My new Dog

[Chlocolate]

I have recently bought a Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppy. I've found out by the internet what great family pets they make and how good they are with people. We haven't got the dog yet as it is still too young to take home. Is there anyone who has a Staffy and can you tell me what they are like?

[madmaggot]

Why, oh why, have you bought a dog of a breed that you are not familiar with?
You could easily find yourself in a couple of months time with a dog that has become part of your family and is well loved BUT is totally unsuitable for your family/lifestyle.
Dog breeds were developed with the traits required for the job that they were to perform. Even though they may not be required to work they will still exhibit those behaviors to a greater or lesser degree.
Before you actually collect this pup pleeeeeese get onto the internet and search extensively for articles about staffies, read as much as you can find and make absolutely sure that it is the breed for you.

[fredpuli47]

Well, madmaggot, that might be why the questioner asked.Still, any breeder of repute will take back any pup, rather than leave it with someone who finds it not suited. The words 'great family pets' have to be taken with some caution. A pit bull could be 'a great family pet', in some ways, but you'd be mad to leave it unwatched or uncontrolled with strangers, or trust it as much as you could a poodle.

What you are getting, with any breed, is the basic underlying characteristics of the breed, essentially what it was bred for. Any 'good family pet' characteristics have to be grafted on to what's underneath.Some breeds were bred originally to be lap dogs or pets.They're easy.the Staffy was bred to be set against other dogs, in a 'pit', to fight.That's a very hard base to be grafting on to. The breed will naturally defend and naturally take innocent signs as signs of aggression e.g a small child staring at it or a passing dog coming too close. And its equipped to do serious harm.Years of show-breeding will never remove the base, however much the breeders try, it wlil always be there, if diminished from the pit fighting days.

[devilspawn]

My dog is a Japanese Akita Cross Staffy......
Nasty nasty dog with any form of life that isnt human. Both breeds are fighting dogs.
However she is lovely with humans... however I would never ever trust her unsupervised with kids.

Having said that, any dog can be trained from a puppy to be any way you want...... but always remember their breed takes over when instinct cuts in....

do a LOT of reading about the breed and a lot of thinking before taking on ANY pet

[eyeshade]

And above all.. good training and recall would be a start.

[andy-hughes]

A dog is a do, no matter what size, or breed.

Never mind "He wouldn't hurt s fly ..." often followed with "He's never attacked anyone before!"

Any dog can turn on its owner, other dogs, people in the street, children - they all have the potential to attack.

If your dog is a poodle with a bow in its hair, that may not be a major problem, but if your dog is breed refined over the years to fight, then it comes equipped.

Your Staffie will have big shoulders, a heavy head, and jaws that will lock around something it bites and only release when the dog decides to let go.

If you have an environment where that risk is minimal - no children, no other pets, no dogs in the immediate vicinity of your home, you are a large fit male willing to kill your dog if it comes down to it, then fine, go ahead and have one of these animals as a pet.

If you don;t tick any of those boxes, think very seriously.

Cute puppies don't stay 'cute' for long, and no matter how friendly and well-trained your dog is, there is that in-built potential to turn on you, or anyone or anything else. Be aware.

[Chlocolate]

Thank you for your answers and opinions.
I have looked up a lot about Staffys on the internet, books and by people who own staffys. I personaly think they are true, loving dogs and I am willing to train it as best as I can.
I decided to ask the question on Answerbank because I just waned some extra opinions. Not because I knew nothing about the breed. I am very familiar with Staffys and I am confident I have the lifestyle to suit it. I just wanted to have that extra 'sort of' information to top it off.
But thank you for your help, I am a lot more convinced on taking on this dog.

[LoftyLottie]

If it helps I will confirm that all the staffy dogs I have ever known have made lovely family pets. The problem they have is that people nowadays think they are Pit Bull Terriers and that some people are getting them nowadays as 'Status Symbols' and training them to be aggressive.

I wish you all the best with your new pet.

[lankeela]

Staffies have got the nick name of the 'nanny dog' because they are so good with children. However, if something upsets the dog or it feels the need to protect its children, then there is one hell of a powerful dog to cope with. Staffies also rarely start a fight, but are well equipped to finish one. Provided you buy from a reputable breeder, and take their advice re socialisation and training then you have a good chance of getting a loyal family pet, provided you do the training and socialising. Please also note that Staffs suffer from two major health problems which can be DNA tested for, and unless you have evidence that the parents have both been DNA tested for L2-HGA and HC do not touch them with a bargepole. Do not believe the breeder if they say their dogs are unaffected or do not need testing, this is crucial if you are to be certain they will not die young or go blind.

It is good that you have booked the puppy before actually getting it, giving you a chance to find out about the breed and be certain it will fit in with your lifestyle. They are an active breed that needs lots of exercise and mental stimulation, not a dog that is ok with once round the block last thing at night. They tend to be chewers and howlers if left alone (have you got neighbours who might complain?)

I hope your puppy is coming from a good breeder and not just someone you know who thought it would be a good idea to breed from their bitch with a mate's dog.

[lankeela]

This site gives details of the two conditions and the tests available:

http://www.bluestaffyuk.co.uk/page3/page3.html

[Chlocolate]

Thank you Lankeela for the website and the good advice which I will take in mind. :)

[Ava77]

It saddens me that you'd go to a breeder for this type of dog when so many dog rescue centres are packed to the rafters with them, and no-one will take them. At least at a centre they will have 'tested' it's temperament and you'd have a good idea what you were getting.

I'm always suspicious of people who breed this particular type of dog - but maybe that's because I see where so many of them end up.

[lankeela]

I have to disagree - there is often good reason why these dogs are in rescue, and it is one breed I would definitely want from a puppy, for many of the reasons outlined above, especially as newcomers to the breed.

[Ava77]

I respect what you're saying lankeela, but there are many reasons why dogs come into the rescue centres, and aggressiveness is actually one of the lesser ones.

The reason we get so many of the bull-breeds has got a lot to do with the type of people that buy them, then discard them - and less to do with anything that the dog has done.

[LoftyLottie]

Having worked with rescue centres I tend to agree with Ava on this one. I see so many staffies being towed around nowadays by kids (and older thugs) who want them as 'status symbols' because they are the nearest thing looking like Pit Bulls. They don't want them as pets and then, when the novelty wears off or they don't want the expense then they are sent to rescue centres. They are not in rescue centres through any fault of the dog.

There a a lot of very young staffies in rescue centres needing good homes with people who understand about dogs and their requirements.