Thread: Need advice from those in the know

German Shepherds are in fact the worst and ****zus are not far behind.

Sorry mate, you are going to have to back that one up with some facts. I have heard that over the years...as I have with other breeds....its a bit like the "land rovers arent reliable" phrase that is thrown around.

I have had shepherds all my life, the reason they are used in so many different professional fields is due to their intelligence and nature. I have had 4 shepherds grow up around my children and never a worry. Max who is now 11mths old, will go from a playful puppy to a staunch protector if required.

Ultimately I have found that it is the way the animal is raised that makes the difference. As mentioned, I would find it surprising for a mate to kill a mate......my shepherd and my partners 8 yr old retriever play fight like there is no tomorrow, but never in anger. As for staffys, I've had an American Staffy before and it hated little dogs, but that was because he was a stray and we didnt know his background. My old shepherd hated cats...cause he never grew up with them.....whilst Max at 40 odd kilos...will play fight with our Bengal cat at a couple of kilos....even pick the cat up in his jaws.....but as they have grown up with each other....no problems with cats. So Back of the Shepherds



Regards

Stevo

I have a Lab X for 10 years now, and even though he is a great dog, I have a 14month old boy and im still cautious when the dog is around him. In my mind, dogs are animals and should always be treated like that, not as an equal. This goes for any animal IMHO.

If you dont trust an animal, its simply not worth the risk of having family or friends hurt, it only takes one bite.

ok so Staffy's are not killing hunters for a start, staffys are a family dog and very good with children IF brought up in the correct way.....

either one could of taken the shih tzu out, the hard part is if you had the staffy put down with no real evidenace the lab should have gone as well.

we often get people bringing in there dogs for killing another animal...sad thing is when they dont know which one did we have to let them both go.

was there much injury to the shih tzu? if there wasn't wouldn't take much for a lab to pick up and give a shake to and bang gone little bit harder for a staffy to do as i'm assuming there wasn't that much difference in height between the two

The Lab certainly could have done it, though I'd still pick the Staffy as the culprit. In fact it could have been Staffy and Lab v Shih Tzu. If it was the Staffy, it doesn't mean would have harmed the kids though. Staffys are often dog aggressive, but very rarely human aggressive. Shih Tzus usually pick fights, and they usually lose (I make my living from patching them up). I love having Staffys as patients, they are generally great to handle/treat. Shih Tzus on the other hand...

It is very unusual that dogs raised together would turn on each other like that, and end in that outcome. In a similar situation involving a Staffy and some Guinea Pigs, it turned out that the culprit was a stray that had got into the yard! The Staffy had been raised with the GPs, and had never even looked sideways at them, then one day the owner came home to find 1 missing and the rest dead. The Staffy was presented at my clinic for Euthanasia. Knowing the dog and owners well, we decided to hold on to the dog for a bit, councilling the owners to not rush the decision. A lady from down the road turned up that evening on the Staffy owners doorstep, her Jack Russell had brought the (now dead) GP home and it had arrived home covered in blood!

Originally Posted by Lucy

The Lab certainly could have done it, though I'd still pick the Staffy as the culprit. In fact it could have been Staffy and Lab v Shih Tzu. If it was the Staffy, it doesn't mean would have harmed the kids though. Staffys are often dog aggressive, but very rarely human aggressive. Shih Tzus usually pick fights, and they usually lose (I make my living from patching them up). I love having Staffys as patients, they are generally great to handle/treat. Shih Tzus on the other hand...

It is very unusual that dogs raised together would turn on each other like that, and end in that outcome. In a similar situation involving a Staffy and some Guinea Pigs, it turned out that the culprit was a stray that had got into the yard! The Staffy had been raised with the GPs, and had never even looked sideways at them, then one day the owner came home to find 1 missing and the rest dead. The Staffy was presented at my clinic for Euthanasia. Knowing the dog and owners well, we decided to hold on to the dog for a bit, councilling the owners to not rush the decision. A lady from down the road turned up that evening on the Staffy owners doorstep, her Jack Russell had brought the (now dead) GP home and it had arrived home covered in blood!

if that was my dog I would of had it X-ray providing it was done very recently...before I would decide to put it down

My Staff is over 10 yrs old now & is amazing with kids (of any age). The biggest problem is that she just wants to keep licking them. I agree with the comments of others that "little" dogs often start fights which they could never win even if the other dog had a paw tied behind it's back. It all comes down to training regardless of what breed. I see too many owners that aren't "in charge" of their dogs & seem to let them do what-ever. I think you need to be very firm/strict but give lots of love also. Dogs need to be led in many ways, not just on a leed. Dogs are like guns. Give one to the wrong person & someone usually gets hurt.

Stick with the Staffy. They are a wonderful family dog

I would NEVER get a Staffy - period. I can't comment how they are with kids, but I am none too impressed with how they are around other dogs. In the years that I have had our Ridgeback, nearly EVERY time (and I can count perhaps a dozen in three years) there has been a fracas at the dog park, it has involved (read caused-by) a Staffy - regardless of whether they were complete or de-sexed.

In one recent incident, a young guy with a Staffy that, until that time appeared well socialised and obedient, nearly ripped the bottom jaw off a young Labrador pup in our local park. Naturally he was horrified and never would have believed his dog would do that!

After each Staffy-related incident the conversation amongst people at the park usually revolves around how many other Staffies they have observed in violent dust-ups.

To those people who have posted here saying how gentle they are - I have to say I have seen ample evidence to the contrary - and from dogs with owners who I assumed were raising them correctly. I think the biggest problem with them is that when they do snap, they just don't have an "off" switch.

I simply cannot trust them.

I kind of a agree with you solmanic as my dogs have had a couple of ta do's with staffys at the off leash park..BUT I also have a friend that breeds them and they are impecably manered.

sometimes its simply boils down to how they're bred and how they're treated.