Looking to get a Staffy... General Chat

Hello

Me & my other half have decided to get a puppy and we both would like a staffy. I've never personally owned a full staffy before i've owned a staffy/lab called Lucie who was lovely and my parents best friends have a female brindle staffy called Tia who is the nicest dog ive ever met.

I've owned/looked after powerful breeds such as GS and Rotties. I've also owned 3 boxers and another cross.

These have all been with my parents although i was responsible for sharing the role of looking after them.

Howver i have now moved out and living with my boyfriend and we would like to get a dog as i personally love them more than anything, i'm also looking to go on some courses as i would like to become a dog trainer/behaviour specialist

My boyfriend works 5 hours away and is only home weekends (he's in the royal marines) another reason for us wanting to get on as i have company during the week and i also only work part time (the puppy will have a family member popping in whenever i'm working).

We also live in an apartment, we are allowed pets as he owns the apartment himself although once getting the puppy it would be out with me getting socialised with my family and his (we both have massive families) including children (i have a 2 year old sister and lots of cousins and he has 5 brothers/sisters) and family dogs (all have had full injections). So the puppy will only be in the apartment mostly at night and the rare day when i don't visit my family. (Obviously only until i can take it for walks which after that i'll be out walking it)

I would really like some tips from some staffy owners and other dog owners in general on owning one and also house training (if anyone has any expierience on training in an apartment) and what questions do i really need to ask a breeder when getting a staffy?

Any help would really be appreciated and sorry for rambling

x​

Have you considered a rescue, staffies are being put down in their thousand, because no one wants them! Lovley to hear someone who is passionate about the breed

I was going to say the same thing about rescue.

Go to any rescue centre and probably about 90% of the dogs are staffies makes me so sad, as I love the breed too.

Most of the Staffies in centres tend to be about 2 or 3.. which is a good age because they're usually housetrained and have basic training knowledge.

But if you're really set on a puppy I'll bet there'll be staffy pups in some rescues, when we were looking for Rosa about 5 of the rescues we went to had Staffy pups.

Please consider rescue! The fact you're improving a poor dogs life is an amazing feeling, to say the least. And when you see the progress they make day by day you know you've done a wonderful thing

I have looked into rescue and i would love to rescue a staffy, i've already volunteered to be a dog walker at the RSPCA (waiting to hear back about it) and i fell in love with a staffy/american bulldog in there but they won't rehome to an apartment which is why now we're wanting to get a staffy puppy, i really want to take it to puppy classes and then onto older classes when it's old enough to really get them socialised and giving them sometime to do

Once we get a house (sometime in the next year) i will be going straight back to the RSPCA to see if they will let me rehome a staffy then

Until then we're looking forward to getting a puppy and are looking into getting as much information as we can, i prefer to talk to people on a forum like this one than just reading on the internet ​

I would also recommend Rescue, YOur local area would be NOrthern Staffordshire BUll Terrier Rescue. - google it and will come up.

I work in staffie rescue, and sadly the amount of responsible stafford breeders are few and far between.
Just seen your update and not all rescues have blanket policies - we ate scottish staffie rescue will happily rehome to a flat if the home is right
The questions you want to ensure if you are determined on a pup are:

Health Tests - Ensure both parents have been tested for. 1.L-2-HGA Hydroxyglutaric Aciduria
2. HC – HEREDITARY CATARACTS.
3. PHPV – PERSITENT HYPERPLASTIC PRIMARY VITREOUS
4. PPSC – POSTERIOR POLAR SUBCAPSULAR CATARACT.

Making sure both parents are of sound temperament, and can be seen.
Making sure the pups are well socialised within household.
obvious things like cleanliness and well cared for - up to date with worming etc.
KC registered. PLease ensure you buy from KC registered breeder, there are too many BYB and puppy farmers breeding staffs for any reason other than the right one.

I will look into that now thank you

Would you also rehome to someone who works 20 hours a week? I work 4 evenings a week but i would have someone from his family (who live around the corner) to pop in ect...

Also i wanted to ask when housebreaking a puppy in an apartment obviously we don't have a garden there is a grass area just across from the front door with a small childrens park and the only dog ive ever seen on there is my partners brothers dog which i have taken over there when we have him some nights and he's had all his jabs ect...

Would it be okay to take a puppy over there to do his business, on a lead obviously when we first get him until he gets his injections, should only be at night and in the morning during the day will be in my mum and dads garden who currently have a secure large backgarden with no dogs. Anywhere he goes i will be carrying him.

Any advice on this?

Thank you for this

I have been looking into KC registered i wouldn't buy otherwise, personally my boyfriend has been looking on a site called epupz at blue staffy puppies for sale that state are KC registered, all heath checked ect.. (obviously this is not all) prices usually £500 to £800... does this sound about right?

HI
Yes i would rehome to someone who works 20 hours, as long as you can show that you have thought about the solution to that - ie someone nipping in to walk etc then yes wouldnt be a problem.

If I am honest do I think a pup is right for you - well i wouldnt do it in a flat quite honestly, ( i wouldnt do at all as my dogs will always be rescue just not a pup person) However my reasons for this are its much harder to housetrain a pup from a flat, having to go up and down stairs etc with pup all the time.

I also think that people tend to think its much easier to have a puppy than it really is - its basically a newborn baby - if you aint ready for a kid then I definetly go along the lines of dont get a puppy !!

I would not recommend using that area for pup until all injections as you dont know who uses that area, and what diseases it could pick up - i wouldnt take the risk personally.

If you are a determined person then I would defiently approach rescue explain your circumstances and take it from there.

There are tonnes upon tonnes of staffies in rescue 99% through no fault of their own.

Good luck
dani

hi
cant see what site but can guess, personally dont touch it with a bargepole - why blue?? Its not breed standard thus anyone charging more for blues and breeding specifically for them are in it for the money and not for good of breed.

Go to KC website and take a list from there of all registered ones, and contact each breeder close to you and call and speak to them, see what they ask you etc and then you will get a feel for the good the bad and the ugly !!!

I have to say although KC is better we still get many KC registered breeders who will not take their dogs back when they come into rescue so you have to be specific about what to look for,.... you could also contact Rescue and ask them to recommend you a breeder that they believe is a good one as they may be happy to recommend one...

My boyfriend personally prefers the blue ones after he saw one on a youtube video and started looking them up, i don't mind colour but since he wanted a blue i thought i would look them up, there are some on the KC website quite a few blue breeders all charging at least £700 which i why i thought that was normal?

Should they not be charging that much for a blue? One litter said they had 45 champions between the parents pedigrees and were £1000 i thought that was a bit much for us to pay though.

I went to go and see a litter of patterdales last year and was put off straight away by the owner she didnt ask me any questions, didn't give me any information about the sire, the puppies were living outside and looked on the skinny side and when i asked what food they were on she just replied 'you can put them on what you want they'll eat anything'. I didn't contact her again, i do have some knowledge on bad breeders but i obviously want to learn as much as i can before getting one as i know about temperments and health problems ect...

Yeah i have been looking on the internet now at rescue dogs

& i have helped with puppies when my parents have had them and know they can be a handfull just as my 2 year old sister is i have helped look after her too (although i'm not ready to have a child - i'm only 19 i do feel i could look after a puppy)

& we live on the bottom floor right next to the main front door so thats not a hassle than anything to open your back door it is just the problem of outside, i was looking on webiste for housetraining in an apartment and most say to papertrain indoors and then once had injections start outside but i think once you've let the puppy do their business indoors and then suddnely say they can't can be a bit confusing and will be a lot harder to do?

As i said most days will be at my parents who do have a secure backgarden as do his parents and brothers who i am also there as well.

I will be talking to him more about rescue once he gets home this weekend (hes currently doing training and living in a snow covered field - oh dear) and see what he thinks but i think he has his heart set on a puppy now but i will definatly be looking into rescue at some point in the next year anyway as my family have already rescued 4 dogs and i know how rewarding it is

Blue has got very fashionable in the last few years- and personally I think they are lovely,


Blue is actually accepted within standard I think, although I think its just a dilute black, but I dont personally beleive that people who breed for this colour are doing it for the right reasons and that makes them in my eyes no better than a BackYardBreeder KC registered or not.

Also I dont believe than anyone who advertises a litter and charges differnent prices for different coloured pups should be touched either. It just smacks of money making.

I would say that your average should be around £500 + however anyone charging this should be health testing, offering full backup etc etc.

off to bed now, but be back tommorow !!

Yeah i've looked at pictures and videos of them and i think they're beautiful. I've never seen a blue one where i live mostly brindle or a light brown/red... mostly attached to a nice youth in a cheap tracksuit eurgh!

When i told my family about getting a staffy my uncle whos a police officer said they're 'scumbag' dogs seeing as everytime he gets a call about some 'chavs' they always have one, but i've told him time and time again its the owners and not the breed.

I saw a litter advertised with blacks and blues and it said £500 and i thought oh i can afford that (had health tests done, KC registered and you could take them back) but then when i clicked into it said blacks £500 blues £800. I thought that was quite bad.

We are wanting to get one around the beginning of April as my other half is home for his 3 week holiday starting April 1st and we thought this would be the best time as the puppy will have a chance to bond with him as much as me when we first get him which is why i'm looking for ones that will be 8 weeks around that time but still they're around £800 to £1000 for a blue which is stupid, even ones that aren't KC registered are still about £600!

well to be honest I would not pay more for a BLue - its a colour nothing more, doesnt mean the dog is any healthier etc, so as far as I am concerned anyone charging more for a Blue is just plain greedy.

We had a litter of blue pups in aroudn christmas time and they were all stunning pups, came from blue and white mum and red dad, very handsome and all went off to new homes, now at 16 weeks still gorgeous..

However that was an accidental mating and thus the owners made no money from them, as they were rehomed through rescue. No health tests etc although genuinely very healthy dogs so no huge concerns.

I would really recommend contacting the Breed Rescue for your area and having a chat with them, they may even have younger dogs in etc. We have had very young dogs coming in recently ( after christmas etc) so its really worth contacting for a chat. Also as I mentioned ask them their opinion on GOOD breeders in your area.

But I would reiterate Blue is just a colour, and a staffie is a staffie is a staffie regardless what they are on the outside.

I went to rescue wanting a red male good with other dogs and came away with my beautiful black and white pied boy who hates all other animals - sometimes the dog chooses you not the other way around.

Staffies are fantastic and no matter the colour you cant fail to adore them I guarantee it !!!!

Brundog has given you some great advice, I just wanted to add something about breeding for colour.

Please be careful of any breeder (no matter what breed and no matter what colour) who breeds for a specific colour...it is more than likely that they will forego other more important aspects (i.e. health and temperament) to try and get the specific 'in' colour.

I definitely would not risk letting a puppy go anywhere outside without having his jabs (which is why I think appartment living for pups is less than ideal) but people do manage to housetrain pups without letting them out at first, so I guess it is possible.

Yeah i didn't think you should charge more per colour, i've seen a lot of labrador litters that charge more for the chocolate ones than for the black or yellow ones.

And i agree with the going to a rescue centre looking for a certain colour/breed and coming away with one completely different, that's been the case with two of our rescue dogs, the first we went looking for a puppy labrador and came back with an adult female who was a cross, no idea what between but she was chocolate and white with bat ears and looked just like a fox with a fox tail very cute. And the second time we went looking for a german shepherd and came home with a puppy lab/staffy cross. I may drag the boyfriend once more to the rescue this weekend and have another look

Thank you for all the advice i know it can be hard to housetrain a puppy in an apartment i was just worried that by papertraining first and then outside it might confuse him but then again the first rescue dog was about 7 years old and wasnt house trained and we managed to housetrain her in less than two weeks

You see i didn't realise blue was an 'in' colour i hadn't even seen or heard of them before only seen blue abpt's (Cesar Millans) i've personally always loved the black and white staffys but looking at the blue ones i thought they were beautiful but i won't pay anyone more money for the colour blue than i would for a black and white one, i am more interested in health & temperment.

just one final thing, you mention rescue centre, SBT rescue dont always have kennels etc but they do have website - not sure which one would be for your area - but think it would be NOrthern SBT rescue but I would definetly suggest calling them as they have better history on the dogs they have than any RSPCA centre will have usually as the dogs are quite often in foster or still in existing homes.

that way if you did convince the boyf then you will be able to get more specific history and they usually dont have a blanket policy of work/home etc etc

There are lots of pupds in rescue right now.

Blue is a recssive dilute gene so a Black Brindle with a recesive gene.
Sometimes they appear in litters but more commomly people are breeding just for the colour.

Because some are being bread just for colour. They are being bred ressive gene to recessive gene. As a result of that blues are more prone to skin problems and allergies.

Leicestershire SBT rescue has thee pups dumped in a ditch still with their eyes closed, they are now with a foster mum and doing well. There is a white one a brindle one and a blue fawn.

Yes, i agree, such rescues main priority is finding the right home for the dog in question, a real life-time match There will undoubtedly be one that has lived in an apartment, or has lived happily in an environment where it has been left for long hours, or there might be the perfect puppy just born waiting for a ticket out of a cold kennel into a loving home, yours!

Thank you i've been looking at staffordshire bull terrier rescues the one in my area only has four dogs featured on the website but i will give them a call this weekend

Boyfriend said we'll talk about it more this weekend and go and have a look at a few rescue places and get in touch with some staffy rescues... he does still want a puppy but i did explain you can still get puppies in a rescue centre

Leicestershire ... where is that? Sorry my geography is shocking, how far away from Preston would that be?

Obviously we can only travel on weekends (i can't drive so i have to wait for the weekends to travel longer distances) I would love to rescue a puppy that has had a bad start in life and giving it a loving home with affection,toys and treats like they should have had since birth not been thrown in a ditch =/

On getting a rescue dog from a specific breed rescue do you have to have a lot of visits? Reason being if we can travel a certain distance but can only go at weekends so could be differcult!