Training

Training is essential if you want a Staffy.  They are too smart and tenatious to not have an owner with solid handling skills.  We start eye contact and clicker training at 5 weeks, so when you get your new puppy, you just have to keep up!
If you have had a dog before and consider yourself a competent dog handler, I still recommend puppy kindergarten!  We have had private, in-home training for the whole family and still take our pups to class.  Each dog is different, a professional dog trainer will help you work on your dog training skills for the personality of the little monster you are bringing home.
Plus it gets your puppy out socializing, focusing, learning under new conditions.
Staffordshire Bull Terriers are strong powerful dogs, if we own them, we must control them.
Puppies cost money, but I guarantee that the extra cash you put into your puppy now, will be well worth it over the next 12-15 years.  Consider how much a new couch, your carpet, or all your shoes will cost to replace if you have a monster puppy that is out of control!!!!

Check out Shannon at Zen Dogs http://www.zendogtraining.com/index.html
Register soon, classes fill up quick!



A Little Bit About Clicker Training:

Clicker Training:

Is an Event Marker.  You don’t need to use the clicker forever, but it is a handy tool when you first start with your pup.  This litter of puppies have been clicker trained since 6 weeks.  They have a strong understanding of association between the clicker and a positive behaviour. Keep training sessions short for now, they have a short attention span and you need to listen to them, so that you are setting them up for success.  When their attention span starts to dwindle, it is time to stop, it is your job to read and understand the signals. Then wait for another opportunity to train later in the day, when they are not too tired, or too rambunctious.  It is better if they are slightly hungry, but not starving.

To begin:

Click-Treat: Over and over again, click treat, so that the puppy know that the click means a treat.

All of the puppies have learned this behaviour, but when you get your puppy home it is important to start from this step in the new environment with new people.  Once your puppy understands that it is the same, then you can move on.

Nose-Nose-Click-Treat:  Put the treat in front of their nose so they see it/smell it then bring it to your nose, as soon as they look towards you or the treat click and give them the treat.

The pups have started this training.

This trains the dog to look to the owner (eye contact) for the positive reaction.  In the long run, when you call the dogs name, ask them to come, drop their toy, they will look to you for a positive reaction.

Eye contact is a sign of aggression in dog language, so we need to train it out of them.  This litter of puppies already understands.

Nose-Nose-Ear-Click-Treat:  Treat to puppies nose, your nose, then your ear.  The puppies eyes should see the treat, look to you (your nose), then out to your ear.  As soon as the puppy looks back to you, click and treat.  So they know that there is a treat there, but you are the one that can give them the positive feedback.

This is the basics, so that the puppy understands the click, eye contact and who is in charge.