please advise

we've been struggling to find a staffy pup, but have managed to find an amstaff, how do they compare size wise and temperament wise to an English staff?

They're quite a bit bigger than a Stafford, but I think the temperament is similar as long as they're trained & socialised properly.

our yard is only about 70 square metres, do you think that would be too small for an amstaff, we do plan on walkies every day but in between walks would she need more space than that?

No, as long as she gets at least two good walks (at least 45 minutes each once she's adult - 5 minutes per month of age until about9 or 10 months old, with some free running included) she'll be ok with that.

Will she be left alone much?

lilybet88 wrote:our yard is only about 70 square metres, do you think that would be too small for an amstaff, we do plan on walkies every day but in between walks would she need more space than that?

Suki is an AmStaff and are "yard" is much smaller than that. Really just enough for her to lay down on her bed and go to the toilet. The important part is the walks twice a day

thanks so much everyone. we just want whatever dog we get to be happy and healthy. i run most days anyway so our dog will get besides plenty exercise besides the walks.

lilybet88 wrote: i run most days anyway so our dog will get besides plenty exercise besides the walks.

Take care that you don't run with a pup, though, their growth plates, tendons & muscles can't take the strain.

oh forgot to mention, she wont be left alone for too long i'm a student for the next 2 years so my schedule allows me to be at home a lot, and my OH is a sports coach and teacher so he's often home early and our domestic worker is here 3 times a week and she loves dogs. so she'll have lots of company.
about the running thing, I've heard about that. how old should she be before we can run together?

I wouldn't run her seriously until she's at least 18 months old, and then gradually build it up over a period of weeks.

I'm sure this has been covered before here, so hopefully someone else will come on soon & be a bit more specific!

awesome. thanks for the advice, appreciate it so much

How old is the pup you've seen? Have you made a decision to take it yet?

You should wait until the dog is at least 18 months to start any high impact activity such as running. They gain weight much faster than their bone and muscle structure can support. Running them consistantly at an earlier age can damage their muscles, ligaments and tendons which can cause long term health issues.

When the pup does get to 18 months start off slow and gradually increase the pace and distance.

Alternatively you could get a dog from the pound who is ready to run.

she's 3 months and we are so keen but we've asked to see the parents first, before we commit. we've had a bit of uphill, we've seen a few pups that we were interested in but the owners ignore our calls and emails when we've asked to see the parents, which is a bad sign anyway so we're not too worried about them ignoring us. but the am staff owner seems the nicest and most genuine of the bunch, so no, we've not decided yet, waiting to see the parents which she's happy for us to do, but after all the disapointments so far i'm almost afraid to get too excited

we've been to our local animal welfare society but there is not a single staff there, they have 2 apbt's but the guy there said that they were vicious, which upset me, i hope he wasn't just generalising cos of the breed cos the one was really sweet to me and licked me and snuggled my hand. anyway, off topic,sorry. we've asked them to call us as soon as a staff comes in, so we're definitely keeping that option open.

Caryll wrote:How old is the pup you've seen? Have you made a decision to take it yet?

3 months, as i mentioned above we want to see her parents first before we buy her.

Good luck - let's hope these breeders are better than the ones you've been in touch with before!

Hi there,
I was told when we had our first Rottie and the same goes for smaller breeds, that pups need little or no exercise but lots of social and mental stimulus. When you over exercise a pup its tendons and muscles will tighten/harden prematurely and impede good strong bone growth .

Anne

Panda wrote:Hi there,
I was told when we had our first Rottie and the same goes for smaller breeds, that pups need little or no exercise but lots of social and mental stimulus. When you over exercise a pup its tendons and muscles will tighten/harden prematurely and impede good strong bone growth .

Anne

I think little or no exercise is incorrect or very easy to misinterpret, just limit it to 5 mins per month , 2-3 times daily , they need to be out and about getting used to everything and socialising , not stuck at home. I agree with the social and mental stimulus 100% though , they are just babies with a mind like a sponge