Active and loving Staffordshire Terrier looking for new home

Chantilly VA

Description

AGE:  5.5  years old DOB: Feb 2017 SIZE: 65-70 lbs BREED: American Staffordshire Terrier (Purebred, no papers, confirmed via DNA test) DIET:  Merrick Limited Ingredient dog food (lamb and sweet potato). He will come with a couple bags of this. He gets about 1.5 cups 2x a day. He likes treats and is given those sporadically and as a reward. Please note: he is not food aggressive. ALTERED: Yes, neutered HOUSEBROKEN: Yes CRATE TRAINED: He has previously been crate trained, he will use it if it’s set up with his blankets/toys. The crate will need to be sturdy as he is a Staffordshire terrier with separation anxiety issues. MEDICAL HISTORY: Seasonal/skin allergies (controlled through diet and medicated shampoo). He will come with all medical records and is up to date on vaccines/etc. GROOMING REQUIREMENTS: Minimal, benefits from bi monthly baths with a hypoallergenic shampoo. He is also pretty good about having his nails trimmed with a manual trimmer, he’s not a big fan of the electric grinders however if he regularly walks on concrete he doesn’t need to have his nails trimmed. PERSONAL HISTORY:   Adopted May 2018 from a New York City animal control shelter in Harlem. He was initially surrendered to the shelter due to destroying property in his first owners’ home but his destructive nature lessened with more attention and exercise. We lived in New York until the pandemic and traveled the country (while staying places a month or two at a time) from August 2020 until May of 2021. He has always enjoyed hikes, fetch, and running. He has lived with other people, cats and dogs and is generally easy going once he gets acclimated and exercised. EXERCISE: Walks/runs and fetch are his primary forms of exercise. He is well behaved while hiking (on and off leash) and likes to walk around while you’re doing outdoor chores. If he gets 45-60 minutes of exercise time a day, he will just sleep and meander while he is indoors. He does need a minimum of 30 minutes of activity per day. LEASH SKILLS: Moderate. Walks well with a pronged collar or an e-collar. He has a tendency to pull but responds to being corrected. He is also used to walking on leash with other dogs, typically smaller dogs. He is also used to walking on leash with a cat. He can be a little jumpy when excited but responds to “down” OTHER SKILLS: Manny knows his name and the following commands: sit, stay, come, down, drop it, lay down, no pull, easy, leave it GOOD WITH: older children, dogs, cats - He has lived with a cat for the last year and has lived with smaller dogs and cats off and on since 2018. He’s submissive around other animals. We think he’d get along with other big dogs but he’s never lived with any. - He can be overly excited and jump and should not live with small children. ROUTINE: He is fed 2x a day. Once in the morning before his walk and again in the evening. He does best with a walk in the morning and a walk in evening, but can get by with one longer walk or a game of fetch during the day. We work from home and he spends most of the hours from 9am-6pm sleeping. He does well with structure and consistent rules as is typical for the breed he can test boundaries but he responds to firm training. LIKES: Hiking, Snuggles, Fetch, tuffy toys, blankets, wearing clothes, snow, car rides, all bodies of water ( including swamps and rivers!) - Manny LOVES to play fetch, he could do so for hours. He is still working on the “drop it” command, sometimes he’d prefer to gently hand it over which is drooly. - Hiking is probably tied with fetch for Manny’s favorite activity. He has been hiking in many states: Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Michigan, North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Arkansas! He likes the mountains, desert, beach, rivers, swamps, lakes, even salt flats if he has his paws treated. He enjoys hiking in all seasons and is good on and off leash. He is e-collar trained for hiking. - HIs favorite toys are west paw balls, tuffy toys, and blankets. He literally likes any toy you give him but these are his favs. He will come with his personal collection of these. - Despite loving to play fetch and hike Manny is also perfectly content to snuggle on the couch and watch tv or lay in bed. He really just enjoys being around you even if that sometimes means he’s underfoot in the kitchen. - Manny has been on 2 cross country trips and enjoys a road trip. He also likes short car rides too. - He also enjoys wearing clothes! From stacking collars, to winter fleeces to bandanas and t-shirts. We haven’t had great luck with boots yet but I’m sure he can be convinced for the right pair. DISLIKES: Alcohol, Guns, walks in the rain, vacuums, being left alone for extended periods of time. - Manny was initially adopted from a shelter in Harlem (NYC) when he was a little over 1 year old. He was surrended for eating a mattress however, it became clear after adopting him that there were some issues with lack of attention and abuse in his previous household. For example- he does not like drunk people and open containers of alcohol, he can be around people who are imbibing he just can be more standoffish. He does not like firearms, he is fine being at the range and hearing gun shots however, he does not like looking at handguns. I don’t have more context here but this was discovered as my Dad works in the gun industry. - He can be a little prissy about going for walks in the rain, he will do it but he won’t enjoy it. He is fine indoors during fireworks and thunderstorms though! - He doesn’t like vacuums but he accepts their place in the home, he will just treat them with due suspicion. - He can struggle with being left alone for periods of time greater than 5 hours, he is crate trained but has destroyed cheap crates in the past, typically this occurred during periods of stress and change, like moving and the change in work schedules with the pandemic. When left alone uncrated he’s been known to get into the trash and chew on things he shouldn’t. 
 REASON FOR REHOMING:  Change in family/Lifestyle mismatch. - Manny is a good dog and we love him very much but he is also a pretty needy dog who requires a fair amount of attention. We are having a baby in January and don’t believe he will get the attention he deserves. He is already struggling to adjust to some of these changes. We don’t know that he’d be a bad fit for small children, he’s interacted with little kids before and does fine but a newborn in his space is totally different. We’ve tried to work on these behaviors but we don’t have the time to devote to full time training nor do we know that he’d be okay with an infant and that is too big of a risk. - He can be protective especially in new situations. He can be overly protective of his people, this can be demonstrated by growling or baring his teeth if he feels like he needs to guard his person. - He can respond with fear to new experiences and stimuli, he generally gets passed this and acclimates quickly but change can be stressful for him. In these situations he can be stubborn, growl and snap at people. Manny would do best with an experienced dog owner who understands the breed, can devote a fair amount of time to him, has the time to play/exercise with him and continue to train him. If you have any questions, please email me and we can speak further or schedule time for you to meet him.