Staffy pups like any puppies need some basic training up to a year old. The real training for a staffy puppies takes place after this time. Ask anyone who knows about staffy training and they will tell you this is a fact.

Before then though what is your best approach. Ideally you want to make sure your puppy is safe. Number one. Well socialised..and hopefully clean and semi obedient at least!

Here are 3 things you MUST teach your puppy before they are a year old, so you can have the best behaved staffy possible. We will be sharing more of these tips as time goes on and talking about them at length in our new e book we will be launching before the middle of September.

Lets start with some basics….

1. Toilet Training for Staffy Pups

We all know it’s important to teach your puppy where to go to the toilet, but it’s equally important to teach them to alert you WHEN they need to go to the toilet. You might think it’s easier to teach staffy pups to go at pre-arranged times (after meals and just before bed), and this is true. However, there may be times in your dog’s life (such as when they are unwell) when they might just need an extra toilet stop

It’s a great idea to teach your dog to alert you when they need to go outside. Or, you can teach your dog to answer your question “do you need to go?”. No seriously – if you ask this question each time they go out to do their business, they will eventually associate that phrase with going to the toilet. So when you ask the question, they will either be disinterested, or jump up ready to go. Trust me – this comes in very handy later on in your dog’s life. Flo now has the habit of sitting with her back against the door and her ears down. If we are engrossed and ignore her she comes over and taps us with her paw.

2. Sit, Stay, Drop.

It seems to me I shouldn’t have to mention this, but it amazes me the number of dogs who won’t sit on command! The earlier you teach your puppy, the better. Drop can be particularly hard for puppies, but it’s worth persevering with. The Drop command is quite a submissive action for a dog, and can be very useful when there are young children about, putting the dog below them in terms of height.

Walk on a lead & off a Lead With You. Going for a walk should be fun, but not out of control. Teach your puppy from an early age to stand still while you put on their leash (and collar if they don’t wear one indoors). When walking, your dog should walk beside you – not in front, and not wandering all over the place. Naturally thye do need to “go” so be mindful of that. Some trainers say this is a bad thing! for me I am a realist. As long as your dog associates going with being outside. The only thing to encourage is doing “it” in ceratin areas. This is really easy to train with a few treats and praise. Of course remember to clean up after yourself. Or perhaps I should say the dog! Asda /walmart nappie bags are great . Scented as well!!

It’s also a good idea to teach your dog to walk beside you off the lead (once you have mastered on the lead of course). It’s best to start this off in your own fenced garden before you move outdoors. And always take the lead with you as back up. In honesty the sooner you start to do this the better.

3. Staffy etiquette.

When your puppy meets another dog or cat, it needs to know the right etiquette for introducing itself. Puppies usually learn this from their litter mates, but I have seen many cases where puppies were obviously taken away from their litter too soon, and they have no idea at all how to behave around other animals.

You’ll know if your puppy has a problem by how it behaves when guests arrive. A well behaved puppy will approach the visitors and want a pat or some attention, but not demand it. Badly behaved puppies demand attention by pushing their noses at people, or jumping. If your puppy does either of these, chances are it won’t behave very well around new animals either. And that could spell trouble at the park! Nip it in the bud now.

Have a great week

Best Wishes

Denise