Dog training treats aren’t one-size-fits-all. What works in a quiet kitchen doesn’t always land in a busy training class, and the treat that gets instant focus in one setting can fall flat in another. Most training frustration comes from using the right reward at the wrong time. Anyone who’s watched their dog turn their nose…
Sizing charts are illustrative, but they don’t do much to help you pick the right crate for a Staffy. They’re technically a medium-sized breed, yet most Staffies need a size bigger than the “medium” category suggests. Throw a Staffy cross into the mix and you’re dealing with a whole range of dimensions. A 30-inch crate…
The cliff notes: For dogs that struggle to settle alone, the biggest improvements come from calm departures, gentle desensitisation to your leaving cues, and slowly practising short absences. Comfort, enrichment, and steady routines help support the process. A behaviourist or vet can step in if things feel too big to handle alone. When your dog’s…
Dogs can show separation anxiety in all sorts of ways, and none of them feel like “just a phase” when you’re living through it. Some will whine the moment the door closes. Others pace, scratch, or completely shut down. And when the behaviour comes from grief — like losing a lifelong companion or suddenly being…
A practical reading guide for Staffy owners — organised by topic, expert, and problem. The Staffy Club started out as a simple blog about raising Staffies. As it’s grown — and as I’ve grown with it — one thing has become clear: no single person is an expert in every part of the dog world….
Soon after the honeymoon period of bringing a puppy home begins the transition from training pads to real potty training — getting your dog to tell you it needs out, not just choosing a corner of the crate because it hasn’t yet figured out how to communicate with you. An advantage of potty training with…
There were twelve dogs in the training hall that night. Twelve dogs, twelve owners, and the lead trainer suddenly looked at me and said, “Let’s try him off-lead.” My stomach dropped. We’d spent months building the foundations — sit and wait, steady lead-walks past other dogs, recall from as far as the training lead would…
No matter what bowl’s in the dog crate, some dogs can be downright dramatic. Some paw at the water like it’s a puzzle to solve, others splash around or even avoid the bowl entirely. It might sound like just a quirky habit, but these dog bowl behaviours can actually reveal what your dog really thinks…
Sick of finding little puddles around the bowl?For a lot of owners, the real worry isn’t the splashing — it’s the damage it can do. A few water droplets landing in the same spot over and over is all it takes for laminate to swell or for skirting boards, carpets, or rugs to start discolouring….