The ideal Staffy?

Continued... What happen from there was a learning curve in showing dogs, breeding dogs and increasing our knowledge of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. I dove in once again to a learning process in our dog journey. It was one of learning about our breed of choice, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, from looks to temperament and everything in between. In my learning I read as much as I could about the "ideal" Staffy and what they were to exemplify. Articles, books and even videos became a part of my daily diet. I studied the standard according to the American Kennel Club, the United Kennel Club, The Stafford Knot and several illustrated pictures of the breed. I learned about ideal size, about bites, ears, feet, head proportions, tail sets, pigment etc. So much to learn and I wanted to take it all in with the hopes of producing high quality Staffords to share with the world.

I inhaled information and I also befriended quality people in the Staffy community. They helped me go further faster. Many of them became mentors, some knowingly and others didn't have a clue. One of the most powerful questions I was asked during this process was to describe my ideal Staffy. Although this seems like an easy question to answer I would struggle to answer with clarity and precision. There were several dogs that I preferred. I like black ones, red ones and pied red and white ones. An ideal began to develop but to find that dog was elusive at best. One dog would have most of what you would look for in the ideal Staffy and yet would be weak in a certain trait. I realize that producing the perfect Stafford would require work, patients and selective breeding.

So Long for Now,
Paul Dean
www.ecostaffords.com

A Whole New World

Continued... The world of show dogs and organizations like The American Kennel Club and The United Kennel Club was all new to me. I was drawn to the dog shows on TV like The National Dog Show, The Eukanuba National Championship and of course The Westminster Kennel Club Show. There were several breeds that would catch my attention simply because of their uniqueness and astounding looks. Yet to consider that my dogs would participate in something like this or that people I knew would have their dogs in those type of shows wasn't even a thought in my mind. That was until I showed up to that first dog show in Greeley, CO. I'll never forget the dogs who we first competed against. The Best of Breed winner that weekend was the reigning Best of Breed winner at The Westminster Kennel Club Show. Two of the other dogs were imported from oversees and had impressive pedigrees to match. And there we were like a fish out of water.

Everyone starts somewhere and from humble beginnings we started our journey. After that first show and after the initial nerves wore off we were ready for more. Over the next two year span we dove in head first and learned all that we could about showing dogs, breeding dogs and specifically about the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. The journey became a family affair and a great outlet for all of us. Our girls loved the dogs and enjoyed our mini vacations to go out and show dogs. We all enjoyed the people we met along the way and we became great friends with many of them. I often times felt "green" but what I soon realized is that we were adjusting quite well to this "whole new world" of showing and breeding dogs.

So Long for Now,
Paul Dean
www.ecostaffords.com

Showtime for a Nervous Novice

Continued... I'll never forget the day I picked up Eco's Romeo of Red Rocks aka Romeo. He was the most amazing little Staffy I had ever seen. A stunning dark red puppy with a personality to match. When we purchased Romeo we also committed to showing him and quite honestly we had no idea what that meant. We were assured by his breeders that he would be a show quality pup and, over time, he certainly developed into quite an amazing show dog. He grew quickly but still it seemed as if it was taking forever for Romeo to become of showing age.  In the meantime he grew to be a part of the family and he had the greatest personality. He and Cadence became the best of friends and often could be found lounging somewhere in the Sun. Staffies love to Sun bathe!

Soon enough the time came for their show careers to start. I had met some other Staffy people over the internet and we all decided to meet up at an AKC show in Greeley, CO. I was what you would call a nervous novice. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I didn't have the first clue about showing a dog in the confirmation ring. I asked a few questions and watched several videos on Youtube. I walked with my dogs and tried to mimic the videos I had seen on Youtube and on TV. We arrive at the show location with a barely old enough Romeo and a very petite Cadence. As I was looking for a parking spot I saw the dogs we would be competing against. Wow! I was amazed at the condition and quality of these dogs. They were much more mature than ours and once again I was fascinated by the great Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

So Long for Now,
Paul Dean
www.ecostaffords.com

For the Love of Staffies and The Search (Part 10)

Continued... Cadence sparked a chain reaction. You could call it a snowball effect or even the beginning of something great. She started our love affair with the great Staffordshire Bull Terrier. As she came into our home we begin to realize how truly amazing this breed was. They have been called the nanny dog and she proved that to be true. We had two little girls and another baby girl arrived as Cadence was just four months old. She also had an amazingly quiet disposition. I can count on one hand how many times I have heard her bark. I also admired the Staffordshire Bull Terrier's athleticism and muscle structure. Yet they were the perfect size, not too big and certainly not too small. With Cadence at home we wanted to find her a companion and we hoped to one day breed some of our own pups.

We began to look for a suitable male. In those day all we knew about Staffies was how much we loved them and that we would love to have a red and white one. I searched the nation in hopes to find a red and white pied male. I talked with several breeders at that time and started to learn a lot about the breed. I found out quickly that the Staffy community took their dogs serious and that breeding was not to be done lightly. I was finally led to a breeder who had a litter of red puppies and I began to talk with him about the possibility of purchasing a show quality male. We decided to get one from them and his registered name became, Eco's Romeo of Red Rocks. We committed to showing him and hoped to eventually breeding him.

So Long for Now,

Paul Dean
www.ecostaffords.com

World Class Dog Owner or World Class Dogs? (Part 9)

Speaking of being a world class dog owner I begin to think, "What would it be like to own world class show dogs?" Although Coco was highly intelligent, he certainly wasn't a show dog. In one of the many publication that I was reading at the time I came across the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Something about them intrigued me. I couldn't get over their size and I was fascinated with the notion of them being the perfect "nanny" dog. The magazine I was reading had several examples of Staffies and even boasted a pied red and white on the front cover. As I looked more and more into it I knew they were the breed for me. They were the perfect size, perfect temperament and made the perfect family dog. We have three little girls and they would make the perfect nannies for our Joy, Hope and Faith.

Low and behold one day I was running errands and I saw a sign in front of a house which said, "Staffordshire Bull Terriers for Sale." I didn't believe it so I zipped back around to see if I had read correctly. I had never seen a Staffy before and I was excited to see one in person. I called the number on the sign and asked if I could stop by and see the pups. What I encountered was impressive to say the least and I knew I had to get my hands on one of those puppies. I went home and talked with my wife about them and sure enough we ended up purchasing a dark brindle which we named, Cadence. As we brought her home we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. What ensued was our biggest adventure with dogs to date.

So Long for Now,
Paul Dean
www.ecostaffords.com

The Education of a World Class Dog Owner (Part 8)

Continued... As we walked away from the shelter that day we were deeply saddened. Our thoughts and conversation were those of both regrets and hopes. We regretted how things turned out with, Sadie Blue, but we were hopeful to own another dog someday. We determined, right there and then, to be different dog owners the next time. It wouldn't take long before we were consumed with the idea of getting another dog. Once again opportunity would knock and it would come by way of a visit to the local pet store. Our thoughts were to look for a chocolate lab but we became fixated on a pair of American Staffordshire Terriers. In the spur of the moment we purchased an AmStaff and we named him Coco.

As I mentioned before we determined this time would be different and I took on the personal responsibility of becoming the best dog owner I could be. I learned early on there aren't necessarily bad dogs but rather bad dog owners. Therefore, I dug into several books, magazines, blogs, videos and TV shows to educate myself. I read books on dog training and began to explore the boundaries of what you could train dogs to do. Coco was an excellent student and he was highly intelligent. I trained him to do several commands and he picked up new tricks in a matter of minutes. I searched Youtube and watched just about any video I could find on dog training. I also started following Cesar Millan and watched his well known TV series, The Dog Whisperer. I read one of his books entitled, Cesar's Way, and it too was very helpful. I learned several things during this time and in the end I was better fit to be a world class dog owner. To be continued... 

So Long for Now,

Paul Dean
www.ecostaffords.com

Rekindled by Crisis (Part 7)

Continued... Opportunity knocked in a crisis. A friend of ours needed to place their American Bulldog. Her name was, Sadie Blue, and she wasn't quite a year old when we took her in. They had recently moved and could no longer house her. We tried our best to make the most of it but I had been away from dogs for a long time and didn't have the attention or the skills to properly care for her. Without a fenced yard we were forced to tie her up. Sad to say she had little interaction other than the daily feedings and watering. However she did have plenty of interaction from the taunting neighborhood kids. Although she seemed annoyed by the neighborhood kids she was gentle and loving with our daughters. She also had a protective nature about her and one day she would prove that nature a force to be reckoned with.

I was in the back yard with the kids and I had Sadie on leash. One of the neighborhood kids came over and she immediately showed an interest in him. I didn't think much of it but she would soon shock us all. As the neighborhood kid reached towards my daughter, Sadie lunged towards him. She bit him with a few quick snips and caused several surface wounds. This unfortunately lead towards her being impounded and quarantined. We couldn't bring her back to our home and therefore after the quarantine, we had to say goodbye. As we said our goodbyes I looked back and saw the tears in the eyes of my wife and daughters. As we left the animal shelter that day I knew we would soon be on the lookout for another dog. To be continued...

So Long for Now,
Paul Dean
www.ecostaffords.com