Calm Leader

hi guys
my 9 week male mix staff is showing signs of not seeing me as top dog. he is only a pup but he is very bold and i want to help him be a balanced dog. any tips of the trade for non aggressive approches to assert my leadership would be most appreciated. im used to labs, who are much easier lol

Stopping watching the dog whisperer would be a good place to start, and then start interacting with your puppy in a human-dog way, instead it trying to interact with him like another dog. He's 9 weeks old, he's not trying to take over the world.

Be positive, reward the good, ignore the bad, be consistent and be fair. Figure out your dog's motivator - toys, food or praise are usually well liked. Most "corrections" will involve redirection to something suitable, for example, play biting can be distracted with a suitable soft toy to chew. Teaching commands is more effective than "no's" or "tsst" noises, teach your dog what you would like them to do. Leave, wait, stay, heel, sit, lie down and recall are all very valuable and will aid you in communicating with your dog effectively. All of this combined will build respect between you both.

P.S you will find the terrier very different to the retriever. They are not bred to work alongside us, but to work for themselves. Training a staffie will be more challenging than a Labrador for this reason, as well as the fact that they're not always as food oriented as the Lab, however, luckily staffies are generally very willing to please - resulting in a motivated and pro active dog. The first 18 months may be a shock to the system, but they're a wonderful breed and I will always have at least one in the home

To be fair the only thing your puppy sees you as at 9 weeks old is a huge fun exciting human toy... it doesn't get any more complicated than that at that age.

Great advice from Rach above, so nothing more to add apart from at 9 weeks old don't expect too much from your pup.