I have a couple concerns about my new Dog!
i was given a "Staffy/Cross" bitch, Approx age "4 half months". Iv noticed her poo is very mushy and sometimes pale, she also keep biting at the base of her tail which has created a bald patch?

id also appreciate if anyone can advice me what food i could or should give her to build her up & what "Meat&bones" from Butchers would suit her best?

Thanx for your time and i look forward to your Advice,,,

what are you feeding her on?

previos owner fed her Pedagree Chum but i here thats not good at all?

no, it is awful stuff lol... same as Bakers... stay away rom this. a friends dog was on bakers until she was educated about it. she now feeds Burns. and her poos are lovely and firm (the dogs that is). James wellbeloved is good food. even cheap foods can be good though. check the ingredients list an steer clear of anything with e numbers... dogs have intollerance to them much like people. gives them the runs, preventing them from putting weight on

Thank You Tanya,   :)

base of tail bit may be anal glands that need doing or ear mites... buy some thornit and treat her ears and poop hole

Great feedback, TY again Tanya...   :)

1 last thing if ya dont mind, i was told that Heart & Liver from Butchers every fortnight would be good for her, is this true?

yeah, it is.... sometimes can be a bit rich though, so feed a little first to make sureit doesnt upset her tummy. freeze it first in deep freeze for 24 hours to make sure all bacteria is destroyed first. something oily should also help with her skin, pilchards or sardines. could try tripe too.... stinks but good for putting weight on

Hi and welcome

You've said that the previous owner fed Pedigree - have you changed your girls diet since she came to you?  How many times a day did they feed her and have you continued a similar routine?

I would expect her to still be on 3 meals a day at this age.  Changing her food and/or the frequency of meals will have some effect on her output as will the amount of food she is eating.  I used to find that I was constantly adjusting portion sizes at this age.  The sort of poo you describe isn't terribly unusual in these circumstances either, particularly if she's not been with you long.  Her tummy might need a little time to settle with her new routine and food.  Her skin might benefit from a different diet too but the chewing/biting could also be associated with new home anxiety.  Have you consulted a vet?

A good quality complete food might be the best option for now, and whilst you get her weight sorted, but remember that she is likely to go through phases of looking gawky and a bit ribby.  If you aren't sure, see if you can get someone else to check her weight for you.  You can do this as much by feel as you can by eye but a regular trip to the vets to use their scales is a very good idea for socialisation and handling too.  The difficulty with a cross breed is that you don't have any direct comparisons but, over time, you'll build up a picture of her weight gain and growth so you'll soon spot anything unusual.

There is a raft of advice about raw feeding available should you need it (I now have both of mine on a raw diet) but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Arden Grange for complete.  CSJ also gets a lot of support as a good food designed for differing needs and budgets. HTH :)

some good advice there from dogs a babe.

Do you know if she was wormed correctly?

Am greatfull for all your response's, What a fantasatic site!

My Girls settled in nicely, her poo seems more natural and the biting has slowed "Although she still dose it every now & then".
She's been a diamond to train "but am still working on her jumping up at people on the street" she dosnt bite them just LICKS em LoL.
Am having some trouble finding the Dog Food you all recommended, iv taken her Off the Pedagree and she's currently chomping trough Tripe-mixes & meaty products some with rice by "Butchers Choice" This wouldnt be my 1st choice of food but she luvs the stuff! 2 people "Locally" who both have Staffy/Cross's told me there Vets told them this food would be substantial for there Dogs & to be honest there Dogs are Very Muscular and seem to be in very good shape! If any of you's have time to tell me where to get the Foods you all recommended Id try my girl on it if in the long run they'd be better for her.
My breed of Dog seem to have a bit of a bad reputation but my Girls great, she's very affectionate & loving, Great with children & adults alike she even walks past Cats "after a curious quick sniff". She's very obediant to all my family's voices. Once iv cracked the art of stopping her excited jumps at people there cant be a bad word said about her, she's a bundle of joy & im soooo glad i took her from the idiot that had her before,,,  :)

i have Vets appointment on Monday so im hoping they'l be able to tell me about the worming, i have previosly glanced at her poo "just to check for abnormality's" but seems fine with naked eye,

seems like you have got a lovely dog there. If you want to try the "better" completes recommended most of them can be bought direct try googling them and some will send trial packs.
If you want to go raw, as previously said there are loads of us here who feed raw and loads of good advice will be forthcoming if you want it imo its the best way but it doesnt suit everyone and thats fine.
When you go to the vet dont forget to mention the tail chewing so he checks her anal glands and if you haven't find yourself a good training class maybe an apdt one they are good.
Good luck 

Iv been scrolling through the site and am Amazed with the wealth of good honest knowledge provided here, i already knew the basics of Training & Handling "Dog jumping excluded LoL!" But iv learn't MORE reading your article's than i would do anywhere else!
I think ALL "would-be" Dog owners should be made to read Factual article's & educate themself's on Dog's & there particular breed before even being allowed to own one.
Id recommend this site to anyone i knew was getting a Dog, although they might not be breeder's or Professional's! I think there's to many people who really haven't a clue how to properly care for a Dog & a Site like this "or maybe set one up for non professional's" would truely bennifit those from diverse backgrounds or Inner-City's like myself.

Champdogs.co.uk = Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant  :)

> Id recommend this site to anyone i knew was getting a Dog

Yes I would too.   It's so good to have somewhere to come with dog related questions - and you generally get a range of different viewpoints to consider. 

With regards to food I use VetUK online for Arden Grange complete food - they are generally the cheapest and it's so much easier to get it delivered.  However, whilst you are still deciding what food, I suggest you contact AG direct first.  Their customer service is excellent, they can give advice about which options to try first and will send you free samples to try.  I get my raw food from TPMS and would highly recommend them if you want to feed raw.

As someone else has said - training classes would be an excellent idea.  You are obviously committed to doing the right thing by your dog and classes will help give your dog some extra socialisation opportunities too.  Good trainers will help you with all aspects of dog ownership and can provide the framework for you to manage other aspects of her behaviour (like jumping up :) )  The Association of Pet Dog Trainers website is a great place to start.  Have fun :)

I, too had a dog with rather loose poo. I read up on here and heard about CSJ, I then read all their literature and sent off for a bag. The difference in under a week was amazing and the dogs are loving it. I had never heard of them before seeing it on this site.

> i have previosly glanced at her poo "just to check for abnormality's" but seems fine with naked eye,

Yeah!!  :-)  It's a dog people thing!  Inspecting poo is a pastime for a lot of us!  :-)

you know when your a dog person when you can publically declare you inspect dog poo, without blushing lol :-D

agree about champdogs,Ive had lots of great advice from generous people!