[Closed] Staffordshire Bull Terriers (and closely related breeds)

Us dog stats are not relevant. We don't have pit bulls here (no, staffies aren't pit bulls)

Whole lot of stats there mate but theres no such breed as a Staffordshire pit bull terrier.

Pit bulls are very different from staffies. Even visually it's usually pretty obvious which is which

Remember a lot of people will call their Staffy a Staffy simply to get around the dangerous dogs act.
Staffy's are no more dangerous than any other breed.
My 35kg Staffy was strong.
The ownership of Staffies needs greater control.
They are beautiful and intelligent animals that strive to please their owners.
Please don't make the mistake of confusing other dogs with Staffies.
EDIT: Before cutting and pasting some random statistics, could at least make the effort of getting to know a few Staffordshire Bull Terriers, please?

You've quoted statistics for dogs you dont/cant have in the uk.
Staffys can be/are lovely pets, problem is, some of the owners are idiots who shouldn't be allowed a dog.

You've quoted statistics for dogs you dont/cant have in the uk.
Staffys can be/are lovely pets, problem is, some of the owners are idiots who shouldn't be allowed a dog.

Question answered. Sorry about the confusion, but [url= http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/how-did-the-staffordshire-terrier-fall-in-with-the-wrong-crowd-406915.html ]this article from the Independent[/url] excuses me somewhat!

Never believe a journalist.
Some just write whats needed to sell papers.

From the dogs Ive seen at dog school whilst trying to train our mongrel, the staffs seem to be consistently the most naturally biddable and easy to train. Even very small pups seem to be absolutely focussed on their owner. Great dogs, shame they pay such a high price for their reputation.

Having read the article, I think the problem is more a question of prohibition. These gangs exist and will fight with whatever weapon comes to hand. Guns are realatively easy to control, knives become the weapon of choice until they are banned. Cue the next level, dogs.
What will be the next weapon of choice after we've banned the Staffordshire Bull Terrier?
Neither the gun, the knife or the Staffy are the problem, something else is.
Resolve that and baby robins will be saved.

Your 35kg Staffy is either grossly overweight or not a true Staffy. Breed standards suggest males come in at 13-17kg.

I love Staffs and rarely worry about getting bitten by them but I think a large part of the problem is cross breeding for these larger pit bull types and irresponsible or deliberately bad owners. They do also have a tendency for dog/dog aggression too which causes many problems.

The problem arises when one of these large Staffy crosses does attack the results are scary. Some dogs that bite like collies etc usually nip and run. Staffs however launch and attack. When 1 goes for you it means to do you real harm. Similarly Akitas are also bad when they go for you.

Breed them back to the true standards and the problem would lessen. partly because they wouldn't appeal to the same people. Most Staffies are loveable fools who are great pets

My cycling partner was attacked by a Westy Terrier as we rode (very slowly) past it the other day. I've witnessed far more attacks from those 'orrible hairy things and am personally far more nervous of them over Staffs when approaching.

Staffs are 99% of the time immensely friendly and live to make their owners and anyone in close contact happy.
However, their 'look' attracts thug life types, who would frankly turn any dog into a dangerous weapon given the opportunity.

The only problem with Staffs is that they are very strong, so if one ever does turn, it does damage.

I've personally been bitten by an Alsation, a Golden Retriever, a couple of Westy's and Yorkie's, but never a Staff...but i've probably met 3x the amount of staffs.

It's all hype.

35kg for a Staffy? Thats not a staffy. However I will concede it may be a lovely dog.

Staffys are inexorably linked via their "bull" name. Many many dogs if not all have a potential to be dangerous. However my personal feeling is that its the owners that raise dangerous dogs wether that is through lack of knowledge and understanding about their specific dogs breed needs or just stupidity.

Its hard work being a dog owner and a huge responsibilty. Unfortunately not everyone sees it as such a serious undertaking.

I notice that you reference various breeds in the stats however there is not a realistic statistical breakdown in the US statistics, its rather a generalisation.

My GF has owned a fantastic staffy for 13 years. Such a sweet dog.

Seen loads of them similar.

However people can cross a solid dog like that with something else and then train it to attack/fight/hate.

People cause the problem not the dogs. However the Dogs suffer.

In respect to stats on that basis cars need banned. Again car not the problem it's the driver.

Boiling it down to human responsibility for their actions (or lack of)

Even taking all the above well reasoned arguments into account, I woud still ban them. Just too many thug owners, I have seen them being trained to be aggresive in my local park. All the staffie 'lover' would just have to get a budgie

Even taking all the above well reasoned arguments into account, I woud still ban [u]the idiots that own[/u] them. Just too many thug owners, I have seen [s]them[/s][u]the idiot thugs[/u] being trained to be aggresive in my local park.

A runaway staffy came through a gap in the fence yesterday when the kids were playing outside. Terrified both me and the kids, scooped em up and got them into the back garden ASAP. I gave the owner a bollocking for scaring us all... Like she gave a shit. Nice dogs maybe but how are we supposed to know if it's been trained as a babysitter dog or a side weapon? I dont want to sound all daily mail, but would happily see all strong dogs banned.

Anyone who wants to meet a true Staffie is more than welcome to come visit me and mine whilst in South Wales, gog her as a stray/unwanted dog 4 years ago from the kennels and admittedly she was bonkers to start with, and still is actually but in a good way, like any dog it is about asserting yourself as a pack leader. However I would never leave her unattended with a child, but the I don't think that any dog should be left unattended with a child, but that is just my opinion. I confess I was never a fan of the breed before owning one but I can safely say that my mind has been changed. Now if we could only do something about the idiots that own then as status symbols. Remember guns don't kill people....

They're on the same list as rotties in my head. Can be lovely dogs, can be out of control nut jobs. The problem being that when you meet a new one you don't know which one you're dealing with. Not helped by having their tails cut-off making it that bit more difficult to determine what mood they're in.

Great with people.
Shit with other dogs.

I dont want to sound all daily mail, but would happily see all strong dogs banned.

My old Staffy was 27kilos he was very tall and rangy. I asked the vet about it and she said he was a throwback to what a Staffy looked like 100 years ago. I can believe that Don Simons pup was a big one. This was also the view of the rescue people who found him. They have shown at Crufts.

You can say what you like about any breed of dogs are West Highland Terriers dangerous, the one that bit me last week was.

Whole lot of stats there mate but theres no such breed as a Staffordshire pit bull terrier.

o I call them Petbulls. Round here there are almost no staffirs but many much larger petbulls.. Even the pitbull though isnt very aggressive towards humans. Its the way people bring them up. Its odd too because if i wanted a dog for protection i'd get a prtection dog like a rottie or german shep or that malanois someone paosted a pic of the other day, not a dog fighting dog.

Darcy my first Staff Caeser was awful with other dogs but the last one Badger was amazing never showed any aggression towards anything apart from squirrels. He had a real thing about squirrels, idiot hound.

Surely the staffie AKA bullterrier was actually bred and intended as a fighting dog?

Hence the hard bite they have.

Banning particular breeds is daft law tho - but jailing owners who allow their dogs to bite might do some good?

Great with people.
Shit with squirrels.

Great with people.
Shit with other dogs.

Entirely to do with the owner and socialising as a pup. Swap the words people and dog round and you have a reason for the extermination of the human race

You can tell a lot about somebody by the dog they own.
Sadly its the idiots that own the staffs who give the breed a bad name.
The breed had a reputation for being excellent around children. It was often nicknamed the nanny dog.
Unfortunatly alot of the idiot owners prefer their dangerous reputation.
They are then bred bigger and away from the KC ideal.

You can tell a lot about somebody by the dog they own.
Sadly its the idiots that own the staffs who give the breed a bad name.

Banning particular breeds is daft law tho - but jailing owners who allow their dogs to bite might do some good?

Great with people
Shit with TeeJ

 I agree with TJ on a dog thread...nooooooooooo!!!!!!!  but he's right...

me too!

Entirely to do with the owner and socialising as a pup. 

not really, even a well socialised staffie wont run from a fight, compare staffies with say whippets very different characters which are breed specific.
Read a paper once that showed daschunds as being the most aggressive dog.

staffys are on the whole nice dogs.

people who don't understand they're capable are imo stupid. The stupidity and ignorance of some people astounds me.

Personally i'd ban them and the associated 'status' dog breeds. Unfortunately I think instances of children being mauled by dogs are set to rise.

I can't imagine my labradoodle would ever hurt a child, but I would still never leave it in a room with any child less than 6ish. That's just asking for trouble.

In my experience all dogs reeds can be good dogs or bad dogs. I currently have a staffy called Stan who is loved and therefore loves us. Have never had any cause for concern with him.

However once had a golden cocker spaniel who bit me with no provocation. So I think some people are being truly blinkered. If you take staffs out of the equation then all that will happen is the 'thugs' who are the root cause of the problem will find another breed to use, then we can all ban Labradors.

Someone said about knowing whether the dog is trained to be nice when it came in their garden! Well would you automatically assume that any other breed would be ok?

Did anyone see the pictures of these so called staffies??

they wasnt even pitbulls 👿

yest again the staffie name brought into question,
british press **** me right off.

having shown my staffords all over the british isles and was and still is my other hobbie,i would not have any other dog,and they are one of the best dogs out there with kids!

TandemJeremy - Member

Banning particular breeds is daft law tho - but jailing owners who allow their dogs to bite might do some good?

+1

I think I need a shower as I too agree with TJ on a dog thread

I'm standing my ground on wearing a helmet though....one can only go so far....

Been around lots of Staffs while growing up, all soft as the proverbial around us as kids.

Parents then got a Poodle/Lakeland terrier cross that was a proper nasty bit of work, very clever dog but a vicious little sod if it was crossed. Always attacked any big dog within range.

Genuinely believe it's because parents keep kids away from dogs, scare them, they do the same until we are becoming unfamiliar with them, which is a real shame when you balance the joy they bring if well trained.

Also agree with TJ on the jail time for dog attacks - that or 6 months scooping dog eggs from their neighbourhood with their bare hands as recompense.

Oh no, an evil staffy is eating a baby, oh the horror!

[img] [/img]

Staffys can be/are lovely pets, problem is, some of the owners are idiots who shouldn't be allowed a dog.

the other problem is if one attacks it will do far more damage than a Jack Russell.
Whether they are more likely to attack and whether this is down to the morons who own them i dont know nor do I think we could get good stats on it.

I'm quite sure that you'll agree with me that all children should be banned from bars, restaurants and should be under control (on a lead) in other public spaces.

Great with people.
Shit with squirrels.

Banning particular breeds is daft law tho - but jailing owners who allow their dogs to bite might do some good?

the problem is we can all see people with dogs and we think we know why they have this breed. How we prevent this is the great problem.

IME smaller dogs - little yappy things are the most likely to bite you .
never had a problem with a staffy or a rotty but if I did i would expect it to end less well than a situation with a little yappy dog. that is the other problem

MSP thats the sort of carry on that really bewilders sensible people.

truly frightening ignorance.

the don't ban breeds argument is stupid.

how about don't ban guns just jail those who use them to shoot others?

gets me wound up this subject, its like banging my head against a brick wall.

dirk_pumpa - Member

MSP thats the sort of carry on that really bewilders sensible people.

truly frightening ignorance.

no it's not. The g/f's family have run boarding kennels for over 50 years, it's not Staffys that they have trouble with

if that baby was to flail its arms and say poke the dog in the eye it has the potential to do severe damage in a short space of time.

why would you put a defenseless child in jeopardy like that, its just mad!

You are clearly bewildered, but very far from sensible.

We have a staffy cross. Soft as clarts. He's away upstairs now to tuck himself in under the duvet...likes his creature comforts.

Oh no, an evil gun is shooting a baby, oh the horror!
[img] [/img]
😀

We have a staffy cross. Soft as clarts. He's away upstairs now to tuck himself in under the duvet...likes his creature comforts.

Yes, but in his dreams he's ripping your limbs off and munching on your innards.

I was tagged as having a "trophy" dog, no such thing. Loads of great comments here. Banning a breed is not necessarily the best idea as those that want to will find other dogs that can be easily trained to be aggressive.

These are the banned dogs in the UK

•Pit Bull Terrier
•Japanese Tosa
•Dogo Argentino
•Fila Braziliero

However I never heard of the last thre attacking someone, probably as they were so rare, hence expensive only a few were owned. Now I am sure a great deal of owners of these banned dogs were responsible. I think if the law were passed today it would include several other breeds given attacks over the last few years.

Owners should be licensed as fit and proper to own a dog as all dogs can be dangerous. Even the best behaved in the wrong circumstances where it may be put in a stressful situation by the owner.

As for staffy in the back garden, yes I agree get the kids to safety and give the owner a bollocking. I am sue your reaction would have been the same had it been any ther type of dog, maybe less so but as some people have mentioned the yappy small dogs tend dto bite more often. Hwever they tend not to be able to inflict the damage of larger more powerful dogs.

Jail owners, definitely agree with TJ. On a sliding scale. it has happened in the past. Introduce a minimjum ae to wn a dog?

Equally someone comented on children not being used to dogs. Many many times have kids come straight over to my dogs to "play" with them, always suggest they should be more careful as not every dog want to play all the time. Then youhave kids that are terrified of dogs which is a shame. Dogs can be a great addition to a family, or a burden if you are inexperienced. Its a very difficult subject and I respect most peoples views on it except the "ban all dogs" which really is a sledge hammer to crack a nut and is an unrealistic expectation.

Applying the existing laws more firmly would go a lng way to solving the issues we currently have.

You are clearly bewildered, but very far from sensible.

the child could easily poke the dog in the eyes pull its ears etc and you could never be sure of the dogs reaction

I know my dogs reactions, usually she whimpers a bit and looks at me with a slightly puzzled look on her face, or she gets up and moves away.

[img] #[/img]

can I eat him?
[img] [/img]

look its your call I have had dogs I would trust completely but i would still not do that just in case, the penalty for error is severe.

its your kid/dog do what you want but there are incidents from people who felt and acted as you do.
its your risk to decide on and I go for extreme caution.

do you take your child in a car or cross roads with them? I would expect more kids are killed in bicycle related incidents than dog related incidents.

See the pictures of hounds faithfully protecting kids, reminded me of the Gelert story, so I looked it up on wiki, and came across a link to a faithfull staffie story.

[img] [/img]

which is now apparently South Africa's first 3d film (though I think I'll be taking a pass on it)

Yesterday I was rounded on by two massive pitbull types, no idea what breed they were but they were clearly aggresive and clearly capable of hurting me a 16st bloke.

Having survived the encounter my thoughts were I need to arm myself, some kind of knife perhaps.

Thats from a middle age bloke living in a sleepy bit of Suffolk, so not suprising young kids in cities were these animals are common place also decide to take precations.

Seems like an easy situation to rectify.

So what breed would be best for protecting me from a large bloke armed with a knife?

Malinois, German Shep, Rottie or Dobie

IanW out of intrest how did you escape or did they not really attack you?

I'd imagine rye crust for toughness, but a baguette might be better for parrying.

Oh no, an evil gun is shooting a baby, oh the horror!

do you take your child in a car or cross roads with them? I would expect more kids are killed in bicycle related incidents* than dog related incidents.