Becoming a real PAIN!!!

Hi all, i trust everyone is well and enjoyed a great holiday...

Hows everyones little cuddle monsters?

The problem i'm having is my little staffy lobo is becoming a real pain. He's a gem most of the time, eats his food, walks by my side, plays well with other dogs, is not food aggressive and goes to bed( his crate/cage) when he's told.

All that aside the problem i have is when he's out of the crate/ cage he will play fine, we will play fetch and tug but all of a sudden he will switch into a little monster its like someone pumped him full of steroids. He will run around the house 100mph crash and bump into everything and anything also he barks and bites relentlessly, its actually starting to hurt now. I can feel him trying to latch on and play tug with my fingers. Then if you get up to stop him he runs under the sofa or under the dining table. And then after a while he pretends like nothings happened.

Hes a pure staffy. True to the type. Short and stocky. Bully head etc... He's 9months.  Approx 25kg.  He has two walks a day both between 1 and 2 miles each. Off lead run as well. Currently being fed Pedigree puppy food.

We have been thinking about castrating him for some time now. Not because of this current behaviour but in general. We want a calm family dog. We aren't looking to use him as a stud or breed from him later. This is our first dog and only want the one.

Could this boisterous behaviour be attributed to the fact that he maybe sexually frustrated? He doesn't hump anything ( just looking at all possible avenues). If someone could please shed some light on what i should do or what I'm doing wrong perhaps?  
Also regarding the neutering. Is there a right age? Feedback from anyone who has done it on how it has worked for them?

Many thanks. Sorry for the lengthy post

getting him neutered wont change an thing I'm sorry to say i think this is still becasue he still young and when her older and going out for longer walks thing will be a lot calmer

Pedegree food has a lot of additives in it that can cause hyper activity, maybe consider changing? This is our list of recomended foods but also James Wellbeloved and wainrights are good at a reasonable price   

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

They do all get these mad moments the best thing you can do is have a time out when he gets too much and ignore him until he calms.
As said above its unlikely castration will calm him down.

Darcy is 17 months and has mad moments like mentioned above neutering won't stop the behaviour, training will. And pedigree is really awful food, I'd get him of it as soon as possible

tbh Lobo sounds like a typical Staffy pup (although a bit on the big side at 25 kilos).

They can get very over-excited when they seem to lose their heads and all their training goes out the window. If he tugs at your fingers or clothes when you're sitting down and then runs and hides when you get up, then either he is trying to prolong the game ( a sort of hide and seek), or he knows he's done wrong, or at least that you are cross. You will know which it is by his body language and by how harsh your voice is when you tell him off. Staffs are particularly sensitive to loud, shouty male voices.

Regarding the "wall of death" runs around the room - I think most of our Staffs do this upon occasion - we call it the "zoomies!"

I would urge you to consider changing him (gradually) from Pedigree Puppy food. He's getting too old for puppy food anyway, and Pedigree is horrible and may be making him more overactive than he would normally be.

I would think it highly unlikely that he is sexually frustrated. However, and I know a lot of people would disagree with me, I do believe that testosterone contributes to boisterous behaviour. BUT, and it's a big but, please don't consider castration until Lobo has finished growing physically and mentally (around 2 years old). If you can find the time to search on this forum and the www, you will find the reasons.

Please do come back to us to discuss any or all of any these points; we've all been through (or are going through) these little problems - the joys of bringing up a puppy!

Thank you all so much for your advice! I'm going to see how he fares with a change in food. I've been looking online and perhaps Nutriment is the brand I'm going to go for. Has fab reviews.

Oh and the castration. I will hold off until he has grown and then have a re think. Why is it do vets say to get it done at 6 months?

Ooo and if I can bother you all with one more question. Lynda you said he sounds like a typical staffy pup. When are we more likely to see him start to mature/ calm down?

Thank you

Nutriment does look good, I considered it but decided to go full on raw!

I'm not sure why vets say that, they also advise bitches to be neutered before their first season and that can lead to bladder incontinence problems   

sikri002 wrote:Thank you all so much for your advice! I'm going to see how he fares with a change in food. I've been looking online and perhaps Nutriment is the brand I'm going to go for. Has fab reviews.

Oh and the castration. I will hold off until he has grown and then have a re think. Why is it do vets say to get it done at 6 months?

Ooo and if I can bother you all with one more question. Lynda you said he sounds like a typical staffy pup. When are we more likely to see him start to mature/ calm down?

Thank you

Ref castration - this 6 months thing is fairly new. I think (although I'm not sure) that vets find castration and spaying easier at a young age. When I first had a pup (over 30 years ago) the "wisdom" was to spay after the bitch's first season, and to castrate after the dog was consistently lifting its leg when weeing. A lot of us now consider that even that is too young, and are concerned about this latest vet fad.

Ref Ooo - firstly, your questions are no bother to any of us, that is what the forum is for! As to when to expect to see Lobo start calming down, I wish I could say with any experience! I've only had Dobermann bitches previously which tbh were very different to the Staffy dog I have now. I can only tell you from my own experience that Kuchar was castrated at 14 months old - younger than I had planned but I felt the time was right. He was never a great humper previously, but I can honestly say that to date he hasn't humped anything or anyone since his snip. He is now just 2 years old and has calmed down a bit, but can still get over-excited and will still attempt to chew at hands when he wants to play, although he's getting over his fascination with biting at clothing. I give him a firm NO
and withdraw my hands/clothing or whatever - he knows now he shouldn't do it and to leave it when I tell him, but will still try it on when he gets excited. Maybe that's just Kuchar; all I can say is that he is more excitable (but also more loving!) than the Dobie bitches I had before. Probably someone with more experience of Staffies from pups to adulthood can advise you further. Don't worry though - pups are hard work but worth it!

My last staffy was about 2  / 3 before she totally calmed down, Nico is just over one and he's still mad!

Sasha is as mad as a hatter and shes 8 months, she's currently sitting beside me trying not to bark at the fish which have been there forever, before that she had a mad half hour chasing her ball around the kitchen before arguing with me when I told her to stop   stroppy little moo xx