deghj Posted March 4, 2012 Author Share Posted March 4, 2012 Hey there. Whilst some staffies it's not a problem, in this case, the dog isn't respecting the boundaries and is still getting up at night. Other than teaching her/him that the bed is not for nap time at night I've had little success with staffies that feel they are dominant and should sleep there without a clear rule for them. I think the owner of the dog is in the best position to judge whether the dog feels this or not. Don't get me wrong, I love having my staffy on my bed however, up until six months ago it wasn't possible for a few reasons. 1) as a young dog he didn't get the 'sometimes it's ok and sometimes its not". Also, we went through a period where he was constantly covered in mud (obviously not a good idea on the bed.) Then when my current staffy got to full size, two people (one over six foot) and a big dog simply did not fit on the bed. Going back to the original problem I still would recommend that one of the first things to check is whether the dog is cold. Try a nice warm dog coat and make sure the bed is warm, comfortable and out of cold breezes. I would suggest testing this with his bed back in your room. I've been outside at night and been so cold your joints are painful and it feels like the night is never going to end. I would howl, jump, and climb under a quilt and ignore all training too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polgara's Shadow Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 (edited) Hey there. Whilst some staffies it's not a problem, in this case, the dog isn't respecting the boundaries and is still getting up at night. Other than teaching her/him that the bed is not for nap time at night I've had little success with staffies that feel they are dominant and should sleep there without a clear rule for them. I think the owner of the dog is in the best position to judge whether the dog feels this or not. Don't get me wrong, I love having my staffy on my bed however, up until six months ago it wasn't possible for a few reasons. 1) as a young dog he didn't get the 'sometimes it's ok and sometimes its not". Also, we went through a period where he was constantly covered in mud (obviously not a good idea on the bed.) Then when my current staffy got to full size, two people (one over six foot) and a big dog simply did not fit on the bed. People were disagreeing the link between allowing them on the bed and couch and this leading to a dominance/equality problem - as your post stated. Having clear rules and boundaries, being consistent and firm is the important bit, not whether or not they are allowed on your bed or couch for snuggle time at all. Other posters are saying by all means let you Stafford up on the bed and couch with you - if that's what you want - just make sure you spend time teaching them to get off at your command. Edited March 5, 2012 by Polgara's Shadow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deghj Posted March 5, 2012 Author Share Posted March 5, 2012 Hi. Sorry if my wording on Friday was confusing. (end of the week and all that) What I meant was that if you have a Staffy who already has a tendency to need to be clearly shown who is in charge (e.g. dominant tendencies), as many Staffies do, allowing them to sleep on the bed with you can cause confusion for the dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 I do not think many SBTs have dominance problems. They are a clever and people oriented breed, which can lead to them outsmarting their owners a lot of the time. All of the sbts I know are not truly dominant with people, they are very biddable and willing to please. This is why they are a great choice for dog sports like obedience and agility and tend to excel at these activities. Most of the perceived dominance problems are due to lack of effective training. Of course there are always going to be dominant individuals within a breed; however in my experience, Staffords don't have an exceptional tendency towards this. SBTs can however, be quite dominant/ over the top towards other dogs and won't tolerate any b***s*** from other dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebanne Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Hi deghj, can you please post your qualifications regarding dog training, obedience and behavioural matters? Many thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisey Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 One of my favourite times of the day with my two staffords is bed time. One snuggles right up to me and the other one is by my feet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deghj Posted March 5, 2012 Author Share Posted March 5, 2012 Hey there. I still think the owner of the dog is in the best position to judge what factors are contributing. Suggestions are that, suggestions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Rusty Bucket Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 http://drsophiayin.com/philosophy/dominance/ Being on the bed or higher up than the human does not mean dominance. Dogs are opportunists. If you give them the opportunity they will take it. If you give them the opportunity to train you to do their every bidding, they will take that too. My dog doesn't sleep on my bed. She doesn't want to, I wriggle too much and when she tries to push me out of my bed, she falls off it. But she told one of my friends who tried looking after her, that she gets to sleep on his bed, and he believed her. It's not about dominance. It's about opportunities. And what the dog finds rewarding or fun or feels good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 My dog doesn't sleep on my bed. She doesn't want to, I wriggle too much and when she tries to push me out of my bed, she falls off it. But she told one of my friends who tried looking after her, that she gets to sleep on his bed, and he believed her. LOL!! love it . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miranda Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 My dogs sleep on the furniture, eat before I do and sometimes walk through a door first However none of them are dominant. Truly dominant dogs aren't common and 'dominance' is a much over used term, very much like 'separation anxiety', as someone else said many so called dominant dogs often lack training or are trained incorrectly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polgara's Shadow Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 (edited) What I meant was that if you have a Staffy who already has a tendency to need to be clearly shown who is in charge (e.g. dominant tendencies), as many Staffies do, allowing them to sleep on the bed with you can cause confusion for the dog. That's what I understand people were disagreeing with... that being on your bed and being dominant are not linked. Edited March 5, 2012 by Polgara's Shadow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumabaar Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 (edited) Hey there. Whilst some staffies it's not a problem, in this case, the dog isn't respecting the boundaries and is still getting up at night. Other than teaching her/him that the bed is not for nap time at night I've had little success with staffies that feel they are dominant and should sleep there without a clear rule for them. I think the owner of the dog is in the best position to judge whether the dog feels this or not. Don't get me wrong, I love having my staffy on my bed however, up until six months ago it wasn't possible for a few reasons. 1) as a young dog he didn't get the 'sometimes it's ok and sometimes its not". Also, we went through a period where he was constantly covered in mud (obviously not a good idea on the bed.) Then when my current staffy got to full size, two people (one over six foot) and a big dog simply did not fit on the bed. Going back to the original problem I still would recommend that one of the first things to check is whether the dog is cold. Try a nice warm dog coat and make sure the bed is warm, comfortable and out of cold breezes. I would suggest testing this with his bed back in your room. I've been outside at night and been so cold your joints are painful and it feels like the night is never going to end. I would howl, jump, and climb under a quilt and ignore all training too! My dogs STILL wouldn't understand that??? Dogs don't understand sometimes??? Try googling 'dominance myth' as I think you find it enlightening. Edited March 5, 2012 by Jumabaar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 My dogs sleep on the furniture, eat before I do and sometimes walk through a door first However none of them are dominant. Truly dominant dogs aren't common and 'dominance' is a much over used term, very much like 'separation anxiety', as someone else said many so called dominant dogs often lack training or are trained incorrectly. Mine sleep on the furniture and eat first, yet they'd turn themselves inside out and jump through hoops to please me. The way to train your Stafford with success, is to build a strong bond and find out what makes them tick. The whole notion of dogs on furniture and dominance is out dated and it's rather "bark busters". Thankfully some of us have moved on and have a better understanding of our animals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 My dogs sleep on the furniture, eat before I do and sometimes walk through a door first However none of them are dominant. Truly dominant dogs aren't common and 'dominance' is a much over used term, very much like 'separation anxiety', as someone else said many so called dominant dogs often lack training or are trained incorrectly. Mine sleep on the furniture and eat first, yet they'd turn themselves inside out and jump through hoops to please me. The way to train your Stafford with success, is to build a strong bond and find out what makes them tick. The whole notion of dogs on furniture and dominance is out dated and it's rather "bark busters". Thankfully some of us have moved on and have a better understanding of our animals Totally agree with these comments.. My lad (staffy cross) is all about doing what I want.. He absolutely buzzes when he gets praise. He sleeps on my bed every night and has cuddles on the lounge for an hour or so before we go to bed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jade~Harley~Bella Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Isolate your Stafford and you are just asking for behavioural issues. The dogs that spend plenty of time in the house and with their owners, are not usually the problem barkers, destructo-mutts, fence fighters and escape artists. I completely agree with this! :) this forum needs a liking system. My two are free to use the lounge when ever they want but know the bed is off limits. As everyone else says letting them up on the bed does not make the dog think it rules the house, it's more so the opportunity presents itself and the dog gobbles that opportunity up :) staffys are persistent though and you have to stick to your rules. In my house allowing them to do something one day and then not the next day in my opinion is just confusing. If you don't want her in your room, don't let her in there. She will cry and carry on but you have to stick to your guns and ignore it. She'll learn soon enough that it does her no good. My two have never been problem barkers and now sleep inside which has reduced the little they were barking down to nothing. They sleep better inside and I sleep better knowing they are safe, warm and comfortable. That's really the only way you will minimise the barking IMO. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebanne Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Hi deghj, can you please post your qualifications regarding dog training, obedience and behavioural matters? Many thanks still waiting for a reply please :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellz Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Hi deghj, can you please post your qualifications regarding dog training, obedience and behavioural matters? Many thanks still waiting for a reply please :D ditto! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuddleDuck Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Hi deghj, can you please post your qualifications regarding dog training, obedience and behavioural matters? Many thanks still waiting for a reply please :D ditto! Me 3! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animal House Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Do you have to have qualifications to have an opinion now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 the OP said Just offering a helping hand if anyone needs one ... that's all.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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