Staffyluv

I have a doog belt and it is OK for a quick walk around the block but the pockets are small. I prefer my K9 Pro dog Link - my iPhone fits perfectly in the front pocket. Treats and ball in the main pocket and keys in the back pocket.

I actually think that ethical breeders advertising their pups, with relevant notes about health testing etc, is a good thing - might make the general public aware that it is better to buy from someone who does the right thing when breeding :)

One of my pet hates at the leash free park is when owners let their dogs crowd the gate - I realise they are only being curious about what is coming in but it really isn't hard to teach your dog to 'leave it' and to 'come here'... I don't let Zig go to the gate. Most of the dogs and owners we associate with, all think the same and their dogs don't run at the gate when someone is coming either. I don't think that the leash free park is suitable for every dog. Some dogs do just fine and others don't. We only associate with the same group of dogs all the time - they all get along and play well in the same area.

I take Zig to the offlead park a lot. I don't allow him to run up to unknown dogs to say 'hello'. I don't allow him to go to the gate and crowd it, when dogs and their owners are coming into the park. If a dog comes to us I watch and monitor the meeting, for my own peace of mind. I am with Zig the whole time we are at the park. We play ball and tug, we use the time to train and he gets to have a play with dogs I know and they all get along fine. I am not past leashing and leaving the park if someone that doesn't watch their dog and/or their dog is a problem, shows up. In saying that, we go to the park at a certain time of day. We rarely see unknown dogs there at the time we go (early in the morning). Huski has a great point about other dogs being a distraction during training. It is one of the problems I have with Zig when walking him on lead around town - he wants to meet every dog he sees.. Something I am 'still' working on.

I was married to an alcoholic and our old SBT, Ollie, would avoid him when he was drunk. Ollie loved him when he was sober but drunk, he would avoid him like the plague.

There is lots you can do for separation anxiety. I had a foster dog with it - she chewed through dog wire (the solid stuff) on a gate to get out.. I found going out and then coming back in a minute and then extending it longer and longer helped. I also used a tight t-shirt on her and gave her big bones or kongs with frozen food inside (to amuse her while I was out). She got better but it took time and she would still panic sometimes and try to get out (but couldn't as I had a pretty dog proof yard).. There is always medication as well to help with it - but you would need to discuss that with your vet.. I hope you get it sorted - it can't be nice for you, the dog or the neighbours.

There are numerous vets in Ballina and Lismore that could help and they are a lot closer than the Gold Coast.

I didn't get Ziggy until he was about 6 months old Zig at 6ish months Little Ziggy by jamoore photos, on Flickr Zig at 3 years At the park on our own this morning by jamoore photos, on Flickr

That is an interesting read Sandra, thanks. I will check the EB Holistic that I give Zig tomorrow and see peas are added to that. If so, I will be checking for an alternative product.

Totally agree HW. It was recommended to us, to give RC a go for Zig but he seemed to get 'soft' on it - his muscle tone seemed to disappear. BH just gave him the runs. I feed a combination of VAN and Earthborn Holistic (grain free) kibble. Plus he has chicken frames and other bones. It seems to be what suits him, so that is what I stick with.

I just saw this Huski - I am so sorry. Micha was a gorgeous boy and my heart goes out to your whole family.

If he is after a bully type dog - what about a French Bulldog?

You are serious aren't you! Wow - I have nothing else to add. lol You get no argument from me about all your points on SBT and Amstaffs (and even their cross breed types). I have only ever owned them as pets, never bred them or showed them. Most of our dogs (family and mine personally) have been good dogs, well socialised and friendly. There was one that was PTS at 18 moths old for aggression (he was my sisters dog and not a nice dog at all).. We also had one bitch that didn't suffer other dogs in her face - she simply didn't go off lead. My old boy, Ollie, became a bit funny after he was attacked a couple of times, so again, he simply didn't go off lead. Just because they don't like other dogs, doesn't mean they can't be managed (or PTS if it isn't manageable). No dog that gets iffy with other dogs should be in an off lead area. Yes Zig is a cross breed - but based on how he acts and my experience (as a pet owner) with staffords over my lifetime, he is pretty typical in temperament of most of the male SBTs we have owned over the years. I am wary of unknown dogs - of all breeds. I realise that SBTs and ASTs often finish what others start, so they are much scarier to people. We have one SBT bitch at our park, who is nice but gets antsy if another dog tries to take their own ball back - personally, if she was mine, I wouldn't take her to a off lead park. But I'm not her owner, so it isn't my call. I tend to not go at the times she is there now. We only go early in the morning, with a select group of dogs (there are about 20 or so at any given time and they all get along just fine - have done for a few years now). We have two other SBTs in the group, two great danes a few labs, kelpies, ACDs, a maltese, a JRT and a mini Schnauzer. I know my dog, Zig is an awesome boy with a great temperament. I find the ignorance of dumping all bull breeds into the aggression bucket frustrating sometimes. I understand why it happens but I don't have to like it.

Yup. Georgia was a wonderful dog but there are many many badly socialised dogs out there and she was having none of it. And the thing to remember is - an AmStaff will ALWAYS be blamed, no matter what provocation or which dog was the aggressor. I used to watch idiots let their dog come charging up to her and I'd be yelling 'control your dog' and they'd just laugh and say 'oh she's friendly'. Then teach her some damn manners so my dog doesn't feel threatened. Which is why, after Georgia died, I went for a goofy labrador who just shrugs off bad dog manners and takes himself out of the frame. Of course, I've still put the work in with him that I did with Georgia, but I bet HE wouldn't get automatically blamed if there was some nastiness. glad you got a labrador, american staff dont belong in a dog park. What a horrible generalised statement! I bet you don't even know one! My boy is the best behaved dog at the leash free park - he plays with dogs as small as puppies and as large as Great Danes Zig and Riley by jamoore photos, on Flickr Zig and Maisie by jamoore photos, on Flickr We have had 7 foster dogs, ranging from Kelpie mixes to Pitbulls and the last one a boxer cross and he accepts them all into his home to eat with him, play with his toys and he also lives with 4 Pekin chickens that are not locked up away from him - he goes in and out of the coop and not once has he ever hurt or chased them..

Good advice as usual WW.. I prefer males to females (just a preference) because I find them much easier going than the females that I have known. I have a male staffy cross here at the moment and he is the most amazing dog, with an awesome temperament. He accepts all dogs that come here, plays wonderfully with dogs of all ages and sizes at the leash free park and lives with 4 pekin chickens.

Oops, wrong kennel :)

Thanks for that. I was just amazed at the little foster girl I had here that had it done and how quickly she recovered. Our vet actually put it forward as a possibility for Zig if the stem cell therapy failed (as a 'cheaper' option than a full hip replacement).. We will be going for the stem cell therapy.

Rappie can they do femoral head removal for HD? My last foster girl had an untreated dislocated hip and because of how it healed, the only option was to remove the femoral head (I think I recall the vet saying that it was also an option for dogs with HD).. Bella did really well with the removal and a knee surgery at the same time and was weight bearing (slightly) by about 3-4 weeks. I was amazed at her recovery for what seemed to be such a huge surgery.

Hi, Stuart from Runamuk Amstaffs here. I've been breeding the Amstaff for 15 years now and have had 5 litters in that time, not 5 litters a week like some !! In answer to your Q above NONE of those health issues are compulsory testing for the Amstaff,..but all breeders should be at least testing for Ataxia,Hips and elbows. I was always of the belief as far as health testing and the ANKC go, for a health issue to become compulsory tested in any breed it first must be "proven" that it's an hereditary breed health problem,...I think that's where all the Red tape is coming from before testing can made compulsory,..trying to prove that a problem within a breed is hereditary/genetical? Thanks for that Stuart. From my research on ASTs there does seem to be an issue with Ataxia and HD/ED. I wish more people would research and not buy from breeders, who don't do the relevant (albeit not required) health testing on the breeding dogs. I am having my first experience with hip dysplasia with a rescue dog (staffy cross) - so not really relevant to this conversation but it would be helpful if more people breeding did the health testing so less pups were bred without issues. Sadly, the back yard breeders or those only in it for the money, will never health test - all we can hope for is to educate the public, so they only buy from health tested parents and good breeders :)

The individual breed councils do that. You cannot register some breeds' pups with out certain health testing on the parents. Of course, I forgot about that. I do remember someone saying that in a discussion a fair while ago.

Maybe that is something for the ANKC to look at - making certain health tests a requirement? I don't think Amstaffs to require health testing.. Not sure about Ataxia though - is that a standard test that is done? (Hopefully an amstaff breeder will come and answer for us). I am seeing more and more staffy's (note that most of these are not purebred or from registered breeders) with HD these days.

He is nothing but a puppy farmer for Amstaffs... I know someone who bought a dog from him and it had skin issues and HD.. The pup was resold to someone else because he wouldn't take it back.

^^^What they all said!

Sorry for your loss.. Rest in peace, Ness - lots of DOL doggies for company over the bridge.

That is great news, so glad it all worked out for you four.