Resources And Links | Irresistibull Staffords

Necessary Items:

Crates: my current favorite is a two door wire crate. It allows for better ventilation and is more versatile regarding where you can put it because it has the extra door. A note about puppy pads, they are scented and say "pee here", so do NOT use them in your crates. Instead, try using a pen with a litter box until they can make it a week without soiling the box overnight. Or put a litter pan in the back of a full sized crate.

Stafford 30” crate

AmStaffs 36” crate:

Puppy pen:

I keep my puppies in pens with the litter tray until they are clean and dry overnight for a week straight.

Litter tray:

another tray

Litter options (pine, alfalfa, or newspaper)

Water buckets : stainless steel

Stainless steel is easy to clean and sanitize and hard for them to tear up or break.

2 quart for Staffords

4 quart for AmStaffs

Bowls: Again, stainless steel!

medium for Staffords

large for AmStaffs

For Leash training:

I prefer to walk them on retractable leashes with tapes not string. This gives them plenty of length to noodle around and investigate. They are like little toddlers who find everything interesting except walking in a straight line. You must pay attention to your puppy or dog and hit the stop button when necessary to keep the puppy from going around people and things and getting tangled up. *Please be responsible and pick up your dog’s poop while walking.

Leashes:

My next favorite leashes are 6' Biothane (like these). Biothane feels nice, like leather, but it doesn't mold like leather. Second choice is 6' braided leather (like these). I like leather because it softens with use and doesn't give you rope burn like regular flat nylon leashes do. You may also want to have a slip lead. My favorite brand is FuzzyWumpets.

FOOD:

Food review article: https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/best-dog-foods/

I'm currently researching natural rearing and find this page, Vital Animal, to be very informative.

Raw is my favorite:

Raw is easy to mess up, so make sure you THOROUGHLY research prior to starting to ensure you're providing a balanced diet. There is an excellent Facebook page that goes into percentages and how to transition properly. Here at Irresistibull, we start our puppies on a slurry of raw meat/bones/organs/tripe and raw goats milk for an optimal start. They poop less, have cleaner teeth, have a nice shiny coat, and are healthier overall. It's best to frequently change your proteins. I'm lazy, so I prefer to go the expensive route of premixed and ground for convenience. Puppies up to 4 months old typically eat 10% of their Body weight per day. This means a 10 pound puppy would eat 1 pound of raw divided among several feedings etc. This can be adjusted up or down depending on the individual puppy. After 4 months we reduce the puppy to %5 of their body weight and at 1 year decrease again to 3%. These are general guidelines but remember every puppy may have slightly different needs. You should never see ribs. A puppy should have smooth cover over their ribs. Increase food if they start to look ribby. Alternatively, if the waist disappears, your puppy is too heavy. Cut back on the food a little at a time till they reach a healthier weight.

Green Valley Pride is local to Georgia.

Blue Ridge Beef has a lot of good products. Their "Complete" is an awesome choice. This is sold in numerous stores as well as private dealers. They have a resource guide on their website that will help you find a retailer close to you. When feeding puppies under a year old, feed half "Puppy" blend, and half a meat w/bone. Rotate your proteins by the case. Start with Beef and Bone. They have lots of available proteins; venison, rabbit, chicken, duck, quail, beef, and salmon.

OC Raw Dog also has great products. I love the goat and lamb blends for pregnant mothers.

Kibble favorites:

puppies: 4-Health: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/4health-puppy-formula-dog-food-35-lb-bag

over a year: Taste of the Wild Ancient Grains:

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/search/taste%20of%20the%20wild%20ancient%20grains?

Earthborn Ancient Grains:

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/search/earthborn%20ancient%20grains?

**Feed your puppies 3-4 times a day till 6 months, then feed two times a day, at 9 months you can decrease to once a day. If you change foods, do it gradually; ¾ old food with ¼ new food for three days, then ½ old food and new food for three days, then ¼ old food and ¾ new food for three days, then all new food.

SUPPLEMENTS:

Omega 3:

https://www.amazon.com/Nutramax-Welactin-Nutritional-Supplement-Liquid/dp/B001FB6ECQ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=welactin+for+dogs&qid=1560002721&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Probiotics:

Proviable DC

Visbiome Bet Probiotic for Pets

When your puppy or dog is about to head to the show ring or experiences any illness or stressful upset, I like to add this supplement to assist in boosting the immune system:

https://www.naturalpetwarehouse.com/Natures-Farmacy-Dogzymes-Immuno-Guard-Dog-Supplement?gclid=CjwKCAiA1rPyBRAREiwA1UIy8PQxi95o1ngB5ATrvK1ZpJxDn8cZM-_q8Mpo_CceT9j7sVTZuQpiChoCVxQQAvD_BwE

If your dog is having some allergy issues, you may want to do a "raw reset" for three months and get these products: Canine Detox drops and Canine Immune drops by Vital Pet Health.

Puppies can have underdeveloped lipid layers on their skin during the first 12 months. This means rolling through the grass can cause a reaction. If you notice a red or bumpy undercarriage, you will need to wash them with this or this shampoo that helps build the lipid layer on their skin. Its available at most stores that carry dog supplies.

HEAT CYCLE PANTS:

If you’re following my recommendation of waiting to spay till two years old, you will need “Bitch Britches”.

I love these: CJ Crafts & Gifts https://cjcraftsandgifts.com/shop?olsPage=products%2Fsleezy-pants. Stafford bitches fit in a medium. They are made from bathing suit type material and are stretchy. If the medium is a little large on a juvenile, you can twist the straps prior to Velcro-ing.

Mr. Wags brand fit well, have ruffles, and are super cute: https://www.mrwags.com/prissy_panties. Small Stafford puppies or adults can fit in a small. Puppy AmStaffs and adult Staffords fit in a medium. Adult AmStaffs fit in a large or extra-large.

They do tend slide down easily, so you may want to consider ones with suspenders. This designer was recommended by a fellow dog enthusiast: https://www.wagginwearfordogs.com/. You will need someone to hold your girl and someone to measure her because Waggin produces custom products.

TOYS AND CHEWS:

I do not buy toys with stuffing, and I monitor the condition of their toys. Any time you introduce a new item, supervise for a while. Make sure they don’t choke or eat things not intended to be swallowed. This is very important: Absolutely NO rope, rawhide, smoked or cooked bones. Try Jolly Egg or Jolly Ball, Spring Poles, Flirt Poles, Chuck it sticks and balls, Nylabones or Benebones.

BABY GATES to keep them where you want them. It’s very important to keep your eyes on your puppy and to keep them in a safe area when you can’t.

LIFE JACKETS:

Amstaffs and Staffords are very dense and muscular, so before you get them into water, make sure to put a life vest or jacket on them.

TRAINING is a MUST!!!! The best method for teaching them to do things you want them to do is through positive reinforcement training. The best method for teaching them to stop doing things you do not want them to do is with physical corrections. The best trainers understand how social dominance works in dogs and know how to blend both methods for maximum results.

PEST PREVENTION RECOMMENDATIONS FROM A REPRO VET:

Flea and Tick: Nexgard-must be over 8 weeks, prescription only

Seresto collars are also great if you have one dog.

Heartworm: Heartgard- prescription only

Remember to ROTATE your preventions' active ingredients. Do Not Use the same thing year after year, it will lose its effectiveness.

Heartgard Plus contains ivermectin AND pyrantal pamoate. Pyrantal pamoate is a dewormer. Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitos.

Tapeworms: fenbendazole or praziquantel. Tapeworms come from ingesting fleas with tapeworms, or from eating contaminated poop.

Drontal Plus: contains pyrantal pamoate and praziquantel, but is only available by prescription.

Elanco Quad Dewormer is an excellent choice for the broadest spectrum dewormer. It's available over the counter at Petsmart.

Dosage for fenbendazole: https://www.dreamydoodles.com/fenbendazole/

Other worms/or pups under 6 weeks: pyrantal pamoate

https://www.amazon.com/Pyrantel-Pamoate-Suspension-bottle-Generic/dp/B019QRUUDE/ref=as_li_ss_tl?keywords=pyrantel+pamoate+for+dogs&qid=1554510166&s=gateway&sr=8-3&linkCode=sl1&tag=dreamnorthlab-20&linkId=1050eb2482e493193cd3f548fd488fcf&language=en_US