Oh Thank Goodness...

I have a confession to make...I don't own a staffy yet. *yet* I'm about to move and my parents are stressed about work (this is my dad's busiest time of the year). But once we get settled I'm going to ask for a Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppy. I will save up the money to buy one. I will train him and take him to the vet and walk him and what not. I'm even asking for some new rollerblades for Christmas so I can rollerblade with him.(no, he will not have rollerblades, too. Although that would be cool ) I've already decided on a name: Chub. Yes, I know it isn't the most graceful of names, but I've always admired chubby animals. (I won't let Chub get overweight, though. That's unhealthy.) Even though he isn't mine yet, I've already fallen in love with him. Here's how I found out about this breed:
Last year I was at my best friend's house. We were watching ghost shows and flipping through her Dog Encyclopedia (yes, we are nerds, I know ). She came accross the Staffordshire Bull Terrier page and my hand went down immediately to stop her. (you see, we were looking for a breed I might be interested in) "That one." I said. She looked at me funny and asked if I wanted to look through the rest of the book. "No," I said, "I want that one." I had fallen in love with the breed the second I saw it. The year before I had lost my dog Bernie. He was a St. Bernard. One day he ran away. We live out in the country and everyone knows everyone's dogs. Well, the same people who currently let their chickens run willy nilly accross the road took Bernie to the pound. We didn't know this until it was too late. No one told us anything. When I found out, I was devastated. I broke out in tears during my religion class that night. The dog in the book reminded me of Bernie. So at that very moment I started on my quest to become a Staffy owner. I read articles on how to train Staffy puppies. I read articles on how to care for a Staffy during the different stages of life. Which toys to get, which brands to buy. Everything. So I decided I wanted to be a part of a community of Staffy owners so I could get the best info possible. I came accross this forum. Surprisingly it was the only one I could find. Oh thank goodness...I would have been lost. So I would love it if you would accept me into your family even though I'm not an actual owner yet...*yet*.

Hi &

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Hi and welcome from us and Suki

Welcome from me and Bailey !

Exciting stuff looking for a new pup . You sound like you've done your research !

Anyone can be part of the forum, SBT owners, or even just admirers! There's an awful lot of knowledgeable members on this forum, any questions just ask

Hi and welcome from me and Duke even though you haven't got your Staffy yet you can learn so much from these forums , and well done on doing your homework about the breed beforehand

Hiya from me and Moo Are your parents onside with getting a pup?

Hi & welcome to the forum.

It doesn't matter if you don't have a Stafford (or any dog!) as long as you like them!

Have you spoken to your parents about getting a dog yet? They'll have to be good with it because someone will have to look after your pup while you're at school!

Thanks everyone. Yeah I've talked to my parents about getting a puppy. My mom is a dog lover like me, but my dad isn't much of a fan. He only likes one breed- English Bulldog. He doesn't like having indoor pets, but I'm sure I can get him to let me if I train the puppy. This may require him to stay outside more often until I get him trained so I'll try and get one when it's warmer out.

Hi and welcome from Me n Steffi

As a breed they are not really outside dogs, they like to be part of the family. They are like mini humans.

I think you are going to have to do a bit more work on your parents as they will have to be onside 100%

Welcome

As Janey said, they're clingy little things that want to be around people 24/7 plus, the more he's inside, the more time you'll be training him, so the quicker he's learning. If he's outside often, it'll take him a long time to learn the dos and don'ts of the house. Anyway, it's great you're doing your research beforehand, they're a wonderful breed

Okay, I'll just be sure to keep him in his crate overnight. But until I get him crate trained I'll keep him in the kitchen so he doesn't leave us any surprises overnight. Shouldn't be a problem, though. I'll be sure to take him out to do his business before we go to bed. But you never know. I'll also keep the crate in my room since they like being around people. Plus he can wake me up if he needs to go. Would that be okay?

Its a start certainly, but as a young pup they need to be taken out at silly intervals, every hour to start with, and then usually only a few hours between, so toilets can be 4am. It can be very tiring, get the rents onboared and as a family it will be ace, but you need them to help. I work full time and it is hard work having a dog on my own

Hello and welcome

Hello Claire and welcome!! Maybe it would be a good idea with your parents permission to get a pup at the beginning of the school summer holidays, that way you wont be so tired with taking puppy out for his toilets and it won't affect your schooling. Also remember you'll have to get up much earlier to exercise your pup!! As long as you don't mind doing those things you'll have lots of fun with a pup around. Its a great idea though getting all the information before you get your pup, definitely the right way of starting off!!

Hi and a big welcome from kia and me

Hello Claire and a big welcome from me and the kids

Firstly , I have to say 10/10 on doing your research but need to ask you a few honest questions based on what you have said already and don't mean to be hard or discouraging
1) You say Bernie ran away , what steps will you take to make sure it doesn't happen again ??
2) Will you only get a pup when you have both parents 100% on board ??
3) I wouldn't get a dog to be an outside dog , there is no period for crate training as such , you work at it from day one so Chub would be crated from day one so no need to worry about the kitchen, are you really ok with being the one to take him out every 1-2 hours to toilet until he can hold his bladder properly and clean up the accidents.
4) Will you get financial support from your parents for Chub's upkeep and vets bills etc , they can be very expensive.
5) Are you prepared to spend hours and hours with Chub when as a 13 yr old girl you will want to be out with your mates.
6) Assuming you wait until next Summer when you have lots of time spare, who will look after Chub when you are back at school (is it 6 weeks for you over there)

Only things to think about , I have a 12 , almost 13 year old daughter and she wanted Tommy to be "her" dog but in all honesty she does play a big part in his life and takes her turn with walking etc but many issues along the way , especially getting up through the night with him , normally me or mum do it as she won't wake up .
We went into the decision for a 2nd as a big joint family decision and any other way doesn't work.


Meanwhile take your time to look around here and get as much knowledge as you need.

Hope it all works out for you ><

Hi and welcome to the forum from Rocky and me

welcome

Hi and welcome from me and Dexter

hi from me and the boys

hia from me and sasha

Dave wrote:Hello Claire and a big welcome from me and the kids

Firstly , I have to say 10/10 on doing your research but need to ask you a few honest questions based on what you have said already and don't mean to be hard or discouraging
1) You say Bernie ran away , what steps will you take to make sure it doesn't happen again ??
2) Will you only get a pup when you have both parents 100% on board ??
3) I wouldn't get a dog to be an outside dog , there is no period for crate training as such , you work at it from day one so Chub would be crated from day one so no need to worry about the kitchen, are you really ok with being the one to take him out every 1-2 hours to toilet until he can hold his bladder properly and clean up the accidents.
4) Will you get financial support from your parents for Chub's upkeep and vets bills etc , they can be very expensive.
5) Are you prepared to spend hours and hours with Chub when as a 13 yr old girl you will want to be out with your mates.
6) Assuming you wait until next Summer when you have lots of time spare, who will look after Chub when you are back at school (is it 6 weeks for you over there)

Only things to think about , I have a 12 , almost 13 year old daughter and she wanted Tommy to be "her" dog but in all honesty she does play a big part in his life and takes her turn with walking etc but many issues along the way , especially getting up through the night with him , normally me or mum do it as she won't wake up .
We went into the decision for a 2nd as a big joint family decision and any other way doesn't work.


Meanwhile take your time to look around here and get as much knowledge as you need.

Hope it all works out for you ><

Claire, I feel for you but PLEASE take double note of Dave's points above and earlier, taking on a puppy is a big responsibility and LOTS of hard work. My son also desperately wanted a dog (and he's a LOT older than you) but guess who does 99% of the work, care, training, feeding, vet visits, clearing up the mess (of all sorts) that puppies make - right first time, MUM! Your parents do definitely need to be onside before you take on a puppy.

Sometimes - sometimes - the things we most want are worth waiting for.

Keep loving Staffies, they're lovely dogs but HARD WORK, and when the time and circumstances are right you will hopefully get your wish.

All best wishes from me and Kuchar

Hi & welcome to the forum

Hi Claire,

Well, I think you've heard from the other members about how much work a puppy is, right? I actually think you could get much of the housetraining done over summer vacation, if you have a good 2-3 months like most US kids. I think you need to think about what Chub's days will be like when you're back in school--we still don't give Callie the run of the house unless we can supervise her because you just don't know what she will find to chew (she's incredibly creative). So if your parents are not home, or busy, Chub will be in his crate, and will need a walk or two before you get home. I think Chub could sleep in a crate in your room and after the first week or two wouldn't need to get up much at night to potty (hopefully).

I would emphasize what Dave said--they're not outdoor dogs, they get hot and cold, and more importantly they need company. Callie is always with us, on us, near us. It's one of the great things about the breed but it also makes them a little high-maintenance.

Having said that, my daughter is about your age and I think Callie is one of the best things we have ever done for her. Like you, she did her research and thought about a Staffie (we told her not too big and please not too much shedding), so we started meeting them, and fell in love too. Callie is definitely her best friend. She is absolutely devoted to my daughter. So you have picked a great breed--it's just a question of whether you have the time and the family support at this stage.

We're here for you if you have any questions. Keep in touch.

I like your avatar nice work