New here! Looking for a staffy advice please

Hi,

My name is Kelli and I’m new here.

I’m in need of advice because I think I may be in over my head.

I’m a dog groomer of 12 years and I’ve always had a love for dogs. My childhood dream was to show and breed but I never got into it for various reasons.

I currently have a 13 year old pit bull and a 12 year old Maltese. I recently I lost my heart dog. My boy Bullet, who had just turned 13 as well.

I am currently in the process of trying to get a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. I am looking for a female and am interested in showing her.

I’ve always had a fondness for bully breeds and have researched them throughout. I’m currently studying the breed standard for the Staffy to help in my search.

For the last month or two I have been looking into breeders.

I have two breeders I am looking at. I will have to ship from Ukraine from one and Russia from another so not much difference.

The first breeder has a litter on the ground and I will be able to have one of her girls in October. She actively shows, but the dam is not championed and honestly I feel like her head is not typey for the breed. However, her parents and grandparent are nearly all championed. The sire is championed and appears to be what I’m looking for in the breed. Both dogs are health tested.

The other breeder will have a litter in January so I will be able to have a puppy in April or May. She seem way more active in the show world and all of her dogs are championed. The dogs to be bred are exactly what I would want. Dogs are also health tested. And while color is irrelevant really, I love love love her red pied dogs.

I’m am unsure who to go with. The second breeder is way more expensive. I also feel like a high quality dog would be wasted on me as I am inexperience and do not have a mentor to help me.

Any advice for me? Am I doing this all wrong.

Thank you in advance.

Hi & welcome to the forum  

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Hello and welcome.
Wow, what a big project you have on the go.

You don’t say which country you are in but are you limited to Ukraine and Russia or could you go further afield if necessary ?

Each to his own in terms of what they do with their dogs but for me, the most important thing is to have another canine become a member of the family as that’s what they’ll be spending most of their time doing. Showing is also very very subjective so you need to keep that in mind.

I’d be inclined to go see the first litter in person and see how you get on with the puppies. It might be love at first sight or you might not feel the connection with any of them.
Don’t forget that your showing champion is a living being first of all, not an object.

Good luck and do let us know how you get on

Thank you for the response.

Oh, absolutely family member first! Sorry if it came off any other way. Dogs have been a huge part of my life my whole life. It’s even my job hehe. It’s just that this is something I’ve dreamed of doing since a was under 10 years. And Im at a point where I feel like my lifestyle will allow me to as my kids are no longer babies and my oldest child wants to be involved as well. We just lost my oldest dog, who was 3 when my daughter was born and 13 when he passed. While I know we can’t replace him, but I feel like a new puppy and all that comes with that will keep us busy. And thankfully my job will allow me to take the puppy to work with me.

I’m actually from Houston, Texas. I’ve spend about a month searching and reaching out to breeders. It’s actually kind of tiring haha. My other dogs came to me so much easier. I guess that’s what comes with going with a show breeder?

I have not found too many local breeders. I’m sure that would be easier. Should I keep searching?

The two breeders from out of country seemed to be the two most interested in talking with me as a novice. I sure would love to see the litter first hand though...

I agree showing is very subjective. It does concern me, but I mainly want to show for fun and hope for the best. My friends parents show and breed bull terriers and my friend tells me that often they win because of their name. I’m not sure how true that is.

Again thank you for the response. I’m very excited about this, despite the hard work it seems to require. It’s been a loooong time since I’ve had a puppy to raise!

Hi & welcome.

Firstly, that's a loooong journey for a pup to make. Are there really no breeders in the USA that could help you?

I would also be concerned about the breeder's motives - most good breeders have waiting lists for show quality puppies but these two don't seem to. That can mean something.... or nothing!

A couple of things I think you should consider...

1.Even if every dog in a pup's pedigree is a champion, it doesn't mean that pup will do well in the show ring, or even enjoy showing.

2. Why is there such a difference in price? The fact that a bitch isn't a champion doesn't stop her producing champions, and many top producing bitches have hardly ever been shown.

3. Do you have somewhere you can go for ringcraft training? Showing a dog, especially a Stafford (as they are shown differently to most other breeds), isn't all straightforward. You will almost certainly need help, and will suffer badly in the ring if you don't have showing knowledge.

4. If you're not sure the bitch's head is good, be prepared for the pup possibly taking after it's mum.

5. A pup from Eastern Europe will need all its shots before it can travel - are you prepared to wait a couple of months extra for that?

6. The European 'type' of Stafford is actually a little different to the American 'type' - be sure that judges in the USA will consider that type when handing out the cards.

7. Do you want a dog or a bitch? Have you discussed your preference with the breeders?

There are probably more questions, but I'll leave it there for now.

I'm sorry that I'm sounding so negative, but showing dogs is a bitchy (excuse the pun) occupation & it's hard to get into the game when you don't know anyone.

Personally, I would wait a while & start to go to some shows; try and get to know a couple of regulars & ask their advice. If there's a dog you particularly like the look of, ask what his/her breeding is & maybe get contact details for the breeder.

Also, contact the Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club of America and ask their advice - breeders, shows, health tests etc. http://www.sbtca.com/

It'll take a little while longer, but hopefully you'll have a better knowledge of the show world by then.

Hi ya, welcome to the forum from Flo and me

I think if I were in your shoes I'd go to some shows as mentioned above and ask lots of questions, I should imagine it will be the best way to make contacts and friends and will allow you to get first hand advice from those showing already.

I also agree that a pup bred in the US is going to be a better bet all round as you should at least be able to physically see before you buy.

Do let us know how you get on and the best of luck in your search

There will be plenty of such Staffies in the US, no need to go abroad. Shipping a dog half way around the world is very gruelling on the dog and often fatal, especially with certain US airlines. Research the breeders you're interested in and if they don't have what you need, register your interest in future litters and wait. I spent about 8 months ringing around UK breeders before I got my boy, and settled on one only 120 miles away. He comes from a long line of show dogs but I've no interest in showing him, I only went for a breeder because he was my first Staffy (if I get him a friend it will be from rescue).

Hello! Sorry for getting back here on the later side. I’ve been having phone service trouble where apps load fine but websites don’t and I have no internet at home(too rural)

However, I’m back and I really appreciate the advice. I looked into a few breeders in the US and just didn’t like the feel. One wouldn’t place a dog with me because I don’t have a fenced in yard. I’m rural and live on an acre but a small portion is fenced. But I understand the concern. Another didn’t want to place a show quality dog with me because I am inexperienced. Also I understand.

My friend parents show Bull Terriers and many are imported. I am suppose to meet with them in a week or two for advice on showing. Also, I’ve lined up some handling classes as well. I’ve heard soooo many rough things about showing; about how political it can be among other complaints. I wanted to try it out for fun. Something my daughter and I could do together. I’ve heard about catching ‘the show bug’ and thought maybe I could give it a try. If I flop, perhaps a professional show handler could help?

I think it’s been easier to find a puppy over seas because this breed seems to be much more popular there.

I kind of wished I had come back here sooner. You’re probably right that I should go with a breeder within the US. I should have looked more. I ended up placing a partial deposit in a little girl from Ukraine. The one who’s mom I was unsure of. I went to place the rest of the deposit down when I learned there was a problem with the co-owner. Long story short, it didn’t work out. I was sad but it was probably for the best.

I placed a deposit on a little boy from Spain yesterday and should have him by mid September. I hope I made the right choice. Now I’m comcerned about him flying. My coworker shipped a Northern Inuit from the UK last April and most breeders told me they’ve shipped puppies no problem before. This is the first I’ve heard of their being fatalities! What airlines have you heard that? I’m so worried now. He will be 16 weeks old at the time of shipping.

He's gorgeous!

There have been several deaths on flights...

https://metro.co.uk/2018/06/03/dog-dies-in-plane-hold-waiting-to-change-flights-7601005/

http://dogtime.com/dog-health/general/16295-second-dog-dies-during-united-airlines-flight

http://www.khq.com/story/13539749/dog-dies-on-delta-flight-family-demands-answers

That's just three. The following article is quite interesting...

https://www.bustle.com/p/how-do-animals-die-on-planes-here-are-all-the-safety-factors-that-are-at-risk-when-your-pet-flies-8504212

With regards to showing, it's worth having a go, but don't take it too seriously. Often, it's the human at the end of the lead that wins, rather than the dog.

Ooh, isn’t he lovely !

If he won’t fly, I’d be happy to drive down to fetch him and keep him here with Nifty and myself