Pup Talk

Identification of a Staffordshire bull terrier isn’t difficult. You do not need an expert eye for this. This dog is burly and powerfully built. You would surely notice its broad head, thick neck and deep chest. The potent jaws with great muscles and undersized droopy ears complete the body contours of this English breed.

photo credit: markhillary

A Staffordshire bull terrier might be black, brindle, white or a reddish tan. The original name of this particular breed of dogs was bull terrier. Later, it was changed to its present name. However, do not get it confused with an American Pit Bull Terrier. Although they look similar any lover of either breed could not mistake one for the other.

When you bring home a dog, you want it as your lovable pet. A ‘Staffy’ is not only devoted to you; it also possesses a very friendly spirit and a love of children that has given the nickname of the “nanny dog”.

These dogs are fighters by nature and are aggressive too with other dogs. Therefore, it is to be borne in mind to keep away your ’staffy’ from other same sex dogs. It becomes a mandatory rule for the ‘un-neutered’ male dogs. Therefore, always keep a strict vigil over cohabitation of your ‘Staffy’ and its companions. Two Staffies should never be left alone for long periods.

While breeding a Staffordshire bull terrier, the most important consideration you have to make is its temperament. Remember, that the objective of breeding is to improve the breed. Merely because a SBT is KC registered does not mean it should be bred. The temperament of a Staffordshire bull terrier is its greatest asset so breeding should be done keeping in mind the temperament of the parents.

There are also many health concerns that should be taken into consideration and dogs should be health tested before going ahead with breeding.

The breed standard of Staffordshire bull terrier

The Standard refers to the ‘blueprint’ of Staffordshire bull terrier. This is actually the ideal representative of the breed. There are some particular features, which do not tally with the idea of a Staffordshire bull terrier. Like, white and liver colors are strictly non-acceptable ones for the ‘ideal’ breed.

Keeping within the ideal standard there are some attributes that should be avoided when pairing dogs. Strictly, avoid a pink nose. The eye color is preferably black. Avoid a pink pair of eyes, unless they are enclosed with a white coat with short ears. Complete drop or full prick will be considered a defect. The ‘model’ tallness (at shoulder) and related weight is 14 to 16 inches/28 to 38 pounds (bitches, 24 to 34 pounds). Go for tight and clean lips. A tail that is too stretched or badly curled is an imperfection and the legs should be parallel when viewed from behind.

photo credit: markhillary

Of course, these are attributes that are desired when showing Staffordshire Bull Terriers, and again to meet the idea standards of the breed. Any dog that is born with these traits are loving and adorable pets just like all the rest.

Remember, a ‘Staffy Bull’, is very intelligent, brave and a faithful dog. It could become an indispensable part of your family if trained well.

Mal Keenan is editor and publisher of Staffordshire Bull Terriers Website.

Visit his Staffordshire Bull Terrier forum for more info on the dog breed and to meet with other Staffy lovers:
Staffordshire Bull Terrier Forum

Some of the reasons you may be considering starting your own doggie day care business are because you love dogs and want to be in business for yourself. Or maybe you want to take more control over your own life and are simply sick and tired of the corporate world.

photo credit: Raleene

While these are perfectly good reasons to consider this business, it’s important to take a realistic look at the rewards as well as the challenges of starting a doggie day care business and what you should look at to determine if you have the “right stuff”.

GROWTH AREA
First, let me say that focusing on the doggie day care business is a smart choice since the shifting demographics in the United States show lots of promise for this type of a service.

The typical client is two adults who both work and have no children. These two-income “families” have, in effect, made the dog the child of the family and are quite willing to pay for their pet’s happiness and wellbeing. These types of owners know that a happy dog is a tired dog and understand the pitfalls of leaving their dogs home alone all day while the’re away at work.

With 38% of all households owning at least one dog, this positive trend of more dogs and less time bodes well for the industry.

WHO IS SUCCESSFUL IN THIS BUSINESS?
People in the doggie daycare business come from a wide variety of backgrounds. What they all share is a love of dogs, a desire to run their own business, are self-motivated and have good people skills. While dogs will be your focus during the day, keeping the person on the other end of the leash happy is just as important. No dog has ever been known to write a check!

It’s also important to understand that owning and operating a doggie day care business requires long hours and lot’s of hard work. Since most people drop off their pets on the way to work and pick them up on the way home, you, or someone on your staff, will need to be there when your first customer arrives until the last one goes home. 6am - 8pm days are not uncommon.

HOW MUCH CAPITOL WILL YOU NEED TO GET STARTED
How much will it cost to create a doggie day care facility and get it up and running? Well, a lot depends on how many improvements you plan on making to your space. Extensive build-outs will cost more while a medium amount of modifications will cost less.

According to a cross section of active doggie day care business owners interviewed on the Doggie Day Care Business DVD, some have opened their businesses for as little as $10 - $15,000 while some spent as much as $100,000. According to information provided by the American Boarding Kennels Association (ABKA) a non-profit trade association, 50% of doggie day care owners spent $50,000 or less in start-up capital, while 24% spent $25,000 or less.

What they all agree upon, however, is the importance of having at least 6 months of working capital to keep you afloat until the business begins to catch hold.

photo credit: ebogjonson

BIGGEST MISTAKES
Probably the biggest mistakes that new doggie day care business owners can make is starting too big with too many dogs. Other pitfalls include taking in inappropriate dogs (unneutered males, aggressive dogs, dogs that are too shy, etc) and not training the staff properly to anticipate problems before they occur.

Most successful doggie day care business start small, establishing procedures and systems that they know are successful, and then gradually expand by adding more dogs per day.

Joining an association like the American Boarding Kennels Association (ABKA) will also help connect you with other doggie daycare owners and can assist you in acquiring group liability insurance as well as providing ongoing education and promotional opportunities.

Molly Locklin is the creator of the “Doggie Day Care Business” DVD as well as other educational DVDs on starting your own pet business. http://www.mypetbusiness.com

Although growing up you were fortunate to have a pet friend, its loss did make you suffer greatly and you decided not to risk exposing your kids to the same experience of them having to cope one day with the loss of their animal friend. But, life always finds a way to surprise you when you least expect it and one evening your son or daughter might enter the house accompanied by a stray dog. You will probably think that this is a very bad idea, but your son’s eyes will beg you to reconsider and allow his new friend to stay “Please, just for a few days; until we find someone who wants to adopt it.” Now you know how that story will go. The days will pass and your new visitor will still be in your house, messing around with your shoes and licking his plate all the way from the kitchen floor to the living-room carpet creating a mess. But when he will put his head on your lap for you to touch it on the head, you will catch yourself smiling and thinking that this is not a bad idea after all. Well, it is certainly not.

photo credit: Alejandro Morales-Loaiza

Researchers have found evidence suggesting that kids who grow up having a pet companion learn a lot from this relationship. The connection formed is not only beneficial to the animal, but also to the child. Kids that have pets become responsible sooner and behave proactively. These are just two of the positive outcomes your child will experience from your decision to allow a “stranger” to enter your house. The lessons a child will learn from being close to an animal can have a tremendous effect to its personality and behavior; today and in the future. Having to take the dog out for a walk, visiting the veterinarian’s office every six months, washing the dog or playing with it, will not only be some of your kid’s future cherished memories, but also some rather life-changing experiences.

Only good can come out from your child learning to be respectful and affectionate to an animal. By living with a dog, your child will for the first time in his or her life learn what it feels like to take care of another living-soul. Moreover, the happiness and comfort such a relationship will bring to your kid’s life cannot be easily ignored or compared with anything else he or she will later decide to experience. Respecting someone else’s needs and thinking of their well-being are extremely important lessons for the formation of your child’s future character and you will be later thanked for being tolerant and supportive.

Do not be intimidated from the fact that your child will consider his or her new pet friend just like he or she does with a new toy; fun and wonderful at the beginning, annoying and boring later. This is actually your chance to teach your child what it means to love unconditionally and to protect one’s life. From the trips to the nearby park to your family’s summer vacations, your child will have a first-hand experience on how rewarding and fulfilling it can be to cultivate such an intimate relationship and what it entails to keep it flourishing and rewarding.

photo credit: Todd Huffman

Finally, the risk of loosing the dog, or the reality that it will one day die, cannot be underestimated. It is true that kids become psychologically attached to their pets, but so do adults. There is no easy way to say goodbye to a beloved companion, but no bigger lesson exists there in life. Understanding what death is, learning to accept it, and finding ways to cope with it, are not processes one has to go through when he or she is an adult. Perhaps then it will be too difficult for your child to become conscious of the loss.

Pets can be the most fulfilling experience a kid can have and it is always time to open your door and your soul to that stray dog he or she will bring in. Life gives no guarantees that happiness and bliss will last forever. Nevertheless, your kid will become a better individual if he or she is given a chance to experience life through the eyes of a dog.

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Pets, Shopping, and Hobbies