I'm not claiming to be a know-all and the best
trainer ever. In this article, I just aim to describe my vision of
the Staffordshire Bull Terrier breed, based on my experience
(training my own and other people's dogs).
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Staffy Is a Hunting Breed Initially
To let
you know how you can comfortably co-exist with a Staffy, I'd like
to start with a trivial thing: the history of the breed. I will
not dwell into technical details of the breeding, main thing you
should know: Staffordshire Bull Terrier and other similar
dogs have been bred for one single purpose - to hound wild
animals. Which means Staffy is much more a hunting than some
other kind of dog. According to its hunting destination, the breed
has some features making its training difficult. First of all it
is the dog's mobility: it wants to be in 10 places at once, the
desire to catch and snap (if you don't explain what's allowed and
what's not, no matter what to chase after), a little bit rough way
to play with other dogs and the fierce desire to communicate
almost with every person around (not everyone likes it). Don't
forget that many people are simply afraid of Staffordshire Bull
Terriers because of the negative reputation in the media.
But in
general, educating a Staffy puppy is quite the same as education
other breeds' pups.
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Start Puppy Training from Its Name
How
do you teach the Staffy its name? Start at home, of course.
Keep enough tasty things ready. You can see your pup, it can also
see you. Call its name 1 time (it is 1 time, no multiple
repetitions) and wait for the pup's reaction. As soon as it reacts
somehow (for example, it raises its ear, turns its head, comes to
you), praise it with words, give it the dainty, stroke it. Wait
for the puppy to distract a little and say its name once again.
Encourage its reaction. Repeat the dog's name 5 - 10 times during
one training session. Later you should complicate the task: call
the pup from another room or from the kitchen and support its eye
contact. After you start taking the puppy for a walk outdoors,
keep doing this exercise (first at quiet places, that at noisy
ones). I think the puppy should be first taken for a walk at the
age of 2,5 months (of course, if the weather conditions are good).
In a
couple of weeks, the puppy feels quite confident outdoors. At
this stage you should find a company of friendly dogs,
containing not only pups but grown-up dogs too. But don't think
that the walking will now turn into a constant socialising,
where the dogs and their owners spend time separately.
I prefer the following variant. Go outdoors, let the pup relieve
nature, then play with the pup a little (do the name exercise,
train the simplest commands, try playing with toys etc). It
would be perfect, if you could walk the pup without leash. Don't
be afraid, the puppy will instinctively follow you, at this age
the risks of running away is very little. But at this age
you can teach the dog to walk without leash.
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Train Your Dog Outdoor and Indoor
Then join the dog company. I try to spend 10-15 minutes there: its enough for the pup. I don't mind others touching my puppy, but if they start snuggling it, I try to softly draw the dog's attention at me, then let it go on communicating. As soon as my little Staffy stops actively playing with other dogs, we leave the company. We do the same if the games get rough.
After
leaving our peers, we do something together: we play, train or
visit new places. Of course, the length and the informational
intensity of the walk depends on the pup's age and the weather
conditions. Why do I do so? Because I try to form contact
without interfering into the natural socialising process. As the
pup grows, I start training some useful skills during our walks.
At the age of 5 - 6 months, the puppies prefer me to the company
of other dogs, but eagerly communicate with them, if it's
possible.
You
should teach you Staffy from a very early age to give you
everything it has in its mouth and its "control zone": a bone, a
toy, a bowl etc. The best variant is an equal exchange (for
example, a piece of dainty for a toy). This promotes trust in your
relationships. Never take anything away by force, with negative
emotions, it will make the Staffy run away and hide its
"treasure".
One
more problem with all puppies: picking up stuff in the street.
To avoid it, you should keep an eye on your dog and watch its
behaviour. Especially if you walk without leash. The puppy decides
to search for something because it feels bored (see special
literature dedicated to this behaviour pattern). As soon as you
see your Staffy smelling and searching for something on the
ground, call its name and start moving AWAY from the dog. When the
puppy pays attention at you, praise it and encourage it to come TO
you. If the pup already picked something up, distract it, give it
something tasty and take it away from this "bad" place.
To be continued...
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