pup needs new home

hi people the pup has definately won he has now nearly ruined my marriage so unfortunately he has to go,so if anyone would like to re home an 8 week old pup let me know please,he has been wormed and has had his first injection.

so sorry to here this alan

what? how can an 8 week old pup ruined your marriage?

Oh Alan please don't give up on him! It's not his fault he was separated early from his mum and litter mates! Not blaming you for that, my girl was 6 wks when we got her, I was ripped to pieces, and crying in a corner thinking what have I done! But now she's 19 months and I couldn't live without her xx

What has happened?

Doesn't sound like he's won to me. Does sound like he isn't going to be able to have the time and patience required from your home though unfortunately, I'd contact a rescue centre whilst he's still young, preferably the blue cross as they run a home from home service and will match him up to a suitable permanent home, without having to go into kennels. He's a special pup from a horrendous breeder, he couldn't just go to anyone online.

My boy was also 6 weeks too and as said it was such hard work but they are babies and need guidance. It is a stressful time but please stick with it as it is so rewarding   

It's like having a baby Alan, sometimes you need a break. Can you crate him for a while so that you can all cool off for a while ?

If you can find the patience, you will have your lives enriched so very much.

he will not go in cage he screams for hours,then he poohs and then walks and rolls in it,when he bites if you tell him off or give him something to chew he lunges at you and he is very very aggressive.

He is not aggressive!! Puppies at that age are not showing aggression.

So sad to hear this Was just going to say the same, I'm sure at only 8 weeks old he is not being aggressive. Im sure its very draining, but please give it a chance.

well ive had staffies all my life and i can assure you he is very aggressive

I've worked with 1000's of staffies in a kennel setting and have studied dog behaviour intensively for the last 3 years. Pretty sure he's not. I'd guess he's picking up on the hostility in the environment. All of the behaviours that you are describing are very normal of a young puppy, he came from a poor environment too young and so of course he's going to be different to what you have experienced before. It's not worked out, it's a real shame and I'm sorry about that, but instead of tarring him with a brush that he should not be receiving, why not work towards a more positive future for him. It's really not his fault, he's a very young animal and should still be with his litter mates.

I'm going against the grain here & saying while I wish it worked out for you I think you need to do what you feel is right and if that's rehoming him then so be it. It's important he gets a good home, and its important you try to rebuild your marriage. Not a decision talken lightly I'm sure! Good luck x

11alan111 wrote:well ive had staffies all my life and i can assure you he is very aggressive

  gosh i'm glad i'm your kids then   if you think pup are hard work

I feel so sorry for the pup. He was ripped away from his mum too early and now finds himself in an environment where he's not wanted. Trust me he will have picked up on the vibes. I only hope you will do the responsible thing and hand him to a rescue centre letting them know he was taken away from mum too early. Hopefully someone with the love and patience that pup deserves will come along and things will get better for him.

As for blaming him for you marriage problems that is unfair and saying he's aggressive is completely nuts. He's a puppy for gods sake!

Surely at that age he doesn't even know what been aggressive does he?

I think you will regret giving up on him, I know its completely different but you don't know how lucky you are. I have and still am going through the nipping stage, Diesel is 17 weeks now but hasn't been too good and is going back the vets next week but there is nothing and I mean nothing I wouldn't do for him.

Has already said try and stick with him it will be well worth it in the end.

Hey stu hope everything goes well with diesel mate

markrobo wrote:Hey stu hope everything goes well with diesel mate

Thanks Mark I appreciate it buddy.

Whats up the little man stu

markrobo wrote:Whats up the little man stu

Have a look here matey..

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t52354-poor-diesel-aint-too-good

Sorry to here that stu but he's getting there mate keep us posted mate were thinking of you and diesel 

Sorry to hear that Alan. For the puppies sake do what you feel is right and do it while Puppy is young enough to be of interest to somebody else.

Make sure that any potential owner is aware of issues and is the right (patient) person to cope. Otherwise this puppy could end up in the wrong hands and have a life of complete misery.

Please be careful.

I think this pup needs someone with plenty of patience and persistence and perhaps you didn't realise what you were getting in to with such a young pup. There is no way he is aggressive and I fear that if you are not happy with him now you may be even less thrilled when he gets to the nippy teething stage and then the cheeky teens. As advised above, look into rehoming him while he's young enough and be sure to be honest with them.

i really do appreciate all your comments,maybe its just me cause it seems when hes with the wife hes fine and maybe only nips her a couple of times,but when hes with me hes always biting me and seems to be aggressive ie if i go to pick him up he turns and is very vocal and it sounds like when a dog is showing aggression.i have tried everything you people have suggested but nothing seems to work i just seem to be fighting a losing battle.

Do you spend any time alone with him Alan, perhaps just try you feeding him and playing with a toy just you and him interacting maybe worth a try xx

Inez Maria wrote:Do you spend any time alone with him Alan, perhaps just try you feeding him and playing with a toy just you and him interacting maybe worth a try xx

believe it or not i do play with him,i take him in the rear garden every 30 minutes and i know its wrong but i even take him to bed because he makes that much noise in the cage im frightened of him annoying the neighbours.

Sorrry to hear ur troubles.
I know what ur going through as my pup was a single pup so mouthing has been a hard one and she gets really vocal and it started with my mum bein on the recieving end and caused huge fall outs and fights but at a year now weve just been keeping at it and shes a great dog but still has her issues but now its me....they get hyped really quick and its hard but staying calm helps.
I thought at first we had a little devil she seemes evil bit its just her way of expressing play!
Hope u sort things out i know its really tough!

11alan111 wrote:

Inez Maria wrote:Do you spend any time alone with him Alan, perhaps just try you feeding him and playing with a toy just you and him interacting maybe worth a try xx

believe it or not i do play with him,i take him in the rear garden every 30 minutes and i know its wrong but i even take him to bed because he makes that much noise in the cage im frightened of him annoying the neighbours.

No not a good thing to give into his loudness so now he knows if he makes a racket he gets what he wants. I wish you good luck x

I got Lula when she was 7 weeks old and the first night in the crate we had she cried all night till i gave in  We then took it in turns to stay downstairs with her. i know not the best thing to do but i could not have her crying all night.
The crate we were using was my sisters and Lula hated it. I decided to buy one and got one of amazon. the crate arrived on a Sunday and i thought we were in for a rough few nights. that night i put her in the crate in the kitchen and i slept on the couch. Lula did cry a few times and i told her to be quiet. It only lasted a few minutes each time and she tried 3-4 times. The next night i slept on the couch again and only took Lula out for a wee. There was no crying from then onwards. I did keep sleeping downstairs for a week just to be near her to let her out for a wee. I know i was lucky that Lula settled down very quickly. Lula loves her crate and will even pop in and out of it during the day. I have never used it too punish her and she`s never in there for long periods of time.

The nipping and mouthing stage took time and we are now in the teething stage.
I noticed Lula was worst with my daughter and i knew it was because she was soft with her. We sat down as a family and talk making sure everyone followed the same rules. Once we were all on the same page and doing the same thing the nipping and mouthing calmed down. It did not happen over night it took time and lots of effort.
Lula did the growling and i thought a few times omg but after reading information on here and another site. it was very clear it was normal puppy behavior. we made sure she had plenty of toys and things to chew on. I did notice Lula loved chewing on fabric so i bought her a kong squiggle and kong wubba and a few other soft toys. Lula loved them but they did not last long with her. The only one she still has is the kong squiggle   The puppy kong is another fav when filled with something tasty.

It just takes time and a lot of effort if you hang in there you will see the rewards to your hard work.

I got bruce at 6 week. I used all my holidays that i had from work.
It just takes time.
I would take him if i live closer.
But a 8 week pup cant be aggressive.
He will be learning. Thats why they say take the pup at 12 week.
He just thinks your one of his litter buddys.
Just relax and it will all come together.

So sad. Poor little pup and poor you Alan. You must feel terrible. Hope it all works out for you and pup

Limey wrote:So sad. Poor little pup and poor you Alan. You must feel terrible. Hope it all works out for you and pup

thanks sarah i havnt given up yet hes still annoying me but as a lot of people have said he doesnt know any better,but hes just so cute,its hard for me to admit that i sat and cried today (and im 58) thats how much i love him.

It really does take months rather than weeks Alan. I have a similar problem and Barney also picks on my Dad more than me.

If you can persist and get beyond this it really is worth it in the end. But it is very hard to keep your patience I know.

It really is a battle of the wills when they are young. With the crate training at night you have to ignore the howls and crying. Whatever happens do not take him out of the crate no matter what. It took axl four nights of on and off crying on the fifth night he just settled down at bed time and slept. It was hard listening to him crying but he did settle eventually. If you go to him whilst he is howling the house down you will teach him that is what he needs to do to get your attention and get his own way, they are clever little things lol.

As for the nipping and playing. I note you said he only does this to you, that's interesting. If you are the one playing with him all the time maybe he sees you as his playmate and your wife as "mum" my boy is very gentle with me but as soon as my dog walker comes over he's like a puppy again, jumping up, mouthing etc this is because my dog sitter plays so rough with him always has since a puppy so I believe he has come to see him as his playmate. Whilst I do play with him I don't encourage rough play so I will throw a ball for him or throw his bone around whereas my dog walker will roll around on the floor and jump about. I just wondered if your pup is associating you with rough play? Just a thought.

Also you will find when you are able to take him out for walks things will be a lot better as he can spend all his energy outside and wear himself out

I spent 2 weeks slowly getting my puppy used to her crate. She was given to me too early too, from a bad breeder, and had poo issues and bitey behaviour. They are just like babies and just ignored where poo is concerned ( obviously though clean them up) and yelp if they bite you. It's impossible to be aggressive as Rachael and others have pointed out, and it is just play that needs redirecting to something more appropriate like a chewy toy. No one has said its easy and 2 weeks into it can seem like a lifetime but it's a puppy, what did you expect? The good times will far out way the bad and they will be laughed over down the line. Oh, never give in to it and keep taking photos!

Thats it alan is does take time mate I no its hard plenty toys and good walks will do mate it will all work out in the end

markrobo wrote:Thats it alan is does take time mate I no its hard plenty toys and good walks will do mate it will all work out in the end

thanks again mark,its probably hard to believe but i do have patience,i was thinking of the pups welfare,i know its hard because i have already been through this before,but it just seems that hes not interested in me,thats whats making it hard.

we had mia from 8 weeks and do understand how hard they can be
she is 7 months now and a delight most of the time as said above time is the key she will still mouth and annoy my 16 year old lad hes always played rough with her she never does it to me or my wife we play ball and
tug games with her and i take her for her walks most the time we all have a different role in her life but have always given the same training rules
it gets easier when they can go out and all the above advice is spot on
they are a nightmare but the rewards outway that by miles

Hi Alan, we have an 8 month old and it's been bloody hard work but I wouldn't change him for the world. I cant speak for all dogs but with ours he has tended to favour one or the other so we've both had our noses pushed out at some time or another   but I think it's all about feeling their feet in a new environment. Now we both have our rolls with him, when he wants to play rough he goes to his dad, when he wants cuddles he tends to come to me. Your little one hasn't had the best start in life what with the back street breeder he came from and he's
still very young and also in a few weeks when he's able to go for short walks to get rid of some energy he may settle down   , sorry for the long post, good luck

tracy boo wrote:Hi Alan, we have an 8 month old and it's been bloody hard work but I wouldn't change him for the world.  I cant speak for all dogs but with ours he has tended to favour one or the other so we've both had our noses pushed out at some time or another   but I think it's all about feeling their feet in a new environment. Now we both have our rolls with him, when he wants to play rough he goes to his dad, when he wants cuddles he tends to come to me.  Your little one hasn't had the best start in life what with the back street breeder he came from and he's
still very young and also in a few weeks when he's able to go for short walks to get rid of some energy he may settle down   , sorry for the long post, good luck

thanks tracy,its hard because my last dog i hadat 7 weeks,i was the one who fed and walked him and he was a one person dog,he would do anything for me,now with this pup i am still the one doing everything for him but its likehe prefers the wife.

Hi Alan the little puppy must be frightened to death loosing his mum and littermates at such a young age. he probably sees your wife as his mum however frustrated you are remember he's a just a baby and needs lots of attention and patience.

I have had Staffs all my life too Alan and when I got Barney 16 years ago, oh no wait, 6 weeks ago, just feels lie 16 years lol, I realised that I had totally forgotten how difficult a Puppy is in the first few months.

I also thought I had got a "wrongun" I am 50 and everything seems like harder work anyway. Also I was used to a well trained Stafford and forgot that I had to get them that way.

With the "Prfers the Wife" thing, as I said above I had a similar issue with Barney using my Dad as a Tug Toy\ Teething aid. I helped this situation by distancing myself from Barney (broke my heart) and handing over feeding\exercise duties to my Dad for about a week.

This seemed to help if not solve the situation. Its got to be worth a try reversing roles with your Wife in respect of feeding\exercising etc. Watch your ankles in those heels though.

Good Luck.

I agree with Tony wholeheartedly about the forgetting what the puppy stage is like. All I will say is that you don't live with cute, you live with behaviour. This isn't going to get any better before it gets worse, just as you think you've got it under control the adolescent stage will come, and with pups of this background some people have problems throughout their lives, look as Rico's posts for example.

We can offer you all of the help in the world, and support too, but you've got to try and stop losing your temper with him. Everybody needs to vent, if he winds you up just leave the room. Don't throw him out of it, he is simply showing normal canine behaviours and doesn't understand why you are mad! Dogs can be hugely frustrating, they're a different, non verbal species who essentially have the mind of a toddler for most of their lives. I foster dogs, and my last one I was planning to keep, but once he got here he really couldn't fit in with our family, I persevered for two months but he just couldn't stay, he was upsetting my dog and my partner and it wasn't meant to be. Puppies have personalities too, and maybe his is a little more full on than the previous staffies you had, but his cuteness is never going to make that personality liveable for you if it's not right.

Rachel33 wrote:I agree with Tony wholeheartedly about the forgetting what the puppy stage is like. All I will say is that you don't live with cute, you live with behaviour. This isn't going to get any better before it gets worse, just as you think you've got it under control the adolescent stage will come, and with pups of this background some people have problems throughout their lives, look as Rico's posts for example.

We can offer you all of the help in the world, and support too, but you've got to try and stop losing your temper with him. Everybody needs to vent, if he winds you up just leave the room. Don't throw him out of it, he is simply showing normal canine behaviours and doesn't understand why you are mad! Dogs can be hugely frustrating, they're a different, non verbal species who essentially have the mind of a toddler for most of their lives. I foster dogs, and my last one I was planning to keep, but once he got here he really couldn't fit in with our family, I persevered for two months but he just couldn't stay, he was upsetting my dog and my partner and it wasn't meant to be. Puppies have personalities too, and maybe his is a little more full on than the previous staffies you had, but his cuteness is never going to make that personality liveable for you if it's not right.

thank you rachel,i do appreciate your comments,i havnt lost my temper with him yet,yes he does wind me up but i dont show him as you say i leave the room.i was very hasty when i placed the thread about re homing and i do regret it so hopefully things will get better.

Weldone alan nice to here that mate things will get better over ghe time mate u wait and see we're all here for ya pal one big staffie family

markrobo wrote:Weldone alan nice to here that mate things will get better over ghe time mate u wait and see we're all here for ya pal one big staffie family

thanks mark appreciated

You should also remember that Staffies are not one person dogs, they love everyone Sometimes Axl will favour me, sometimes he favours my OH, sometimes he favours both of us at the same time and most of the time when his dog sitter comes in the room he'll completely ignore us and devote his 100% attention to the dog sitter, he loves him so much. I think you should probably get out of the mindset that he favours your wife over you, I can guarantee it's not the case.

Puppies are hard work and take up an awful lot of time. But please remember this, once you have gotten through the puppy stage then comes adolesence and you will feel like you have gone back to day one. Just when you think you've got your dog exactly how you want him with training and such, adolesence hits and they revert to day one of puppy-hood (maybe not that bad but you get the picture )

It might not be that bad, but it could be, and that's what worries me, will you have the patience for him when this happens. At the moment as a puppy he is easier to rehome, when he gets to two it will be harder and with rescue centres being full to the brim the harsh reality is bleak. It's obvious you love him and I hope you decide to keep him and persevere but please think hard and long about whether you have the time and patience to devote to him

I don't mean to be negative or put a cloud over an already delicate situation but I hope you understand that I'm trying to let you have a look into the future from experience. I'm going through it now with my two year old Staff, Axl. It's hard work and there have been tears and frustration but we will persevere until we suceed . I just don't want you to be under any false pretences and get further down the line then decide you can't cope with him and decide to re-home because as said above its so hard to rehome the older they get.

Of course every dog is different so you may have an easier adolesence period than me, fingers crossed!