Hey all! New here. My husband and I just adopted a Staffordshire Terrier mix last week and we love her so much! We adopted her from an animal shelter, she had been a stray before. She is predicted to be 1.5 years old with signs of having had a litter. She is a sweetheart. I was wondering if any of you have any advice for training? Most specifically for introducing new people and dogs and learning commands. She's had a hard time with strangers and meeting some of our family members (aunts, uncles, etc.). We'd love to keep her and give her a loving home. PS: she has mannerisms of having had lived in a home before. She is house trained and she knows how to "sit" and sometimes "stays". She is also very sweet and gentle with our one-year-old (human) girl. We believe she was abandoned. If you have any advice we would greatly appreciate it!
Did the rescue center offer you meet & greet sessions, if so I would go & see how she is with other dogs.
It is very early days yet. I would introduce her gradually to new people and experiences. Don't overpower her - it is a bit like a child changing schools, let her make new friends one at a time. Staffies are usually friendly dogs, but give her plenty of space when meeting new dogs, and avoid head-on meetings until you are sure how she will react. If you are in the UK, look for a local training club which teaches the Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog course. These are likely to be small, gentle classes. You can find your nearest club on the Kennel Club website. If there isn't one in your area, it is also worth looking on the APDT site for a trainer who has small classes.
My kyra was a stray and was wary of strangers at first but turned out loving everyone, you have only had her short time and she will need time to settle into new family and home. I wouldn’t put her into situations she’s not happy, with by not’ forcing or encouraging her to interact with everything or everyone, just let her come round at her own pace, as for family and friends she is most likely overwhelmed, id tell them to ignore her if she wants to she will approach them. If she is still unhappy with strangers around, then for the time being id put her somewhere out the way till she settles.
