all new to me

i got marley (my staff) last sunday and the experience is new to me ive had a german shephard before but im not to clued up on staffs my partner and me took him from a distant relative without really having a conversation on if we should or shouldn we have a four year old daughter aswel so far so good only prob at the mo is the poop and pee in the house but if anyone has any information to help me and my partner that would be brill thanks

What times is he getting fed? how often do you walk him? by now you might know roughly what times he does the poo and pee in the house best thing to do is to take him out regularly. Don't feed later than 5-6pm nice long walk before bed.

we actually got no papers with him or pretty much got told nothing about him either we took him to the vets yesterday to get him registered and where advised that because we werent given anything that we shouldn be walking him until he has had his vaccinations but the prior owner (irresponsible) said that she had been walking him! hes not not pooping and peeing in the house when we are there its when he is left by himself

It sounds as though Marley wan't house trained before you got him?

I'd start right from basics - let him outside every hour to relieve himself, and then lots of praise when he does. If he has an accident inside, then don't scold him, just take him outside & clear up inside with a non-amonia based cleaner without him seeing you. If he's in the room while you're clearing up, he might think it's a game.

How many meals does he have & at what times? At his age I assume that he's still on 3 meals, so I'd walk him first thing in the morning (as soon as you get up), a nice long walk, and then feed him about an hour after you come back. Then another, quicker walk lunchtime, and again a meal an hour afterwards. Then a nice long walk early evening, followed by a meal about an hour afterwards.

I also take my dog for a quick last-thing walk so that he can wee or poop before bedtime. That's mainly because he is raw fed & raw food goes through a dog quicker than processed food, so he needs to poop about 4 or 5 hours after feeding.

emily(new staffy owner) wrote:we actually got no papers with him or pretty much got told nothing about him either we took him to the vets yesterday to get him registered and where advised that because we werent given anything that we shouldn be walking him until he has had his vaccinations but the prior owner (irresponsible) said that she had been walking him! hes not not pooping and peeing in the house when we are there its when he is left by himself

Right, well I'd go by what the vet tells you, as he's the best person to know what diseases are around in your area!

I would say that the pooping while you're out is seperation anxiety. He's just been handed over by one owner & he's worried the same thing will happen. It's just his way of releasing the anxiety.

With patience and consistent training (as above) he'll be fine - he just needs to settle in, and night take him a couple of weeks or so.

we've been feeding him at 8 pedigree meat and biscuits but then not fed again until between 5 and 6 didnt realise he had to be fed 3 times a day am i under feeding him? what is raw fed i feel irresponsible for not knowing thank you so much for your help

You're not irresponsible at all! If you were, you wouldn't be asking questions, would you?

I'd try splitting his food into three for a little while longer, feed the same amount in total, but spread over 3 meals instead of 2!

Raw feeding is just that - feeding raw meat & bones. If you want to know more, have a read of these..............

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t2170-looking-into-barf

http://rawmeatybones.com/petowners/whatisrmb.php

thank you so much your advice has really helped feel more at ease now is raw feeding staffs healthier for them?

emily(new staffy owner) wrote:we actually got no papers with him or pretty much got told nothing about him either we took him to the vets yesterday to get him registered and where advised that because we werent given anything that we shouldn be walking him until he has had his vaccinations but the prior owner (irresponsible) said that she had been walking him! hes not not pooping and peeing in the house when we are there its when he is left by himself

Are you able to get in contact with the previous owner to find out if he has been vaccinated, wormed and treated for fleas ????? If he has had any vaccinations they should have a record of them. At least this way you know what he has had or not had. I would be VERY wary of taking him for walks in public places until he is fully vaccinated.

When you say that he only messes inside when you are not there, do you mean at bed-time or when you maybe are at work / shopping etc..... How long is he left by himself for?

You've gotten some great advice already. Patience and paying attention are the key words for now. The poor little thing is still just a baby, and hasn't been taught what is proper behaviour yet. Not knowing is as frustrating for him as for you. Keep an eye on him to learn his little signals for when he needs to go. Or hang a bell at the door (low enough that he can reach it) and push it with his paw before you take him outside. Many pups get the idea real fast, and go ring the bell if they need to go out.

You might also think about where he is when left unattended - perhaps set up an ex-pen with a little bedding and play area (placing something easily washable underneath is smart, at least if your floors aren't). You can often find packs of 4 wire panels originally made to contain your compost heap cheap, and two (or more) of these (8 or more panels) can make up cheap and handy ex-pens. (like this: http://newworldmetal.com/images/Compost%20bin.jpg but when used for pups you'd usually attach the panels on the short side to get a roomier pen)

As for the raw food - I believe it is healthier, but only if you do it right. It takes a little time and effort to learn the basics, but once you do it's not much of an inconveniece imo. However, it's not something you should do without having the motivation to learn and do right.

emily(new staffy owner) wrote:thank you so much your advice has really helped feel more at ease now is raw feeding staffs healthier for them?

I think it's healthier if done properly, but it doesn't suit everyone or every dog. Often, it will depend on your circumstances & how easily you can get hold of the right type of raw bones etc. By all means read through the links, though & see if you want to try it.

Aniemother wrote:As for the raw food - I believe it is healthier, but only if you do it right. It takes a little time and effort to learn the basics, but once you do it's not much of an inconveniece imo. However, it's not something you should do without having the motivation to learn and do right.

Exactly - once you know what you're doing it's pretty easy, but it takes a bit of research and trial & error to see what suits your dog.

the previous owner i dont think was a very good one pretty much just handed him over with no feeling what so ever so we took it as he hadnt had anything done de flead and de wormed ourselves and now just waiting to get his vaccines done he doesnt mess when we ware asleep seems to be only when we go shopping work nursery etc longest he has been left is a couple of hours we tried making the kitchen his place when we where out but he jumped the gate we had put up and whines badly if we "lock" him in the kitchen

It really sounds as though it's seperation anxiety. With patience and a little training he'll soon realise that you're coming back & he'll get better.

Have you thought about a crate for him?
https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t17-information-how-to-crate-train-your-dog

Perhaps getting a nice big crate and doing proper crate training could be an idea? You can read a bit about it here: https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t4391-crate-training
Some dogs feel uncertain if they feel responsible for a large area (a room/house) and settle down much easier after they get a safe den of their own.

Also - you could try getting one (or more depending on the size of your room/s) DAP diffuser. It worked really well on my sister's pup who had separation anxiety. I've got one here and plan to use it when my future puppy arrives to hopefully make the transition to a new place easier on him. It contains a pheromone that lactating bitches produce and that relaxes the pups.

ah poor little poppet is obviously feeling very stressed. as everyone says above i would start from scratch and he will be good -pics?

i agree with aniemother, invest in a good crate, they are brill