Teddy is a young staffie cross, of small-medium size, who came to us as a stray. Teddy is estimated to be 1-2 years of age. He weighs only 15 kilos, but is a little underweight.

 

Teddy needs some training in basic areas and would suit an experienced owner, or an owner willing to dedicate the time needed to train him.

 

The sort of home for Teddy

• No dogs currently in the home

• No cats in the home

• No children living in the home under the age of 13 years

• Access to his own private and secure garden (not shared or communal)

• No cages/crates inside the home

• An experienced and confident owner

• A home with someone there most of the time, at least to begin with while he learns the basics

 

Things to consider

• We do not know if he is house trained, although given his age we would like to think that he is, and he has been spotless in his kennel.

• We do not know if he is used to being left alone, and you may have to train him to get him used being left, up to a maximum of four hours

 

Handling

Very puppy-like in behaviour, which makes us think he is very young. His teeth are pearly white, and he has some growing to do, especially gaining weight and muscle. Some soft mouthing at times, particularly when he is excited. He loves having a fuss and getting bum rubs. He was easy for us to fit with a new collar and one of our temporary harnesses.

 

He was a bit smelly when he arrived so he was given a bath. He was reluctant to get in, but after several minutes of gentle encouragement he did. He didn’t put up much resistance, only that lean that some dogs do when they are trying to get out. He may have been a little nervous, or just unfamiliar with this, but he was fine having the water and shampoo on. The hair dryer was used, but after a few minutes he decided this must be a toy.

 

He can be a little too eager with treats, and sometimes he may jump up and “air snap” when treats are around, which is another area for training.

 

Walks

Teddy has already had a several walks with a variety of different volunteers. We do not think he has been walked much – reflective in his long nails, and lean legs. We are starting him off on two 20-minute walks each day to build up his strength and stamina before increasing the walking duration.

 

At the start of walks he may be excited, may jump/bounce upwards and may mouth the lead. Some walkers have reported a short period of pulling at the start of the walk, but entirely management because of his size. He may also weave at the start of the walk. All walkers have then reported how after the initial few minutes he settles and walks nicely.

 

Dogs he has seen on walks he generally ignores, or just glances at them. He has not shown any aggression towards dogs he has seen on walks, though it is worth noting that he has not met dogs up close. He is of an age where careful socialisation should be started once he has settled with you, and he would probably benefit from a puppy/dog class type of training.

 

Play

Very bouncy and playful, and he will play with any toy. Doesn’t know boundaries, so will jump up at you if you have a toy. He will give grumbles and growls when playing tug games. He has shown some possessiveness of toys, giving low growls when stroked on his head while chewing a toy. For this reason we have raised the age for children in the home. This will be a training area, and he will need to learn to release toys willingly, and that play should be carefully controlled as he grows up so that he can learn the correct manners.

 

Health

Arrived underweight, and an evident lack of exercise in his long nails and lean frame. A good diet, and regular exercise will help him gain muscle.

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Teddy saw our vet 28th April 2026 and was microchipped, but will have his 1st restart vaccinations on 5th May when he returns. The vet estimates him to be 2 years, but we, and the dog warden/pound estimate him to be younger, closer to 1 year based on his condition and behaviours.

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Although it is rare, sometimes dogs from other kennels arrive with Kennel Cough, though all our dogs are vaccinated against Kennel Cough at the earliest opportunity they may already be incubating this illness when they arrive/are adopted as the incubation period can be up to 14 days.

 

 

Please be aware that the profiles of new dogs can change as we get to know about the dogs the longer, they stay with us.

 

The adoption contribution is £250.00.

 

If you adopt a dog from Happy Staffie Rescue you could be entitled to five weeks free pet insurance through Agria (terms and conditions apply).