--B-- Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 Hi Guys Im new to the forum and have been reading plenty of the great info here to learn how best to look after my new staffy puppy. we pick her up this weekend. i had a couple of questions im hoping you might be able to help me with: firstly, we bought a bag of pro plan puppy food and were planning on feeding the puppy a combo of this and raw mince. is pro plan decent dry food? is there a better option at comparable price? and is raw mince ok for an 8 week old puppy? in terms of crate training., ive had a few dogs growing up with the family and we never used the crate method and generally found the simple method of taking them outside regularly and praising when they do their business to be quite effective. im a little torn as to what to do here. any advice? looking forward to learning plenty more from you guys! thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 (edited) I've never crate trained and both my pups were trained by the method you described above. I think both of them went in the house maybe once or twice each, so it worked brilliantly for us. Some people have other reasons for crate training, ie: for sleeping, showing etc, I'm sure they will give you some advice. I have just never seen the need. Pro Plan is a good food IMO, although just be careful with changing the food over too quickly, do you know what pup has been getting at the breeders? They can get an upset tummy if you change it over too quick on them so maybe phase it in slowly along with what the pup is used to. Nothing wrong with raw mince but I would rather give bones like chicken necks and wings, maybe mix it up a bit? It's good for pups teeth. Good luck, I'm sure you'll be fine, and you need to post pics asap!!! :) Oh and welcome!! :D Edited July 11, 2012 by Aussie3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 Crate training can be invaluable, especially with an SBT. It helps with taking them on holiday, going to visit other people and having a place where they can chill out. You also never know if and when an accident might happen and crate trained dogs can handle being locked away at vets or if they have to be put on strict rest for whatever reason. Pro Plan is fine, however when it comes to SBT's, you should be careful with the amounts of grains, preservative, colouring and flavouring they have. Some can be very intolerant of them and it will often manifest as skin conditions. Mince is great but you need to keep the cal/phos ratios balanced, so meat should be fed on consumable bone or in the case of mince, contain bone. SBT pups will easily get through chicken wings, necks and lamb flap. Give them a couple of months and they can tackle turkey wings, whole lamb flaps, roo tails, rabbits etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
--B-- Posted July 11, 2012 Author Share Posted July 11, 2012 thanks for the replies guys! i think i will try to phase her in with the pro plan and ask the breeder what thhey have been feeding the pups the girls i spoke too at the vet store said we might want to wait a while before feeding chicken wings as the pups can choke? is this a myth? i can see the benefits of crate training however my dog will be purely a family pet with minimal car travel so i think ill just see how things go at this stage do you all just buy your chicken wings and necks etc from the local butchers / coles etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 Yep we get ours at Coles or at the Butcher.Some people don't agree with feeding bones due to the dangers of them getting stuck etc, I guess there's risk with anything but my dogs get bones every day and I think it's good for them. One thing you can do is hold onto the wing while pup chews on it to make sure they don't just gobble them down! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra777 Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 You should feed whatever the breeder has on their diet sheet (assuming it's not KFC & Weetbix ) for a week or two. Just get the breeder to send you that part of the puppy info pack before you pick the pup up so you can be prepared. Crates are great if you want to travel/camp and also good to teach the pup to be confined in case it ever ends up seriously ill at the vet. But not crate training isn't a sin - whatever works for you! Psst ...there's no pictures, so it never happened :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 Agree you need to ask the breeder what they feed ( we send our diet sheet out prior to picking up pups) . Changing the diet suddenly could end up being your worst nightmare. I feed Proplan for years but never there puppy food,never liked it & since the product is made in Australia it just isn't the same. Crate training is purely up to you & whilst we have showdogs that are crate trained early i do believe it can be one of the best things to train a dog to enjoy. How often you use it is another thing but it can be a blessing to now if anything happens you can just stick them in & all is good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Willow Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 I would strongly recommend crate training....you don't have to use a crate for everything, but if your dog is simply happy with one, life will be easier. I've never really been "into" crate training, but my 13 year old Staffy recently had a re-visit of his anxiety attacks when left alone (rescue dog, had him for 6 years, had issues at first with anxiety, had our other dog PTS a few weeks ago, and this might have triggered it) and the photo below shows what he did to my bathroom ( I have other pics of similar damage to other things in the house!!!). In desperation (while we work on his issues again) I dragged our old crate out (that the rabbit had been sleeping in) and decided to have a go....thank Christ his previous owners appear to have crate trained him because it's like flicking a switch...calm, happy boy when we leave, and when we arrive home. No more wrecked doors! He has taken to his new crate like a duck to water, and seems to love the sanctuary it provides him. Staffy's are very powerful dogs....if they're going to wreck something they do a very thorough job....better to prevent than to repair!!!! :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tia Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 Congrats on your new pup. Like the others have said, stick with what the breeder has been feeding and gradually swap over in tiny amounts at a time to avoid an upset tummy. I actually have a large childs play pen for my golden puppy. It took her less then a week to climb out even though it's around 90cms high. She has plenty of room for her bed and toys plus blankets straight on the ground which is all the breeder had. She knows sleep time is in the pen and willingly goes in there for her naps and over night, but the little monkey climbs out in the morning and goes and wakes my daughter up to take her toilet. She won't use her pen at all for toileting, but as she's only 10 weeks we still have the occasional accident inside when everyone's attention isn't on her. All her awake time is toileting times outside, lead training (going for small walks) or just play time with the family in the house, plus annoying the cats. :laugh: I wish they'd learn to stand up to her. After seeing that picture, I'd say crate training would be a great idea for a strong breed of dog when you can't supervise the pup. Remember the piccies. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rainy Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 (edited) Pro Plan is fine, however when it comes to SBT's, you should be careful with the amounts of grains, preservative, colouring and flavouring they have. Some can be very intolerant of them and it will often manifest as skin conditions. I have this issue with my boy and have found it extreemly hard to purchase food and treats etc for him ( his intolerance is presevativse ) So i feed blackhack. the girls i spoke too at the vet store said we might want to wait a while before feeding chicken wings as the pups can choke? is this a myth? Any dog is capable of choking on bones, if you are concerned only feed bones when you are able to observe or are within ear shot, mine have both had bones from a young age diesel had his first bone with us at 8 weeks and im fairly sure ronnies breeder fed her bones at the same age ( if not younger) Psst ...there's no pictures, so it never happened :D Ditto ^ As for the crate i was at first against them but after a few vet trips (day trips) deisel would fret about being locked up, my vet advised to crate train so i gave it a go, im thankfull i did as not long after he had to have an eye opp and he didnt fret at all in the vets and was quite happy to curl up in his crate at home and recover. Edited July 11, 2012 by Rainy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
--B-- Posted July 11, 2012 Author Share Posted July 11, 2012 thanks for all the great replies guys! i will certainly take the advice and find out what the breeder has been feeding her before slowly converting to the pro plan and raw meat as far as crate training, im still a bit 50/50 on that. i can certainly see the merits if it means my bathroom wont get trashed like the one above! and dont you worry, we are picking her on this weekend so i will be sure to post pics then! getting pretty excited now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebanne Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 thanks for all the great replies guys! i will certainly take the advice and find out what the breeder has been feeding her before slowly converting to the pro plan and raw meat you must feed the meat on the bone. Raw meat on it's own is very unbalanced. And dry food won't balance it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
--B-- Posted July 12, 2012 Author Share Posted July 12, 2012 so raw mince is a no no? gee its hard to get a definitive answer on these things! lol.. so much conflicting information out there the pup will only be 8 weeks old when we pick her up on the weekend so i think bones might be a bit too big for her at that stage? what is the typical puppy diet for a little 8 week old pup? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just1more Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 so raw mince is a no no? gee its hard to get a definitive answer on these things! lol.. so much conflicting information out there the pup will only be 8 weeks old when we pick her up on the weekend so i think bones might be a bit too big for her at that stage? what is the typical puppy diet for a little 8 week old pup? Hi, I have 2 SBT's and have sort of half crate trained them. They both don't mind being in the crate for any amount of time but I don't use it every day, only when we go to shows (once a month at the most) and when we go visiting family and they are nasty and won't let my babies sleep inside "free" :laugh: so crate training is good for places where you take your dog but it might not be "puppy proof". I have my crate sitting on our patio all the time with a towel over the top and they use it like a kennel...meanwhile the kennel sits there unused...well, they actually used it for a chew toy it is also good (in my case) if they have a playmate and Staffords being staffords, don't know when to stop "playing" sometimes so it's good for a "time out" place where the can learn to calm down :) As for the feeding, I'm also with everybody else on this. Find out what the breeder is feeding (they should give you a sheet outlining what, when and how to feed but everybody is different) and if you are happy enough with your choices on what you want to feed your pup then slowly introduce the foods mixed in with what the pup is already on and slowly wean out the other food. Go into the Health and Nutrition section on here and go through some of the pages as there is heaps of others that have asked these same question and ones that you might have thought of too :) Others are right in staffords being very pron to tummy issues which can been shown in many forms including skin issues (scratching, redness, poor coat condition etc) also runny poos and farts etc. My girl has none of these but unfortunately my boy has all of these and it can be My boy can't have beef or lamb and fatty things but is fine with chicken, turkey and fish. When I first brought him home at 8 weeks he was on 4 feeds a day - roughly 7am, 11am, 3pm and 7pm. Around 10-12weeks he dropped back to 3 feeds and then about 18-20 weeks 2 feeds which I still do now. Only feed them as much as they will eat in about 20 mins then take away anything left. With a stafford I reckon bones are fine even from 8 weeks. Chicken necks and wings are great Even at that age staffords have very strong jaws (and MOST love to chew esp when young and teething) If you are worried just make sure she only has them when you can sit there with her and watch and take any away that she hasn't eaten. As she gets older woolies sells fresh turkey necks too which is good as they are bigger. When they were little I would freeze a few necks together and give to the pups frozen as it would slow them down and make sure they chewed before trying to swallow!! I still do it now (even in winter...QLD) I buy whole chickens from woolies too(cheap) and chop them into "serving size" skin, bones and all, freeze them then feed them (very good in summer) If you go to the butchers or a pet food place they usually sell pet mince which is usually ground up chicken frames and bits and pieces with is also very good at 8 weeks as they get the goodness of the bones without you have to worry about her choking on them Throw in a little natural low fat youghurt and some sardines in springwater for breaky every other day too. It's great for their coat. I also freeze this into "iceblocks" for summer. Maybe an egg, shell and all too, every now and then. Well, I think I have babbled a bit tooooooo much so I hope this has helped a little. Ask as many questions as you can if your not sure so you can feel right in making the best choise for you and your lil' girl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aziah Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 (edited) so raw mince is a no no? gee its hard to get a definitive answer on these things! lol.. so much conflicting information out there the pup will only be 8 weeks old when we pick her up on the weekend so i think bones might be a bit too big for her at that stage? what is the typical puppy diet for a little 8 week old pup? Correct - plain old human beef mince is a no no. No - bones won't be too big for your puppy at that age, she should easily manage chicken wings and necks. The typical diet for a little 8 week old puppy is WHAT THE BREEDER RAISED HER ON (providing it's balanced). After some time you can make changes and add things. You should ALWAYS keep your puppy on what the breeder has been feeding for at least the first week or two and then you can slowly change over to your own diet. Edited July 12, 2012 by Aziah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aziah Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 (edited) Why don't you ask the breeder NOW what he/she is feeding rather than waiting until you pick the puppy up, that way you can go through it all ahead of time and ensure you have everything organised. I always ensure that I send out a diet sheet well in advance so that new owners have ample time to get what they need and ask questions etc. Feeding is such an important part of raising a puppy and should be discussed at length with your breeder :) Edited July 12, 2012 by Aziah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Mine rarely go in their crates at all (other than occasional feeding and at training when I'm training one but not the other) but I have made crates a nice place. I am not into crating dogs for long periods of time. Teaching them to be happy in a confined space (ie a crate) is very useful because accidents happen and if your dog ever lands up admitted at a vet they'll be crated. Accidents/illnesses are stressful enough without a dog not being used to a crate. This happened to me this weekend. My girl got poisoning and she was very distressed. She had to be admitted overnight. She is a very anxious dog (she was abused) but was happy when she got put in the crate. It was her happy, safe place. I would hate to think of how stressed she would be if she wasn't used to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allerzeit Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Why don't you ask the breeder NOW what he/she is feeding rather than waiting until you pick the puppy up, that way you can go through it all ahead of time and ensure you have everything organised. I always ensure that I send out a diet sheet well in advance so that new owners have ample time to get what they need and ask questions etc. Feeding is such an important part of raising a puppy and should be discussed at length with your breeder :) Yes, agree totally! We always send out an email to all the new "mums and dads" a couple of weeks before the pups go to their new homes with information on feeding, etc so that people have time to get prepared before the big day :) I'm sure your breeder won't mind you finding out all the details in advance so that you can have everything ready :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Find out what the breeder is feeding (they should give you a sheet outlining what, when and how to feed but everybody is different) and if you are happy enough with your choices on what you want to feed your pup then slowly introduce the foods mixed in with what the pup is already on and slowly wean out the other food. yep..for the first week or so, you only need buy what pup is currently eating.easy :) 8/9 wk old pups can definitely handle bones ..provided bones are softish and too big to fit all in their mouth :) Chewing DOES take time ..and that's why it is so good . Bones they can gulp with little or no chewing are the dangerous ones! our koolie pups get bones from around 4/5 weeks old ..and by 8 weeks are crunching chicken wings . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
--B-- Posted July 12, 2012 Author Share Posted July 12, 2012 thanks so much for all the replies guys i have a bad feeling this wont go down well here but i have been advised by the breeder that they have been feeding the puppy weetbix and milk in the mornings and puppy pal for other meals during the day! ive read here that this is a big no no and loooked down upon however im committed to this puppy now so i need to make do i guess would you guys recommend starting with this food to keep the 'shock' to a minimum but weaning over to better food asap? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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