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What's wrong with Staffordshire Bull Terriers?

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We have a staffy aged around 7. Got him from the dog pound 18 months ago. He's a big softy and loves people and very friendly with other dogs.

 

But so many other dog owners get out of the way (dragging their dog with them) when they see us walking towards them.

 

What's the problem?

 

Any views?

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The problem is the media making them out to be some kind of devil dog. In my opinion, there's no better breed than the staffy! So friendly and loving and so affectionate. Always a wagging tail and a sloppy kiss!

 

Yes, there are some that aren't so friendly but all dogs are different and have individual personalities regardless of breed.

 

It's the odd few idiots that use dogs as weapons that give Staffies a bad name as they seem to be their dog of choice in recent years.

 

Personally, I love them. I love all bull breeds but I have a particular soft spot for Staffies. I can't imagine ever owning any other breed.

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The problem is the media making them out to be some kind of devil dog. In my opinion, there's no better breed than the staffy! So friendly and loving and so affectionate. Always a wagging tail and a sloppy kiss!

 

Yes, there are some that aren't so friendly but all dogs are different and have individual personalities regardless of breed.

 

It's the odd few idiots that use dogs as weapons that give Staffies a bad name as they seem to be their dog of choice in recent years.

 

Personally, I love them. I love all bull breeds but I have a particular soft spot for Staffies. I can't imagine ever owning any other breed.

 

 

+1

 

I have a Blue one :) sweetest dog :)

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I don't think it's just staffies that get this reaction. We have people cross the road when walking a great dane and we have a few customers with big dogs of different breeds say they get the same reaction. I think it's down to lack of understanding of dogs on their part and they don't know how to act around them which results in a fear of dogs for more people than you'd realise.

 

My mum used to have an immense fear of dogs and a discomfort of being around all animals when I was a child, even my rabbits! lol. But after being able to own my own dogs after moving out, she has learned a lot about dogs and now strokes my dogs and will even have our working cocker sat on her knee which is an amazing accomplishment for her. It would be like me letting a wasp or spider sit in my hand - not a chance in hell! :D

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I have to confess to crossing the road when I see staffies, I've even resorted to picking my dog up when they come running over to him. My old dog had broken his hip previously and took a lot of time and money to get him walking again, so if a staffy or other large dog came running over to him, I use to pick him up out of harms way as I was worried they might break his leg again. I am still concerned over some types of dogs where I live, which are a vast majority of staffies, as they are almost always running free with little control by the owners.

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I have to admit i do the same but having had my dog attacked a few times by dog's i try to keep out of the way of big or powerfull dogs. Saying that i do not blame the other dog's ( most of the time ) mine are very nervouse around fast moving or giddy dogs and start the trouble. A lot of dogs see how mine react and walk away but some can not stand the challenge and have a go back, which is understandable. this is why i get hold of my dog's and i do try to tell the other person "i'm not discriminating against your dog".

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I'm afraid that I do it as well, I like staffies but many are not nice with other animals and after my dog was attacked quite badly (by a GSD) I am scared of him being near strange dogs and yes thats my problem not anyone else's :(

 

My dogs have been attacked by a couple of staffy types in the past but we have also met some lovely ones that are sooo laid back.

My problem now isn't with staffies as such but most dogs around mine, so it might be the same with other people as well, maybe its not because of the breed maybe they are just worried about dogs in general, or maybe their dog isn't good close to others while on the lead, things are not always black and white.

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It might not be because of your dog... Theirs might not be friendly.dont be so quick to judge :)

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There is nothing wrong with them. Raised in the right way they are loving, loyal, gentle pets who are great around children and other pets and are eager to please their families.

 

It's the last point where things go wrong with this breed and it is their eagerness to please that gets exploited by some owners. If the dog is brought up thinking that being aggressive will make the owner happy then it will be predisposed to bad behaviour.

 

So, these dogs aren't inherently bad. Owners exploit certain character traits to make them that way. Treated in the right way they make wonderful family pets but sadly a lot of people don't realise that.

 

Its sad to see so many of them in the rescue centres. Walked them on a voluntary basis a few times and they've always been great.

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There's nothing wrong with Staffies. The problem is that they tend to have bad owners, which gives them a bad reputation. As for all those people who give them a wide berth, well I would say the problem lies with them, not the Staffy. I must admit when I used to take my mother's Border Terrier, Rufus, for walks, I would give ALL other dog owners a wide berth and go out of my way to find the most isolated walks, simply because Rufus was very territorial and would attack any dog, no matter what breed or size it was. Luckily, we lived in the country at the time so it was relatively easy to avoid other dog owners.

Edited by earthdragon

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I am absolutely one of those owners who crosses the road to get away from Staffies with my dog and for many reasons.

 

1. Whilst I do not believe in bad breeds unfortunately this particular type is often owned by people who do little to help their poor reputation. Many are not socialised, encouraged to show dominant behaviour and seen as status dogs.

 

2. The size and musculature of the jaws means that if one of them does take a dislike to your pet even a small bite can do serious damage. I work at a vets and every single fatal dog attack I have seen in the last few years has been the result of a staffie type breed. Puncture marks and wounds are caused by many other breeds but I have only seen death caused by SBT and their types.

 

3. My small dog doesn't like meeting other dogs on leads - he is currently on a socialisation training program but he has a tendency to growl and I don't want him to instigate an incident that could escalate.

 

I do allow him to play with Staffies that I know but it is impossible to tell from a distance if an unknown dog will be friendly and have a responsible owner. I would rather offend another dog owner than end up with an attacked (or dead) dog.

 

Be patient with other dog owners, when you meet the same dogs over and over they will learn to accept your friendly staffie and hopefully allow socialisation.

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I totally agree with everyone for avoiding boisterous dogs after my cocker was given a slipped disc in her spine after being bowled over by our own great dane a couple of years ago.

 

We have had many none dog owners cross the street whilst walking our great dane by the road on a short lead though - very unnecessary as the dog is under control but it doesn't bother me, they have every right to cross the road and back again after they've passed us, it doesn't affect us lol.

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