Axel's Diary

Tuesday 27th January 2019
I was looking for a Staffy for a while, i answered a few adverts and each time was told they had all gone! even on adverts that was posted that day.

I widened my search from just the local area and an advert caught my eye.
this advert had pictures of the pups, mum and dad, and said i could meet all as they are family pets.
the pups at this point was 4 weeks old and i would need to pay a £50 deposit if i wanted one.

I live in Milnrow, and the pups are in Stoke a 90 mins drive away.
i rang and they had 2 left, a boy and a girl! i told them i was interested and even though it was 8pm on a Sunday night i set off.
I got there around 9:45pm and was invited into the house.
I was greeted by dad first who was a typical Staffy, all excited with a new Human to get a fuss off, then along came mum who also wanted a fuss too.... not as boisterous as dad but still very friendly.

The fact both dog where clearly full staffs, had a great temperament and friendly relaxed me greatly.
then i looked at the pups, 7 of them.
The owner picked up the 2 dogs left and i had to pick one...
i had no preference boy or girl, i picked the boy simply because i liked his marking/colours better.



i played with all the dog... as you do
paid my deposit then drove off.

I was on the motorway home when it occured to me i just give £50 to a complete stranger and had no receipt or anything else!
I just had to hope the guy was honest.

Thursday 14th February 2019

I received a text asking if i had a name for the dog and said he would put my details on the chip.
Our short list was..
Billy
Axel
Luther
I got the name Axel when i was driving the car when Guns and Roses came on and thought of the singer Axl Rose...
we decided on Axel as its the only name we all agreed was different.

i asked what food he was going to be on, and if i could have some when i picked him up, they said yes no problem.

Saturday 23rd February 2019

Just over 2 weeks later i received a text saying i can pick him up?
by my maths that made him 6.5 weeks old, this concerned me as its too young.
Even though i could have, i text back saying it would after be in another week at least.

I went to pick him up on the Saturday morning, at which point he was 3 days short of being 8 week old.
must admit i was still concerned he was too young?

Once i arrived and was impressed how my little pup and grown, and laughed at him as he ran around the house toy fighting with his brothers and sister
I was given the chip information (Smart Trace)

we eventually said our goodbyes and left.....
I had mixed emotions, obviously i was happy with my pup but felt awful taking him away from his parents and his brothers (4 that was left)
My son Scott sat him on his knee as i drove home

Saturday 23rd February 2019 Continued.....

His first day at his new forever home involved lots of cuddles, putting him down he hardly wandered anywhere.

he had a habit when venturing, of stretching his back legs as he reached forward looking like he was about to pee.
when in actual fact this was just him being unsure about something, and trying to get close to something for a sniff without moving his back legs!

This caught me out once or twice and he sneaked in a real pee..... only to be picked up and put in the back garden.

To be fair to him by night time he was taking himself out to use the toilet without being prompted... admittedly the patio door was left open for him as it was a nice day.

also by nightfall he had become a professional at untying shoe laces.
he could even untie them while you just walked through a room, funny at first but soon got annoying after tying my laces for the 30th time!
Feeding him we bought wainwrights from pets at home, apparently they taste much better if you have both feet in the bowl while you eat them
and for extra fun you can also stand in your water bowl at the same time!

Bedtime consisted of Axel being in his bed at the side of my bed.... most of the night i had one arm out to stroke him each time he whined.

Sunday 24th February 2019

As i woke up and swung my legs out of the bed, Axel dashed from his and peed on the carpet.
I know dogs need to pee first thing, but 3 seconds isnt enough..... work in progress

I registered his chip on the website and paid £20 to do this, least his/our details are on there now.

As the morning went on a couple things of concern.

firstly he seems quite aggressive, playing involves lots of biting (hard) and he draws blood quite a bit?
this is the same with my wife and youngest son... we all have scars to prove it!
love is tough... literally!

secondly hes eating his poo
I took him out 10 mins after eating breakfast and he poo'd in the garden, i went in to get a poo bag and when i got back poo had vanished!
I looked at Axel and he was eating something!
Later this was confirmed (as if i didn't know, i just couldn't believe it) when he did another and i had to keep shoving him away to pick it up!
This is going to have to be fixed... because its disgusting and so is his breath!!!!
He aint licking me for a week at least.

I booked an appointment with the vet at pets at home (nearest place, its literally 5 mins walk away)
hes booked in for Wednesday 6pm.

other than that hes a lovely dog and when hes sleepy he just wants cuddles and melts my heart.

Thursday 28th February 2019 - 8 Weeks old
Sleeping and First Vet Visit

Well we have a better sleeping routine now, he stopped crying at night by Tuesday.

The mistake i was making was letting him out for his last toilet break then putting him straight to bed.
This doesnt work because for some reason after being out he comes back in wide awake and we need a good 20 minutes for him to calm down and start getting sleepy again.
Once hes been quiet for 5-10 mins i put him in his crate and he just goes to sleep.

He is waking at around 4-5am though, i let him out and he does a big pee usually and then i put him back in the crate.
I usually wake for work at 5.45am anyway, so not a massive problem.

I have been dropping him off with my parents on the way to work, they love having him and it means hes not left alone during the day, i pick him up at 4.15pm on the way home.

Anyway today at 6pm he had his first vet visit.
The vet checked him over and gave him his first injection, the breeder said he had done this but because i had no proof or paperwork etc the vet said its safer for me to do the complete set of injections and worming/flea treatment so we know its definitely done.
It costs the same anyway, all 3 injections and worming/flea treatment including kennel cough was £50 this will take him up to 3 months old and he gets a months free insurance.
He also was given a free bag of puppy food called Specific, which was interesting ill post about this later.

He cried a little after being injected, it wasn't actually the injection its self it was the sting about 10 seconds after, poor thing was chewing a biscuit when it started to hurt and he spat it back out.
He goes back in 2 weeks for his next injection and a week after that he is allowed out

The vet said its important for him to socialise with other dogs as soon and as much as possible.
He can mix with friends dogs that we know are fully vaccinated and safe.

Friday 1st March 2019 - 8 weeks 2 days old
Socialising

Today we decided to take him to a friends who also have a staff puppy, so he could make a friend and have a play.
Their puppy was huge! compared to our little fella, looked like a full sized staffy!

We put Axel down and the other dog was barking loudly in his face and jumping forward nipping him, we left them to see if it got nicer and it didn't!
In fact the nipping turned to growling and biting, our little Axel was visibly scared so i picked him up and we left.

I just hope it hasn't put him off meeting another dog.
I need to make sure now that his next encounter is better!

My Brother has a female staff called Tess, who i know is very friendly with other dogs.
i think this would have to be his next meeting.
She is great dog and he can learn a lot from her too.

Saturday 2nd March 2019 - 1 week into his forever home
Recall - coming when called

Well since he is always up to mischief and chewing or going where he shouldn't i think its time he got to know his name instead of shouting "Oi!" all the time when he starts chewing.

I got some treats and when he was in another room i shouted "Axel"
after shouting about 20 times he come trotting in, i give him the treat and made a fuss of him.

5 mins later when he was out of sight i did it again, this time he came after shouting his name maybe 3 times.
i did this for about an hour and he was now coming 1st time of shouting, i was so pleased.

Now it was time to do it again with no treat, just a "good boy" fussing
After several re calls he started to ignore me again, no treat im not coming!

i have now carried on this trend, but i only give a treat randomly and it seems to be working... its a slow process

Chewing
His chewing is getting worse, he moving around quicker and can be in another room and chewing in seconds!
he is obsessed with getting in the corner of rooms and pulling up the carpet!
so far no damage, but its only a matter of time before it gets expensive!

He is also attracted to wires and cables... live ones!!! which is a worry.

Sunday 3rd March 2019 - 8 weeks and 4 days old.
naughty but nice...

Last night he slept well, although i didn't put him in his crate till 1am, so that helped. He woke around 7am whining and i got up and took him out for a pee.
I brought him back to my bed for a cuddle for an extra hour, well that was the plan!
He had other ideas, such as biting and pulling hair while jumping all over my face!
I shoved him under the covers and he crawled to my feet and bit my toes!!
eventually i got the message and got up!

Getting dressed was a great game for Axel, have you ever tried putting socks on while your puppy is trying to pull them back off at the same time. Then putting jeans on while he is swinging around on one of the legs.... as soon as your foot pops out hes back on them tasty toes again! his teeth are like razors!

I went downstairs and made a coffee, turned round and Axel was asleep on his bed.... typical.

A friend rang who was on a walk with their dogs (Collie and a Husky) they popped in to meet Axel.
Axel was shaking in my arms, i put him down and the husky was friendly and just wanted to play.... Axel ran round the garden like an Olympic sprinter... nobody chasing, i think he was just excited
the collie was barking, which i dont think Axel likes due to the last barking dog that was nasty to him, so he stayed away from the collie.

After they went, i took my eye off him for a minute and its cost me a charger lead for my mobile phone

I went to check if i had a spare and when i came back down the stairs, he was behind the TV chewing more wires!!
ive not checked everything yet, so not sure if hes damaged anything.
I shouted at him, and he went to his bed with a big sigh and looked at me with sad eyes  

He went to sleep so i thought now was a good time to get in the kitchen and get dinner ready.
While i was doing this i heard a bang like something falling, dashed in the front room and the sneaky bugger and gone round the back of the TV again.
He had pulled on the wire attached to the PS4 and the Playstation came crashing off the shelf... probably onto top of him! since he was now stood back staring at it.
I hate to do it, but when i have to leave him i am going to have to crate him before he hurts himself.... as well as costing me a small fortune!

Cant stay mad at him long.... hes too cute  

What a fab diary... please keep us up to date with his antics.

He sounds like a typical Staffy puppy to me, chewing wires , shoes, hands are all common and entirely usual. With the hand chewing replace with a toy, that way you’ll reinforce that toys are for chewing and not humans.

Sounds like you’ve made great progress with toilet training though I think you’re finding he’s a clever little fella where recall is concerned.

BTW... I agree, how could you stay annoyed at something as cute looking as that

12th March 2019 - 10 weeks old tomorrow!

Hes turning into a great dog already, he now comes first time of asking most of the time, unless hes distracted or up to something he shouldn't.
If hes quiet, i find myself going to see what hes doing... sometimes its all innocent but not always

He has found he can fit under the sofa, once under he chews the underside.
He has a special love of chewing anything with a label on it, you know the type...ones with washing instructions etc.
I didn't even know it, but it seems there is one on the underside of the sofa and he loves trying to pull it off!
The way he is growing he wont fit under much longer though

At night the routine of locking the house up and putting him in his cage overnight has become automated.
as soon as i turn the lights out and locks the doors, turn TV off.
He follows me up to bed and goes into his cage on his own, if hes asleep i still carry him though.

However last night i trusted him without the cage, i decided to test him to see what he would do.
Amazingly he stayed in his bed all night.
I checked this morning and he hadnt pee'd anywhere either, as soon as i got up i put him in the garden.
i have to be honest i'm really impressed by this.

Will try again tonight, see if it was a one off

2 days a week leaving him with my parents, they have been feeding him things.
i picked him up and he looked really fat... i said what have you fed him?
My mum said she gave him a boiled egg!! thats on top of his usual dry food.
I'm sure hes been having more than just an egg, that night he had bad wind too... i put my ear to his stomach and i could hear it gurgling.
Unsurprisingly when i took him out he had the runs...liquid poo! so glad he didnt do THAT on the carpet!
After a few days back with us only, he went back to a nice shape and was more himself... with poo i could pick up again!
I can see this being an issue with my Mother, i told her no more treats we will see.

He has started walking away from his poo now too, i still have to watch him but its rare he goes back to it now... Progress!!
After each poo or wee outside i shout "Good boy!" and give him a tickle.... he responds to this wagging his tale really fast.
Its like he really understands im happy with him, sounds silly i know but it seems to be working

Tomorrow on his 10 week birthday, he back at the vets for his next vaccination.
i will buy a small harness and lead while im there ready for his first walk

A quick video of him playing with his new Kong

Wednesday 13th March - 10 weeks old
Vet visit 2

Took Axel to the vets in the car, hes getting used to car travel a bit now.
he did shake a bit when i first put him in the car for anything.

I still don't think hes overly pleased, but accepts with a sulky face when i plonk him on the passenger seat lol
luckily my car is Automatic, so i have a hand free for plenty of strokes

At the vets as i was waiting alone i noticed the weight scales, and decided to weight him.
when i first got Axel he was 1.9kg (4.2 llb)
On his first vet visit at 8 week old he was 2.3kg (5 llb)
Today at 10 week hes 3.7kg (8.1 llb)

His second injection was painless, he didn't even notice... too busy chomping on a treat
i was also given a tablet for him to have i think she said it was for ringworm?

On the way out i bought a cheap lead and collar (will buy a nice one when he's a bit bigger)
i also bought some more food (Wainwrights lamb and rice) will see how he likes that, must admit im still undecided on what food to buy him.
Its difficult with dogs as they cant tell you if what your feeding is nice or not lol
All i can go off, is if he A, eats it all. B, doesn't pass wind much, C, doesn't get runs.
on that front...so far so good.

When i got home i wondered how to give him this tablet?
wrap it in a ham slice? or a cheese slice?
So i thought ill just try and give him without any sneaky tactics and see if he eats it?

i put it in the centre of my palm and showed it to him, he gulped it down, and he looked quite happy about it too

I put the collar on him, he wasnt fighting with me as i tried to put it on, then he started squealing like i was trying to strangle him.
When i got it on, i put him on the floor and he went round the room backwards, crying loudly.
after 5 minutes i put the lead on him.
What a nightmare, i felt like a cowboy who had lassoed a wild animal.
he jumped and tossed around and ran into furniture.

I decided to take it off, will have to do this each day until hes used to it, or next Wednesday when he can go out for the first time it will be a nightmare!

Sunday 17th March 2019
First short walk

So today the weather was lovely, the sun was shining and the best day we have had for a while.
so i decided to walk him.
Truth is he was only meant to go out 1 week after his last vaccination which was Wednesday.

The walk i had planned was only a mile round trip to "Pets at Home" and back.
its all tarmac footpaths... i hoped to wear his nails down at the same time.

i put the lead on and walked down the driveway.... that was it, he dug his heels in.
I waited for him to get used to the surroundings, then gave him a gentle tug



long story short he did no walking at all!, i carried him all the way there.

once in PAH i put him down and people went Awwwww.... and give him cuddles and strokes.
he also met 5 other dogs who thankfully where all friendly, Axel was growing in confidence and i was soon walking him around the store letting him sniff everything.
his tail was wagging and was actually starting to pull me towards things.

Even so i spent 30 mins in store and didnt actually buy anything... sorry hope they dont mind
it was time to leave and try and actually walk home!

We walked out of the store and he trotted along at the side of me... amazing!
i had a couple of moments walking back such as cars going past and a kid on a bike with some electronic horn thing instead of a bell.
i talked to him and told him he was a good boy.... after walking again i gave him treats.
we got as far as the street we live on and it started hail-stoning, he definately didnt like that and curled up againt a wall making grunting noises.
so i picked him up... typical British weather, 4 seasons in 1 day! not good for baby dogs.

when i got in the house he was soaking wet but visibly happy to be inside lol
i dried him with a towel.... i dried.. he chewed it  

such a small walk, but hes been asleep since.

i wont take him out now again until the weather is nicer for him.

He is coming along great guns, the tablet was probably a worming one and if it was in a foil casing and looked liver coloured then yes the seem to be ok with the taste of those.

It’s great you are exposing him to different sights and sounds but be wary of walking him too far at a young age. The thinking is 5 minutes walking per month of age, so at one month it would be 5 mins and so on. The reasoning behind that is that the joints aren’t yet developed fully and walking too much can damage those tender joints and store up troubles later in life.

I have to admit that 5 mins doesn’t seem long but it might be better to be safe at this young age.

Super impressed with how he’s getting on though and yes, you do need to watch the parents and those eggy treats, I guess it’s a bit like spoiling grand children

I think the food thing will become evident as time goes by as to what he likes etc, but for now it sounds like you’re giving him what he likes and what agrees with him, my Flo gets a terrible tummy if she has sausages.

Do keep us updated

I have so very much enjoyed reading Axel's diary! Thank you for posting it and please keep going!

My pup is 12 weeks old on Friday and I've had him since 9 weeks, so we're at a similar stage as you

Yes the tablet was liver coloured

Wednesday 20th March 2019 - 11 week old

Axel had a bath, not gonna lie, he wasnt impressed
Our friends gave us some organic dog shampoo and conditioner which is parma violet scented lol

I gave him a good rubbing, he tried escaping for a minute then just stood there sulking.

I washed everything up to his ears... i dont know if its safe near his eyes?
i rinsed him off and rubbed him dry... he likes that bit

He quickly dried, the advantage of short hair and was all fluffy and smelled great hahah

Where i live the estate is a square shape, which takes around 5-10 mins to walk.
So i have been trotting him round each night, he doesn't stop to pee, and doesn't do much sniffing to be honest.
although if he sees another person he gets all excited.

We had tuna pasta for dinner, and i though it would be a good idea to give the oil to Axel.

I drained the oild from the can into his bowl and put his dry food with it, he scoffed it and obviously liked it.
Later he we peeing from his bum!
pretty sure the tuna oil was to blame, when he was asleep i felt his tummy and it felt like a fish was swimming around in it!
another liquid poo later and things went back to normal

So treats in his food are off the menu for now

Lol

Any photos?

Photo of his bath as requested



Saturday 30th March 12 weeks and 3 days

He now knows a few human words..
"Walkies" (obviously)
"Din Dins" (Dinner)
"Wanna go out" (for a wee... if so he runs to the back door)
"Good boy" (instant tail wagging)
"NO!" (doesnt always work :/ )
"Sit"
"Axel"
"Come on pal" (prompts him to catch up when out walking on or off lead)

So the biggest development i suppose are his walks... he now walked on the lead really well
he doesnt pull much if anything he gets under my feet... work in progress
He also loves to walk on the wrong side of street lights or trees when on the lead.... im actually starting to think he does it on purpose!

I left him with my mum this week while i went to work, she loves having him.
she decided to talk him to the local pet shop for a harness, she doesn't like the collar, she thinks it could come off near a road.... even though this collar never has?
Anyway when she walked in the shop there was a big dog in there... so she picked him up and put him on the shop counter.
While she chatted to the shop assistant, Axel helped himself to the full bowl of dog treats that was on the counter for all visiting dogs!
his belly was bloated but he was really pleased with himself.... even though he has to skip his next meal because of it!

One of the things i love about staffies is the great little personalities they have, and Axel is already becoming a legend in our family, we have had so many laughs with him already.
Cute, cheeky and very confident are words than sum him up.

Some improvements he is not trying to eat his poo anymore, although i suspect if i wasnt there to pick it up he probably still would.
His chewing has turned mostly into licking, so my hands are starting to heal up lol

Food wise the Hills science plan is great his coat is noticeably softer and smother, his poos are better (I've noticed that poo is a popular topic amongst new dog owners lol)
I decided as a treat to mix it with some good quality wet food for a treat at weekends



I give Axel 40g of dry food 4x a day
So i chopped the wet food into 8 portions



I froze 6 as i only need 2 this weekend (1 each day)
20g of Dry with a portion of this mixed up with a fork he not only loved it, he licked the bowl for 5 minutes after

He gets plenty of treats too, admittedly they are things for him to chew other than furniture usually, but it seems to be working so far.
I also give him some milk bones for his teeth at the end of each day... he loves them too

Awww...gorgeous... keep up the posts... they're awesome:)

Sunday 31st March

I forgot to mention that on Wednesday he had his final injection, this is the vaccine for water diseases especially where rats may have been etc.
So he is now allowed to be walked near water

On my walk today we had to pass over a small river, i say small it was about 3 feet wide.
it had 2 stepping stones were the path crossed it.
Axel was off lead, and looking to me how to cross... he looked a little nervous.
The river was fairly fast moving, enough to be noisy with rushing water.

I showed Axel how to use these stepping stones twice, he watched and i was thinking he gets it.
he then ran 10 feet down river and jumped in with a splash and run out the other side shaking the water off.
I am pretty sure my way was easier, but never mind.

Axel had a poo in the garden (oh no, another poo story) and it was a little soft.
the wife picked most of it up with a bag, but it needed rinsing away so he doesn't eat it!
The wife put the bag of poo over the poo smear and went into the house for a jug of water.
Axel obviously thought she forgot to remove his poo... so he picked the poo bag up, and chased after her into the house with it.
The site of him running behind her wagging his tail really made me laugh, and the wife's reaction when she got in the kitchen and realised he was behind her, with a bag of poo swinging in his mouth was pretty funny too

Tuesday 16th April 14 weeks old

Camping

Well this weekend we went camping in the caravan and took my new pal
I was a little worries that he would be scared by the experience and not settle at night, also wondered how he would behave on a campsite full of people.

Well i didnt have to worry.
He took it all in his stride and actually did much better than i expected, a lot of the time he was off lead around the caravan and didnt run off, well he did go for a run with a neighbours Jack Russel at one point... but that was it for the weekend.
during the day we took him into the forest to run around, he loved it.

at night this was meant to be his bed.....



But he was cold so was upgraded to this...... apparently hes friends with the owner



To be fair although the weather was fine, when the sun dropped at night it was pretty cold.
He only slept in the awning like that while we stayed up having a drink and chatting with friends, when i went to bed in the caravan he got in with me.
I had to let him out at 6am for a quick pee, then he jumped back in bed for another 2 hours.

heres a short video of him in the forest https://1drv.ms/v/s!AvL_yCPYJVV3lnxrRjr8N-0_WXei

and a picture resting after

22nd April 2019 15 weeks old

Shoe laces and Electric cables look like fun!

So he does have a few bad habits, shoe laces he is obsessed with.
Anyone who comes to the house get their laces pulled undone, he is such a master that if you sit stil he can undo your laces and chew the plastic bit of the end without you knowing!!
It was funny at first when he was 8 week old, now its not.... all my shoes, trainers, and boots have chewed laces, as i type i am waiting on a second batch from Amazon!
More worryingly is his ability to grab laces from moving feet, me personally i am 6 foot 4 and have a long fast moving stride, but Axel is still able to grab a lace.... i honestly dont know how i havent pulled his teeth out!

Today i had a scary incident with an electric cable.
I needed to do a repair on the caravan outside on the driveway, i was going to put Axel in his cage but i looked and he was fast asleep on the carpet in sunshine.
I though awww i will leave him be, i will only be outside......
I went out and opened the front window so i could pop my head in and speak to him now and again.
I started working away and after a few minuted i heard him screeching... you know the high pitch noise they make if you accidentally stand on a paw... well imagine that going on for about 5 seconds!
I ran into the house and Axel came dashing out from behind the TV stand he sat at my feet whimpering and shaking like a leaf, i knew straight away what he had done.
I leant round the TV and could see a chewed wire, it was the Ethernet cable supplying internet to the TV, this wouldnt give him a shock as they dont carry any power???
I pulled on the cable and i could here electric shorting out and then saw it arcing... the power to the satellite box!
it was still sparking as i unplugged it.
the "live" wire hed been chewed completely through!! hes lucky to be alive!

here are the photos



and a close up, as you can see the live wire has been chewed through completely



Goes to show you cant leave them for 2 minutes!!
When i take the wire over to Axel now he runs away, hes scared of it... maybe this will stop him chewing any more wires... if so, this lucky escape might have been worth something.