Pippa, Its breaking my heart

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Laura&Lucas

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Just after Christmas we took in an abandoned 8 week staff x American bulldog. she's now bigger (nowhere near Americawn bulldog size though) and 8 months old and very energetic! She's an absolute sweetheart but the most ignorant dog I've ever met and she can get very boisterous. When we took her in i was on shifts and she was never left longer than 4 hours on her own. now i work regular hours and she gets locked in her cage for 8 hours a day. she gets two walks a day but its not enough. she's abit full on with the OH kids which bothers him. there is no nastiness in her atall. this morning the OH said he thinks we should rehome her. im in shock and i feel like we've failed her :( i don't want to rehome her but its his house and i can't really argue it! we've tried our best to train her and she's coming on, but we are over dogged with her. I can't bare the though of her going to a new home as i know dogs of her sort are passed from chav to chav. i really don't know what to do with her, has anyone got any ideas?
 
by ignorant i mean...she will do anything you ask if you have a treat in your hand...if not...she couldn't give a hoot! and by boisterous i mean trying to climb on you while you sit on the couch or tries to jump on your knee and thinks its a game when you tell her no. i must stress that she is not nasty in the slightest
 
Take up walking -with the dog - for three 20 minute sessions a day.
Arrange a walk or let out during the day or day boarding.

There is a thing called training -try it.

Only reward, don't bribe and when you say something you know she understands follow irt through. If you just keep repeating a word she will take it as an affirmation - on the sofa, you say no but don't remove her and you say no again it must mean get on my knee.

No dog should be crated for over about 4 hours except while asleep overnight. You have had time to dog proof a room.
 
s4sugar said:
There is a thing called training -try it.
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Helpful:rolleyes: (Actually the rest if your advice is, but you just can't resist a snidey little remark can you?)

OK OP - it sounds like you need some help and direction here. Have you attended a training class? If not find one - if yes, what has your trainer said and is it working? If not - find a new trainer.

8 hours is too long for such a young dog to be crated - you need someone to be popping in to her at some point during the day. Either a walker, a neighbour, you on your lunchbreak - but someone.
 
I hate to say it but a staffie / american bulldog has little to zero chance of being rehomed so if you place her in rescue be prepared for her to be PTS.

If you can have that on your conscience so be it but I think as you took her on you need to retrain her and get her some help. No dog should be regularly in a cage for 8 hrs no wonder she is hyper.

Get a dog creche / walker to exercise her if it helps.
 
How old are the kids and are they with you all the time?

They are tough little dogs and perfectly capable of sussing out when someone isn't going to follow up on a command. Awkward situation to be in, you don't want the kids in any kind of danger of course, but I would be looking to rehome myself and take the dog with me :eek:
 
Is there no chance you can dog proof a room? We have just got rid of our 8 month old spaniel's crate, she didn't need it anymore and now has free roam of the kitchen with a new tuffies bed that she loves. Just a thought.
 
If I were you I would firstly organise a walk during the day or dog daycare service. Secondly I would enroll in a good training class, for your pups benefit but mostly with the idea being that you grow a little more confident in your training.
 
How long are her walks? Ideally they need to be about 40 mins each, so by the time you get home she is knackered!

Remember - no means no. Don't let her on the sofa at all. She needs to realise she is below you and that she doesn't get the privileges you do. If she jumps on the sofa - don't shout, gently use your foot to push her down (it may take a few days or even weeks for her to get the picture). If you use your hand she may think you are trying to play with her. Make sure the kids know that she is by no circumstances allowed on the sofa. Don't let her jump up at your knee either.

If she jumps up when you are standing up, use your knee to de-balance her on her hind legs so she gets down.

She sounds like a lovely dog - I have had Staffies all my life so I know how boisterous they can be, it's all about being stern and persistent.

Also, instead of taking her straight to a rescue centre, how about placing a local add? You may find an experienced Staffy lover :)
 
FreddiesGal said:
Also, instead of taking her straight to a rescue centre, how about placing a local add? You may find an experienced Staffy lover :)
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Wouldn't recommend this.
IF IF IF you rehome her, I would go via rescue organisation. It is most likely you will have to care for her until she finds a home though, so I'd still recommend training and daycare for her in the meantime :)
 
please do not give up on her just yet!

be prepared to do more exercise and get tough with the rules.

i have an american bulldog, so know how much exercise they can need. remember that you need to stimulate her mind aswell! ;)

when leaving her crated then use filled kongs to keep her busy.

do not let her on the sofa/furniture. if she jumps up then turn away and ignore her. if she mouths then re-direct that onto a tug/chew toy. even things like you eating your dinner before you feed the dog, then make her sit while you put the bowl down.

i have no experience with staffies, but know that ab's are stubborn and can challenge your dominance. you need to start being the boss, and keep it that way.

if you do decide to try and re-home her then please get in touch- i am on an american bulldog forum, and lots of people on there (as well as here) will have good advice on training and obedience, as well as contacts in the re-homing of bullies.

good luck- i hope you can work through the exuberant puppy stage. ;)
 
stargirl88 said:
Wouldn't recommend this.
IF IF IF you rehome her, I would go via rescue organisation.
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I only suggested this as I know how over-run rescue centres always are, and this isn't exactly a rescue case, it's just a lack of time/competency.

She could be sitting in a rescue centre for months, which IMO would be no better than staying where she is now. At least where she is now she has one on one, rather than being bunged in a kennel for 23 hours a day with no stimulation.

You could always pop a stamp on her head and send her to me? ;)
 
yes we have been trying to train! im not a novice to staffie breeds I've had them all my life but she's different. yes we stick to no means no, but pushing her down only leads to her jumping up mouthing etc and its relentless! she does get good two good walks a day lots of running and playing and maybe a leg stretch round the streets later on. I've looked into training classes but i can't find any around here :( i strongly agree that it is too long for her in her crate, i hate that she's in there so long and i work too far away to go home on my dinner. We don't really speak to any of our neighbours and i don't have any family members that could go and see her for me so maybe a walker in the day is a good idea. i would never dream of putting her in a home! not ever!! i know how many of her breed are abandoned and are waiting for new homes which is why we took her in the first place!
 
the worst part is i know this is our fault and we're trying our best. Which is why to rehome her would feel like we had failed her.
 
I know nothing about those breeds but most dogs are at their most trying at that age up to 2 years old, after that it does tend to get easier. You need to train the children, if they ignore her she will soon learn they are no fun. Good luck.
 
If you did rehome via a rescue, they can quite often stay with you while being advertised on their websites, so it wouldn't be a case of them being in a cage for months..

Also, we have taken on two young dogs, one from a friend, the other from a rescue (after having four homes in his first year of life), and both dogs are very balanced and unaffected by their rehome, and are better off than where they were.

That said, I would never give up on a dog, and would never forgive my OH for suggesting it.

It does sound as though you need to find a trainer locally (there MUST be someone) and that your OH needs to go with the dog perhaps?

Would another dog as company during the day be an idea (bet you'd never get that past your OH though!). Our young boisterous dog took a lot of lead from the calmer older dog we had.. They also play together if ever we are at work, and keep each other company, so they don't get that feeling of being left alone all day, and the desperate need to have company/jump all over you when we come home..

I want to say, in the nicest way, come on - try harder! Find a trainer/walker and solution to the crate. Tell your OH to imagine how energetic his kids would be if locked in their bedrooms all day...

Good luck, hope you find a solution.x
 
FreddiesGal said:
She could be sitting in a rescue centre for months, which IMO would be no better than staying where she is now. At least where she is now she has one on one, rather than being bunged in a kennel for 23 hours a day with no stimulation.
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Or she could end up a bait dog (you have to be soooooo careful vetting potential owners).
:(

ETA - If she hasn't been spayed yet, do her a favor and get her done BEFORE she is rehomed.
 
piebaldsparkle said:
Or she could end up a bait dog (you have to be soooooo careful vetting potential owners).
:(

ETA - If she hasn't been spayed yet, do her a favor and get her done BEFORE she is rehomed.
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I have to say that was my thought, too. :( You might find a lovely person to take her but you won't necessarily recognise a bad one and I would never take the chance a dog of mine might end up in a situation like that.:(

It's hard. If you have too little control over the situation (time, money, others in the house etc) to change the things that need changing then, unfortunately, they aren't going to change. Only you can decide what you're willing and able to do. You know full well this is not a "quick fix" answer and yes, the dog will calm down but her behaviour will change only if you teach her how to change it.
 
When I rehomed my Staff X (Lab sized- 30ish kg) he was a sod for jumping up and mouthing. Pushing him away turned it into a game of tug on your arm- not ideal. Ignoring him just meant he jumped higher and with more force. He also used to launch himself over the coffee table onto the sofa- again not ideal especially if my glass of wine was on it. :)

What worked for us with the jumping and mouthing was screeching like they had bitten your arm off then either you leave the room for 5 mins, or take the dog by the collar, no talk, no eye contact, no speaking, no fuss, no fighting, swiftly and with NO fuss and remove them to another room for 5 mins. After 5 mins they are allowed out- but ignored, as in open the door, again no eye contact no fuss nothing. Once they are sitting calmly then they can have a fuss. You need to do this EVERY time teeth make contact with something you dont want them to.

He was not allowed on the sofa for 3 months until I had established some obedience, and until he got off when I said off- I trained this with a mat on the floor to begin with- with a clicker- so trained on your mat, then off. Also really useful to have a mat in the room so you can say "go to your mat"- which is not their bed (bed is for sleeping and good things!)- Dex soon learnt that if he sat nicely on his mat he would get a treat......... dont give up just yet........... :)

Also why is she in the crate? Is she a chewer? it is one thing I never did with Dex, and he only ever destroyed one coffee table ............ :)
 
Dogs need mental as well as physical stimulation. Get a dog walker to help during the day, it's absolutely essential as 8 hours are too long in a crate and you just come home to a totally hyper dog.

Where are you based that you can't find dog training classes? If you really can't find anything at all get some good books and follow their training ideas. Reward based training is great, you say the dog works for food which fantastic. Get a bum bag fill it with treats and constantly reward good behaviour.

As for unwanted behaviour, ignore it. If the dog jumps on you, fold your arms, turn your back, the moment four legs are on the floor reward. If the dog jumps on sofa, get up leave the room. And so on, but make sure you reward good behaviour.
 
I should add none of this would have worked with Dex if he was not getting nearly 2 hours walk a day, plus at least 20 mins obedience/agility training. He does not need quite so much now he is older and settled but a knackered dog (mentally and physically) is SO much easier to deal with!
 
First of all, what do you mean by abandoned? Abandoned by their mother, abandoned in a box at a vets, or abandoned in a house with nobody attending for days? This makes a big difference in the behaviour you may be seeing.

Secondly, I would suggest that for such a young and lively type of dog, being locked in a cage (depending on the size of cage of course - for all we know it may be a 10ft by 10ft cage or a 2ft by 2ft cage!) for 8 hours and only walked twice per day (again, depends on the length of walk, could be ten mins, could be 3 hours!), is not adequate.

If maybe you provide a bit more info a more educated suggestion could be provided but with the info given it really is 'how long is a piece of string'.:)
 
Her chances of a decent rehome are nil,I imagine she looks "type" as does my own of the same crossbreed.If you are on FB and in the South there is a fantastic guy called Niall Lester in Brighton.He is actually a London Dog Warden..but one of the good guys.He is pretty ace at getting these dogs safely housed. She is a baby yet,and this type of dog do not simmer down before two years old,if ever.What I would say is change to raw food,the dried ones can make this sort of dog very hyper indeed. You may be amazed at the diffeence .
 
Right, first of all well done for taking her on and for not giving up on her already - a dog of this type is likely to either get passed pillar to post via private rehoming or pts in a shelter :(

She is 8 months old, very much still a young puppy so being boisterous and excitable is natural. She needs thorough and consistent training - if you let me know what area you are in I can let you know a list of trainers and classes near you.

But I must point out that keeping her caged for 8 hours a day is extremely cruel and it's no wonder she's a handful if she spends so long cooped up. At her age she needs to keep busy, sitting in a cage will only send her stir crazy. Can you not allow her one room of the house while you are out, have her cage in there but leave it open, give her lots of fun things to play with and chew on, even leave her half her daily food ration in a treat ball or similar so she has to spend time working out how to get it - this is both physically and mentally tiring.
Being so young and having ambull in her she will be a slow developer so shouldn't be made to do lots of high impact exercise as this can damage her joints and cause problems later in life - mental exercise is just as tiring and is so easy to do at home. 2 decent walks of around 45 mins each should be sufficient at this age, but that means actual exercise not just wandering about!

I own Staffords and have plenty of experience with difficult and large breed dogs so if you have any q's just ask :)

Kim
 
Consistency is essential. Teach the kids how to talk to her and how they should behave around her.

Exercise is the key, enough of it, physical and mental. She sounds like one of mine: he needs stimulation or he is extremely trying, drove me to tears as a pup. Keeping her locked up during the day for so long is, IMO, completely unacceptable at her age, any age, actually.

Look at her food: if it contains lots of additives, colours, sugar to make it taste nice, you may be encouraging hyper behaviour. Go for unprocessed, no cereals if you can.

Some dogs are a heck of a lot harder than others: it came as a nasty surprise to me with my youngster! It has taken a lot of work, but he is now totally adorable in the house (and a total trauma on walks!)
 
yes we have books and i look on the internet for hints and tips for training, we have a treat bag too. story goes a young lad of around 16 took her off a bloke in the pub who was threatening to chuck her in the canal she was the last of her litter. he took her home and his family went ballistic! he then threatened to dump her until a member of his family basically snatched her from him and left. she couldn't keep her and rang us in tears as she didn't know what to do with her so me and oh decided to take her in. we were told she was staff...two weeks later told she wad x American bulldog. im very very thankful for all the helpful posts and tips and i am going to continue look for a trainer. i mean me and the oh have had a long chat and he's realised how far she has come with her training in just a few weeks. i do realise that her being in a cage is not right and unfortunately we don't have the space for her own room. she does get an hours walk in the morning and again at night and a stretch around the streets later on too. I will look for a walker for the day time.
 
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