Hello all, and please could I have some assistance

Hello all, I have been reading off this site for the past two days on multiple subjects and figure it was a pretty amazing site so congrats to whoever created or helped in its success, I have just created an account to post this so apologies if I have gone about posting in the wrong way.
I became the owner of a 1 - 1.5 year old male staff 2 days ago, it was the first time I met him but I was aware of him and the situation roughly 6 weeks before hand.
Bare with me
I live in a 7 bedroom house with 6 other tenants, it's a happy home and very large, with a massive garden. He belonged to a fellow tenants sister, we live in West Sussex, her sister lives a 3 and half hour drive up north, her and her sisters mother passed away recently but was sadly on her death bed the ought the 6 weeks. Because of the loss, Buddy (my staffy) had spent the last majority of 5 moths in a cage only let out when he was being looked over as 'he began to chew and destroy due to lack of attention' and that 'he wasn't walked much' and the only true companions he has had in his short lifetime were 'school children and a few cats which he tried playing with yet got hurt a few times as the cats didn't want to play. An that he never listened to commands.
Which makes it a little sadder still is that her sister hasn't had him from birth, she became the owner of him from a staff sanctuary, he is pure staff and be is microchipped, but he has not been castrated. He was dumped in woodlands alongside a country road. Her sister received him from the sanctuary after he was 'perked up' and healthy at an age I'm not aware of but I know it was when he was still a pup no older ten 12 weeks.
He apparently left a happy life at her sisters up until the point of their loss and due to bereavement and funerals and what not they didn't have much time for him. I do not doubt he began a happy life because he is such a lovely temperament, but everything I have writain so far is only my knowledge from what I have been told by my fellow tenant.
I have had him two days and he has been lovely. At first he didn't listen to me but I think that's because he has been left for a while he has taken the role of alpha but also as his previous owner was female.
Throughout the last 2 days I have been using his collar and leash rather then his harness to be able to control his head/neck more as he pulls, not a lot, but he see's himself as alpha, but he is also curious about EVERYTHING! So I took the time to take a long walk with him so he can familiarise himself with the area and also to let him get used to my voice.
The first day I didn't go to heavily on te discipline as my thought was he had an extremely stressful day beforehand and didn't know me, the house, or the area so I thought if let him settle so he doesn't get scared or anxious ect. The second day I concentrated on trying to bond with him as his owner at the same time trying to assert dominance to try and make him see that I'm now alpha, which hasn't gone too bad but at the same time, as with most staffs, it's frustrating and slow. On walks, each time he begins to pull I stop walking, an if he continues I turn and walk back, and once he stops I continue the walk, and if he breaks focus I give a slight sideways pull to get it back.
One thing that really annoys me as I have already fallen in live with him an would protect him no matter what, he sits, lays down, and listens to my commands, but when I take him in it out the front door, he won't sit, an when we come to roads, he won't sit, he will wait on command but looses concentration and starts walking around.
Also he is distracted by people a lot, he always wants to get to them to play or stoke him, e also jumps up.
I have kept his leash short all day today to get him to stay behind my kneeline and to heel and each time he is okay I lengthen it and e stays but then at other times he can pull but is better. And if people make eye contact with him and do all their cuteness crap I'm done for as he gets soooo exited, so iv tried workig on keeping him calm as they approach so that the inevitable attention and strokes are calm and he usually stays on the ground, if not i squeeze the scruff of his neck enough to instantly gain his attention to me so he know he has done wrong. Iv also started to jog with him when he is behaved to gain a bond.
Their are a few things I'm also worried about.
His nails, their log and cracked, and it seems to give him discomfort, but il be getting him to somewhere as soon as I have the travel. I will post pics
A mite! My partner, who lives with me, spotted a brownish/orangish 'mole' in his ear, upon first look I didt see much mug got on google, found nothing like it, but had an instinct that their was something wrong. Half hour later I got him to sleep on my lap and had a closer look and saw what I thought was legs but was unsure, was tiny but flickered, thought it may have been my eyes, but then found the * online, can't remember the name, but is said to come in 2 types, unsure. Which one it was, il upload a pic, but it said that it attacks the red blood cells and causes internal damage which an be fatal, but if its removed fast enough it won't infect my dog, so worried yet determined I took him downstairs to his previous owners sister and told her what I thought, she didn't think so, but I got teasers and pinched as close the the skin as possible to get the whole thing and twisted and pulled gently, was tough but I wasn't leaving it. He seems to be okay but the whole red blood cell thing has left me worried, should I be?
His underbelly, it seems he has scratched his nipples bad and they look cut, he has ba nails so I think it could be that, an also has red patches directly able his private area and also a little higher on his chest, will sen pics.
I realise how long this is and I probably repeated myself but am using a phone so I tried my best, please could you give as much advice on disobedience, training, and becoming alpha. It's not that I don't know what I'm dpi g as such, he has just had a troubled life and I want to do te best to make sure he has the happiest life from hear on in, that he comes to love an bond with me at the same time as seeing me as alpha and listen.
And also please please comment on the red patches, rashes, and the mite, will get pics up asap!
Many thanks!
Grant and buddy!

Well first things first it sounds like you need to get him to a vet for a good thorough check up as he sounds a bit stressed out from his whole experience

Hi and welcome to the forum, I would take him to a vet to get checked out, also the training ect will take time and perseverance.

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Hiya from me and Vinnie, echo the advice above. 

Welcome to you and your new doggie! And well done for taking him on and doing your best for him.

He's probably still needing a little time to settle down with you, which is the main thing to concentrate on at the moment. That, plus getting him to a vet for a thorough checkover so you know exactly where you stand regarding his health issues (if any).

I appreciate that you have taken on a lot of problems, but if you could separate out your issues into various topics such as Training and Behaviour, and Health Issues, it would help us all to help youwith your good work.

Looking forward to hear of your progress - wishing you both the best of luck with your new lives  

Forget about the alpha and dominance rubbish...allow him to settle in his own time and the bond will come.

Hi & welcome to the forum. What a fantastic first post - you've given a really good picture of what's going on!

Granthillier wrote: please could you give as much advice on disobedience, training, and becoming alpha. It's not that I don't know what I'm dpi g as such, he has just had a troubled life and I want to do te best to make sure he has the happiest life from hear on in, that he comes to love an bond with me at the same time as seeing me as alpha and listen.
And also please please comment on the red patches, rashes, and the mite, will get pics up asap!
Many thanks!
Grant and buddy!

Firstly, Don't worry about being 'Alpha'. That's a discredited idea wich came rom watching a pack of wolves that had been 'thrown together' (ie not a natural pack), and doesn't give a true picture of how wolves really react to each other. Also, dogs, although they desend from wolves, are far removed from them & canno be treated the same way.

Try reward based training - ie use treats praise when something is right, and ignore (as far as possible) anything that's wrong. I know that's pretty simplistic, but it's just a general overview!

Any training you do will strengthen the bond between you, and if you make the training fun, your dog will obey you because he want to and not because he's being forced to. That will give you a much better relationship with your dog & a much happier pooch!

The rash on his underparts sounds like friction 'burns' or an allergy. Have you done anything about them o far? If no, I'd sugest bathing them with a little warm, salt water, dry thoroughly & smear some Sudocrem (baby's bum cream!) on the sore bits. That will at least take the irritation away.

The 'mite' sounds like a tick. Horrible things that they are.  The condition you're talking about is Lyme's disease, which although it's caused by tick bites, is actually quite uncommon, and not all ticks carry the disease. I think the first thing you need to do is visit your local vets for a health check for him, and ask if there's a problem in the area with Lyme's disease. If not, and you're sure you got the whole tick out, then I wouldn't worry about it.

As far as the training is concerned, it might be easier if you start up a new thread in the training forum - you'll get a lot more people look at it, and we'll all try to help as much as possible.

Good luck! 

Thank you to you all, and thankyou for the lengthily response caryll, I myself don't like the alpha part of it, to an extent yes, but unless he boss and respects me their will be nothing their, so I like that idea, and you got me all worried now, I'm taking him to the vets as soon as I get transport, ad I will get him checked (any idea roughly on price?) but you all instantly said vet, this doesn't mean get him their QuickTime due to health does it? He seems so happy with us, such a lowly caring dog just little lively and exitefull lol, also, is he still classed a pup? Or is he now beginning and going through adolescence ? Many thanks again to you all and look forward to posting

I'm sorry if we've frightened you about the vet thing. If you mean by QuickTime that he will be put to sleep, absolutely not! Just get his nails sorted out, his ear checked to make sure the tick hasn't left its head behind (I know, it's yuck, but they tend to do that), and check his undercarriage, and just a general health once over.

As to cost, it depends on where you are. Here in the South it could be £80, or with luck it could be less, it will also depend on any treatments prescribed. If you qualify for treatment from the PDSA, the consultation should be free, if believe.

Staffs, especially young ones, are generally lively and excitable! And yes at 12 months or so he is still growing up, so don't worry about that.

One step at a time Grant - you're doing great  

I doubt that there's any real urgency to get him to the vets, but t's always a good idea to get a health check when you take on a new dog.

My vet charges £35 consultation fee, plus any medicines, but they're all different. It might be an idea to just give them a ring to ask about Lyme's disease in the area. If they say it isn't a problem then that's fine.

However, you do need to visit the vet fairly soon as you'll need to sort out vaccinations and worming treatments. I don't suppose you know when he was last vaccinated or wormed?

P.S. About the Alpha thing & respect... a dog doesn't respect dominance (Alpha, or bullying as it should be called), he fears it. Yes, a dog will do what he's told if he fears the consequences if he doesn't; but it's far, far better to have a dog respect you because he trusts you, because he loves you & because he wants to please you. 

Thankyou for that relief! I do qualify for the PDSA I gave ten a ring earlier, searched if I qualify and it told me the answer and told me where. Myself and buddy live in bognor Regis West Sussex, the nearest PDSA is in pourstmouth, I need to go their with I'd ect, get him registered, and then they will cut his nails for free so I'm getting over their asap to get it sorted but I want to wait till I have a car lift over rather then rush over on public transport. And they said they would be able to castrate him for £80 (rather then the £175 everywhere else. But didn't ask a price on the check up. But will get him their or should I ask a friend and class it as a emergency as such? I do a lot of running with him to try help with his nails and he seems to love it. And I did do my absolute best to get the tick by the mouth so to speak as I read about that before hand, I got as close to his skin as possible without hurting him, at that point in the that tick was in my mind something I wasn't to happy with, I don't think the forum would accept my feelings for it in words lol, but I made sure I got the * out, I have been keeping an eye on it since and all I see is a minute dot which I'm guessing is where it was clamped on? I have had a thorough look and I don't see anything, if say the mouth was their still, could you see it with the human eye? And my eyesight is better then average, if not il go to the length of getting a jewlers magnifying glass and if I see anything il walk him the 40 miles to the vets!
Again many thanks to you from us both will get pics up soon!
P.s. castrating? Is it advised? And if so, asap? Or once he gets a lil older?

Keep an eye on the ear & if it starts to look red or a little swollen then it could be infected, but otherwise he should be ok. As I said, my only cocern there would be if there was a high incidence of Lyme's disease in your area, but the vet should be able to put your mind at rest there.

Granthillier wrote:
P.s.  castrating? Is it advised? And if so, asap? Or once he gets a lil older?

You'll get two very different opinions there! I don't neuter my dogs (male or female), as I don't see the need. I don't allow my dogs to stray or to mate willy nilly, and I've never had a problem with health concerns or temperament, but if you're set on it, try to leave it until a) he's fully settled with you and b) he's at least 2 years old, and fully mature both mentally & physically.

Research as much as possible so that you can make an informed decision. There are pros & cons either way. For example, if he's castrated he can't get testicular cancer, but he will have a higher chance of getting prostate cancer. It really comes down to your own, personal decision.

Hi and welcome from me and Daisy, looks like your getting some great advise  

Well it's fantastic news that the PDSA will cut his nails. I wouldn't class it as an emergency, unless his nails are broken down to the quick and/or look sore and he's limping. Once his nails have been trimmed back to a reasonable length then walking/running on hard surfaces should keep them in trim (black nails are tougher than white nails).

Caryll's advice about the tick, and about putting Sudocreme on his sore bits is excellent, so do keep a watch on his ear, and put Sudocreme on his sore undercarriage.

Ref castrating, as you didn't mention it previously I would guess that the PDSA put this to you (as vets etc will). As Caryll says, it is a subject of much debate! tbh I would think it should be put aside for the moment and that you should concentrate on getting the dog settled and happy with you, and getting his little health problems sorted. If his sex drive/masculine tendencies prove to be troublesome after you've got the dog thoroughly settled with you, well you can always reconsider - but first things first!

It's a pity that your nearest PDSA clinic is so far away - I did do a quick look on Google but it seems that the only PDSA presence in Bognor is a shop!  

Do keep in touch and let us know how things are going!

Thankyou for going to the extent of searching if their was any nearer and great thankyou for all your advice, I will be a frequent poster err so thankyou for all your welcomes and hope to get to become more familiar with you all shortly, one more question as I have ran out of sudocream but can get some in the morning, for now, would bepanthem (for rashes ect, I use it for my tattoos stops infection and reduces rash ect) let me know

Hi and welcome to you and Buddy from Gwen and I! First off I would definitely get him to a vet ASAP to get a full check up. Do you have a good vet that you trust? Also I would give him a week or two to settle in, he is probably very confused and doesn't understand what has happen! I'm glad you have found him, it seems like you really care and want to give him a great life and a forever home! He needs some stability! After he settles in I would focus on 3 behaviors that you want to work on and focus on those at first so you don't overwhelm him! He sounds like a sweetheart and it's sad he hasn't be given the good life/treatment and love he deserves! Would love to see some pics! Stay patient and consistent!

Hi and welcome from Rocky and I

Granthillier wrote:Thankyou for going to the extent of searching if their was any nearer :)and great thankyou for all your advice, I will be a frequent poster err so thankyou for all your welcomes and hope to get to become more familiar with you all shortly, one more question as I have ran out of sudocream but can get some in the morning, for now, would bepanthem (for rashes ect, I use it for my tattoos stops infection and reduces rash ect) let me know

I haven't tried Bepanthem, so I don't know. My oh has some for his tattoos but I've never looked at the ingredients.

Hi and welcome to the forum from Rocky and me.

At the top of your post you say you are living in a 7 bedroomed house, I take it all the rooms are full of lodgers or house sharers. Will any of these other people be in contact with your dog ?, if so they will need to know what is going on with his training, feeding and behaviour and all stick to the same rules.

Does your dog have a crate where he can go to have some time out and be by himself for a while ?

Do you have a secure garden for your dog to be in, if your home is quite busy can you make sure he won't be getting left outside on his own or out onto the road nearby.

I would suggest you get him along to the PDSA for a check up at least ASAP, do you know when he last had worming treatment ?

Have you changed his micro chip details to those of your own name and address ?

Do you know what he had been fed on before or will you be changing this anyway to something else soon ?

Hello again all hope you and your companions are all well!
The household is a friendly working household, 7 bedrooms, landlady is sue, he husband is steve, tey dont live here, she owns 5 houses on this road and many business running nursing homes and care homes, i am in charge of lookin after the hose an doing it up and choice of tennants an who comes and goes. I and my gf have one room, Brendon ( early 50's works in one of sues care homes) has one, and jay ( late 40's also works in sues care homes) has another room, Sarah ( elderly, rarely here as in and out of hospital ) has another, but she isn't here, and their is a spare room which my father in law is moving into ( with his and my mrs 9 year old male staff who is placid and calm as he is a lorry drivers companion) those are the upstairs 5, with a huge hallway, bathroom, kitchen and staircase, downstairs is amna, ( she is from Africa also works in sues are homes ) and dott ( her sister from up north was buddies previous owner) and a an extremely large hallway, kitchen, lounge and massive garden.
All of the housemates are aware an I went round singularly and told them I'm training him not to get over exited and jump at at people like he does and not to look him in the eyes or show any signs of affection until he has listene to me calmed down and sat before they made contact, since then he knows their scent and each time he sees them he gets exited and tail goes mad and he gets bouncy but doesn't jump much and when he does everyone knows to turn his back to him while I have an instant one on one letting him know he has done wrong and ask the other person I walk away so he knows that when he jumps he looses out in that affection.
He spends the majority of the time in our room, and when you say a crate to have alone time could you explain this, he doesn't but he has his bed blanket on the floor when his water and food bowl is, and he has an armchair which is where he lays, it's where I have trained him to go if I tell him to 'go lay down'.
I get him to lay in the floor whilst we eat and he knows not to move or watch us eat.
He doesn't explore the house but j do play hide and seek with him as training. Il leave all doors ( other then the rooms to other tenants ) open, get him to sit and wait on the floor in my bedroom, il go hide, and then call him, and he always finds me, I use hot dogs chopped up ini peices as treats and he loves them and he is able to smell them over the dry treats.
The garden isn't 100% secure (only things like, weak spots in few fence panels he could get his way through, and long grass in places, I. Want to sort these before I let him run free ) but I have made him a running area as I have building site metal fences and brick blocks which are perfect, an I let him of te leash in that area to give him his own fun and play with him, haven't let him if the leash fully in the garden yet due to me dig overprotective as I want to make sure it's 100% safe, which il be finishing today for him.
The micro chip details are still at his previous owners but I spoke to dott yesterday and they are rotting changed asap, an whilst she is speaking to her sister on the phone about that I hae given her a list of things to ask like the last worming, what jabs ect.
As for food he came with the remaining 6 kilo of the 10kili bag if dry food that he has lived on, so will be keeping him in that but I did give him wet food with dry the first 2 nights I had him as he was constipated I guessing from the stress of moving. Any suggestions on the best diet for him to maximise health, growth, and bowl movements, and if possible, reduce the smell of his farts lol.
Also, I walk and run with him alot, what is the ideal time spent out walking and exercising with him a day to maximise his fitness and figure? In not bothere about getting him looking all muscly and go for the look of a massive staff as it doesn't change his personality in which I love him for, just want him to be nice and toned and defined and fit and healthy.
Also as for the castration, as long as he doesn't get violent or aggressive or start fighting other dogs for dominantly then I'm not to bothered, just want him happy and well behavd and safe to others many thanks again
Grant and buddy

Sounds like you've got most things covered!

Crates are great for alone time - I got one for Dempsey (the first time I've used one) and he slept in it & went in it whenever I had to leave him alone because he was a real chewer! It's covered on the top & three sides (just an old, clean curtain) with his bedding in the bottom. The door's open all the time nowadays, and he treats it like his den.

Ah I see what you mean! Il make one for him at some point, he's never much left alone, he sulks sometimes when I'm not in the room but he either lays on his chair, on his blanket or cuddles upto my partner on the bed don't like the idea of leaving him unless needed because he was dumped and he hates it

welcome  

hia from me and sasha  

Hi and welcome to the forum from me and the zoo xx

Hi & welcome from darcy & me

Sounds like you are doing great so far and that he is settling into his new home! It's so great that you found him and that you can give him the love and attention that he deserves! Staffies are so social and NEED a lot of human interaction so its great that you got him out of his previous living situation! A crate would be good for him! You can get them at most pet shops! You want it to be pretty big so he has enough room to move around, lay down, and stretch out comfortably! Feel free to ask as many questions as you think of along the way!