The Happy Thought Thread - Part 2

[superbiatch]

Originally Posted by Alien

25Kg? Is that only half-grown then, or don't they get very big? My mum's Bull Terrier isn't what I'd call big [not fat either], & she's around 35-40Kg I think.

Staffies are generally between 25 and 30kg anything more would be obese in this size of dog. They don't really compare size wise with pits or mastiffs. Mine is actually 28kg atm, but i was too embarassed to say cos he's got love handles and a double chin

I'd get the dog weighed again cos if what you're saying is true, then she should be extremely overweight - especially as bitches are usually smaller.

[David F]

Originally Posted by superbiatch

You can't put her in a shed! This is a stafford, they don't 'do' dog stuff. They are very human like and will happily sit in front of the fire with the TV on. They like to be part of the family, me thinks Zing is in for a shock

I cant take her the the gym I most likely am seeing as ive never owned a dog before but im a good learner.I do not really wanna do the cage thing to avoid the chewing when alone though like I have seen. Its a brick shed so it will be homely and ill even put an oil rad in there for her when its a bit cooler. Could even put a tv or a rad in there lol.I have an entry(now dont be rude) that I can gate up both ends that gives her a safe run also

---------- Post added at 13:22 ---------- Previous post was at 13:21 ----------

Originally Posted by Stuart C

Make sure you don't encourage her into it too much. You run the risk of her deciding that the shed is her territory, and not your house. If your house isn't in her territory, she may not guard it.

Didnt think of that. The plan is to use it to avoid her chewing the house when im out at the gym. It will only be a few of hours 5 mornings a week

[superbiatch]

Originally Posted by zinglebarb

I cant take her the the gym I most likely am seeing as ive never owned a dog before but im a good learner.I do not really wanna do the cage thing to avoid the chewing when alone though like I have seen. Its a brick shed so it will be homely and ill even put an oil rad in there for her when its a bit cooler. Could even put a tv or a rad in there lol.I have an entry(now dont be rude) that I can gate up both ends that gives her a safe run also

You train her well enough and she'll be just fine in the house after a while. Why not get a child safety gate and lock her in the kitchen with her food, toys and newpaper (for accidents) for short periods of time to get her used to it?

And, as a staffie is a very agile dog - you won't need a gym if you get out and about with her on a daily basis

[xpod]

You can't put her in a shed! This is a stafford, they don't 'do' dog stuff. They are very human like and will happily sit in front of the fire with the TV on. They like to be part of the family, me thinks Zing is in for a shock
__________________

Hear hear.
Thats a terrible thing to even think of with a Staff imo.
Not in a mean way but just as superbiath says.....

Sadly our two Staffs(mother & son) died of old age this last couple of years but the last thing i could ever have done was put them in a brick shed zing....no offense pal.
That dog,especially a bitch will become an integral part of your family if you let her zing but brick sheds and suchlike are for a differnt kind of dog all together.

Staff bitches are probably the best dogs you could ever hope to have as part of you family and while she may well rip the s**t out of your house if left alone as a pup a sheds not the answer i dont believe.

She will only be more likely to rip the place to bits when she`s older.
Get her out of the habit asap by leaving her alone for only short periods of times at first,making them progressively longer.Always make sure she has plenty toys and also encourage her to rip them up...rather than your settees and skirting boards

If you have no choice but to leave her on her own for extended periods of time at this early age then mabey a dog-sitter would be an idea??

EDIT:Staffs pups....if not eased into it do NOT like solitude.Probably less so than many other breeds i know of even

[David F]

As I say it wont be for any more than a few hours in the morning and its not really just s shed its an outbuilding and I will make it nice for her so its more of an extension to the house . If thats still not acceptable I will obviously listen to whats said and change my plansI work form home so she will not be alone most of the day

---------- Post added at 13:52 ---------- Previous post was at 13:51 ----------

Originally Posted by superbiatch

You train her well enough and she'll be just fine in the house after a while. Why not get a child safety gate and lock her in the kitchen with her food, toys and newpaper (for accidents) for short periods of time to get her used to it?

And, as a staffie is a very agile dog - you won't need a gym if you get out and about with her on a daily basis

Running with her when she is up to it is the plan

[Alien]

Originally Posted by superbiatch

Staffies are generally between 25 and 30kg anything more would be obese in this size of dog. They don't really compare size wise with pits or mastiffs. Mine is actually 28kg atm, but i was too embarassed to say cos he's got love handles and a double chin

I'd get the dog weighed again cos if what you're saying is true, then she should be extremely overweight - especially as bitches are usually smaller.

Maybe she's just big for her breed? My mum does seem to have a knack for ending up with dogs that are a bit bigger than average for their breed. Her previous 1 was a large greyhound, which is probably why she seems small to me I guess [that, & I'm 6'1", so it's all relative ]. Pic of her attached as proof of non-tubbyness. BTW, you're forgetting, she's not a Staff, different breed; Bull Terriers [not the miniature ones] are a bit bigger than Staffs, I think. It's also possible I'm remembering her weight wrong.

Originally Posted by superbiatch

Why not get a child safety gate and lock her in the kitchen with her food, toys and newpaper (for accidents) for short periods of time to get her used to it?

My mum's got 1 of those to keep Tammy out of the Kitchen, as she has a bad habit of sneaking up behind my mum while she's in the kitchen making dinner, & getting in the way.

[superbiatch]

Originally Posted by zinglebarb

Running with her when she is up to it is the plan

Thats the best thing, get a bike and she'll happily run alongside you when she's been trained on the lead.

A point to remember is people are not aware of staffies and do very often mix them up with pits. The best thing to do is a bit of research into your breed and knock any bad habits out of her while she's a baby

Originally Posted by Alien

Maybe she's just big for her breed? My mum does seem to have a knack for ending up with dogs that are a bit bigger than average for their breed. Her previous 1 was a large greyhound, which is probably why she seems small to me I guess [that, & I'm 6'1", so it's all relative ]. Pic of her attached as proof of non-tubbyness. BTW, you're forgetting, she's not a Staff, different breed; Bull Terriers [not the miniature ones] are a bit bigger than Staffs, I think. It's also possible I'm remembering her weight wrong.


My mum's got 1 of those to keep Tammy out of the Kitchen, as she has a bad habit of sneaking up behind my mum while she's in the kitchen making dinner, & getting in the way.

Ah! Didn't realise you meant an english bull, they can very often be much bigger than staffies and are muscular like them as well, so maybe she's a bit overweight if she is what you think - but more than likely she'll be bigger than my little one

[Uncle Peter]

Originally Posted by zinglebarb

As I say it wont be for any more than a few hours in the morning and its not really just s shed its an outbuilding and I will make it nice for her so its more of an extension to the house . If thats still not acceptable I will obviously listen to whats said and change my plansI work form home so she will not be alone most of the day

---------- Post added at 13:52 ---------- Previous post was at 13:51 ----------


Running with her when she is up to it is the plan

Our flat coat was an absolute terror for destruction for a couple of months but when he worked out that he wasn't being neglected and we'd only gone to the shops for an hour he calmed down and stopped the chewing in the end. Other than that he always came out to visit family and friends, being a very sociable dog was always welcome wherever he went.

[Maggy J]

Well now the kids are adult and I've NO pets, I've just bought my first leather furniture.A three seater sofa and a two seater sofa.

[foreverwar]

Originally Posted by Incognitas

Well now the kids are adult and I've NO pets, I've just bought my first leather furniture.A three seater sofa and a two seater sofa.

Careful - if m'sieu_de_singe_d'amour reads about a woman and leather furniture, he will come over all funny


(and no, I don't know who "all funny" is).

[Mr_love_monkey]

leather furniture is great - wipe clean!

[Maggy J]

Originally Posted by Mr_love_monkey

leather furniture is great - wipe clean!

And any animals can stay off the furniture.

[Mr_love_monkey]

Originally Posted by Incognitas

And any animals can stay off the furniture.

If you could see me now, I would be making playful tiger noises...

[Alien]

Originally Posted by superbiatch

Ah! Didn't realise you meant an english bull, they can very often be much bigger than staffies and are muscular like them as well, so maybe she's a bit overweight if she is what you think - but more than likely she'll be bigger than my little one

From your pic I'd say there probably is somewhat of difference in size. As for muscle, Tammy does have a fair bit, but perhaps not as much as Jessie [mum's dog before last*, same breed more-or-less, but in comparison my mum now thinks she might have been a miniature]. I don't know about Staffs, but english Bullies can have very muscular shoulders, & love to play the "pushing game", which basically consists of you either sitting on the floor and putting your hands against their shoulders & let them try to push you over, or the same idea but standing up with your legs just far enough for their head to fit comfortably [for them] between your shins, & let them push against your legs.

*Just in case anyone's wondering, it's not that the dogs my mum has don't last long, she just doesn't get them young like Zingle has; the last 3 dogs she's had were all "rescue dogs". Blue [the previously mentioned greyhound], was retired from racing on account of him being a bit too big/legs too long, which apparently hindered his speed compared to others [seems a bit backwards to me, but what do I know? ], & Jessie & Tammy were both found via Bullies in Need.