Hi I just moved to london and am getting a staffy. He's 4 months old and seems very cheerful but I'm very worried about him wreaking havoc on my flat or getting bored and destructive. i work during the day and my mom will be with him, but basically the plan is to take him out every half hour to one hour for the first few days i have him and then start trying to do walks twice a day. not sure how people who have flats in london deal with the whole toilet trading issue but i'm hoping i can eventually train him to go only when he is taken out. for other flatlivers out there, do you keep in a crate?  is there a way to allow him to roam free without there being too much risk to the furniture (plan on getting a lot of chew toys).  Also i think the chewing and biting stage is a bit worrying because my mom likes dogs but scares easily if she misinterprets playing with aggression.  I'm sure this must be an old topic but some sage advice would be appreciated.  My girlfriend will also be coming soon and she can take over the daily active management duties. my mom can pretty much give him campanionship during the whole day, feed him, change his water, and that's about it.  Any thoughts? thanks

Staff arnt destructive unless bored or left for too long, ours is brilliant,  has not touched doors or furniture only a bit of plaster from the wall.
You wont have that problem though if your mother is with him through the day,we didnt leave ours for two weeks when we first had her but then she was only 8 weeks old. Then we left her a little at the time. We work shifts so one of us is always there even now.
He will need lots of toys and chewable items. He will be fine in a flat so long as you take him out,only once a day for now I would have thought,he's only young and his little legs although powerful will still be growing.Please be aware that they will walk for hours if you let them but its too much for their bodies while they are little. You must watch the walks yourself ! Play with him in the flat instead they love rolling around the floor and they sleep alot as well.
We started the toilet training by taking her out first thing, before and after every meal ( which was four)then last thing at night. Find a short word that they can recognise for going to toilet and keep repeating it when they are actually going. Obviously he wont go on command at first but after a week or so he will try and go to the toilet when you say the word. You will soon notice the signs when he wants to go, he will go around in circles and sniff close the floor.
As for the biting perhaps forewarned is forearmed, get a book about Staffs for you mother to read and tell her she must say 'no' very sharply when he bites too hard. he will bite and chew your fingers its part of his discovering the world stage but he must learn when too hard is not good, so either yelp like a scolded cat/dog or a sharp no each time. Also ignoring him will work wonders in some cases . Hope this helps

good luck im sure everything will work out, in my experience staffs are mouthy its something thats difficult to break, mine all love a good nibble of my hand( not biting though)  mine have never been huge chewers so think you will be ok, i use a crate for my younger ones whilst i am out, but its only for a couple of hrs a day.

Ours is 'mouthy' too, as I have said before she will lead my husband around the house with her front upper tooth hooked around his finger, and she grabs hold of my hand very gently and takes me for a walk! Love it

There is a spray you can get from pet shops which you can spray on wood, furniture etc and it deters pups from chewing.  It smells horrible and just one whiff seems enough to stop chewing.  I've had 2 staffy pups in the last year and haven't had a problem with chewing since using this stuff, they hate it.  I know a lady who left a puppy staff all day whilst she was at work and he trashed the living room.  A crate is the most sensible option if you have to leave a pup unattended for his own safety as well as for the safety of your furniture or a  room where you can shut him in, say the kitchen, where he can move about freely without destroying anything.  Staff's are very intelligent but need firm boundaries, so the time your mom spends with him will be setting down groundwork for the future.  If he's chewing, nipping, he must know its unacceptable and generally a stern tone of voice should be enough to let him know not to do it again.  Good luck!

we didnt use a crate and havent had any problems, we personally dont like them seems cruel to me to put a dog in one. As the previous poster said firm boundaries are very important