Newbie looking for any rescue dog advice

Hi everyone,
Picking up our first staffy from dogs home this weekend. He's a 2-3 yr old unneutered stray we are going to call Barney. I would add a photo but don't know how to!
As we are staffy newbies we are looking for any advice at all,hopefully to learn from mistakes you guys made so we don't do the same. We want to make Barney's transition as easy as possible so any advice will help us and would be much appreciated. Especially looking for advice on following:
-crate training?
-harness or halti?
-holidays in touring caravan? Coming up soon!
-good retractable lead?
-food and treats?
-neutered or not?
I know it's a lot to ask in one go but anything will help. I will probably follow on with training help once we've got to know each other a bit.
Many thanks

Craig

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

There is loads of information regarding all the questions you have asked on this forum.  One of the admin guys will be along soon with some links for you to follow

In the meantime, here is the thread to show you how to post piccies

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t12017-how-to-post-a-photos-onto-the-forum

And here is one around nutrition for your new woofy:

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/f29-staffordshire-bull-terrier-diet-nutrition

Congratulations on your adoption - what a wonderful gift to Barney xxxxx

Welcome from Misty and I. Congratulations on the rescue!!
It's lovely to hear dogs getting a new start.

I don't create train Misty, she has the run of the house and sleeps in our bed.

We use a harness as I feel it's more secure that just a collar.

With regards to food I now know so much about the health benefits of food that I never knew before this forum. I used to think It's just dog food as long as they eat it they are all the same. Misty is on Natures Menu Country Hunter tins with no grain and she adores it. When we had her she was fed Bakers and had terrible gas and very bad dandruff, she hasn't had any recurrence since feeding her better quality food. There are loads of threads on here about food. A lot of people feed raw which is very good for dogs.

I'm surprised the dogs home hasn't neutered him but personally my vote is always for neutering. We had Misty spayed when we got her.

Do keep us up to date on his progress and welcome to the wonderful world of Staffy love. X

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Hi from me and mine, and well done on your rescue! All of mine are rescues and I volunteer for the local rescue centre, so it's something very dear to my heart.

Unless you have a real need to, I wouldn't worry about crate training at the moment. They can be useful for very short periods, for example after an op to keep a dog still and for specific training issues, but otherwise you really don't need one. If you do have problems that would make you want to reach for a crate, ask here and we'll probably be able to find other solutions for you.

I'd say that for all dogs but especially if you have a rescue who may have been in kennels for a while. They can sometimes (not always) find something resembling the bars of the kennels upsetting.

Harness all the way for me. I know haltis can be effective but I can't think of many dogs who would choose one. I'm currently learning more about how freedom of choice, with safe set ups, can really help a dog relax and you controlling his head is counter to that. There is also a potential for neck injuries if used without training. There are some great harnesses out there - I use the Mekuti for training pulling dogs and Millie has a EzyDog that fits beautifully.

I'm a bit surprised that a rescue centre is letting you take your new lad a) unneutered and b) just before a holiday. The home I volunteer for wouldn't allow either and that would be true of most good centres. There are so many dogs, particularly staffies, in rescue it is essential to do all we can to keep the numbers as low as possible. Neutering is one of the main weapons in the fight.

It's really important for rescue dogs to have time to settle. They need to know where they are and that they are safe. If your holiday is really immediate and only for a week or so, I personally would delay picking your lad up till after you get back. If necessary, offer the rescue boarding expenses. If the holiday is not for a few weeks or the rescue won't wait, I'd say you need to make sure that there is as much consistency as possible. Create an area in the caravan that is his, that has his bed and things that smell familiar to him. Keep meal times consistent. Don't leave him as you will be his anchor. And just in case, he shouldn't travel in the caravan but in a secure place in the car, either the boot or on the back seat with a seatbelt clip.

Retractable leads are a pain and not a good training tool, if you find you need one. You're better off with a long training line, something like this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/K9-SOFT-CUSHION-WEBBING-TRAINING-TRACKING-LUNGE-LONG-LINE-13-COLOURS-2-WIDTHS-/262225706542?var=&hash=item3d0ddebe2e:m:myc1Dk8CfL-2ebW_RhjVbng

5 metres is a good length, it allows freedom for the dog to move and relax but without being so long that it's too much of a handful for you. I would advise against a thin cord one, some of them are quite flimsy and I personally find them less easy to use, they seem to get tangled more easily.

Treats - yes, lots! And food, go for the best quality you can afford. I feed raw as do several people here, but others perfer the convenience of kibble. If you go for the latter, avoid the cheaper brands, they're cheap because they're full of rubbish and fillers.

I hope that covers it for now!

Hi from Una and me! Looking forward to seeing your pics

Hi ya, welcome to the forum from Flo & me

So to answer your questions:-

-crate training? ---- Only if needs be but can be used as a safe haven or his own space (Useful when firework season is upon us)
-harness or halti? ---- Harness all the way for me, so much easier to control
-holidays in touring caravan? Coming up soon! ---- Fun Fun Fun but as already mentioned always let him travel in the car and allow some settling in time first
-good retractable lead? ---- I'll look at mine when home but it's the strong webbing type and 10 or 20M long
-food and treats? ---- Yes... plenty of those. Ordinary treats for day to day stuff but high value tasty ones for training purposes.
-neutered or not? ---- personal choice but I would every time ( No unwanted fur babies that way)

Hi from me and Blue, great to hear of rescue of another Staffy, they are amazing dogs, all the help available on the best forum here just ask.

hiya and welcome from me and mia . well done on the rescue . plenty time , patience , and consistency is needed with your new furbaby just remember kennels is somewhat different to family life id give him some time to settle say around 6 months but every dog is different. if.you are on a low income there are charities that will help you with neutering. for me neutering was a no brainer as mia had 15 pups before I rescued her . look forward to photos

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Hi from me & Katy, Liz has given excellent advise Barney looks gorgeous

Hello and a warm welcome to the forum Well done on rescuing Barney

He looks absolutely stunning

Wow... doesn't Barney look fab

Gorgeous Barney!

Hiya from me and Vinnie, Barney is gorgeous

Hi and welcome from us and Suki

Hi from Oz and me Barney looks fab. Oz was a rescue and I totally agree with all the advice already given. Oz has a el Perro harness, the best thing we have ever bought, expensive but it doesn't rub at all and is very comfy   For food Oz has nature diet and suits him down to the ground