Hi all, this really is a great site. Well done all who monitor/write on it.

Anyway, a few questions I have.
My Mum has said that for my birthday, she is going to buy me a Staffordshire Bull Terrior (Don't worry I'm old enough to live away from home!!), but there are a few questions I would like to ask if I can hopefully get some answers before I make this committment....
1. How easy are they to house train? Obviously I would look for proper training lessons in my area (Islington, London).
2. If I am out of the house for about 6-7 hours at certain times, is it ok to put the dog in a cage?
3. I have a leather suite, are these dogs destructive dogs?
4. Would my laminated floor be safe?
Sorry if these sound stupid questions, but I have never owned a dog before, and it has always been my dream to own one, but obviously I need to know the viability of things as I want to be a loving owner.
Hope someone can help
Many thanks
Martin

Oh dear Martin, I think a lot of learning about dogs is needed.
1. Dogs are easy to house train if you spend time and energy on them. My 15 week old has been clean and dry in the house during the day for about two weeks...still have the odd puddle overnight if she is desperate but that will come with age.
2. I really cannot believe you think it right to cage any dog for 6/7 hours. It is cruel and will make your house training very difficult.
3. All dogs have the ability to be destructive, and yes your leather sofa could be a great target...along with chair legs, walls, cupboards etc... again leaving for long periods will not help here.
4. I think the laminate would be a possible target for some determined chewwers, I had a GSD once who could shred a carpet in the blink of an eye!!
I think you need to ask lots more questions and look carefully at your lifestyle before you contemplate taking on a dog of any breed. It should be a lifelong commitment and will inevitably involve some trying times before you have a dog who is trained to your liking.
Aileen

Hi Martin! Here are some answers to your questions. :-)

1. The ease of training of all dogs is in proportion to the committment and amount of effort put in by the owner.
2. Dogs shouldn't be left unattended for longer than you can last without needing the lavatory. Can you last 6 to 7 hours during the day without getting uncomfortable? They certainly shouldn't be crated for more than 2 or 3 hours at a time.
3. Dogs are destructive when they're either teething or bored. If you really couldn't bear your leather furniture getting chewed you'd have to make sure the dog only had access to it in your presence.
4. Laminate floors can be scratched by dogs' nails, and of course any puddles would need immediate mopping-up.

Sound advice from Aileen, and JG too, Martin.
Some Staffords can be chewers and it does seem that some people think they are notorious for it!  However, neither of mine have, because they are well trained.  I have laminate flooring and a leather sofa and they're all doing just fine :)
I'd definitely make some time before your mother purchases a SBT for you to find out much much more about the breed (as you are clearly already doing by asking questions here), perhaps join your local breed club, look on the national SBT website http://staffords.co.uk/ for lots of useful info.  Perhaps even get out to some breed shows and speak to other SBT owners too.

Point no 2 is of concern, that is a looooooong time for a Stafford or any breed for that matter to be crated. 

Not stupid questions, it is better to find out now before you get a dog.

1.  all dogs are individuals so some take longer than others but most of it is down to your training skills.

2.  it is not okay to cage a dog for 6-7 hours while you're at work, if you add that to the 8-9 hours when you're asleep the dog will be caged for a minimum of 14 hours a day. Some people do manage to work those hours and keep happy dogs but it takes up all your time before and after work (no more going out in the evening) and the expense of arranging dog walkers/sitters to break up the day.

Staffies are very people orientated dogs and I think it would be cruel to leave your dog alone for that long.

3.  they can be destructive, as with most pups they like to chew while they're teething and for fun. You need to teach them what they can and can't chew. Dogs can become very destructive when bored or anxious (staffies being people dogs will get bored/anxious if left for so long).

4.  for any dog who hasn't been trained laminated floor could be fair game.

I'd suggest you think about if you could give up all your spare time for the next 15 years or change your work hours and can you afford a regular dog walker.

If you can, I'd suggest you look at getting a more independent breed and perhaps an adult dog that is used to (and happy) being left alone.

we had a rescue staffie many years ago from battersea he had been their along time and we new he had issues , he chewed the life out of out house even chewed the concrete walls, after he striped the wallpapper off, then he chewed a corner of my bed , the dado rail, skirting boards , carpet, lino, bag,purse, credit cards, ,good job we never had Mobile phones back then or he'd av had that also ;-).
all that and Loads more i cant remember, and that was in the first year we had him, it was a struggle to get him trained , but then i was aware of a bad background and being in battersea for long time and with their help with training classes he did finaly come good, but was hard work he needed constant attention to begin with, we had him 6 years and he was nearly 4 when we got him so he didnt do bad,

you'v had some great advice on here i myself wouldn't go for a staff again troy was lovley but hard work, and he put me off a bit,
but dont listen to me im the silly mare that went a had 2 EBT'S 20 years later, lol
i love um to death really but have to say that my rottie has been a dream to train and the bullys really do live up to the reputation, but still theirs something about them i just love eventho they make me mad sometimes i look at their smiling faces and they grab my heart every time, :-)
enough with my waffling good luck with whatever you decide to do , xx

yes, in rescue, the 2 most commo reasons we get staffies are:
1) dog aggression
2) destructive when left

hasten to add that is because they werent raised, managed, trained and socialised properly according to the needs of their breed.

unfortunately, the lifestyle you propose for your staffie is pretty much the same as the lifestyle all these people provided for their staffies.
ie, too long at home alone. dog got bored or distressed and damaged the home, dog given up to rescue.

the staffy is one of the most people orientated breeds going

6/7 hours in a crate is wrong

Hi

The only word of caution I would advise before getting a puppy in your life- is that staffords need lots of company & exercise they are always ready for anything so longs as it involves them and you! Great that you will be taking the pup to dog training classes, I took my EBT pup and it set him up for life with learning to listen, please be aware that dog ownership is a very demanding time consuming thing to get into, its just like having a real child 3 year old in your life-  you would never think of leaving alone for 6 to 8 hours a day? If you do have to leave your pup then find out if there is a doggy creche or local dog walker in your area that can be around when you are not, my sister is a dog sitter who charges £10 a day when dropped off at her house while owners work full time. A bored pup that is alone for long periods of time will be so much more of a handful from being distressed which could lead to destructive tendencies.
All the best & welcome.

hi,
im an owner ov 2 staffords a male and a female from my experiance females require more attention than my male dont know if thats just mine?
quite easy to train but need a lot of persisstance as i find they can be stubborn!!
6-7 hours in a cage is a big no no from me,i found chewing a problem i left my dogs once for about 2 hours once and i came back to find i had no kitchen floor left!!
they like people attension alot but are a great breed excellent with the kids.

I agree 7 hours is way to long to leave a dog on its own with or without a crate.  I will leave mine up to 4 hours when I am at work then they have a couple of hours of walking and playing and the 4 hours is only for 2 days a week the rest of the time people are around the house with them.
I would think carefully if now is the right time to have a dog and what about your social life ? Can you always take your dog ? If you work during the day you may have days when you wish to come in and then go out again meaning your dog could be left on its own for more hours..
I also find that I dont want to leave my dogs alone for hours they are like kids you worry about them and I dont like to think they are bored or unhappy or uncomfortable. Call me stupid but thats me.
A dog walker may be the answer but dogs really need company not an hour here and there most of the time. What about Mum could she have your dog during the day. My daughter has a dog but thats only because she lives at home and I do the dog care along with my own dog. Otherwise it would be a no no she is still at school so out all day.
Chewing...  The only guaranteed way to prevent this is having the dog with you  all the time or in a crate  otherwise it is pot luck you may be lucky but  if left alone for hours you are more likely to have a problem.
I know its hard when you love dogs but I really would think twice about having one just yet given the information you have told us.

Thankyou all for your very in depth answers, I really wasn't expecting so much information.
In my defence (please can I have some!), the caging thing was only as an example for an emergency, I definately would never dream of keeping a dog in a cage for all that time. I never even used to leave my budgies door closed for that amount of time.
Basically, as a 'never been' dog owner, I wanted to ask some of the questions I had wondered about, so as I would need to know of any house changes I would need to do,
I want to be a responsible and loving owner, and will look at the SBT website and find out how to meet some local owners.
I work from home, so would be there 99.9% of the time, as I realise, like furriefriends said on here that dogs are like kids. I fully realise this, hence my wanting to make sure I am fully au fait with everything before taking up the committment.
Once again thankyou all so much for your responses, it was more than I was expecting.

Sorry maybe gave you a bit of a rough ride. Didin't realise you would be at home working most of the time. From what you described the issue of your pup being alone for long periods  was the main on to me.
We had an awful mix up last week and because we had someone in doing our kitchen and my son had gone out unexpectedly and forgot to tell my kitchen fitter to let her out of crate our poor little pomXchi spent near on 6 hours in her crate!! o guilty granmummy LOL When I got in she was grinning at me and happily wagging her tail and still didn't go for a wee immediatley.The world didn't end for her  If you are around most of the time sounds like you have an ideal set up. The chewing well I think most has been said about that.
If you go ahead find a good training class apdt have excellent traininers and good lick (oops Luck)

There is only one hard and fast rule to make owning a puppy an absolute pleasure or a nightmare and that is containment, puppies unless with you for play and socialising, should not be allowed to roam around the home they most definitely will find something of yours to chew, no pup knows the difference between chewing your sofa/wires, cushions or their allocated toys and bed, dog gates to keep your pup in a safe area or a room divider are great assets to use until the chewing and toileting stage are over.

As already said no dog knows how to behave or what to do unless you teach it, so put the hard work in, if you are not going to be able to make training classes, get some books on praise and reward training, staffords are clever dogs and pick things up quickly if you constantly keep watch of a pup for circling and sniffing the floor and quickly take the pup outside for a good praise when toileting in the right place they soon learn.

We can give you plenty of tips when it comes to basic training, but you'll need to put the work in, you'll also need to keep the pup away from anything precious. I've found laminate to be wonderful for dogs, apart from the fact you need to clean them more as every bit of hair shows up on them but easy to clean up spillages and dirty feet. :-)

Thankyou again for the brilliant replies, you don't know how much appreciated it is to me. I live in Islington, North London, so am going to start looking for any shows that may happen in the area or nearby, so I can talk to other owners.
I want to stress to anyone who may have thought that I am going to just have the dog and hope things happen, that this is NOT the case. I am doing my research first, looking where3 training classes are, making sure that I make the house a happy home for the dog, and making sure that I know what exactly is involved. Then and only then will I say yes to my Mum that she can buy me my first ever dog.
I am looking forward to this so much, but would only take the final actual committment if I know 100% that I am able to be the loving owner that a dog needs. I think we all know that there are too many cases where people buy dogs and don't do research first. I am not going to be one of those people.
Thankyou all for being so friendly on here.

> I am doing my research first

Fantastic :)

As you are new to dogs, while you're researching it's worth looking into puppy development, just to give you a bit of a heads-up as to what to expect. It's not just the puppy phase that requires a lot of work, the 'kevin' stage can be a real challenge, if you're not prepared for it, it can come as a shock! Socialisation and training needs to be carried on through the kevin stage and into adulthood. Some people mistakingly think that once they've trained thier little pup, that's the hardwork over, but in reality it's just the foundation of the training laid down.

It's lovely to see the research being put in beforehand :)

Thankyou mastifflover for that reply. I have just E-mailed The Staffordshire Bull Terrier Breed Council of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Southern Counties dept to ask about shows in my area so as I can meet and talk to owners as well, and also to ask about any training courses they know of in my area, should all go to plan. I've also ordered some books on ownership, training etc, so trust me this isn't something I'm rushing into.
As for the 'kevin' stage, does this mean it will want tattoos and piercings, because I will put my foot down at that!!!! lol

> ask about shows in my area so as I can meet and talk to owners as well
> I've also ordered some books on ownership, training etc, so trust me this isn't something I'm rushing into.

Good on you for doing all this first.
I know it's really frustrating learning instead of rushing out to get a cute little puppy (I reasearced for 2 years before getting Buster (mastiff) and we allready had a dog, so were not new to dog-ownership!), but it really is worth it, it makes it so much easier when you're prepared for what's to come and have allready made some good contacts for advice and support if you need it.

>As for the 'kevin' stage, does this mean it will want tattoos and piercings, because I will put my foot down at that!!!! lol

Lol, yes, put your foot down about tattoos & piercings :-D

The other thing to remember is that some Staffs, though wonderful with people, can be tricky with other dogs and that can be a pain if you are not expecting it. So research your breeders and lines and note what they say about this aspect. Having said that my SIL has a Staff bitch, she is wonderful with people, children and other dogs- the breeding and line is good and because she was correctly and properly socialised as a puppy she has learned that not all dogs like to play Staff style.

If you like the Staff look but would prefer something smaller then you might also consider a Pug, a French Bulldog or a Boston Terrier but all have their pros and cons. 

> Then and only then will I say yes to my Mum that she can buy me my first ever dog

You're are getting some great advice and do keep asking - in the meantime it's worth making the distinction between buying a dog and paying for the dog.

Presumably you have the responsibility to do your research about breeds and breeders and you also have the final decision making responsibility.  Your Mum will simply be supplying you with the funds to pay for the dog rather than selecting a dog to give you as a present? 

Something you might want to consider in the meantime is the possibility of borrowing a dog.  No it's not as bad as it sounds - do you have a friend or family member with a dog that would be grateful for some holiday accommodation?  Even if it's just dog sitting for a weekend it might be enough to give you a sense of what dog ownership is like and help shape your ideas about what you are looking for.  Alternatively a dog owning friend could come and stay in your place to give you some feedback.  I think my dog would say he'd need rugs as laminated floors always prove a bit tricky!!

Good luck in your search

Forgive me if i have missed you age, but when i got my first dog (aged 21) i also put a lot of consideration into where i would be in my life for the next 10+ years. Dogs are a lifetime commitment and its important to think of future circumstances as well as the present.
I would probably have moved in with my partner by now but because he doesnt have a suitable garden at the moment we are staying put at my parents for the time being.
As much as my parents love him, ultimately he is my dog and my responsibility when i move out etc.

Well done for doing your research and good luck. :-)

Hi all, yet again invaluable advice. By the way I'm (and don't admit it on other websites so don't quote me!!!!!) 46.
Yes my Mum will only be giving the money, not supplying, but only once I give the yay or nay.
Today I found a lady who owns 3 staffies and am going to spend the day with her next month, and if all goes well, borrow one for a day.
I do realise the committment I would be getting into, even things like not being able to take the dog into shops etc - why not babies can go into them and the dog would be my baby!
But as I have said, the research goes on, and I really don't know how much to thank you all.

> I do realise the committment I would be getting into, even things like not being able to take the dog into shops etc - why not babies can go into them and the dog would be my baby!
>

LOL think health & safety and hygiene rules prevent that :-)

lol, think you should see some of the kids that run round our shops!!