Hi i am new here i think this is a very good website.
We are thinking about getting a staffy puppy. Been researching the breed and red books about puppy training and watched dvds and Dog Whisperer so we know what to expect and know its not gonna be a walk in a park to raise a puppy. Only concern is that we are both working but its not 9-5 every day. My shifts are:
Monday- 12:00- 17:00
Tuesday OFF
Wednesday 8:00-12:30
Thursday 8:00- 14:00
Friday 14:00-22;00
Saturday 14:00- 22:00
Sunday OFF

My mate is working 4 days on 4 days off basis 7 till 18:00

If we get a puppy i would take 2 weeks off and my mate 2 weeks after me so the first month someone would be at home all the time.
Our plan is when we have to leave our dog alone we would put him into kitchen (its not too big but not too small and have a easy to clean floor) put newspapers or puppy toilet trainig pads on the floor . Leave plenty of toys and radio on and put the baby gate on.

Do you think its a good plan? would any good dog breeder would allow us to have a staffy pup? I know our situation is not ideal but we would make the best effort to make dogs life good and happy.
Thanks

In my opinion 5 hours is far too long to leave a puppy, even after having it for a month.

No not ideal ...but quite frankly compared to many SBT owners I've seen recently, coupled  with the thousands in rescue at the moment...your set up sounds like paradise !

I congratulate you warmly for asking, trying your best to do the right thing.. Not a common occurrence around my city I can tell you. I've lost track of the number of Christmas SBT puppies I see being dragged around on short chain leads by bored owners...many destined for the pound no doubt.

I agree it's too long, a young pup you can't leave at all, a 10 week old pup a few minutes so even after 2 weeks off it's not much help. I would also like to say that you need to bin the Dog Whisperer DVDs -the bin is the only place they are fit for. :) Please don't copy his methods, he is nothing but a cruel bully who does far more harm than good.

Thanks for your answers. 
Also  i forgot to mention that i live 10 minutes from work so could visit puppy on my lunchbrakes. Maybe i could get older puppy about 6 months old but then would be  a bit difficult to train and maybe he would be agressive and poorly socialised, thats why i wouldnt want to get a staff from rescue places because alot of mean people own them and then get bored or train them to be aggressive.  Ive allwayes liked staffies , they are very loyal and not too big, not too small with short coat and very friendley

in a way i think it sucks that it means i can have dog if im not working that means when im 65 or on a dole . its like if i want my dog to have a good life i need money to feed him and take it to puppy classes and vets and insurance and then it means that i have to work unless i win a loterry :D

>in a way i think it sucks that it means i can have dog if im not working that means when im 65 or on a dole

You could always pay someone to come in and spend an hour or two looking after the pup while you're out at work.

> You could always pay someone to come in and spend an hour or two looking after the pup while you're out at work.

You could pay them to clean while they are there too. That's what I did when I was on a course that meant I was away for most of a day once a week.  It was lovely coming home to happy dogs and a clean house :)

I think if you can break the time up and spend your lunch breaks as well at home then I think sounds ok.

that a good idea . i am just worried that alot of breeders wont let me have their puppies. then id have to get puppy from dodgy place , dont want that

> i am just worried that alot of breeders wont let me have their puppies.

I have just turned someone down, as both people in the house worked full time!!!!
As a breeder I have criteria which has to be met & I am responsible for bringing any puppy, I breed into the world, for the life of that puppy.

Just playing devils advocate what happens if people circumstances change and they have to start working would you expect them to hand the dog back ?

There are at least 38 litters of staffy pups advertised on champdogs.
Why don't you contact a few of the breeders and be as honest and upfront as you have been here and see what they say. Some of these breeders may have slightly older pups that they have run on and are now looking for homes,this may suit your circumstances better as a slightly older pup can be left a little longer . You may find that some are happy with your plan and willing to sell a young pup to you.

I don't think it is very helpful when people instantly tell  someone asking for advice not to ever get a dog when they work.
The realities of life mean most people need to go out to work and I applaud you for wanting to do the right thing for a staffy as this is a wonderful breed in the right hands and a well bred and well cared for staffy truly deserves its title of a nanny dog.

I wouldn't discount a rescue pup, many of the good rescues, or breed specific rescues will have carefully assessed the pup and be able to guide you in your choice. Some of the nicest Staffies I've met have been rescues.

Well done m8ty for asking about puppy ownership and doing some research. I would agree that leaving a very young puppy alone for more that three hours is not a good plan. The puppy will need to be taken out frequently to toilet, if they are going to become clean. Also pups soon get bored with their toys if they have no human interaction and this can then lead them to start chewing and and being destructive in order to relieve the boredom.
Is there any friends, realatives or neighbours who would be able to go round and toilet and play with the puppy ? I had to work when I first had dogs, but my mother lived very close by and she would come in mid morning and take the puppy/ dog round to her house and then pop them back in mine before I came home. It worked for me.

There is an older lady down the road from me and she regularly dog sits or walks other peoples dogs, she lost her own dog last year and does not feel she could take on another puppy at her age, but really loves dogs and is very happy to have a doggy fix with other peoples.
I took our latest puppy down to meet her and she was overjoyed, and would be more than happy to look after her for a few hours if I needed to go out.
Just wondered if you asked around if there would be anyone in your local area who might do the same, worth asking around.

> I wouldn't discount a rescue pup, many of the good rescues, or breed specific rescues will have carefully assessed the pup and be able to guide you in your choice. Some of the nicest Staffies I've met have been rescues.

I so agree with you - an older puppy or adult will have been fully assessed, and a good rescue will provide backup *if* you should need it. They are unlikely to pass on a dog that has been trained to be aggressive! Because Staffies are such a numerous breed, there really is one out there in rescue to suit everybody.

By the way m8ty - I can't let this pass without comment - you will find that people who really understand dogs don't have much truck with the Dog Whisperer... If I were you I wouldn't mention it when you are enquiring after puppies/dogs, and forget everything you've learned from that particular source :)

you will find that people who really understand dogs don't have much truck with the Dog Whisperer... If I were you I wouldn't mention it when you are enquiring after puppies/dogs, and forget everything you've learned from that particular source :-)

So glad somebody else picked up on this, I was starting to feel lonely!

Just to add that not every Stafford in rescue is an untrained dog from irresponsible owners. Some come into rescue for genuine reasons and are happy, well adjusted and well trained dogs. If considering a rescue I would recommend one where the full history and circumstances for reforming are known.
If considering a pup and working the hours that you do then I would recommend someone popping in to look after pup (and someone you can trust)

M8ty, I would have no problems selling you a pup.  I think you have obviously put a lot of thought into it and if you were to come home at lunchbreaks till the pup was old enough to last 4-5 hours, I think that's absolutely fine.  You would actually be more likely than someone home all day.  Less separation issues, less over-exercising problems.

I certainly wouldn't discount an older pup or rescue.  These rescues are thoroughly tested before being deemed OK for re-homing.  You know the personality and have got back-up from the rescue.

CM is a numpty.  Bin the DVD's.  Find yourself a good trainer locally who trains through reward based methods. 

M8ty, I'd also have no problems selling you a pup either.  It sounds like you have really considered your personal circumstances and a puppy's needs. 

You are also saying that you would take 2 weeks off and then your mate would take 2 weeks off, so that's actually FOUR weeks the puppy will have someone there.  So the pup would be 12 wks by the time you were both working at that schedule you detailed.

What I'd recommend is that you have a training plan, during those 4 weeks, which is working towards getting your puppy used to being left.  At first, for the first few nights and days, don't leave the pup at all - help him/her to settle in.  After that you need to work on crate training (introducing crate in the right way) and on using stair gates in the house.  Both these will help the pup get used to being able to see you but not reach you.  You can also progressively move the crate away from your bed each night.  And then start alone training proper, going out and coming back in again immediately at first - and then gradually building up the amount of time you are out.  (5 seconds, 10 seconds, 20 seconds and so on, till you are walking up the road and back, walking around the block and back - going out for an hour and back...)  You want the pup to absolutely be used to being left for whatever the max time is, by the time you are both back at work.  So you should think of it like having 4 weeks to get your puppy used to being left for X hours.  DOn't leave him/her for longer than s/he can manage - that is why you need to start off with very brief periods of time, repeated loads, and build up gradually.

I would also encourage you to contact a few dog walkers in your area since they usually offer a 'puppy visit' for puppies - when they come by your house, let your pup out to toilet, feed if necessary and have a play session with him/her.  This will really help break up whatever the max time is your puppy ends up being left for.

I would not recommend the Dog Whisperer book at all, as it is by Jan Fennell and essentially uses the idea of canine dominance and that the dog is always out to outwit the human.  This is a very outdated way of thinking about canine behaviour and most reputable trainers and behaviourists (myself included!) really don't hold with those ideas at all.  Instead I'd suggest you have a read of The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson (quite wordy, but brilliant) or The Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey (less wordy, more photos!), or Before and After you get your Puppy by Ian Dunbar...  These books will all have info on crate training etc.

Thanks all for your advice, today i have been looking for staffies in rescue and sadly its almost the most popular breed in animal shelters :/
About The Dog Whisperer I didnt know that alot of people dont like him, as mentioned i tried to find as many books and programs about dog training as possible and someone suggested to watch it, at first i thought hes abit harsh but then i thought he must know whats hes doing and its right because hes supposed to be a professional. Why do you think he is bad?  The Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey is a very good book i red it its one of my favorite books about dogs, to be honest i dont like reading alot of boks but i red that but in a week because it was very interesting and informative.

If you don't like reading a lot of books, try to read at least links on the stuff which will be important to you.  Here is a good one on crate training:

http://www.ddfl.org/sites/default/files/crate-train.pdf

Socialisation:   http://www.deesdogs.com/documents/dogsocialization.pdf

Toilet training:  http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2001/housetrain.htm
http://www.ddfl.org/sites/default/files/pup-housetrain.pdf

And check out training classes in your area *before* you get your pup - you can go along and watch for free.  Have a look at:

Puppy School:  www.puppyschool.co.uk
APDT:  www.apdt.co.uk

To see if they have classes in your area.

Good luck.

When you refer to 'the Dog Whisperer' who do you mean (it's a name that several 'trainers' claim to have the rights to)? If you mean the American chap, avoid his methods like the plague. He likes to Rule By Fear; his dogs don't respect him or like him, they're terrified of him because they know what nasty physical punishments he uses.

I would not recommend the Dog Whisperer book at all, as it is by Jan Fennell

I believe she refers to herself as the Dog Listener, the Dog Whisperer is Cesar Millan.

yeah i meant Cesar Milan , from what I saw dogs seem to like him

No; someone who can understand canine body language can see a very different picture.

No dog likes someone who hits, kicks and strangles (yes, to unconsciousness) them.

tbh, although i have ddb's not sbt's our rehome girl (aged 3, nearly 4) was by far the easiest dog we ever added to our home. We could ready see her temperment as she was fully matured, loves others dogs and excellent with children and other people, was housetrained and is now the queen of the sofa. We has well & truely fell in love with her and her cheeky ways and couldn't imagine life without her :)

Although having a puppy has its benefits, i'd suggest you go & meet some of the rescue staffies as you'll bound to find one that would be a perfect match. Training and Bonding will also come will having a rescue/rehome. Often the SBT's and most other dog in rescues are not because of the dog but usually their owners and their owner's circumstances.

http://www.eastangliansbtclub.co.uk/

is a good site to look at, they are E Anglia based and were the ones who did the Staff Agility demo at Crufts but there is a lot of very good general info on their site (including a rescue/rehome section)

>I believe she refers to herself as the Dog Listener, the Dog Whisperer is Cesar Millan.

Sorry, I get Dog Whisperer/Listener confused.  Neither of them are on my to-be-read list!