA can be extracted in Australia instead then the lab receives the information it wants not the whole sample - but this might not be possible until they've actually figured out which part of the DNA they need to see.

These are the bits of bone he can't digest. Perfectly normal behaviour. So long as he's not doing the same thing every time you feed him a bone from a certain animal then there's not a lot to worry about.

The dogs on page 4 are deeply offended ;)

This sort of discharge is not abnormal in male pups, it's not pus but natural secretions (no not semen) which vary from dog to dog and from day to day. No reason to panic but next time you're at the vet, mention it and the vet can check that all is well, but it's virtually guaranteed he'll be fine and normal.

I disagree with Roo's advice and unless you specifically want two dogs then don't get another one just to keep each other company. There is no guarantee two dogs are going to get along anyway (see the above question ) and two Staffords, even if they have got along for years, can fall out over the stupidest thing and that never ends well, especially if there is no one home. Personally I NEVER leave two dogs out together when I'm not home, they are all separated when we leave the house. So company for each other they may be - but always through a fence or door when "alone"

Frankly I am surprised you get this degree of focus from a cross-bred. I wonder if it is because you aren't used to the trait and see it as being much stronger than it really is? Having had Staffords involved in kennel fights I know what you mean (give you a great cardio workout ) and yes, it is quite possible he would continue to fight even when the other dog submits - this is part of the hardwiring of a "fighting" breed and just something you have to accept if you have one. Your dog is being predictable - if a dog does certain things he responds in certain ways. To me this is predictable! Me, I would be avoiding the situation and not putting him in the situation where he is going to react in this way. Dogs do not all get along and he's telling you which dogs he is not going to get along with. If you do take him to a behaviourist make sure you get a good one - scary the number of "experts" who think all dogs come equipped with the same hardwiring

If she's been licking the stitches since Friday then chances are any damage that will be done is already done. Have you examined the wound, are the stitches still present and does the wound look clean? I would have had a bucket on her head by Friday night if she was mine (better safe than sorry) but if the wound looks fine then that's OK. I would get her a bucket to fit or an Elizabethan collar from the vet if you prefer. Has she always been so distant towards you or has it developed over time? Hiding in corners definitely doesn't sound right, but I wouldn't think it would be as a result of you telling her off unless you went way overboard (bet you didn't ) and beat her regularly Refusing to allow you to hold her suggests to me that she is thinking she doesn't have to do what you want and can please herself. I don't buy into the whole "me human me pack leader" idea but amongst dogs the dominant dog can touch the submissive dog whenever they choose and the submissive dog will accept it, so this is something to be considered. Part of my puppy pack includes thoughts on this and advice to get the puppy used to being held whether the puppy likes it or not, so perhaps this is something you want to investigate. Yes some dogs are more independent than others and if this suits you then it actually makes for a very easy dog to own - no separation issues, no constantly hounding for pats etc etc etc

Generally a pet puppy will cost between $800 & $1200. A "show potential" puppy might be a little more but since no one can guarantee the "show potential" of any 8 week old puppy, the price shouldn't be hugely different. Let me guess - this puppy is blue? Blue IS NOT RARE so please don't be sucked in to paying a premium price for a very common product.

Ah, I see you've never met Mouse :D Absolutely hopeless dog, been training her since she was 8 weeks old and she still won't not pull unless she's on her choke chain or has a leg over her leash. She weighs about as much as a soaking wet miniature poodle though so I've given up. Walked in circles for weeks and she stumped the trainer at obedience who was a police-dog-handler-trainer

Unless it's a purpose-made "anti pull" harness (which has no place on a puppy anyway IMO) it's not going to help - Staffords LOVE to pull if given half a chance and a harness will just encourage this. Have you got info from the breeder in his puppy pack on teaching him to walk nicely on a flat collar and lead?

Great food for the "big chewing" dogs - they can't swallow the things whole. (LMAO at the image of a sword swollower) I've not found them to be particularly fatty, my precious princess with the silly tummy never had problem with them but got sick after eating mutton flaps without fail. (Yes, I did stop giving them to her )

Just wondered how old she was meant to be when you saw her.