Talk to me about Staffies

[Insanityismymiddlename]

Ok so I live up to my name, with 4 young DCs between the ages of 6 weeks and 5years I also have 2 resident dogs (chi x who is 15mths and a lovable mongrel who is 3).

Now DP has convinced me to take in a homeless 10 week out Staffie pup, lovely little guy and I'm not worried about coping as we are a 3 adult household and there is usually 2 of us about at one time due to work patterns.

BUT...
Everywhere I read all I seem to find is that once a staffie is an adult they aren't good with other dogs and cannot be trusted off lead, please tell me this is BSL propaganda?

I attend a weekly dog meet with my two current dogs where all the dogs run riot playing together in a field whilst we stand about and chat, I really want to take pup with me as well and socialise him but worried that if he "turns" at some point I am going to be confined to on lead walks at unsociable times, how likely is a very well socialised pup going to turn into a dog aggressive pain in the backside as soon as he reaches maturity?

My other worry is that resident dog 1 is very small, if he grows up with her (and indeed the children) he will be aware of her size wont he so is unlikely to hurt her during play won't he?

Please help if you have some positive experience or any for that matter.

NB no staffie haters please not prepared to be told he is going to maul my DCs because of his breed, heard enough of that from MIL.

[PeanutPatty]

I would say that if you put the groundwork in with attending training and socialisation classes etc then you have every chance of having a well rounded dog. Now is the key stage, assuming he's had all his jabs, to get him out and about. Make sure he gets solo walks without your other dogs too.

A good book is called Life Skills for Puppies.

[furbaby]

Do it .... we have staffy girl 16 who is sn angel and had our special boy (who we lost in may aged 12) who was fantastic with other dogs , even if they showed signs of aggression he would just move away he was such a special dog .
And we now have a 4 month old which we are taking to dog training and interacting with as many dogs as possible .
Its all about socialising them with lots of dogs from a young age .
They are all staffys .
Pefect family dog .
Good luck .

[AHardDaysWrite]

I did read in an article about Staffies (in Dogs Today which is normally pretty reliable) that whilst they're brill with children (they used to call them nanny dogs) they're not always reliable with other dogs and can turn without warning. It stems back to when they were used for dog fighting years ago. The article recommended keeping them as only dogs and doing lots of careful socialising.

[Dirtybadger]

Sort of propaganda sort of not. You might 'get away' with under socialising a gun dog. You probably won't a SBT. Our previous one we had as a pup. No problems. Once fully mature he didn't want to play but he was polite. He lived with various fosters including tiny terrier puppies and bouncy young mastiff.
Our current SBT is a rescue. Not sufficiently socialised. Now 18 months. With us for 3. She's not too bad but she won't be off lead for a long time. She can greet ok but is, generally, pushy and a bit rude. Then has a pop if another dog rightfully tells her back off. Shell get there though. No worse than many dogs we come across; just has the tools to do more damage.

Your new pup isn't stupid. If he learns appropriate play he will self handicap in order to play fair with smaller dogs. Ensuring they play with something may help (like a tug toy).

[user765]

How are all your staffies with your children and babies?

[CalamityKate]

They can be ok with other dogs. Depends on breed lines (which are a lottery as they're so overbred by numpties).

Half their problem is I think that they can have a very OTT playing style with other dogs; which other dogs don't always like; which leads to them getting told off; which means they have bad experiences with other dogs; which means they get wary of other dogs.

The nanny dog thing is said to be a myth.

[ClaimedByMe]

My staffie is the only staffie I know that is not good with other dogs, she a victim of her past though.

[Scheriously]

My Staffie is a recent rescue and about a year old. I have no idea why he was given up, as he is a bloody well-trained and soft little bugger. That being said, I find that he takes to some dogs better than others, but we've had no violence. The advice here is good - get him socialised as soon as you can. Have fun!

(I was wary after all the bad press - and was so very wrong. It is the owner that can make or break a dog's personality)

[Scuttlebutter]

Like any dog, if he is well socialised as a pup and taken to classes you will reap the rewards when he is an adult. When I was doing my Gold KC award, another of the dogs in our class was a Staffie - absolutely gorgeous nature and flew through the exam, beautifully socialised and a pleasure to be around. His owner did agility with her other dogs and often took him along, and he was a credit to her. I've also met other Staffies who are similarly well behaved/sociable - but all have owners who have put plenty of time into training and exercise.

[Dirtybadger]

Our dog could not live with children. Although apparently she did. She's kept under very (!) close supervision with visiting kids. She's too OTTand mouthy.
Our previous staffie grew up with children of all ages and was wonderful with them. The nanny dog thing has backfired. They're people dogs and love kids- sure- but personally I believe their good reputation with kids has been to their detriment. Silly parents putting their kids (and dogs) at risk by allowing their kids to bother their staffies 'because they're so tolerant'. But yes I think if brought up with kids they're a good choice providing when they're toddling you keep an eye so they don't knock them over (like any heavy or large breed).

[out2lunch]

we have one next door to us - lovely owners who have had other breeds in the past.it is not a pleasant dog - doesn't like me,my dcs, my cats, my lab.looks unhappy and timid/snappy but is v well looked after.
I would never chose this breed.

[ChestyCoffin]

I have one and he's luffly

We don't walk off lead simply because he's so excitable and I'm afraid he'd just run and run like Forrest Gump

He greets other dogs nicely but isn't keen on big dogs ( tail up, chest out) as he was bitten by a big dog when he was a puppy

I wouldn't pick another breed, staffies all the way for me.