To have fallen in love with Staffies?

[WellAlwaysHaveParis]

I went to a dog show earlier today, and loads of people had come with their dogs to spend the day there.

I met some people with Staffies, and the dogs were absolutely beautiful. One of them was so calm and quiet, and she would just let people pet her and stroke her, and the other one was a bit overexcited and would jump up and lick everyone who stroked him 😍

I’ve never had a dog before, as we’ve always had cats, but I’d love to have a dog one day.

I’d definitely get a rescue dog, as we’ve always had cats from rescue centres, but the idea of having a big rescue dog like a Staffie worries me a bit, as I’m not sure how I’d train it. I know Staffies have a bit of a bad reputation, but I’ve heard lovely things about them and would really love one one day. I just wouldn’t know where to start with training one and looking after one as I’ve never had dogs before.

Would I be unreasonable to think about getting one at some point? Does anyone on here have one?

(Part of this thread is a ploy to ask for your Staffie photos 😍)

vintagesewingmachine allowing Staffordshire bull terriers to sleep on your children's beds at night is negligent. I remember mine used to sleep on my feet. When he got older and grumpier, if I got up to go to the loo he would snarl at me when I got back into bed. Please don't let this carry on.

Oh and as for all these expert dog rearers who know exactly how to raise a perfectly safe dog, do tell me who checks your credentials when you buy them.

Here’s my dappy dog. She’s an over excitable ‘I must lick everyone’ dog. She also likes to do Roly Polys while snorting like a pig.

WellAlwaysHave Paris-
I've been a volunteer dog walker at my local rescue centre for years. Absolutely love it. Plenty of exercise and fresh air for me, and the dogs are sooo grateful to be out. A win win really - I'd recommend it to anyone.

They're lovely dogs and I've never met one who wasn't utterly soppy with people. Also the staffie grin is priceless! I'm a cocker spaniel girl myself, but I do always love to meet staffies and have a cuddle.

MyNameIsNotSteven i'm assuming your comment meant to say 'allowing a dog' rather than just a staffy? They're no more likely to turn than any other well brought up dog

the breed implicated in the most bite attacks on humans was the Labrador - a larger breed than the Staffy and with a bite just as powerful and damaging

I’d think that a Lab’s bite is nowhere near as damaging as a staffie; I’ve rarely heard of people dying from those, but often hear of deaths from pit bulls or staffie mixes. The seriousness of the bite matters

Also confused at the posters comparing them favorably to Jack Russell Terriers, which are terrible dogs to have around children as well. They really both should be avoided when young children are around

You rarely hear of any dog attacks unless they are done by 'type' dogs, let's be honest.

The comparison between staff & jrt is, at least on my part, to show that size doesn't necessarily mean safer. I've seen a jrt seriously injure a child to the point the child needed surgery

Love staffies. Never had one but wouldn't say no. Just want to pat the dumpy little one my friend has all day, it's addictive with those smiley eyes staring into your soul. They feel really compact to what I'm used to and they are the kind of dog I just want to smoosh

As for the negative folks, I've been bitten my more golden retrievers and labs down the years than any other dog! I find little dogs worse for being snappy too (my own included, though not to me or my family). I thought I was going to lose my thumb to my own golden retriever just a couple of years ago, my own fault but he can be a bit of a swine in the right circumstances, just like every dog they all have their off days and education, socialisation and training will steer you through most things.

Ahh so much crap..

You know what, you almost never hear of dog attacks where the owner wasn't either a total idiot OR a lowlife scummy twat. In most cases, both.

Staffies are great dogs if:

You like a dog IN your personal space
You like cuddles
You like unsquashable enthusiasm
You like a dog who loves learning just for the opportunity to be with you and work with you
You like a dog who truly believes the entire world loves them
You like a dog to be under the duvet two thirds of the year.

Staffies were bred as an all round farm dog - ratter, cattle dog work, pest control and in some cases, fighting other dogs.

As such they have become a dog with an INCREDIBLY high tolerance for pain, and a severe lack of personal and social skills with other dogs - even the friendliest of staffies generally is clueless as to when another dog is saying 'yo.. enough now, back off dude'..

They do NOT come with impulse control as standard, you'll need to retro fit that later and understand its a dodgy patch, and will need constant tweaking.

They are really easy to train though, economical to house and feed and want nothing more than to be with their people!

My first dog was a staffy, I got him from someone who didn't care for him properly. Had him for 7 years before I had to have him PTS due to cancer. He was an amazing dog, my best friend and I miss him terribly. As pp said - very intuitive. Also very protective (not overbearing but know when you feel threatened), extremely silly, couch potato. Loved kisses and cuddles - didn't care who from. My boy was very vocal though and it did grate a bit. Couldn't go for a drive without it sounding like I had a horse in the back!

Also - as above - yes to being easily trained, he was so smart and knew lots of tricks, and yes to being a duvet lover, he used to sleep in my bed with me, as in under the covers. When it'd start getting too hot you'd just hear little pig snuffling noises, hence a nickname of Pig-Dog.

FFS, Steven, any dog gets grumpy when old. My dad's big soft lump of a golden retriever snarled at my mother when she tried to shove him up on the back seat of the car because his hips were sore; she simply smacked him lightly on the nose. My 11 year old girl sleeps at my feet and regularly mumps about me getting out of bed and in when I go to the loo at night; she just gets told to shut up.

I love my staffies, still babies. They are so smart and intuitive.

Ohh Battered what a gorgeous dog (though you know you won't ever be forgiven for the hat)
He's plotting revenge y'know .

Battered

I love his little hat! He is so cute!

The reality is that ANY dog can be vicious if it isn't trained properly. I petted a pit bull once in a shelter when I was volunteering. He was a very nice boy and lay quietly on the floor.

My cousin and her husband have a dog who they suspect is part pit bull. (She was adopted from a shelter so they aren't sure.) Anyone who meets her is probably in more danger of being LICKED to death than attacked.

I love the hat - looks the same face and couloirs as my dog, reminds me of the times we have dressed her up to take photos and she has sat obediently

So affectionate, obedient, just wanting to please.

So helped a close friend with walking/boarding a staff on a daily basis for about a year. At first in a London suburb, later more central London. It wasn't the staff that was the problem, she was a "proper" small one and due to her age, friendly and cuddly but no longer over excited and jumpy. However the attitude of people who seemed to think that she was a dangerous dog, wore me down. And yes, there were people who kept repeating the: " it's not the dog, it's the owners" but that also got to my nerves after a while. It was annoying and wearing, the sidewards looks, people crossing the road (with or without children) to not to pass you and your dog etc. And I am not exaggerating when I say that it happened on a daily basis. I would consider that before getting a Staff...
I now have my own dog. A male GSD- way more protective and would actually be able to cause injury if felt like needed to protect me. Yet people stick their hands/fingers into his face and mouth daily. Without asking for permission to stroke. For some reason perceived as a friendlier breed
Anyhow, you take a staff and be prepared to be judged. And god forbid she/he should put a foot wrong! While the Pomeranians and Chihuahuas are left running riot/barking their heads off at bigger dogs as they are clearly "adorable and harmless"... (yup, have a pea in my bonnet and don't care if you claim to have one that is beautifully trained )

I get the opposite now, people make a beeline for my girl, they are pretty common where I live so that might have something to do with it. At any one time there's probably about 4 or 5 little snuffling pigs on the park.

I know of at least 2 rescued Staffies that are now Police dogs
twitter.com/pdstellaglospol?lang=en
twitter.com/policedogcooper?lang=en

Staffies have a bad reputation for a reason. If you want to research how many children have been killed by these lovely family pets (and that's nearly always what they are, usually belonging to a relative) then you won't be searching long. You will find other breeds that have killed children too, but Staffie and associated cross breeds feature predominantly in these tragedies.

I speak as someone who nearly lost a dog to a Staffie attack. He was saved by his wide greyhound collar as this animal took him down like a deer and was only released by the Staffie's owner stamping repeatedly on it's head. The scene was a blood bath.

By the way, the 'locking jaw' is an analogy, no-one thinks Staffie's jaws click into lock, or they have a padlock on the side of their head, it means that when they are in blood-lust they are nigh on impossible to shake off. As I said, it took repeated stamping on this dogs head by it's owner to get it off my dog's neck, the wife had returned with a stick (presumably to prise it off, or hit it, who knows) however, when we settled the vet bill I was told their dog had never attacked before. Maybe it hadn't, only they know.

This is my Alice! She’s my big baby and loves a cuddle!

Such lovely dogs and get such a bad rep for no real reason other than numptys thinking the make them look tough.

I’ve had her since she was 9 weeks old, she’s grown up with cats, other dogs, horses and absolutely adores my 7 month old. When we brought our daughter home she hid upstairs for 3 days (she’s a massive wimp) because the baby kept making noise. Other fears include; the oven, tin foil, bin liners and balloons.

However, when you research Staffie attacks in which children are killed, it's not the "gang" dogs that are responsible. The dogs that attack and kill children are family pets.

My experience of Staffie's as pets are that they are quite needy dogs and very attached to their owners. I see a lot of anthropomorphisation of animals on here, this thread included, but a 'jealous' dog becomes dangerous when it's owner turns their attention elsewhere.

Plus, if they are such great pets, why are the rehoming centres overflowing with them? Why did the original owner not want to keep them? There has to be a reason for this.

I just had a look at the German (and Swiss, and Austrian...) dog lists.

If there ever was an argument for a centralist state/administration!

Targetted across Germany are Pitbull-Terrier, American-Staffordshire-Terrier, Staffordshire-Bullterrier, Bullterrier und crossbreads.

On a Bundesland level it's an administrative jungle...

But the Boerboel, czechoslovakian wolfdog, central Asian owtsharka? Nope, not on any or very few lists in Germany.

I could go on, btw. But there are many breeds of dogs that were and still are not bred to have the temperament of a companion dog/to have a temperament that is needed for companion dogs in most areas.

And yet they're not any or very few lists...

Love Staffies, have labs at the moment but next dog I’m planning will be a Staffie.