Hello!

Hi guys

My wife and I are getting a Staffordshire terrier pup. We are confident it's the right dog for us, we only have a one bedroom flat so we needed a dog that doesn't grow too big but can come out with me on my bike and has an easygoing temperament as he will need to get along with our cat. My sister in law has 2 staffies and fosters a third and has told me to lodge an interest with the fostering society. Apparently there is a male pup available soon.

He'll be my first dog ever and I cant wait to get him to start training him up and teach him how to be a good example of the breed because they get such a hard time. When we told my folks about it they were horrified because we're trying for a baby too. "They can snap and rip your face off with absolutely no warning at all." I should stress that they have never had a staffy and only experience is with the ones round the rough estate at the end of the road.

So, what do I require for my new arrival and what should I know before he comes?

Thanks
Dan

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Hi ya Dan, welcome to the Forum from Flo & me

Ok first off, well done on taking a rescue puppy and let the fun begin.

You've come to the right place as we are all here to support you through the early days of puppyhood. The first thing is to discard any expectation as regards house rules, you'll be starting from scratch but the good news is, Staffies learn fast

Now the thing to remember is start as you mean to go on, so if you don't want a 17+kg Staffy sharing your bed then don't allow that cute puppy in. The rest is all about being consistent. Get the puppy in to a routine as early as you can and plenty of outside time till he's done what he needs to do (yes you'll get wet waiting too) and then praise praise praise.

The other thing to remember is that puppies chew and Staffy puppies can really chew so remove anything that you want to keep intact like cables, shoes, laptops... Ok maybe not laptops.

Puppy socialisation is key too, so find out about puppy classes, in my view they are a must for a well balanced pup going forward. My biggest tip though is whatever rules you set make sure everyone follows them so as not to leave any error for confusion with the pup.

The last thing I would advise is... ENJOY. Puppyhood passes way too quickly so savour the time and don't get stressed over the little mishaps

Cracking advice there Ian thanks, the biggest thing for us will be my wife not giving into the pup and letting him do as he pleases. She has been well warned that I'm in charge of training him and she has to do as I tell her too because she'll crack the second he gives her the puppy dog eyes. Plan is to train him to come up onto furniture upon invitation. Have looked into getting 'D' trunking to prevent him getting to the cables and plug extensions we have around the house.

We're going to crate train him too as we have a cat and she has never had a dog in the house before it would be unfair on her. He will be in the crate a maximum of 4 hours at a time before one of us are home and he is allowed out, when he is out we're going to have a child gate in place to allow the cat access to the kitchen to eat and go to the toilet without him bothering her. (Eventually I may fit a cat flap for her)

My brother has just got Bichon Friese x Poodle so we are hoping they'll be best buds.

I live in Aberdeen, Scotland so we have wet weather in abundance but that doesn't scare me!

He'll be socialized with 3 other dogs within the family of ages between 4 months and 12 years. Of course we will also allow him to socialize with other dogs whilst we're out and about.

As far as training goes are there any guides for me to follow to do it properly.

The cat knows I'm the boss and the pup will find that out too but I wanted a guide to explain how to do it correctly with our new Staffy.

Super keen to get started with him.

Cheers!

Sounds like you've done some homework

Stair gates are great with pups but you'll soon learn that an adult Staffy will hurdle that with no trouble at all so lay the ground work early.

Furniture sitting is a tough one. In my mind it's one or the other, dogs don't really understand when they can and when they can't. We started with the no dog on sofa but now she thinks she owns it

Crates are fine in given situations but can also lead to frustration. I understand your reasons and think thus could work in your favour if you make it "HIS" den or safe haven. If you do that you'll not look back but... As he gets older and is happy not to want to chase the cat a much better situation is to give him the space to roam about a room and stretch his legs but always make sure the cat has somewhere high to escape to if needs be.

Again, I can't say enough, enjoy the puppy days and forgive the mishaps. You'll not look back with a Staffy, all they require is love and they will reward you with a lifetime of loyalty, fun and love in return

Welcome from Koda & I. It's a very exciting but challenging time, I've had my now 2 yr old since he was 8 weeks old - I thought I'd never survive the puppy stage when I was in it but now I have a gorgeous loving boy who wants nothing but to please us ! I also thought he'd never be on my furniture let alone bed, of course he owns both and we squeeze in around him ! It's great you've done so much research, consistancy in training is the key but the end result well worth it. We're here any time you have any questions or want to share with us, can't wait to see some pics !!!!

Welcome from me and mia as with above advice if everyone follows the same guidelines and training routines , staffy pups in general are very quick learners and one of the most loyal breed of dog there is . Remember everyday is a training day just keep the sessions to 10 mins a time once they master one thing move onto the next and so on. Getting the pup used to different animals is important too as well as traffic tractors motorbikes anything thats a distraction really hope you enjoy the time with your puppy .

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