[Closed] Tell me about staffordshire bull terriers

I'm sure they can make very nice pets, though a friend of mine had a staffy cross that killed 3 neighbours cats.

Can't quite understand the appeal myself. The only people round our way who seem to have them are track suited chavs. Their dogs probably do ok for exercise though as suspect few of them have jobs to go to.

We've got a staffie cross. Really Soppy cuddle monkey and would run with the bike for hours in his younger days.

He came from a rescue centre twice over, poor little thing. Think he's landed on his feet now though.

You hear more stories about people being mean to staffies than you do staffies being mean to people.

Ill agree they do have an image problem, but as an educated 38 year old im probably able to rise above all that now.

Love kids, hate cats, took mine for 1-1,5hrs per day and normal dried food (she didn't like one flavour but loved another), perfectly happy to be alone for long periods (no damage to anything).
I would think long and hard before getting any dog that is going to be left alone during school hours, is it really fair on the dog to be alone just so you can have a couple of hours of fun?

Staffies are very ace.

EDIT: Food wise, no dramatic changes as the stomach doesn't react well, No titbits from the table, no bars of chocolate (unless you want chocloate presents), I found that all treats had to de dog specific.

Staffies are still very ace.

Brilliant. My brother's always liked them, since he lived in a house with 2 that were part of an extended family of their litter, their mums and cousin's litters that would occasionally all come visiting at once. record was 11 white staffies all in a small flat in kingston. all totally confused at what each other was allowed to do. "what are they doing out of the kitchen/on the stairs/on the sofa, can I do do that too?"

He's had a rescue staffie bitch for the past 8 years, and her temperament is just like the others: they look hard, but they're dead soft, great stamina, great with kids, very loving, loyal and gentle.

I might get one myself one day!

Great dogs, however not sure how long the cats would last...........

Oh, to answer some of the op questions, happy on dry food twice a day. Sometimes likes it softened with a little warm water. Walked twice a mayor an hour a time. Left about 8 hours each week day and just sleeps all day. Might flip his food bowl or a waste bin occasionally.

Not a big fan of cats. Loves chasing squirrels. Likes people who are comfortable around dogs.

rescues are full to the brim with them, or crosses of them
irresponsible breeding IMO

my own experience is they often dont get on with other dogs mostly due to their big dog mentality in a small dogs body. Older calmer well trained versions seem to make reasonable pets

echo the above about taking on a dog when you are out all day.

On the damage front: worst was leaving the kitchen door open while we left her at our ma's house, came back and hour later to find the contents of the bin all over the kitchne and dining room floor. The items she chose to take back to her bed were an empty Haagen Dazs pot and some burger king wrappers!

Id hope that if introduced as a puppy the cats would be fine.

With kids and cats, and having to be left alone for long periods of time, I wouldn't do it.

Lovely dogs. Great enthusiasts. 🙂

Benefit from kind training even though they're as tough as nails.

With kids and cats, and having to be left alone for long periods of time, I wouldn't do it.

Ive read that staffs are one of tge best dogs with kids

loddrik , we have a staffie cross from a rescue centre great dog (no expert first dog ) ,great with the 3 kids ,great if left alone ,not a problem at all

Absolutely perfect with kids.
Any opportunity for a photo. Kala in attack mode.
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[url= http://simoncarter.zenfolio.com/p575949548/h343f3e01#h2361f17f ]More pics here.[/url]

fanatistic dogs, introduced to them by my best m8's gran, her dog was such a softy, lovely creature.
.
Friends saw one tied up alone a while back, assumed some-one would be along in mo to collect it, came back couple of hours later to see it still there.. abandoned tied up.
They took it home, and then contacted the local rescue centre, who basically said there little chance of re-homing, due to some many abandoned and there 'terrible' reputation, and it would probably end up being put down (this may hvae been an exageration...).
So they have kept her, and she is the most beautiful friendly dog you could ever hope meet (loves to lick you to bits but farts a bit too 😳 ), they introduced her into a home with 5 cats, not a problem in the slightest.

I'd have one over a terrier any day of the week.

What's the problem of having a Staffie with kids mrblobby?

Maybe a bit of an image problem, but whenever you hear stories of maulings it always seems to be some sort of bull terrier or rotty. Maybe it's the way they are trained and treated by the people who are more likely to have that sort of dog, I don't know. May even be down to what the press choose to report on. But for that reason, with kids, I wouldn't.

My partner works at a vets, the majority of dogs that come in and have been attacked by other dogs have been the victim of a staffie.

Just make sure you buy it a collar with some brass studding 😉

Friends have a female rescue dog who's a Staff. She was ill treated before they got her and then they got a second cross to keep her company. To be fair they never got on well and fought over every toy, she was the clear boss though. Having said that they only ever damaged each other never anyone else.

Now she has matured (and is their sole dog) she is calm, excellent around their 2 year old, trumps like a demon and is a lovely pet. People do give her funny looks when she is walking down the street though as she looks like an aggressive dog (really isn't though).

I dont understand why people look at getting a dog and then leave it 8 hours a day. Doesn't seem very fair to me to leave a pack animal all on it own.

Maybe a bit of an image problem, but whenever you hear stories of maulings it always seems to be some sort of bull terrier or rotty. Maybe it's the way they are trained and treated by the people who are more likely to have that sort of dog, I don't know.

Maybe it's just what the press choose to report.

I've got a staffie so I'm biased, but he loves everybody and everyone who meets him loves him back, he sleeps in bed with the kids or me and the wife, and shares his bones and toys with other dogs that visit the house, can't fault him, had a lab before who was also brilliant, but not so easy to carry if anything goes wrong when out and about, hence down sizing to a staff, he's still bloody heavy 24kg lab was about 35kg not an easy lift!!
PJ.

all of em are well nasty innit, i'd put bare moneys on da ownas havin shaved heads and tattoos blud!!

(all dogs have the potential to be nasty little bastards if the owner treats them and trains them as such 🙁 )

Maybe it's just what the press choose to report.

Didn't I already say that?

Oh yeah 😳
Apologies. What a numpty.

we use one of those retractable leads with ours ...no brass studs or harnesses ..loves to run into the waves on the beach

mrblobby - Member
Maybe a bit of an image problem, but whenever you hear stories of maulings it always seems to be some sort of bull terrier or rotty. Maybe it's the way they are trained and treated by the people who are more likely to have that sort of dog, I don't know. May even be down to what the press choose to report on. But for that reason, with kids, I wouldn't.

Jase - Member
My partner works at a vets, the majority of dogs that come in and have been attacked by other dogs have been the victim of a staffie.

These are image problem & idiot owners, not an issue with the breed IMHO. The breed is suffering because ppl are scared of them, due to idtiot wanting an "attack dog" or social status symbol... this is our society faults, not the breed of dog.
Lots get abandoned due to their lack of agression by the same idiots, yet won't be rehomed due to this reputation. A very sad circle.

Got you mrblobby, this is actually a misunderstanding, the main reason so many are abandoned is because they are NOT aggressive. Chav junior wants an agressive dog, they get a staffy and staffy is not aggressive, so dog abandoned. The dogs that are aggressive are bull terriers too, just not the Staffy flavour. Often they are crossed with or simply called staffies to get around the dangerous dog act.
But I agree that in some articles relating to aggressive dogs you'll see pictures of Staffies, oops, a case of mistaken identity I'm afraid. Staffies adore children and people in general which is why they are so easy to train, they want to please you.
With each of my staffies I've happily remove bones from their mouths without problems. With other breed (own/family dogs) I wouldn't dream of it as the growling started at a couple of feet away.
I generally have no problem with going up to a strange staffy in the street to talk to it/stroke it.
They are great, but I understand wher you're coming from and it's quite sad that they are seen in this light.

Have I mentioned that Staffies are ace?

all of em are well nasty innit, i'd put bare moneys on da ownas havin shaved heads and tattoos blud!!

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a true people-dog. He loves people, all people, especially children. His tolerance of and patience with children has earned him the nickname "The Nanny Dog." The Staffordshire Bull Terrier, sometimes called "Staffy" for short, is a strong, athletic, agile, and active dog who craves your affection and attention, and if he doesn't get it, he can suffer from separation anxiety. He absolutely hates being left alone and can become destructive if it happens. He will want to go for rides in your car, cuddle in your lap, and sleep in your bed. This is an energetic breed who needs daily exercise. They love to play ball and go for walks. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier can overheat easily, so exercise in hot weather needs to be closely monitored. Staffords are intelligent and take fairly well to obedience training, as they are eager to please you. They make good watchdogs, as they usually only bark for a reason. They will passionately defend their family from harm, but are not particularly protective of property. His intimidating look will deter almost any intruder, so this makes him an excellent guard dog! They do have a high prey drive and will often chase cats and other small animals. They do best with a fenced-in yard, as they can be a bit impulsive and they are not car smart. Staffordshire Bull Terriers have a well-earned reputation for being dog aggressive so it is important to socialize a puppy around other dogs and animals as much as possible. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a courageous, affectionate, trusting and trustworthy all-purpose dog. They are adaptable and can live anywhere. They are boisterous and exuberant and might irritate your houseguests. They are curious and have a good sense of humor. They are surprisingly sensitive and they will crave your attention and companionship. They want nothing more than to be your faithful best friend.

The staffies (or mastiff's for that matter) you have to watch are the one's crossed with pitbulls.

So if you are getting one, and its a cross-breed make sure it hasn't got a bit of pit in it, otherwise you aren't going to have a lot of fun with the dog around other dogs.

Unfortunately these are getting more common around Bristol, so when the stupid bastards who breed them give them up, they can't be rehomed very easily and get put down 🙁

its a shame the 'underclass' have given staffys a reputation they dont deserve, alsations/german shepherds... now they're evil nasty beastly dogs, will tear a kids face off if you make the mistake of smiling at them when they're breathing.

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AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWw

Aaaaw, be careful a baby might take its face off...
Yours?

i wish DS, both mrsconsequence and i both work monday to friday 8-5ish and couldn't commute back at lunchtimes or anything so we're not in a good place to look after a doggy to the best of our abilities 🙁

clearing out the loft yesterday we found a big pile of old photos and i got all emotional when i stumbled across photos of my old dogs and cats... so i've decided when mrsconsequence is earning more than me i'll quit my job and sit at home playing with puppies all day

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWw

Shall not be letting mrs blobby see this or we might be adding to our menagerie of pets!

i love the way you are all happy as larry with any breed* till its crossed with pitbull, weird as pitbulls are no worse than any other fighting breed.

dogs are dangerous, all bull breeds have the potential to do serious damage, look at where they came from and its easy to see why.

oh and a puppy thats gonna be abandoned for 'school hours' will not be properly trained or socialised.

*its the owners, its the training, its just image, poor socialisation

Staffs are great dogs. I had a pure black one for twelve years and he was magic. Really good dog. Too much irresponsible breeding now and if you are going for one spend a few quid and go to a well researched and reputable breeder. Only get a decent pedigree staff. These chav bit pit crosses have ruined peoples idea of what a staffie is and how they behave. Exercise,discipline and affection are what dogs need. Incidentally I now have a malamute and they are good dogs as well.

i wish DS, both mrsconsequence and i both work monday to friday 8-5ish and couldn't commute back at lunchtimes or anything so we're not in a good place to look after a doggy to the best of our abilities

oh and a puppy thats gonna be abandoned for 'school hours' will not be properly trained or socialised.

I'm sure opinion on this is divided, but for our dog we decided we didn't want to leave him home alone all day. We could manage it as I work from home a lot, and when I'm not both me and mrs blobby work 5 mins from home so can easily pop in. Even now he's almost 2 he never gets left alone for more than a couple of hours. He also goes to a sitters house two or three times a week which he gets very excited about as he gets to run around with a bunch of other dogs. Very good for socialisation and definitely recommended. I think this is right for our dog and I'd not leave him home alone all day. (Not that I am judging those who do!)

Can even be tricky when working from home as I like to fit in a couple of walks and a decent amount of play time. It's difficult to say no when you're in the middle of some work and he walks up with a toy in his mouth wanting to play.

Owned two and threy are brilliant dogs, one was rescue (Badger) and was great with other dogs and cats, he did eat a washing machine though 😯 very clever beast could open any doors and play fun games, hopeless as a bike dog as he kept trying to bit wheels but in a playful way. The only thing that would send him off were squirrels he would chase them all over the place.

The first one (Caeser) was a thick as a brick and was awful with other dogs, he wouldnt go looking for trouble but if a dog came over he would get a bit fiesty. Just modified where we went for walks, he was a great bike dog and incredibly protective. I once crashed and knocked my self out, he wouldnt let anyone come to help untill I came to. Just growled at them.

If you get one dont exercise hard till about a year old, socialise them with dogs and cats ffrom very young.

Badger had a Staffy friend in the street and they would play together even though it sounded like they were killing each other. They are noisy dogs in as much as they are always talking in little grunts and squeaks and have the most rubbish bark 🙂 My vet described Badger as a canine tank. They dont last long Badger went at 12 which is a good age and Caeser died of Cancer at 10. Badger was a chewer and they can go through anything yes he really did eat a washing machine.

if you squeeze them they squeek

(i must get round to watching the first half of snatch, seems like an informative film from what i've seen)

I've got one, a boy of nearly nine. He is superb in everyway and I can't fault him. He is my third and is the most important thing to me. Get one you will not regret it. The love, funny little things/sounds they do and the big soppy eyes asking for your last bit of food are priceless and he makes me laugh everyday 🙂

Got Chewie as a pup, he's great, intelligent, loyal, well behaved, good for 15-20 miles offroad with bursts up to 35mph, an absolute scream racing him on singletrack. So lots of riding and long walks.

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You do have to put in a lot of work to get the obediance but it pays off in the end. You must be pack leader at all times.

Took a while to get his food right, Royal Canin Sensible, otherwise it's funny poo's and pub emptying farts.

We have a dog walking service who walks him in the morning and a neighbour who comes in to check on him in the afternoons before we get home from work.

He's a great people dog, lives with 18 ferrets who play with him (just keep an eye on him incase the ferrets get a bit excitable and try and over clean his ears).

Downsides are he's a bit jumpy uppy still (working on that) and is a bit grumpy with other dogs occasionally, especially small angry ones that want to kick off (again working on the "walk away").

i love the way you are all happy as larry with any breed* till its crossed with pitbull, weird as pitbulls are no worse than any other fighting breed.

Personally; I am not after a fighting dog* and all those generations of instincts and genetic memory can't be undone that easily.

Its up to you, but personally if I was looking at a Staffie, I would try and get a rescue one, as there are thousands of them put down each year (Battersea dogs home, took in almost 4000 staffies last year and had to destroy well over a 1/3 of them 🙁 and that's just one dogs home!) and a good rescue home can match one to your requirements, without the risk of getting one which has been crossed with a Pitbull.

* Personally, I don't see pure bred staffies as fighting dogs. That might be a mistake on my part though, as everyone I've met has been an amazing dog, albeit a little single minded.

my brother has had 2

both lovely dogs, slightly puddled, but lovely

the first was a grumpy bugger with other dogs

the current one is soft as sh and is submissive towards everything, even next doors cat!

I've got a 14 month old bitch, short legged so not too big/ 'ard looking.
She is fantastic with everything she's met so far, i think familiarisation is the key. Letting them meet lots of humans and as many other dogs as possible as early in there life as possible.
I think the owner and what you yourself put into the dog is reflected in there behavior above anything else.

Staffies are usually good with people and kids and if you have it from a pup theres no reason it couldnt live with cats, hell I know lurcher owners with cats and if they can learn so can anything!

Having said that I wouldnt want one as they are pretty hard headed with other dogs a well trained and socialised one will be fine but still wont turn its back to a fight. I would rather have a dog like mine that just runs away from fights (having said that she did have a set to with a staffie recently that too close to the pram).

Ours is a staffie boxer cross (we think). Great with kids, so affectionate, fine with cats introduced into the home, but in the garden they are fair game. He has separation issues, but don't know if that stems from him being a rescue pup. He can't be left with access to the kitchen if we want any cupboard doors left on. His problem is with other dogs - some he's fine with and wants to run amd play, others he wants to rip apart, but he's so unpredictable with it.

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He's behind you!!

mrblobby - Member

Maybe it's just what the press choose to report.

yes.

Staffies are super good with kids, very funny dogs indeed with a big personality,they seem more human like than canine,.weird.
will be getting another one in the future for sure,love the breed,miss Benson alot,and the tuther one. 🙁

I can't get a rescue one as i need to have it from a small pup due to the kids and cats issue.

is that because you dont think that a suitable dog will be found through a rescue or that the rescue wouldnt let you adopt because of the kids/cats issue?

My brother has a rescue staffie called Bruce, who's been with the family for 6 years or so. Lovely dog, he's the friendliest, sweetest tempered thing you can imagine. He can be a bit excitable when people come to the house for a few minutes (jumping up, etc), but he soon settles down. Out of the house, he's lovely to walk - inquisitive rather than aggressive with other dogs, and with good recall (although that took a lot of training!). He's always been very good with my nephew too - the in-laws Jack Russell was far more aggressive, both with people and dogs!

Bruce was only neutered a couple of months ago at the age of 9-ish as he had a lump on his nuts. I hasten to add the lump was visible, my brother didnt regularly fondle his dog to check for cancer...

Downsides include the ability to hunt down and consume expensive chocolate intended for the sister-in-law. After three incidents (anniversary, Christams and Valentine's Day) my brother learned that staffies can't get into the top cupboards in the kitchen.

We had a staffie/ border collie cross and he was brilliant- had a problem with alsations after one attacked him when he was a puppy but no issues with any other dogs or indeed cats - in fact when we introduced a cat into the house he was walking around with a cat claw sticking out of his nose without getting agressive back to the cat at all!

when he farted you just had to say his name and he would walk out the room- very funny!

Great bike dog as well- but would run himself into the ground if you werent careful

I need to have it as a small pup so that it grows up with the cats and more importantly, i have two young girls, i am not going to even take a slight chance that the dog may have had experiences earlier in life that may adversely affect my girls. Small pup or nothing I'm afraid.

Ours was 4 months old when we got him from doncaster dogs trust. Try not to buy a 'bred' dog when there are so many needing homes.

I would say then do your homework on the breeder, Staffy pedigree do have a few rare problems, talk to a vet or a local Staffy Club.

Staffy pups have teeth like needles and will be a bit mouthy they are just playing but could play a bit rough with little kids. That is no reason not to get one, my next one will be from a rescue place.

Personally, and its a very personnal thing dog ownership.
I wouldn't rehome anything older than a couple of months.
Mine is a pedegree dog but i've no papers for her, i have however seen and played with both her parents and 3 of her grand parents so i had a good idea what i was getting.

Problem with rehoming a Staf is that you've no idea what the poor thing may have been subjected to by some low life previous owner.

we didnt get a rescue lurcher becuase we knew we were planning a family, I wanted a puppy to shape myself.... puppies are cool as well!!!

just for balance my staff was terrible with kids...