Borneogoat

My furry friend is Chief a 4.5mon pure bred Staffordshire. Friendliest little fella you could ever meet. He wants to play with me, anybody who walks by, people who are nice to him, people who don't want to play with him, nice dogs, grumpy dogs, the lizards in the yard, and the birds in the sky! Play generally involves wiggling, chewing, running like mad, and the jumping up that we are working to stop. Unfortunately, Chief also wants to play with my partner's cats when we are at her house, which is often and he always comes with. The cats are those skinny Cornish Rex things and they are a bit fragile. So when Chief jumps on them, chases them, or just stares at them while stomping his paws, the cats runaway and are stressed. Stressed cats = stressed partner = stressed me. He never tries to eat them or "attack" them, just wants to play rough and they are dainty ladies. Who has mixed pet households with some advice?

Thanks for the advice everybody. We've tried the turn away & ignore method, but it only works when he is pretty calm. Usually he is happy to chew on the back of my legs when I cold shoulder him. I've forged ahead with the concept of removing the non-chew and replacing it with a dog toy. I'm not seeing a lot of effect, but will keep trying. The most effective so far has been the Stinky Nappy Hold (SNH) method. I declare "enough!" and immediately pick him up. I hold him at arm length away from me, like one might carry a stinky nappy. He gets put down after he stops wiggling and is calm for 5-10sec. Usually takes 2x SNHs to end the behavior. The system works 4 of 5 times. Hopefully he gets it in the next couple months. Can't imagine putting the SNH on a 20kg wiggling SBT!

I have a 10wk old staffy who has been healthy as can be. After sleeping most of the eve on the couch next to me, he started retching. I brought him outside and he had one small'ish vomit. Maybe 30ml clear tan fluid, a few bits of grass, and a couple small bone fragments. The bones are presumably from the raw chicken frame at lunch time. Afterwards, he was calm and even took a few licks at the material. We then stayed in the yard, in case he had more to spit up. He wee'd as normal and then took a poo as normal. But then he tried to poo several more times, but nothing came out. Seemed like he was constipated and was trying to push it out. But it was dark and at one point I thought I saw a bit of liquid poo come out. Then he scooted his bum across the ground a couple times. He has eaten his normal stuff today: some Vet's All Natural with roo mince, chicken frame, and a hand full of kibble. Upon googling "vomit itchy bum" I got various hits suggesting worms. However, he was wormed at 8wks with enteroguard by the breeder. He was wormed againon Monday (10wks) with drontal when he got his jabs. So worms seem unlikely ... right? Any suggestions? Like any first time "parent" I'm quite worried....

I have a 10wk old Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppy. Chief arrived about 1.5wks ago and is settling in well. Happy and healthy in all respects. But we're having some teething issues, literally. Like all pups he has teeth like a piranha. He has inadvertently drawn a little blood and I suspect my furniture will be on the curb a year from now! I can live with some chewed up furniture, door frames, etc, it's all party of the joy, right? But we need to drastically cut down on mouthing people. When he is excited or wants some attention, basically whenever he is awake, he tries to chew hands/jeans/legs/etc. It's not aggression, just his method of playing/communicating. I started with growling "No!" at him, but it doesn't seem terribly effective. Now I growl 2-3x warnings, then pick him up and hold him firmly with my arms straight out for 10sec. He wiggles a bit and then calms down. This calms him down for maybe 10-60sec. Then we start again. He often calms down when I bring up on the couch and he goes to sleep. But I don't think that is a good habit to get into. I want to train him he is only allowed up when invited, not anytime to pacify his mouthiness. Also, I don't always want to hold him. Do I just persist with this method or does someone got a better plan?

I have Staffordshire puppy that will be arriving at my home in about the first week of Sept (~ 10wks old). As I haven't had a puppy in many years, since I was a pup myself, I'm looking forward to joining some training courses. Basic obedience, socialization, and maybe later on some canine sports. I've done the usual googling and found a variety of options. Including the Hobart Dog Training Club at the Domain, Club Canine, North Hobart Vet Hospital, and Paws n' People. I was hoping some locals might chime in with some advice on good experiences or not so good experiences with these options. I'm also quite open to any other courses I haven't found yet. I live in Lauderdale, so Eastern Shore options are welcomed. Thanks in advance....

Thank you for the advice everybody. I reckon I will set-up a pen in the kitchen/dinning area that has an easy-clean floor. I will put his crate, toys, chewies, food, and a toilet pad in the pen. So now that we've solved that... The way to train a puppy to toilet outside is to catch him when his behavior indicates it's business time and rush him outside. Followed up with some praise of course. You would also do the same with toilet pads, just put him on the pad when it's business time. So my situation is, I want him to toilet outside and only use the pads when it's absolutely necessary. Eventually as he grows up and his bladder grows bigger, he will hopefully only go outside. Thus the question is: what do I do when he indicates business time? Rush him outside, over to the pad, or some mixture of the two options? I'm not sure how to teach him the primary toilet is outside, but he can use the back-up pad when I'm not home.

I have recently put a down a deposit on a Staffordshire puppy born just a couple days ago. So, 10 weeks and counting! I have been absorbing lots info on this forum and will pick up some puppy books too. I'm sold on the concept of crate training for toilet business and night-time sleeping. My question relates to methods of dealing with daytime routine for the puppy. I'm single and work a normal 08:30-17:00 job. Fortunately, work is only 10min away so I can come home at lunch for a toilet/play/feed. But what do you forumites recommend for the remaining day? In the crate between 08:15-13:10 and again between 13:50-17:10 seems a bit constrictive in my human mind. Or is it? What about setting up a pen or gated off area of the house on easy-to-clean flooring? I could put the open crate in the "day zone" and add those toilet pads & some toys. If it were summer, I'd go for a secure pen in the yard. However, I live in TAS and the puppy would be mighty cold! My reservation about using an inside pen is that I would have to teach the puppy to use the toilet pad. But then I've taught him to toilet in the house, when the important long-term goal is to teach him the toilet is outside.... Thanks in advance for any advice!

Breeding for a recessive treat does sound like a bad idea. We have enough inbreeding jokes about TAS as is! I will likely avoid the Blues now, as the SBTs come in many other attractive coats. As I mentioned, the color of the dog is of secondary importance to health & temperament. Are there any other coat colors I should steer clear of for the same reason? Thank you Sandra for mentioning conformity. They is a sensible trait to look for. I mistakenly lumped that concept in with "health", a novice jargon mistake. I will indeed look for a breeder that emphasizes a well proportioned dog.

My first post as I have recently joined in my research for finding a canine companion. After a lot of research, internet and playing with mates' dogs, I have settled on a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. They suit my desire for temperament, my available time for grooming & exercising the dog, and the house/yard I own. Doesn't hurt that I find them a handsome breed! I have begun my search for a reputable breeder, with some preference for breeders in TAS. I live near Hobart, so recommendations are welcome. My first 2x criteria are temperament and health of the individual pup. Coloration takes a distant, but still relevant, 3rd place. On the puppy pages on Dogzonline there appear to be a great number of breeders focusing on the "blues". After doing a bit of research on this forum, I find many comments that suggest the Blues have been bred poorly or it's difficult to find a healthy example. If this is true, I will avoid them. However, can someone explain to me why some people express negative views towards this coloration? I tried to find an answer myself, but have come up empty handed. Thanks in advance for any replies.