Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
We go under the name Regals and Royals. Our kennel is a small, family-run, noncommercial Staffordshire Bull Terrier kennel, located in Croatia, EU. Our main objective is to breed dogs that are healthy and fit for function. We are dedicated to promoting Health, Exercise and the Breed Standard with focus on the total dog; temperament, structure, movement, and type.
When did your passion for dogs started?
As for most of us, the “click” happened at an early age, in my childhood. Back in the day my family used to breed Collies and Springer spaniels, hence the dog addiction.
What made you choose your profession?
I do not think dog breeding is my profession; it is more of a hobby. An expensive one. Staffords are an important part of our lives, but breeding them is not how we make our living.
Can you tell us more about this dog breed?
Although Staffordshire Bull Terrier s were created in 19th-century Britain to be a small, fast fighting dog, those days are long gone. The modern Stafford is a fine companion known for their courage, intelligence and love of children. The breed is known as Stafford or Staffie, but often goes unrecognized or mislabelled as an American Staffordshire or Pit Bull.
SBT is a short-haired, small to medium-sized dog that was developed in Staffordshire, England and northern parts of Birmingham. It is a dog smaller in size, usually around 15 to 17 kg, and up to 40 cm. It comes in many color variables, but most often it is black, blue or red with or without brindle markings and white patches. Only two undesirable colors are liver and black and tan.
Do not be fooled by its size – Staffordshire Bull Terrier is an imposing dog with its strong, muscular body, intense stare, and powerful stance. SBT is known for his love of people and trustworthy nature. He can be described as “a sort of everybody’s Man Friday,” as its greatest desire is to spend time with his people. The breed also goes under a nickname “the nanny dog”, due to the patience they show with children, although it goes without saying that no dog should ever be left alone with young children.
The downside of the breed can be its high prey drive and dog on dog aggression. In this case, early socialization is key, together with firm and consistent training. The upside is that Staffordshire Bull Terrier is eager to please its humans and needs good, clear direction from a dominant owner at all times. In spite of the prey drive, it is not impossible to have this breed in a (larger) pack and with other animals. We are living proof.
Staffords make good pets; They have a large number of positive traits, they don’t have a tendency to get sick very often, and they’re relatively easy to train. Therefore, they make good family dogs. They are fiercely loyal; These dogs have probably cornered the market when it comes to this type of loyalty. They’ll stick with their owners through thick and thin. They can hold their own; Stafford’s strength and stamina result in a dog strong enough to handle himself if and when the need arises. For more info about the Origins of the breed, Breed standard, Genetic issues, Stafford Health, Nutrition, and many other topics please visit our web page.
Can you tell more about puppies?
We have quite a few requests on puppies. Our mission is to do breed occasionally, but I must point out RnR is not a commercial kennel. We like to have a keeper form each of our litters, either for ourselves or for our close friends and family. If we have any pups for sale, their future owners are carefully chosen, with the desire to place them in homes where they will be loved and cared for as they would be in our own home. We prefer families and sport homes for our pups, as family pets more often live an active and fulfilled life when compared to “show” dogs.
We raise our pups in our home. None of our dogs is to stay at an outer kennel for anything else than a part-time entertainment. Pups live in our house, as they grow older they get their own playpens in the sunshine. We try to house, crate and leash train all our pups. How trained will a certain puppy be depends on his age and himself in general.
All our litters come from Kennel Club certified and fully health tested parents (genetic disorders + locomotive system check-ups). All the documentation is verified, and available. We microchip the pups at six weeks, at the same time they receive their first vaccine. Under Croatian KC, pups registration start on the day they are born. This is when our club manager pays us a visit to confirm the pups fit the registration age/breed / color-wise. In weeks to come, the club performs another check-up and after that, the pedigrees are issued.
RnR pups are introduced to our regular daily routines and they meet children, and other pets. When old enough, they are allowed to spend time in an outer playpen. They also socialize, under supervision, with other members of our pack. Besides their mother, we have here several male and female dogs (intact and castrated).
Which type of food would you prefer, Homemade or Store-Bought?
The topic of nutrition is too broad to be discussed as a single question, so will try just to point out our philosophy. RnR dogs are fed species-appropriate diet; raw if we get our hands on farm fed meat, cooked if not. If feed kibble, we stick to non-commercial, local boutique brand (low grain, high meat content).
A note to the readers – Please use common sense when feeding your dog and seek the advice of your veterinarian. Doing that keep in mind not all vets are educated enough to provide adequate support if you go with species-appropriate diet. (We are lucky to have an excellent vet!) Also, remember not all dogs are the same, and they have their individual needs.
How about the process of feeding when they are puppies and when grown-up?
We introduce the solid food at about 4 weeks of age. The first solid meal is usually raw turkey, and we keep to it for some time before adding another animal protein. Puppy vitamins, minerals, and supplements are a must, of course.
What is your best grooming advice for a dog that you can give us?
Staffords are low maintenance in regards to grooming. They do shed, however. A good bristle brush twice a week will work wonders.
What ingredients are most commonly the cause of food allergies in dogs?
Staffords can be food sensitive, in general, it is advised to avoid chicken-based kibble if feeding dry dog food. As said in the nutrition topic – we stick to a species-appropriate diet; RnR dogs are feed fish, meat, yogurt, cheese, and other natural ingredients.
How many dogs do you own and what breed are they?
We have 4 Staffordshire Bull Terriers and 2 adopted Jack Russell Terriers.
What type of training do you offer?
If talking about puppies, we try to house crate and leash train all our pups. How trained will a certain puppy be depended on his age and himself in general. Our adult dogs are all also house, crate and leash train, and most of them show trained too. All the adults are run daily, as Staffords do need vigorous exercise.
How do you deal with good and bad behaviors?
It might seem like an empty phrase, but we do not get bad behaviors. Play with owners and with other dogs provides a dog with some of its exercise requirements, but it also helps to meet social needs. Insufficient exercise can result in boredom, and later on, lead to problem behaviors. Staffords need exercise to be happy, healthy and to stay out of trouble. A tired dog is a good dog.
Do you use discipline or positive reinforcement to train?
A good recall can save your dog’s life. We practice by calling the dog over and rewarding him with food treats or toys, depending on the situation. All our dogs are trained via positive methods and have a very good focus on us.
Do you participate in dog shows?
Yes, some of our dogs are Show Dogs. Shows should be considered as a nice opportunity to be matched up with like-minded people who can offer expertise and experience with the breed. If you show long enough, results will of course come, but more importantly, you will form lifelong friendships with mind liked people.
What would you like to say to our readers?
If you are hoping to get yourself a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, please do your research prior to it. Health is a topic you must address first when thinking about getting a Staffordshire (or any dog, actually). Many are not even familiar with possible issues, to be honest – neither were we upon buying our first Stafford. But, we were lucky to get healthy dogs and later on to meet the right people who pointed us in the right direction.
Please respect the breed and buy your future pup from a registered breeder (recommendations can be most often found ant local canine clubs). Responsible breeders are NOT a business and puppies are not cars; they are living beings who will hopefully share their lives with you for the next 15 years.
Special thanks to Mrs. Loki from Regals and Royals for the details, we enjoyed this interview and we would like to wish you good luck on the upcoming dog shows.
