Can you help me?  To cut a long story short, my son came home one evening with a dog.  Some older boys were teasing her, he protected her so when he came home she followed.  That was nearly three months ago.  I took her straight to the vet to see if she was chipped, but she wasn't.  He said she is about 10 months old.  She is a cross, has a staffi face, but unsure on what else. Was in good condition and that was it.  The kids walked the streets with her asking people and knocking on doors where she was found.  We put up posters and put her on the internet.  The police were not too interested and were happy for me to look after her until her owner was found.  The kids have named her Lucy.  I looked on your site when I had problems with her with food.  Everything I gave her, seemed to upset her stomach. I tried tinned, dry food and she is now very settled on raw chicken wings, so thank you for that as I thought they were not allowed.

I have come to the conclusion that someone has abandoned her as she is so giddy and not trained at all.  She has improved but jumps up and is so strong and the other day managed to rip my earring out, I had just had it done so it was really sore. She jumps up at visitors and telling her no makes no odds. She is now the perfect little angel snuggled in her new bed (even tho she has ripped it to shreds), she has chewed the skirting boards, ripped up the vinyl, made holes in the wall and I love her to bits but cannot afford the repair bills.  I am in a rented house after a messy divorce, with no money, and on a budget.  I think fate has brought her to us,  she gives us so much love and when settled is brilliant.  She is terrible on the lead, she pulls but loves her walks but is better when in the open fields, tho wouldnt let her off as she would just run away.  She had so much fun today in the puddles and the mud, it was bath time which was an experience.  Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks Lisa (lucys mum)

well done for taking her on. my advice would be to get her to a good training class. ask around in your local area and find a recommended one, where they use reward based training.
have you thought about crate training her? i used one for my pup when he was really young, he would sleep in it at night and if i was out during the day i would pop him in, no longer than a half hour. he was great in his, would go in willingly, sometimes i would give him a chew and he would go in to eat it as he felt safe. never used for punishment. you can get her used to it by setting it up, then leave the door open an bed and allow her to explore. put a comfy bed in and put treats in so she will see it as a safe place. this means she wont be able to damage your house if you arent around. i only used mine for a few months until he could gradually be trusted to be left out.
also are you giving anything else but the chicken wings? they are not a complete diet on their own!

Just wanted to say good on you for taken this pup in :)

You have quite a few issues here which will need to be dealt with one at a time.

The obvious answer as already said is puppy training classes, they will be invaluable, and help with all the issues, addressing issues on a forum can be very helpful but there is nothing like learning in person having the back up of a trainer and others in the class, you learn so much quicker and it is what she really needs.

But, after reading your story that you are newly divorced in rented accomodation and on a tight budget with children I guess spare money right now is going to be a problem, it would be wonderful for you to settle your new girl into training classes, she is just showing all usually puppy traits, which just need a firm hand and taking control of classes are invaluable and help so very quickly with setting your dog in the right routine, but they can be pricy especially when on a very tight budget, I've seen many of my friends come out of divorce and every penny counts, start up classes approx 5 lessons depending on area and trainer cost approx £50, hopefully someone in your area will point you in the direction of a good class and if you have any family who can help you out right now I would call in those favours to get Lucy trained, you can't afford for your landlord to become upset at the damage she is causing, she needs lead training and general obediance classes.

For now, you need to contain her from causing anymore damage, get a dog/child gate, (sorry more expense) or better still a crate (have a look on CD for items on sale or local newspaper) for when you are sleeping or out of the house to stop her chewing skirting boards etc, give her knuckle bones to help decrease her chewing other things.

When visitors come keep her on lead and make her sit next to you until your visitors have settled in, when she is calm let her off lead to say hello nicely, but if she becomes hyper put her back on lead or remove her from the room in her crate or behind the dog gate in a puppy proofed area. You need to take charge of her, reward and praise when she does things right, ignore, segregate or give a stern look when she oversteps.

For lead training I would recommend some sort of harness for her (other Stafford owners will advise on the best for the breed type :-) ) you will also need to do the stop and start routine of when she pulls you stop dead and then restart it is slow work but it really does work, your pup will learn if she pulls she gets nowhere fast.

But if possible the puppy training classes will be the most valuable thing you can do for you and your new girl. :-)

Hi Lisa....agree with all of carringtons post .

If training classes are too expensive you could buy a good dog training book for lots of tips to train in the house .
Work with treats cooked sausages or cheese etc.

if you can PM me I have a spare crate you can have for free obviously depending on what area you live .

Roni

If you pm me too with your address I have a spare halti headcollar you can have for free, this will help with the pulling on the lead :-)

Have a look in your local library, if they don't have any dog training books they will be able to get one in for you.

My girl had terrible stomach/bowel problems to the point where I'd actually got her booked in for an x-ray.  An ex vet nurse made me cancel it, recommending either the BARF diet (bones and raw food) or using Burns dry food.  Dilly quickly went off the BARF diet so I contacted Burns (freephone 0800 890482) who were brilliant and sent me samples and loads of doggie information, not just on diet.  Inside a week of not giving her homecooked or other dog foods (including dry) Dilly was completely different, obviously happier, loads of energy but also calmer.  It seems she can't cope with cooked meat so the delicious casseroles I was giving her were making her ill!  I mention all this because even years later, if she gets a bit too much cooked meat as titbits she develops problems again.  I've also found Nutro Choice agrees with her.  As to the skirting boards etc. anything like that can be sprayed with a dog chew deterrent and obviously ensure she has her own very substantial, chewy toys.  A 'clicker' from pet shops may help with training.  I hope you get the problems with Lucy sorted out and think it's wonderful you've adopted her.  If the excellent advice given by others on the forum doesn't work what about contacting television programme makers asking for help - after all they've got to choose someone to appear.  

Thank you, I am going to ask around about the training classes, as I think she will be a lovely dog once settled.  Thank you so much for all of your replies, hoping not to seem a complete idiot can you please tell me what PM me means!!   I havent been supplementing her diet with anything other than the chicken, other than treats, what should I be giving her.  Many thanks, Lisa

If you click on their name you can click on send message- this way they will get a private message from you and no one else can see it- as you do not want addresses and phone numbers out for everyone to see.

best of luck with your furkid :-) yup they sure can be alot of work- Great dog, Good owners (I think thats the title) by brian kilcommons and sarah wilson have a great training book out, I found it very useful with alot of great way for training-

This is it: http://www.amazon.com/Good-Owners-Great-Brian-Kilcommons/dp/0446675385

Hi,
First well done for taking her in, I'm sure she will bring you much love and joy. :-)
What area are you in so someone on this forum could recommend a good training class to go to.

hi
so great to hear you have taken on this girl "Lucy" . With the fact she was kicked out of her last home most probably due to her lack of training. When I took on my dog I found Dogs magazines a god send in teaching me how to cope, trouble is the cost as about £4 for a monthly issue. The other place I searched for help was second hand shops for dog training books, Read as much as you can to understand there little ways and how to control them with firm but fair handling. Go to your local pet shop and seek out a middle priced ranged dog kibble which is  complete. When I was on my own with a child and money was tight they let me have food on tic if I had run out before I had the cash and they normally deliver for free too. If she is fussy make up a bit a of gravy to make it more tasty for her but make sure its cold before you give it to her. Try and get her to love tennis balls as once she is obsessed with a toy when walking she will behave for you by holding her favourite toy then when your home let her have it as her treat. Its not actually a good idea having her in your bed, best to get her own bed and make her sleep in that, until you have trained her a bit more. Giving in to her  every whim and spoiling her will only make her naughty and ignore you more. You are her mum so be very matter of fact in what you expect her to do. Just as you expect your own kids to behave. Best of luck     

Hi Lisa, well done for taking Lucy in. At approximately 10 months old, she is going through her 'teenage' phase. This starts around 9 months and lasts for around 3-4 months. It coincides with puberty, just like it does in humans. Hopefully, she is coming to the end of this phase. As anybody who has human teenagers will tell you, the end can't come soon enough. If she was 9-10 months old when you found her, this is probably why she was abandoned. The sweet playful little puppy you thought you had suddenly turns into the monster from hell. Unfortunately, this type of breed/cross seems to attract the sort of people who buy a puppy on impulse, then fail to give it the training, attention and excercise that it requires. She seems to have landed on her feet when you took her in and with a lot of patience, some training, and the passage of time, you will hopefully be repaid for your kindness. You have been given some very good advice and some very kind offers of help with crates, haltis etc.,I entirely agree that giving her a big tasty knuckle bone from the butcher is an excellent idea. If you can find a nice friendly dog-loving butcher and explain the situation, you may even get a regular free supply. There is a very good product called Grannicks Bitter Apple Spray that dogs absolutely loathe the taste of. You can get it on the internet, just type it into Google. Good Luck

Got a good book that you might want to look at, was on sale in Pets at home and i think its very good for the novice/new dog owner. Deals with all the problems you have said so far, its easy to read and has lots of pictures your son could read it and understand it fully. Its called breaking bad habits in dogs by colin tenant. Was suprised it was on sale i think some people need this book far more than the novels they have there that were full price.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Breaking-Habits-Dogs-Colin-Tennant/dp/1903098416/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218469027&sr=8-1

Well done for taking her in, I suggest crate training for the chewing (the book also has this covered) is she getting enough stimulation mentally and physically to keep her occupied when your out. A kong is a good thing i recently bought a large one for rotties and big dogs but they do have them smaller, i fill them with gravy bones and abit of peanut butter which you can also buy from pets at home.

Wish you all the best with her

Louise

Nice one for taking her on :)

I would just give the APDT a call and they have trainers in all areas with any class you could want avaliable.
The courses arent too pricey, espicially when compared to repair bills for furniture lol
One course lasts about 10 weeks and is around £40-£50, its a brilliant expierance for all who go espicially children to get an idea on how to handle dogs properley and also for adults who want to start owning dogs for the first time etc.
its one class a week for an hour and I cant stress enough how much it helps dogs and owners and they have all the advice you could ever wish ti ask for.

their website is on google if you just put in in the search engine :) :)

Good Luck and let us know how you get on!

If you are counting the pennies, try Harringtons Dog Food.  It seems to be good food but at an affordable price.  (its half price at Tesco currently.)  I am trying it out at the moment and they love it - stools etc seem Ok (I normally give them Burns Kibble).  Naturediet is a good wet food but it is really pricey unless you buy it direct from the manufacturer or from Berriewoods (just put in a search) or Vetuk.co.uk.  Berriewoods sometimes do kennel packs which are cheaper.  I think what you spend on dog food reduces vets bills in the long run.