advice?

as everyone knows by now i have my staff of 2 years. she's rescue but brilliant in every sense. but me and my partner were thinking of getting another dog to keep her company? whats everyone's thoughts on this? any help with introducing her to other dogs etc? any expeirience about a pup?

Would take your dog with you when visiting a rescue centre then you can see how they would get on. Many centres are very happy for you to do this anyway.

thanks kathy if we thought about introducing a pup are the actions different. would she see it as a target and try and kill it because its smaller than her? im just abit new to the whole dog business.

How is Roxie with other dogs in general??
Jethro has always loved other dogs so when we got Winston at 6 weeks..Jethro was about 12 years old.. and he accepted him straight away. They get on very well together , they are both desexed, but now that Winston is 10 months old and very powerful, we cannot leave them alone together .. just in case!

as far as i know, she's fine. i havent ever let her off the lead around other dogs yet as im always concerened about her reaction. my nana has a german shepard and she has to be muzzled around other dogs so i guess im just abit wary. my parter says she's shown no agression. she just gets excited. when she's on the lead and we go past other dogs she pulls on the lead but doesnt bark or make a sound. is that excitement or aggression?

Roxie is only young isn't she?? I would think it is more excitement than anything.
If it were me I would expect my dog to be well socialised with other dogs before getting another one..
I am sure others on here will have suggestions.

should i let her of the lead more and just trust her to behave? or shud i get a muzzel as a precaution. or would this possibly make her aggressive as a result of me covering her mouth?

You really need to know how she will be with other dogs. I knew monte would be fine as he would weep for every dog he saw and his greatest joy is to be with other dogs. Not all are like that though. Frosty is a year younger than monte and it has been a dream. Hope it works out for you, but you have to be careful.

it could be a good think my ruby has 2 older dogs with her and shes gets on great with and she gets on with my next door neighbours dogs aswell and other dogs we have met in the dog walking field i only had a isssue with her when she met my nans dog who growled at her because he was protecting his owner and she didnt like it.

thanks for the advice. i am thinking about taking her to the animal rescue and seeing what other staffies they have to offer me.

my parter has just took roxie for a walk and come across a staff/pitbull. he said roxie only started barking at this other dog when it barked at her. and once he told roxie to hush and sit she did so quietly with no problems. and then started barking again when the other dog began barking. is this a bad sign already?

TBH and don't hate me, I really think you need to work on Roxie before you even contemplate adding another dog into the equastion.

Get her settled first and thats not because of whats happened, although thats not a great sign. 1 at a time so to speak. Sorry. Xx

I have been told dogs only bark at each other in fear and to mark there space , its not a communication tool for them in any situation, so it stands to reason your dog would bark when the other did. i dont really know much but i am learning more and more, and i have to say im sorry but i agree with Janey. please dont get offended but from the way your posts sound, your not that confident with your dog as maybe you should be when considering homing another one. it might be a good idea to get to know your dog better, spend some time getting to know her, how she reacts in situations, her body language, recall etc and go from there. sorry i know thats not what you want to hear, but i would hate for you to go get another dog and things go horribly wrong. neither am i trying to scare you. i have had a rescue for 5 weeks on Friday and if all go well with her training and i know her well enough i will be looking to rehome another dog round about 6 months- year maybe longer depending on how river is. i would love it to be next week lol, but River comes first and we are still getting to know each other. wish you well with whatever you decide and please keep us posted.

oh and i am no expert but i don't think its advisable to put a muzzle on her if she has shown no aggression to humans or other dogs cos for me, that would be inviting unwanted attention and not give very good signals to your dog..

thanks for the advice i totally understand what you mean. im not offended at all. i appreciate your honesty. i do understand what you mean tho, im not very confident and have got ahead of myself thinking its suitable to bring another dog into the home whilst i dont fully know my own. i just wanted another friend for her whilst she's at home so she doesnt get lonely. but as the above comment, it could have disaterious results if she's not ready and neither i am. i need to improve on my confidence and leadership as an owner first. thanks again for all the help and making me see the bigger picture. will definately keep you posted for sunday, me and roxie are having a trainer come round and give us a little lesson on lead control and how to try and discourage her from wee'ing on the carpet. xx

good luck, and step by step Xx

I hope all goes well and as i said please keep us posted

Me too wish you luck but get some confidence with the one you have first. We have made all attempts possible to socialise Tilly and fact is she always plays rough but gets along great with most dogs, if anything she seems to be a little disturbed by little dogs (dachshunds, jack russels etc) and if one has a go whilst on lead then she will try and get away but she loves the big and bouncy dogs (as long as they don't mind having their ears chewed) her best playmate is my Lad's Bull Mastiff and he's huge but very patient. We too hope to get Tilly a playmate within the next few months - year but I am constantly monitoring her and her behaviour as she gets older , bigger and braver. We have on occasions looked after a good friends staff that is 6 months older and although its a little scarey at first as if we let them off in the garden together they can get really rough (to the point of one or 2 little scratches) they run each other ragged , Shimmer runs the legs off Tilly and gives her the best exercise ever and they curl up in bed together and sleep (our bed or theirs they don't care) and although they still play a little girlsterous (like that one ?) in the house they always leave the rough stuff for outside. We can tell she really loves the company and misses Shimmer loads when she goes home.
BUT 2 bits of advice I was given by Barbarah at North West Staffy Rescue, try and maintain a 3 year minimum age gap between them, best for 1 of each sex , though 2 girls are more favourable than 2 boys and NEVER leave them alone for long periods, this was just advice I was given and I can't really comment as I haven't the experience but as an ex breeder and someone that runs a rescue I assume this lady knows her breed.

davemck3834 wrote:Me too wish you luck but get some confidence with the one you have first. We have made all attempts possible to socialise Tilly and fact is she always plays rough but gets along great with most dogs, if anything she seems to be a little disturbed by little dogs (dachshunds, jack russels etc) and if one has a go whilst on lead then she will try and get away but she loves the big and bouncy dogs (as long as they don't mind having their ears chewed) her best playmate is my Lad's Bull Mastiff and he's huge but very patient. We too hope to get Tilly a playmate within the next few months - year but I am constantly monitoring her and her behaviour as she gets older , bigger and braver. We have on occasions looked after a good friends staff that is 6 months older and although its a little scarey at first as if we let them off in the garden together they can get really rough (to the point of one or 2 little scratches) they run each other ragged , Shimmer runs the legs off Tilly and gives her the best exercise ever and they curl up in bed together and sleep (our bed or theirs they don't care) and although they still play a little girlsterous (like that one ?) in the house they always leave the rough stuff for outside. We can tell she really loves the company and misses Shimmer loads when she goes home.
BUT 2 bits of advice I was given by Barbarah at North West Staffy Rescue, try and maintain a 3 year minimum age gap between them, best for 1 of each sex , though 2 girls are more favourable than 2 boys and NEVER leave them alone for long periods, this was just advice I was given and I can't really comment as I haven't the experience but as an ex breeder and someone that runs a rescue I assume this lady knows her breed.

great advice!!

would it be better for me to maybe get a older staff then? rather than a younger one as my girls only 2. and when we do decide to get roxie a playmate if its the best thing to do. what should i look for in another dog. are staff's more comfortable around their own breed or can it really not matter as you explained your staff's best friend is a bull mastiff. my girls been spayed so it may make things easier in the future as she wont come into season. and how longs to long to leave them both together. would it be better to get crates if we did get two dogs and were going to be out for a long period?

xx

I am by no means a Staffy expert but I am a Staffy lover thats why I spend so much time on here and constantly getting wrong for dragging my wife in front of the pc to look at some cute pictures.
1) To be perfectly honest if I had my way I would always go for another Staffy / Staffy x (are you reading Oldsalt ) Love the breed , love the temperament and they so desperately need loving homes.
2) In my mind I would always look to give an older dog a forever home and if I could take an old dog every couple of years to see them through those later years I would feel like I was doing my service to the breed and their problems that they do not deserve, however my missus would never do it as she is still getting over our old Border Collie x that we lost nearly 3 years ago that we resued at 7 so I couldn't do with the sulking.
Its entirely your choice at the end of the day but the younger dogs always get the places first.
3) Crates - definitely unless you have the room in the house to separate them in their own rooms . I personally have never had Tilly in a crate since she was 4-5months old but we were lucky , have always had someone at home , I think the longest we evr have left her is 3 hours but in the front room , with her bed , treats , food , water and of course C BEEBIES, most people on here that have far more experience than me swear by crates.

I would look at male dogs if you want another bitches can be very dominant. Do you want another staff or just another dog?

davemck3834 wrote:Me too wish you luck but get some confidence with the one you have first. We have made all attempts possible to socialise Tilly and fact is she always plays rough but gets along great with most dogs, if anything she seems to be a little disturbed by little dogs (dachshunds, jack russels etc) and if one has a go whilst on lead then she will try and get away but she loves the big and bouncy dogs (as long as they don't mind having their ears chewed) her best playmate is my Lad's Bull Mastiff and he's huge but very patient. We too hope to get Tilly a playmate within the next few months - year but I am constantly monitoring her and her behaviour as she gets older , bigger and braver. We have on occasions looked after a good friends staff that is 6 months older and although its a little scarey at first as if we let them off in the garden together they can get really rough (to the point of one or 2 little scratches) they run each other ragged , Shimmer runs the legs off Tilly and gives her the best exercise ever and they curl up in bed together and sleep (our bed or theirs they don't care) and although they still play a little girlsterous (like that one ?) in the house they always leave the rough stuff for outside. We can tell she really loves the company and misses Shimmer loads when she goes home.
BUT 2 bits of advice I was given by Barbarah at North West Staffy Rescue, try and maintain a 3 year minimum age gap between them, best for 1 of each sex , though 2 girls are more favourable than 2 boys and NEVER leave them alone for long periods, this was just advice I was given and I can't really comment as I haven't the experience but as an ex breeder and someone that runs a rescue I assume this lady knows her breed.

Barbara is great and a wonderful lady

TBH Gem I wanted another 6 months ago (it was delayed as we had just mistimed Tilly's season at the time and I was really put off after talking to Barabarah on the phone). I now realise at the time and given facts she was giving me the best information / advice possible. We wanted another dog so much but Barbarah talked me out of it and I thought WTF. I know realise it was great advice as the last thing we should want is for one of our little babies is for them to find a new home and then to lose it. I might have differences with the OH over older / puppy etc but we will sit down and sort our differences and we will eventually give another Staff a home to love and it will be a littlle more educated thanks to Barabarah

i was thinking about getting another staff, as i absolutely love the breed. me and my OH have spoken about it and were going to wait about 6 months. spend more time with roxie and get to know her better. but i have been advised towards a pup as an older dog may make roxie feel threatened and make her fight. were as she would mother a pup? and was advised on getting a boy

Agree with the advice to wait as well as taking the time to socialize her more so you know how is is with other dogs. Puppy classes are great but it is also helpfull if yo know an experienced handler with an even tempered dog that will allow you to walk and play off lead with their dog.

Here is a link on body language so you will be able to know the difference between play and aggression.

http://staffy-bull-terrier.co.uk/dogbodylanguage.html