Tips for a noob.

Hi guys

Never had a dog before and looks like the wife and I are set on getting a Staffy, much to the horror of friends and family. Can anyone recommend good guides or tips etc on how to train him (Planning on getting one around 8-10 week mark) that I can follow so that me and my new pup can prove all the non believers wrong.

Cheers
Dan!

This is a good start. If you have specific issues please let us know

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t16457-10-easy-to-remember-tips-for-responsible-owners

Thanks JStaff, good tips there, anything further from you on actually training him. I know obviously sit, stay, lie down, recall, etc etc. What other things are easily trained from a young age and what techniques are there?

Cheers!

A few tips... the first thing is to remember that your dog (whatever age) is learning all the time. If he get something he likes for doing something, he'll do it again. So if you let him play tuggy with a sock once, don't be surprised if he does it again. That's why deciding your house rules now, then sticking to them, is very helpful as your pup will know what's what.

Positive training works better than punishment, so stock up with lots of treats and toys, and make sure that when he/she does something right you let him know.

You don't want to overdo training very early, puppies don't have great concentration and you can get them bored and confused quite easily, which then switches them off, but there's no reason why you can't start on simple stuff early on. I love these videos:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0C724F6F6A597540

and I think she covers the basics there.

The main thing with staffies, though, is socialisation. You simply can't overdo it, especially if you hit a low confidence moment (these tend to come in waves) when your pup shows a lack of confidence by barking or growling. If you do hit that, come back here and you'll find people on this forum who can help you (been there, done that...). And in fact for anything, just ask us.

In exchange for which we demand puppy photos, ok?

Hiya strict rules at home and outside for a staffy is important but whats also them recognising when they have done something right ,the leave it command is very useful as they tend to pick unwanted items off the ground recall is another useful tool me and mia wish you all the best with your new pup