Sandra777

Beetroot tops off beets big enough to eat are quite bitter, young beet leaves are yum, so I wouldn't fancy your chances of getting a dog to eat them in any great quantity but a few mushed up with other things they're fine - haven't managed to kill any of mine yet anyway!

Just keep doing what you're doing. Baxta's only been with you a few days (I hope!) so it will take time and patience, and remember that he is a baby so will have lapses. I guess Baxta jumps on her when your daughter is on the floor? (at his height as you say) On these occasions I would ensure you were right on the floor beside her and gently encourage Baxta to play beside her, sit for a few seconds etc. If you can't be right on the floor there to control the situation IMO the puppy should be separated from the baby because puppy teeth & claws can do damage even when only used in play. Don't make it a punishment ("when baby is playing Baxta is locked up") because this might lead to some jealousy, but until he is old enough to understand what you want you have to be right there to physically intervene and if you can't be your number one priority has to be the safety of the child. If you let him jump on the baby occasionally and he enjoys it (which is likely since the baby will make interesting noises, flail about etc) then you're only encouraging him to do it again and making the habit harder to break, so instant and close supervision from the start is better than trying to stop the habit when he's discovered it's an exciting game. Except for some overexcitement, which is only to be expected with a dog, it shouldn't take more than a few weeks for him to understand that not only can he not jump on the big people in the house, he's not allowed to jump on the little one either!

Well that wouldn't be the rear molars coming through then. It could be two separate things, the coke bottle caused the bleeding and something jammed in the back of his mouth/a rotten baby tooth causing the smell. Hopefully nothing worse with the bad breath, it can also be a sign of bad digestion problems, but that's not so likely with a puppy.

Which gums were bleeding - like where abouts in his mouth? They do get their final molars quite late but 8 months is a bit later than I've seen. Has he had the chance to chew and pull on something like wire netting? When you were checking his mouth did you see any redness (apart from the bleeding LOL) like he might have chewed a plant/timber which reacted with him? I had one that was a right sod for chewing timber - and seemed to like the taste of treated wood, which burnt his lips and gums so he ended up with bright red scars on his lovely black lips. It could be that he has a rotten baby tooth in there somewhere.

Crazy Clarks had 3m circumference, 70cm (about) high pens for $30 just a few weeks ago. Not very heavy so probably not much use for a Golden but just thought I'd mention it - probably should have have mentioned it a few weeks ago

Firstly - two pups at the same time when you're obviously inexperienced - whoa, bad move and bad bad breeder IMO they aren't sorting out dominance, not at 9 weeks. They are PLAYING. Let them play in whatever way they like so long as it doesn't involve wrecking the house or doing something you don't want them to do as adults (running inside, using the lounge as a trampoline, whatever - you set the boundaries). Keep an eye on it if one is much smaller and/or milder natured, but if they're pretty evenly matched then let them play freely with each other. You need to get them used to being separate and definitely need to give them a lot of one-on-one time. They absolutely must learn to become individuals or you will never get the best out of them as pets and also, if one should have to be hospitalised or if one dies young (sorry, but it does happen) the other one will be inconsolable. Puppy school for you all ;)

Very very simple IMO. Just consistently say 'no' and escort him out when he comes in. If he comes to the door and looks in but makes an obvious and deliberate attempt not to step over the 'boundary', then lots of praise. If I can teach 3 mad Staffords not to go into the spare bedroom even when the door is wide open and a rat trap is sitting, baited, on the floor - then teaching a Labrador should be a cinch Story of the rat trap... it was only there for 8 or 10 days until the pest control guys gave us the all clear. When we moved into this house there were rats running up the inside of the spare bedroom wall into the roof cavity (this being the room the pigs before us used to let their young child sleep in ;)) It's our computer room so when I was in there and the dogs came to the door to see what was going on I'd just say no, and they'd stop with their toes on the invisible line right by the door... being human we'd sometimes forget to shut the door when we left the room and the dogs would go to the door, look in, sniffing and all very interested but never crossing the line. Now, 8 weeks later with trap and rats all removed they still come to the door and won't cross that line unless invited, which I rarely do and then only for a quick ear scratch then "out" and they go and stand outside the door again. Dogs understand boundaries very quickly if you are consistent - I wouldn't invite him in to the bedroom until he is 100% reliable about staying out - then teach coming in as a whole new thing.

Sorry for your tragic loss. Run free Portia

Puppies with heavy worm burdens smell awful, so not sure that theory is right. I'd agree with above, milk and clean teeth plus the smell of cute

Off to the doctor with you and vet for the boys. Please don't risk anything happening to your bites (even if they just look minor) while your pregnant. Dog bites on other dogs are sometimes bad because of the angle they're on - no opening downwards so they fill up with fluid/pus/etc. Phone the doctor then hot sweet tea and a sit down before you do anything else.

IMO - no. But then again there's thousands of rescue dogs out there that get neutered/vaccinated/defleaed/dewormed all on the same day and make it just fine. KC is the canine equivalent of the flu - in other words there's lots of strains of it and it's not generally speaking life-threatening. The vaccination doesn't cover all the strains but some say that a vaccinated dog, if it gets KC, will be less affected by it. Your call, me I wouldn't have had the KC vaccination in the first place. How's that for a helpful unequivocal answer

Might - hope you didn't pay a lot for a might! Was the chance of Parvo mentioned. Were you told of any other signs to watch out for. Were you told how long it was "OK" for a puppy to bleed internally? Vaccinating an unwell puppy ;) Well IMO she doesn't need the rice, but if you want to feed it, cook it in the water you cook the chicken in to make it actually taste like something a dog might want to eat ;) and then cut the chicken up very small (virtually mince it) and mix it well with the rice. Hope Momo's better today?

I use frame or carcase to mean the same thing - the bones with the meat removed. Sometimes you get backs, which are (obviously!) just the back (the front ribs staying with the breast-meat when removed I guess?) If I was feeding a chicken as in a roasting chicken with the meat on I would refer to it as a chicken ;)

Always the best place to start - especially with a puppy. It's probably nothing major, but better safe than sorry! Tut Tut :D Oh well, now you know! Get an all clear from the vet first, but with teething puppies it's sometimes necessary to soak the dry food, feed mince instead of whole chunks of meat that sort of thing just for a couple of days. You can also try some tempting stuff like roast chicken, sardines, cheese, cat food etc on the regular food to tempt them for a little while too. What sized puppy are we talking about?

Blood from the rectum is not to be messed with, off to the vet for a checkup. If you got her when she was 8 weeks old and have had her for 2 months, she'll be teething about now - many puppies stop eating or are reluctant to eat while teething. Is there a reason you changed from Royal Canine to Eukanuba? How did you switch - gradually or cold turkey? What else have you done to the pup in the last few days - worming, flea treatments etc. These are all things the vet will want to know. Good luck - report back

There's no real way of telling how big a crossbred puppy will grow - especially one from such hugely different sized ancestors There's no such breed as English Staffy, I'm guessing you mean mum was a Staffordshire Bull Terrier? What size was she. What size was dad? Was dad a SBT x RR or something else as well (don't know what the 25% approx relates to ) It doesn't matter what the sire "looked" like - what size was he. Unfortunately mixing up breeds doesn't work that way - she could end up the size of a SBT or she could end up the size of a RR, or she could end up in the middle - or she could end up bigger than a RR if there's something else in there. Averages don't work with crossbreds. Measure her height to the wither - the part of her back immediately behind her neck, this is the top of the shoulder blade (close enough) and is where dogs (and horses ) are measured to. 6.7kg @ 12 weeks makes her bigger than a small/medium Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppy, they would be about this weight at 4 months, and would generally be around 30cm tall at this age (4 months) if that sort of weight. But they're all individuals - so long as she's happy and healthy size doesn't matter. Have you checked out the health issues involving cross breeding with RR? I can't remember the proper name right now - it's something to do with a deformity in the skin due to the formation of the ridge, go to some RR sites and you'll probably find out what I mean! Also, be aware that if your puppy has Staffordshire Bull Terrier on both sides of her pedigree she could have either Hereditary Cataracts or L2-HGA, she could also not have these - but do some research about what this means and what to be aware of.

You could try dividing her food into two meals instead of just one - chicken neck for breakfast biscuits for tea or whatever. More frequent feeding might help the ravenous starving dog act anyway :-) and some people say it helps with weight loss, but I think that theory just got chucked out for people?

Inside I think.. Sluggo only mused about a Whippet as an inside dog.. Yes PF - but if they're not going to move on the outside dog thing they need to consider other breeds. If they are going to move on the outside dog thing then they don't really have to consider other breeds - SBT or Whippet seem good choices to follow up as inside pets for a family.

Yes you could do this, but by coming on here and asking for advice you are obviously wanting what is best for your family and the dog. And the best thing for both is not to buy a SBT as an outside dog. This is the only advice most people have given you (others have responded to other people's posts). So - move along. You should not buy a Stafford as an outside dog so you have two choices. Think about other breeds or reconsider the outside dog idea. Other breeds suggested are a Whippet, which is even less an outside dog than a Stafford so not sure where that's going :D What other breeds interest you?

How do you handle the problem of three children under the age of five bringing in dirt from the yard? Do you wipe their feet clean before they step inside or are there kiddy footprints all over the carpets? Sorry - but you just don't sound ready to cope with a dog (or perhaps your wife has enough on her plate with three under 5s?) Wait until the kids are older and more able to be part of the whole wonderful experience that dog owning can be. In answer to your question - I have a large door mat and the dogs have access to the house via a door leading on to tiles.

As (multiple!) people have been trying to point out - this is simply not true if OP buys a SBT. IMO this isn't about should "all" dogs be inside or outside dogs - it's about whether or not a SBT can be an outside dog as this is the breed OP stated they are interested in.

You possibly need to read some of the research which paints a very clear and unequivocal picture of the connection between fatal dog attacks and the way the dog is kept. Google Karen Delise as a place to start.

redarachnid - no idea if I'm the person you're referring to or not, but I've re-read the entire thread and I'm the only one who has questioned the OP's use of the term "staffy" so I'll answer anyway. OP says they're thinking about buying a "staffy" I gave them my opinion and noted that I was making the assumption they were referring to the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Simple question - they could have been referring to the American Staffordshire Terrier since some people call both breeds "staffy" - and a huge number of cross bred mutts get called "staffys" too - I merely enquired what the OP was actually talking about. I grew up at dog shows too - in the breed. It definitely isn't the done thing by long term people in the breed to refer to the SBT as a "Staffy" and not so long ago anyone who did was sternly corrected and told to use the term Stafford or Staffs. I can't comment on what people outside the breed call it - afterall people not involved with the GSD have been known to call them Alsatians, and ACDs are frequently referred to as "heelers", but not by any breed enthusiast I know. It wasn't until the explosion of the BYB that the term Staffy became commonly used inside the breed (and it is still not used by any "old timer" I know). There is a certain amount of credence for the idea that the Stafford is the registered dog, a "Staffy" is mutt and/or a rescue dog which may or may not be a purebred dog.

No one is expecting you to allow the dog to sleep on your bed so cut the dramatics My dogs don't sleep on the bed, in fact they're probably the only Staffords in the world that aren't even allowed to sit on the sofa.

An adult Staffordshire Bull Terrier will be just as (if not more) miserable being consigned to the back yard than a puppy which never knows anything different.