I would really like another Staffordshire Terrier although not yet . :rolleyes:
Possibly next summer or even the year after but as its recommended not to keep two males together and having never had experience of keeping a bitch of my own I would just like to know how you keep males and females apart during a season . This is one thing concerning me . Can a bitch be speyed if you show ??
We dont have an outside run/kennel and we dont wish to breed so how do you do it without any slip ups ( oops , no pun intended :) )

hi lel...

very brave move subjecting yourself to two staffs lol.

im pretty sure that you can still show a spayed bitch. i think the reason that most people dont is that she could lose her shape!

you can supress her seasons with a visit to the vets (not sure how often though) other than that youll have a hell of a job on your hands. I learnt pretty quick that trying to get a staff to do anything they dont want to is difficult enought let alone when hormones take over lol

Does anyone know about supressing a bitch during her seasons? How it works, how often you can do it- those sort of details.
I'm getting a bitch in early Dec and this will be the first bitch I have had so I'm also a little worried as this will be unknown territory for me.
All advice welcome.
She

You can show spayed bitches you just need a letter from your vet & then write to the KC for permission to show & it will be granted It changed in 1979 before that the bitch had to have puppies registered with the KC

I have lots of baby gates
Chow

Mine would very easily jump those. I only keep bitches for this reason.

Hi Lel, I have Staffords, 1 dog & 2 bitches. We have just had the girls spayed because we are planning on getting another dog. It was a nightmare when the girls were in season especially as our boy has been used at stud. He used to Howl, cry & wee everywhere. We had to keep 2 shut doors between them all the time! It was such a shame, we couldn't put him through that again!! I don't live in the UK so not sure about showing spayed girls. Also both our girls were very fit before being spayed & have not had any probs & not put on any weight or changed shape.
Good Luck.
Trace.

Yes you can show a speyed bitch. As moonmaiden says you just need to inform KC. My bitch got a 1st. 3rd and 2 x 4th at a recent championship show and she has been speyed for over a year.

Anyone with the larger breeds tried the dog gate from Allbrooks? I have one and it is excellent - although my dogs not large breed, much more robust than a child gate, 43 inches high and said to contain a dog of 10 to 12 stone. It is more expensive than Argos etc. but I think worth it. www.allbrooks.co.uk

Hi Lel,

I have 2 staffs 1 girl and 1 boy it was a nightmare trying to keep them apart during Rubys seasons, we are lucky and have out buildings and aleanto on the side of the house were they sleep which is all centrally heating and has access to the garden at all times, however we now have Murphy who's 5 months and I think he will show an interest in her when she is in season we have recently lost Jake who was nearly 3 years old and with each season he really didn't seem bothered however it was mad keeping them apart for 4 weeks, making sure the kids didn't leave doors open, hope to breed Ruby in about 12 months time, not sure how old the male needs to be with regards to KC Registration, we were going to breed last season but Jake was to ill and unfortunately we lost him shortly after.

Good Luck

NikiH

What about jealousy though if one dog is in another room ? I can see it being ok when I am out keeping them in seperate rooms but what about when everyone is home and one of the dogs is kept seperate .
Personally I would prefer another male but realise this may not be wise . Although Gus has a cracking temperament I cant guarantee the new additions .....
Does anyone have two males without problems ??

Oh Lel,

Get a bitch, honestly you will love them they are Stafford through and through. In a John F Gordon book about Staffs it says;

"On deciding the sex of your Stafford I have found that many previous dog owners will change to a bitch but rarely do you find a previous owner of a bitch that will change their loyalties to a dog"

And I agree I must say I have had a dog but would really from choice take a bitch every time now, but luckily for the Stafford breed many people do prefer the dogs ;)

Obviously though if I had the choice of Gus I would happily take him off your hands :D

Karen

We are soon to have 2 dog's aswell as 2 bitches. But our new boy will be kenneled during the day. I think it's all down to common sense & knowing what Staffords are capable of, & not letting situations happen! I know someone who has 3 dog's quite happily. But I also know someone else who had 5 bitches in the house alone all day who were fine for ages until one day the people came home to a dead dog!!! Our boy doesn't get on with other dog's though he's fine when his son comes to visit, We also look after a male staff a couple of times a year & they don't bother each other at all. As long as it's controled & the dog's don't feel threatened I think they'll be OK. we always seperate our lot when we are out!
I think our boy did get jealous when he was shut away when the girls were in season.
Trace.

when our lab was in season, i took jack our sprocker to work with me when possible, and when the two werent able to be supervised jack was kept crated

This is why I dont want to get another until i have researched and found that we can sensibly home a bitch - the boys too are another factor (leaving doors open etc )

Lel,

Perfect answer crate the boys :D

Karen

Having just got through 23 days of my bitches season, trying to keep the male away from her, I wouldn't recommend it - my nerves are in tatters! You forget that he wants to get to her and she wants to get to him and between them its a nightmare. I shall make a decision next year as to whether we will breed from her and have her spayed after that.

Good luck, it requires nerves of steel and very fast reactions - my lad has jumped gates and tried tearing down doors over the past week. He got him self in a bit of a pickle and didn't sleep for days. It doesn't help that he has been used at stud and knows just what to do and when. I don't want sprockers so he has been at work with me for the past few weeks. Crating wouldn't help, it doesn't stop the whinging!

Friends of mine ended up keeping a male pup that came back, with his sister, mother and Aunt all intact bitches. the first seasons after he came back when he was under a year they were lulled into a false sense of sec urity in their coping strategies.

During the last round they coped with sister in season, but a few days later Mum came in and she came to stay wit6h me, as it was just too much. As soon as she finished in came Aunt, who also came to stay with me, and when she went back he mated hewr on day 23! Tbhis even though they haed crated and kept behind a baby gate, through a moments inattention!

I would not recomend trying to keep both sexes of a medium to large breed u the average domestic setting. You really need facilities to keep them completely seperate and not allow them on the same ground for toileting and excersise.

To be honest, the dog won't get jealous because you are with the bitch! He wont, to be frank, give a toss about you, as he will have 110% of his mind on the bitch and (sad to say) you will be totally disregarded!!! :( Bear in mind, too, that he will go off his food and lose weight through stress (even dogs who will still eat, lose weight through the stress). He will spend at least a week being this strange alien creature who totally disregards you. Then one day he will give himself a shake, look at you and be back to being your lovely boy. Honestly, it has to be seen to be believed! ;)

Judging by the way my males react to bitches in heat this time round, it would be cruel of me to keep the males in the imediate vicinity of them while they are in heat. It`s been a gradual progress & now with this the 4th heat I will be separating them as soon as possible in the future. And agree with B/Less, the boys will be moved to an arear where the bitches are`nt allowed to go so no scent or as little as possible will be picked up by the boys. Mind you I have the space & the kennels to do this & not everyone can, but I do now think its bordering on a form of cruelty to have males in very close contact with in heat bitches.

Christine, Spain.

Totally agree, but dont forget the resident boys know well in advance that a bitch is going to come into season and when she is in season they get the scent from miles away, so they never remain "normal" no matter where you keep them, unless it is in boarding kennels or someone elses house.

Yes so true Fillis! Also I realised I was trnsfering the scent on my clothes etc. so was changing clothes before going out with the boys & that helped a bit. I did find it better for them by taking them in the field the girls hadn`t been in as well & luckily only one of them went off his food for just one day. They`re still not totally back to normal & she`s day 26/27 now.

Christine, Spain.

Thanks all for the advice . :)
I can see my concerns are indeed justified and as both dogs would have been kept in the house ( with no outside runs etc) I dont think this is a sensible option for us . It would mean stressing us and the dogs I think .
Ideally I would prefer another male but have heard mention of rivalry and fighting so that is why I asked about a bitch .
For Anyone who has two males does the fighting tend to occur when left alone ??
Maybe it is easier all around to keep to just the one dog .
Thanks again for everyones input :)
Lesley

I have been told (no experience of it myself) that two boys who dont like each other will "come round" and at worst tolerate each other, but two bitches who dont like each other will fight all their lives. Is this true?