How To Train A Staffordshire Bull Terrier

Staffordshire Bull Terriers are one of the most loved dog breeds for a long time. It is because they are playful, calm, loving, and are the protectors of their families. The breed has some bad reputations due to killer biting cases and others.

But that was due to the fault of irresponsible masters. Also, this dog breed needs high-level training. And believe it or not, training these dogs is a treat for the masters! It is because they are responsive to commands and are quite obedient. 

How To Train A Staffordshire Bull Terrier

Training the Staffordshire Bull Terriers is easy, but you need to give in a lot of time for it. This dog breed is quite sharp, intelligent, clever, and responsive. All of these qualities ensure that your Staffy can be trained easily. 

Also, these dogs have the urge to please their masters, and for that, they focus on all the activities you make them indulge in.

But, you need to have an idea about how to train a Staffordshire Bull Terrier to carry out a healthy and proficient approach.

This guide will help you learn some tips and techniques to train your dog!

Common Training Methods and Their Purpose

Method of Training	Purpose
Set a schedule for meals	Set a consistent potty time
Morning walk	To stop random pooping and peeing
Take them to the same spot consistently	to instill where and when to poop or pee
Avoid punishments	So your Staffy won’t fear you

Method 1: House-Training Your Staffordshire Bull Terrier Puppy

If you do not intend to hire a professional to train your Staffordshire Bull Terrier, you need to conduct house training for the dog, all by yourself. And for that, you need to give enough time every day, without a miss.

Before commencing with the method directly, you need to keep in mind some of the important things.

They are:

1. You should prepare yourself to put in extra effort during the training sessions and with utmost patience. 
2. It might take up to 4 or 6 months to train the Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppy completely. 
3. If you have brought home a Staffy puppy, then you might have to wait for it to turn four months old before you can start your training. 

Now let’s check out the steps for training your Staffy. 

Step 1: Keep A Constant Schedule For The Meals

1. Staffy puppies will need three meals every day. 
2. Decide the time breakdown for serving them meals. 
3. It will help you estimate the potty time of your Staffy. 
4. Set your alarms to ensure that you do not miss the regularization of their food. It is because fluctuations in food timings will lead to fluctuations in their excreta time as well. 
5. Dog training starts with being consistent in particular instances. And it should start with food or meals! 

Step 2: A Morning Walk Every Day

1. The first thing that you should do every morning is to take your Staffy out. 
2. When you make this a habit, the dog will stop pooping or peeing at night or randomly anytime. 
3. If you are training a Staffy puppy, you should consider taking them out every hour or 30 minutes. It is because a puppy’s bladder control is not as good as an adult dog. 
4. Keep a fixed timing for taking the adult Staffies out. But for puppies, you can consider breaking down the timetable accordingly. 

Step 3: Prefer To Take The Dog To Same Spots

1. Every day when you take your Staffy out on a walk, prefer to take them to the same spots. 
2. The dog catches the smell of the exact spot where it has pooped the previous day. 
3. It is to remind the dog what to do in this spot. 
4. Moreover, it will develop consistency within the mind of your Staffordshire Bull Terrier. In this way, your Staffy will understand that it is time to pee or poop whenever they go out.
5. For the first few days, you need to stay along with your Staffy while they perform the task. It is because, in the initial days of the training, it is very easy for the dog to distract. Therefore, be by the dog’s side until the house training is over. 

Step 4: Remember Not To Punish The Staffy For Accidents

If your Staffy pees or poops inside the house, it is basically your fault that you did not recognize the signs. Therefore, it is not right to punish the dog for your mistake, as it will be difficult for your Staffy to trust you.

If your Staffy starts to fear you, it will be very difficult for you to train them. 

Please do not shout at the dog because it won’t understand the reason behind your yelling. Instead, you should clap and make it realize that it has done something wrong and calmly deal with the situation.

Take the dog outside with you to dump the poop, and make them realize that this is the place to relieve.

Step 5: Increase The Relieving Times In A Day

1. Consider taking your Staffy out for bathroom breaks at least six times a day. 
2. It will help speed up the house-training process, with more chances of familiarizing with the habit. 
3. After the Staffy is comfortable with adapting to the house training, you can reduce these outdoor visits. 

Check out this video demonstration of how you can commence with potty training for your Staffordshire Bull Terrier. 

Method 2: Train Your Staffy To Follow Usual Commands

After house training, you need to carry out steps to train your Staffy to respond to general commands. These commands include sit, lie down, stay, hand-shake, turn around, and others.

Here are the steps for the same:

Step 1: Get The Bag Of Treats & Find A Peaceful Room

1. Get a treat that will make your Staffordshire Bull Terrier drool. 
2. Take a small bag and fill it with the treats. Now, keep it beside you, in a place where your dog can see it. 
3. Avoid going to the dog parks or busy roads. Instead, if you do not have any quiet outdoor area, then sit in your room to train your Staffy. 

Step 2: Train Your Staffordshire To Sit 

1. Take a small treat in your hands, and ask your Staffy to sit. 
2. You will see how your dog will march at you to get the treat.
3. But you need to command the dog to ‘Sit’ multiple times. 
4. While you command, lift up the treat bag over the head of your dog. 
5. You will see how they settle down and sits. 
6. When their rump touches the floor, give the treat immediately, with a bit of praise. 
7. Repeat it multiple times by constantly saying the command, ‘sit,’ and give the treat when your dog actually sits. Hence, it will make the dog realize the postures, and it will listen to you more for the treats.

Step 3: Train Your Staffordshire To Lie Down

1. Take a little treat in your hands, and bring it close to the nose of your dog. 
2. Draw an imaginary line with the treat hand from nose to center of the paws. Now pull your hands towards yourself. 
3. Wait for your dog’s back to touch the floor, and then give their treats right away. 
4. Keep the commands constant as ‘lie down’ while you commence with the process. 
5. Repeat the exercise for quite some time to let your Staffy understand the rewarding posture.

Step 4: Train Your Staffordshire To Stay

First, you need to ask your Staffordshire to sit or lie down at one place. When the dog does so, you have to command ‘Stay.’ Keep the palm of your hands open, in a position where they can see it.

Try to avoid running, and take a step ahead and start walking in front of your dog, with the hand still facing at your dog. Please return to your first position beside the dog and treat them. 

Related Questions

Conclusion

So, if you intend to train your Staffordshire Bull Terrier, it is essential for you to understand its behavior and personality. Hence, if you treat these dogs as per their behavioral traits, they will focus more on your commands and activities.

And this, in turn, will speed up the training process of your Staffy!