Need advice from those in the know

**Slunnie** · 24th December 2008, 11:43 AM

Originally Posted by Lucy

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!

Nicely done. Mans best friend does not deserve a knee jerk reaction, especially one as terminal as a green needle.

**VladTepes** · 24th December 2008, 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by incisor

i am on my last big dog, a rotty / sheperd cross with 12+ years under his belt. his only fault is he can not tolerate someone with low iq points. he will bail them straight up.

Oh - you told me he just didn;t like Range Rovers !

Seriosuly though I think Staffies are very good family dogs but like ALL animals it comes down to how they have been raised and to some extent their bloodlines.

My pups are Bull Arab (hunting breed) X Boxer / Staffy.

The only danger you are likely to get in with them is being licked to death. They love playing with my nephews some of whom are 4 / 5 years old.

Staffies are howver very people (or should I say person) oriented - they tend to form a bond with an individual and can get very jealous when a usurper (eg a child) comes in and takes attention away a bit so they do need watching.
Inc is right though - don;t leave kids unattended with dogs (as I';m sure you are aware).

Would I hesitate to have a Staffy ? Not in the least !

I also endorse the comment on retired greyhounds being great dogs.

**rijidij** · 24th December 2008, 01:06 PM

I did quite a bit of research on Staffys before I bought one. Basically, I couldn't fault them for a pet, as far as my lifestyle is concerned. One minute they're running around like a crazy thing (everything is a game to them) and the next minute they're asleep on your lap.
Any dog can be brought up the 'wrong' way. I did read more than a couple of times in my research that, "a staffy wont start a fight, but they can finish a fight if they are forced to".
I've had mine for 4 years and she is well socialised and I've never seen any sign of 'real' aggression from her towards anything. She sure can sound mean sometimes, but it's all bark and no bite.
I went through a difficult time in my life for a few years........I couldn't have asked for a better companion than my staffy at the time.
I am extremely biased towards Staffys, but I would highly recommend them to most people looking for an energetic, but very loveable family dog, or companion.

**dullbird** · 24th December 2008, 01:09 PM

god she is cute!!!!!

**graceysdad** · 24th December 2008, 02:54 PM

The injury to Bear my Shihtzu was thus, throat completely ripped out and there was alot of blood I mean alot, when I walked in and seen it the Lab was the only dog who had blood on him the Staff was clean but then again the Lab may have been protecting Bear, my Shihtzus are bred with Maltys and Pomeranians I have one girl who is the oldest who thinks she rules the roost but there is rarely aggression, they play non stop and the Staffy happily plays with them, even the cat gets along with the Staffy,
As I said we moved the Lab on to a Labrador sanctuary at Yass and they were going to rehome him, guess all I can do is watch them and keep an eye out for trouble.

**stevo68** · 24th December 2008, 04:59 PM

The injury to Bear my Shihtzu was thus, throat completely ripped out and there was alot of blood I mean alot, when I walked in and seen it the Lab was the only dog who had blood on him the Staff was clean but then again the Lab may have been protecting Bear, my Shihtzus are bred with Maltys and Pomeranians I have one girl who is the oldest who thinks she rules the roost but there is rarely aggression, they play non stop and the Staffy happily plays with them, even the cat gets along with the Staffy,
As I said we moved the Lab on to a Labrador sanctuary at Yass and they were going to rehome him, guess all I can do is watch them and keep an eye out for trouble.

Hmm, dunno if I am missing something here, but I cannot see how the staffy would be clean if there was lots of blood and a throat ripped out. Dogs dont lick themselves clean like a cat. My old shepherd got into a barney with a Malamute that decided to jump into our yard and he was protecting the retriever bitch. SWMBO rang me about the fight as Benz had his ear ripped and he had also taken some decent chunks out of the malamute. I couldnt get home for about an hr plus and he was still covered in his own and the other dogs blood.

Sounds to me you've made a very wrong call here,

Regards

Stevo

**graceysdad** · 24th December 2008, 05:30 PM

All the dogs had blood on there legs and feet the floor was soaking in it, the Lab may have been trying to lick Bears wounds, who knows I sure as hell dont, all this said the dog is gone and has been for a while, I was abit anti Staff after what happened but I keep thinking about it so when mention was made of getting another one I was very apprehensive towards it, I heard so many stories of just how capable a killing machine a Staff can be and very little can be done to seperate one thats intent on killing something , I dont know just have to see how things go. I

**scarry** · 24th December 2008, 06:06 PM

I recon the pack instinct appeared,and it was possibly both of them.

We had a 18yr old cat that used to go next door & sun itself.New neighbours arrived with a couple of staffies,they got the cat & ripped it to pieces,we are talking mince meat here,they also ate most of it.

I recon this was the pack thing,if only one dog was there,probably would not have happened.
I also got biten by a staffie once,ther not for me.
Some relatives of our had one for around 15yrs,and it was fine,died recently from a tick ,they want another one.They recon it was the best dog they ever had.

After our Dobe died of old age,SWMBO went & got a Sharpei,now they are a strange dog,i recon they are half cat.....

mike 90 RR · 24th December 2008, 09:32 PM

Originally Posted by loanrangie

Our previous staffy that died of cancer was the most loyal loving tolerant dog i have ever seen, he used to sleep with our ****zhu and cat in the same bed. My daughter would climb all over him pull his ears and poke his eyes and wouldnt even flinch (just look over at us with that look they have). We now have a staffy /lab x that is the sweetest and tolerant dog and again my 22 month old daughter is always hanging off her and she barely even moves. The ****zhu on the other hand gets nippy but he generally just moves away if he's annoyed. We had coker spaniels that went on a sheep killing spree so any dog can become killers , its a shame you acted first but understandable all the same- i have also seen labs turn nasty as well.

Same responce as my dog

Originally Posted by rijidij

times in my research that, "a staffy wont start a fight".
to most people looking for an energetic, but very loveable family dog, or companion.

As said before .. They are just great sooks ..

Don't get them mixed up with fighting dog image

**CraigE** · 26th December 2008, 12:23 AM

Stevo,
as with most dogs most Shepherds are good dogs and I personally dont have much of a problem with them. But facts are facts and Shepherds have the worst record for biting. As said I did some research a few years back and the only country that keeps official records is Germany and Shepherds by a big margin were the #1 dog for attacks wether causing serious injury or not. I no longer have the data as the hard drive I had it all on died and I no longer required the info. Given time I will try and track down the site again. But realistically cant be bothered again. Someone with something to prove can do it as it took me quite a while. Knowing and my wife used to work with Rangers they will tell you the same as most of the dogs they put down for attacks are Shepherds / Alsation or cross breeds of them. I have seen too many attacks (not bad) on kids of both the owner and guests by these dogs by animals that were deemed to be dosile. Any dog of course can do so.
The reason I did the research is we kept getting abuse about having a Staffy and an ignorant ranger. I used to keep a print out of the data and info from the dangerous dogs association for a while to front people about it.
Even anecdotal information from multiple vets confirmed some of this.
They are certainly not the most aggressive dog by any means, just due to their size when they do nip they usually hurt and get reported.
We have had chiauhas as well and they are one of the most aggressive dogs around, but do little damage. People generally had no trouble or concern coming into the yard with a Staffy but the wowas used to keep them at the gate.
Yes like labs they are very intelligent animals. I had a lab for 14 years (age 1-15) and she was my guardian angel and shadow.
Sorry you have taken offence, but these were the facts I came up with and were not just made up.
Same as the Staffy info, they were getting maligned for pit bull, american bull terrier (different to american staffy), english pig dogs and cross breeds. On several occassions I rang the West Australian and the Kalgoorlie Miner to confirm the identity of an attacking dog was a Staffy and every time they could not substantiate it and their normal response was "it was a bull terier, their all the same". When on occassion I could get hold of the ranger or vetit was discovered in fact it was not a Staffy purebred. The staffy association of WA have also done a lot of work on this and debunked all but one claim in WA I know of and most in Australia.
Nothing wrong with a Shepherd and I like most dogs, its just a risk we all take having one no matter what breed. They all can and will attack if provoked or have a bad day.
From what I understand a lot of it comes from bad blood lines that can lead to a form of insanity in dogs like this including labs and retrievers and is usually bad genetics and irresponsible breeders.

Originally Posted by stevo68

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

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