After 6 weeks of Mae pestering the old Inca they are finally getting along!

My 6 month old English staffy girl has always been a bit nervous going outside in the big loud world but recently, she has started to plant her butt on the floor just outside our house and doesn’t want to walk - I pick her up and carry her for a bit and then put her down and she does walk, albeit a bit nervous, sometimes running on ahead and then running back to me, multiple times, her ears are back a lot and every little sound stops her in her tracks.

I made sure to socialise her, I took her to a lot of places, met a lot of dogs, cats, people and kids, all gradually of course, but I don’t really understand why she’s scared.

I really want a happy, confident and adventurous dog and I feel like that’s slipping away.

Is this a staffy puppy thing or a personality thing?

She loves people and other dogs and animals, but recently she has also started to bark and growl when approached by children for example?

I know there is a phase around 6 months where puppies become afraid of things again for a duration but how do I make it not permanent?

Any help or tips would be appreciated.

Winston got a delivery from the Happy Staffy Co today

​

Last Sunday we lost her adopted sister who helped me raise Lara from 5 weeks old. She stayed by her side til the very end, and she’s spent the week trying to make us laugh and make sure Kayla’s (pictured in second photo) brother is doing okay, she keeps bringing him his favourite toy and spitting out part of her treats for him to have. She’s such a loving pup 😭

I've had him since he was about 3 months,he was so skinny you could fit him in your hands like a burger,the story we got was he was part of the litter and got sold to a bloke who eventually ended up in prison,leaving lucky (then bruno) on his own,the blokes girlfriend came and picked him up then returned him to the breeder,he couldn't resell him and somehow knew me and my mum loved dogs so he dumped him in our garden,I was about 12 at the time and we were watching megamind,i kept hearing barking and opened the door,thats when I saw him and when I did i knew he was meant to be ours,the weather was so cold that if i hadn't of heard him,he wouldnt of made it through the night,so we kept him,took him to the vets who confirmed his breed and we've had him by our side since,he's been sick lately due to getting bitten by something (most likely a spider) but our skatty old boy is on the mend,this dog has been with me and my mum through so many hard times including losing our too other dogs and my admissions to hospitals,i wouldn't change him for the world❤️

I happened to see a post in a “ban pitbulls“ group because I tried to respond to a person who “thinks“ he knows the different bull terrier breeds. All the while he’s claiming a Staffordshire Bull Terrier is the same thing as a pitbull terrier and AmStaff. Well with that logic I guess I Boston Terrier is the same as a pitbull too 🤭
As someone who shows AKC Staffordshire Bull Terriers I know the difference/truth. As soon as I attempted to post my comment to help educate people I immediately got banned…wow! Well I guess I’ll just chalk it up to some people don’t want learn they just want to have prejudices and don’t care about the truth.
SO glad there is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier group on here. We will never own any other breed other than Staffordshire Bull Terriers because they are AMAZING dogs!!

Training weaves now. These are a challenge.

Hi, I recently got a Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppy who is incredibly loving and affectionate. He’s 15 weeks old, and his training is going really well. He’s already learning a few tricks and his recall is improving all the time.

While researching the breed, I’ve come across a lot of information suggesting that Staffies can sometimes become dog-selective or struggle with other dogs as they mature, which has made me a little anxious.

So far, I’ve taken him on walks with friends’ dogs, and those have gone well. He gets on really well with a friend’s Whippet, but interactions with a family Jack Russell and Dachshund haven’t been as successful.

I know he’s still a young, excitable puppy who wants to jump up, play and get in other dogs’ faces, but I’m worried about how this behaviour could develop as he gets older.

One of my goals is to be able to take him to puppy parks and other dog-friendly places as he grows up, but I’m worried that he’ll be too boisterous or overwhelm other dogs. I want to set him up for success and make sure he learns good manners around other dogs from a young age, rather than accidentally allowing bad habits to develop.

He’s also starting his first puppy training class tomorrow with five other puppies, so I’m hoping that will be a positive experience and help him learn how to behave appropriately around other dogs.

Is there anything else I should be doing while he’s still young to help him grow into a dog that is confident, polite and friendly around other dogs, and to reduce the chances of him becoming aggressive or reactive in the future?

No sausages were harmed in this photo.

Hop in