Need some help

Hi guys, I wondered if perhaps some of you may have the answer to my problem. I have an 8month old pure breed staffy had him from 7.5weeks old. I was feeding him Eden dog food until last month now I have him on pedigree wet food for puppy.

Down to the problem he has so much energy. In the house he is constantly running around tearing things up. I've tried time outs, giving him alternate chews I even take him on 4-5mile walks a day. Even after the walk he is constantly running around chewing on things.

Also on a walk if I stop he stops but he keeps winging/ crying the whole time we are stopped and then he will start jumping up and nipping at my hands but if we are walking he doesn't pull or cause a problem.

I really hope someone can help. I absolutely love him to bits and want to keep him out of his crate more and want to be able to stop and talk to friends i may encounter on a walk or go to shops but right now I can't.

I sincerely hope someone can help.

Many thanks

Can I ask why you changed him from Eden to Pedigree?

Also, how many walks do you give him a day, what sort of exercise does he get during them & how long is each walk?

I changed him from Eden because he simply wouldn't eat it anymore. I tried mixing scrambled egg in it and he was happy with that for a while and then he started leaving a little bit and then more and more and more and eventually he would just sniff it and walk away to the point he would starve him self for days. Then someone told me about the pedigree so I took their advice. Seems to work.

I walk him once for the whole amount and then a little 400yards around our block at night before bed for wee and poop.

Oh we do the walk on lead on pavement and grass. I would let him off but he has a tendency to want to sniff moving cars and if he gets sight of another dog he tends to walk towards them.

Pedigree is not a good food and could be contributing to the hyper activity, its very low in meat content and full of fillers and additives. Personally I would change again. This is our recommended food list but also James Welbeloved and wainrights are good and reasonably priced  

http://staffy-bull-terrier.com/dry_food

Make sure you change over gradually over 1-2 weeks  

If you struggle to get him to eat dry you can add some egg and you know he liked that, or some tinned sardines or mackeral in tomato or oil.

Another thing to consider would be raw feeding?

Oh and regarding the exercise at 8 months he should be getting 40 mins twice a day  

sikri002 wrote:I changed him from Eden because he simply wouldn't eat it anymore. I tried mixing scrambled egg in it and he was happy with that for a while and then he started leaving a little bit and then more and more and more and eventually he would just sniff it and walk away to the point he would starve him self for days. Then someone told me about the pedigree so I took their advice. Seems to work.

Pedigree is quite a bad food, with loads of fillers that can lead to hyperactivity in a dog. To be honest, if you were happy with Eden, and your dog had been happy with it, then you should probably have just stick it out! Maybe add a raw egg or a couple of sardines in oil to the kibble to make it more interesting. Sometimes, adding a little tray food (Wainwrights do a good one, as do Naturediet) will help to make it appetising.

sikri002 wrote:I walk him once for the whole amount and then a little 400yards around our block at night before bed for wee and poop.

You'd be better off giving two good walks a day (about 45 minutes each) and a shorter toilet break last thing. Staffords do need a lot of exercise.

sikri002 wrote:Oh we do the walk on lead on pavement and grass. I would let him off but he has a tendency to want to sniff moving cars and if he gets sight of another dog he tends to walk towards them.

If hE isn't totally reliable off lead, try investing in a long training line. You can get a reasonably priced 50' lead off ebay or amazon!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.X50%27+training+lead&_nkw=50%27+training+lead&_sacat=1281&_from=R40

Awesome. Thank you so much for all your help guys. So just to clarify this hyper activity around the house and aggravation when stopped walking isn't normal behaviour from what all of you have come across?

Thanks again

Depends what you call normal! Typical, maybe, yes. Because they do tend to be full of life, but they should also be responsive. The hyperactivity is almost always either a lack of exercise or additives in food (or both).

At 14 weeks you can expect a bit of over exuberance, but they should still be able to listen to you.

Maybe also a bit more training on sit and stay for when you are stopped on a walk