21week old monster

So our little bundle of joy has turned into a monster of stubborness and destruction..
I know staffys are known for their hard headedness, but when do they usually start to settle down and listen. I got my last staffy at 2 years of age and desexed, he was an amazing dog. Maybe he set the bar to high though.lol

Silva is 21weeks and already 18kgs ( we still question his breed purity) so he is quite a handfull. He is making progress with training. We have changed our primative Ceasarish ways of training thanks to advice from forum members, and it seems to be just as effective and less harsh.
It would help to hear that other people went through the same stresses we are though. We have been told by trainers that he is alot more stubborn then your usual staffy though.

Any words of encouragement would help.

we cant help with that one as both our dogs are rescues and over 18 months. The training though should be a fun thing and persistence is the key they learn from repeating things over and over. Just keep at it im sure he will come round

Ahhhh, he's so cute and really glad to hear you've changed from the harsher methods. Unfortunately, they can be very stubborn, and it's normal for them to go through phases of extra-stubbornness. The key is to be more stubborn than them. Whatever you're doing to train him now, keep doing it and it'll pay off. Some dogs take longer to get the hang of things, and some get the hang of things but take longer to care enough to listen to you (like Loki), so you'll be fine. Everyone who's had a puppy will tell you they know what you're going through.

At that age they are all stubborn. Just be patient and consistant with daily positive training sessions and he will be fine.

He may also be starting to teeth so make sure to keep some frozen treats on hand to alleviate the pain.

Also be aware that once they are trained they all go through a teenage phase where they refuse to listen again and test their boundaries.

he as actualy started teething, so i might start giving him more frozen goodies. Plus it keeps him amused aswell.
I will keep up the training and just rough it out. I know he can behave its just getting him to do it without the reward of food.lol bring treats in to the equation and he is an angel... he's not stupid thats for sure.
thanks for the advice.

Silva wrote:bring treats in to the equation and he is an angel... he's not stupid thats for sure.
thanks for the advice.

I know what you mean. It took Loki two days to learn 'paw.' He learnt it as soon as I switched from biscuits to chicken

Hi, i would advice the same as above, plus i think they all learn things at differant speeds. Tyke didn't really destroy as much but he has taken alot longer to learn his manners and at four he still sometimes forgets them. keep it up and you will look back in a year and think all that hard work paid off

It def starts to improve with time. When Logan was that age he basically needed 24/7 care, which was very difficult at times. Now he is behaving very well most of the time. My advice is to relax and take note of every time he improves with an issue. If you think of the positives rather than worry about the bad things you will find it won't be as bad!

First of all....he's a very handsome boy!!!
Secondly you have my sympathy.
Bacchus is our first staff and we got him at 9 weeks and, at almost 7 mths ,his training is very much a work in progress. He does sit,down,stand,wait, recall, stay, sits at the kerb before crossing the road, fetches my slippers.....all food motivated of course. But if he sees another dog or person when off lead....forget it. I'm hoping he will find strangers ( and friends ) less fascinating as he gets older but don't want to discourage his friendliness.

reuben wrote:
First of all....he's a very handsome boy!!!
Secondly you have my sympathy.
Bacchus is our first staff and we got him at 9 weeks and, at almost 7 mths ,his training is very much a work in progress. He does sit,down,stand,wait, recall, stay, sits at the kerb before crossing the road, fetches my slippers.....all food motivated of course. But if he sees another dog or person when off lead....forget it. I'm hoping he will find strangers ( and friends ) less fascinating as he gets older but don't want to discourage his friendliness.

I'm in the the exact same position with Hugo (minus the slipper fetch )

I'm sure we are not alone.

Yeh Silva goes crazy when he see's people. Other animals he calms pretty quick, but people especially kids he just cant get enough of. He will play with dogs at the Dog park for 10 mins then spend the rest of the time anoying the owners for attention.lol

He's a gorgeous looking BIG boy! lol, Charlie is 21 weeks (we think) on Tuesday and he looks half the size of Silva...I wonder if the rescue kennel were wrong about Charlie's age? Maybe he was just the runt of the litter and being underfed he'll take a bit of catching up. We get him weighed again on Tuesday. Good luck with the training

Griffin5 wrote:He's a gorgeous looking BIG boy! lol, Charlie is 21 weeks (we think) on Tuesday and he looks half the size of Silva...I wonder if the rescue kennel were wrong about Charlie's age? Maybe he was just the runt of the litter and being underfed he'll take a bit of catching up. We get him weighed again on Tuesday. Good luck with the training

Silva was the biggest of the litter. But besides that, we think he is crossed amstaff (would explain his size). So i wouldnt worry to much about your pup. Charlie is probably normal.

Duke is fine until he sees other dogs or other people then he goes on a giddy fest, he greets people as though he has known them for years,i to am hoping he calms down with this as he gets older.

It took our Taz until he was about 8 yrs old before he stopped licking visitors to death and jumping up lol

He was a gem and so well behaved otherwise, but he couldn't resist a nice new visitor

mickgill wrote:Duke is fine until he sees other dogs or other people then he goes on a giddy fest, he greets people as though he has known them for years,i to am hoping he calms down with this as he gets older.

Me too. I get stressed in case he jumps on the wrong person and they start screaming vicious staffy. But don't want to keep him on a lead in our local off-leash area.

He is gorgeous. Good luck with the training. Marley is 16 weeks and she stresses us out but we wouldn't have it any other way.