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Snakelove
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Give them something to do.. we found Hannah was only desperate to get out mostly when we were getting in the car and leaving so best thing to do is leave them with a bone or a kong ball thing with food inside that they have to try and dig out. Also.. they love to be walked so we also found if she got a half hour walk or if we played tug of war or fetch with her once a day she had less energy to dig and climb lol.
Hannah is far more settled now.. but she is 5 this year and we don't leave her home alone alot.. if we are going out for a full day I usually take her to mum's because the only other alternative is chaining her up and we prefer to only do that for short periods of time.. even though she lets herself off and in the house if the doggy door is unlocked.
But Hannah is mostly an inside dog.. started off with her sleeping on the floor in our room after an operation to her sleeping on our bed at night to her having a bed on the floor in the lounge to her having her own chair in the lounge room and sleeping between us in bed.. i'm sure at some point we should have drawn the line but oh well..
lol I see, tiring them out haha. Well we really only plan on having 1 dog and I'm pretty sure all our attention goes to this spoilt little one soon. lol I think my gf will kick me off our own bed just so that the pup can sleep on there. haha. Gosh I can't wait until I look for a breeder for my new pup!
Snakelove
Very Well-Known Member
Yeah I'll maybe section a part of the house off just for the pup and maybe it can have one huge 'crate'? Or is it better to have them in a lockable crate? Also, I've been meaning to ask you this what's mental training? I know physical training is when you play fetch with them or a game of tug o war but what's mental training? is that when you teach em basic skills and stuff?
euphorion
Very Well-Known Member
That's it, it's one thing to give your dog something physical to do but that's only one type of enrichment. You also have to consider interactive/social enrichment where you give your dog your attention one on one, mental enrichment where you give them puzzles to play with (treats in a box and they have to get into the box) or treat rolly balls (they have to figure out how to move the ball around to get the treats) etc, mental enrichment also involves exposure training where as part of your socialisation you introduce the dog to lots of stimulus and different situations and teach them how to behave in these situations, this gives the dog coping mechanisms so that if it finds itself in an unfamiliar situation it can use the coping mechanisms you taught it to figure out how to behave and not turn into a nervous wreck. eg, dog goes to the kennels for the first time. instead of the dog going berko about 'being abandonned' it thinks, i am in a new place but I AM OK, there are new smells and new people but I AM OK and there are lots of new dogs but I AM OK. also useful for introducing dog to car travel, noisy things like fireworks and the vaccume cleaner and getting washed/groomed. while i remember this a fabulous thing to teach a puppy is how to deal with new surfaces such as carpet, tiles, polished floors, grass, gravel, STAIRS <-- when i got my pup from the 'first' owner (who couldnt cope with her) at 13 weeks she hadn't seen a staircase, took her a week to figure them out because she had never seen them in her life, the poor thing! hills and rocks, water (get them used to wet grass so they dont get picky about toileting outside when its raining, this is a very common problem!)
excuse me, went on a tangent there.
so, mental training in mental enrichment. you want to think of things that will encourage your dog to 'think', so train basics like 'sit' 'stay' and 'look at me' so that they listen to you when you ask something of them. also, give them coping skills be introducing them to anything and everything before they are 20 weeks old. (KIDS! MEN WITH HATS ON! haha, you'd be surprised how many dogs freak out when you put a wide brimmed hat on in front of them, its like you turn into a loch ness monster) and then give them plenty of stimulating toys and treats like puzzles, treat balls.
not sure how well you'll go with a staffy with all that, there are certainly very smart individuals within the breed but typically they're not the brightest bulb in the box and will simply destroy any toy you give them... which reminds me, don't for the love of *** give pup soft toys or easily breakable toys as they will simply be ingested and could cause problems. basically, if you could tear it apart with your bare hands or with a simple pair of paper scissors DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY.
excuse me, went on a tangent there.
so, mental training in mental enrichment. you want to think of things that will encourage your dog to 'think', so train basics like 'sit' 'stay' and 'look at me' so that they listen to you when you ask something of them. also, give them coping skills be introducing them to anything and everything before they are 20 weeks old. (KIDS! MEN WITH HATS ON! haha, you'd be surprised how many dogs freak out when you put a wide brimmed hat on in front of them, its like you turn into a loch ness monster) and then give them plenty of stimulating toys and treats like puzzles, treat balls.
not sure how well you'll go with a staffy with all that, there are certainly very smart individuals within the breed but typically they're not the brightest bulb in the box and will simply destroy any toy you give them... which reminds me, don't for the love of *** give pup soft toys or easily breakable toys as they will simply be ingested and could cause problems. basically, if you could tear it apart with your bare hands or with a simple pair of paper scissors DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY.
euphorion
Very Well-Known Member
given the size of the breed you want it would be easy enough to purchase a large enough crate that would be super handy in case you moved house (to use as temp housing until pup is settled again, or if they stayed with friends while you were away) having said that i would be hard pressed to recommend a brand or type that would stand up to chewing from a staffy... a stainless steel type would be heavy and expensive but a cheaper plastic type would be destroyed in minutes under the right circumstances. perhaps in your situation i would suggest the laundry for while you are out during the day, just ensure there is no way pup can open cupboards and get to chemicals. i would say have all chemicals in high cupboards off the floor.
Snakelove
Very Well-Known Member
Sorry for the late reply! gosh I hate assignments haha. Yeah that makes sense about the mental enrichment and the unfamiliar situation. Well I guess you just have to introduce them to everything! I'm not so patient so all the waiting is killing me! I can't wait to get a little pup. lol. Yeah I've been looking at the dog toys as well and apparently 'kong' toys are well built and lasts long. Thick ropes and stuff are durable too for tug o wars with the little machines lol. Well at least there's smart amstaffs on youtube so I'm hoping I get the smart one out of the bunch!
Oh I can do laundry, it's big enough too for it when I'm away. Good idea! thank you! =P
Oh I can do laundry, it's big enough too for it when I'm away. Good idea! thank you! =P
BennyA
Not so new Member
steel the mastif and bella the staffy/rotwieler cross
steel the mastiff and bella the staffy/rotwieler cross.
lovely lil pups
lovely lil pups
Baaaax
Not so new Member
Khagan
Very Well-Known Member
yeah pure bred with tail intact too lol, yeah i was messing with the settings on my diving cam kinda annoying the top one is not focused right but i was only messing around so this happens but i like the second pic
but i was only messing around so this happens but i like the second pic
Serpentess
Very Well-Known Member
This is our new British Bulldog pup called Bella. She is about 9 weeks old.
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Southside Morelia
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ROFL...Cracker is the bomb!!! He has got the most amazing face, the expression reminds me of a pompous old English man....he's gorgeous! :lol:
Here's our new little boy we purchased last weekend, but wont come home with us till another 3 weeks when he can leave his Mum...EnglishXAmerican Staffy.. No name as yet, but a few we have been throwing around, we need to see what his personality is like first. We cant wait!
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