Staff question

TextureLikeSun

Hi really hoping someone can help me here!Obviously there has been bad press surrounding staffs recently and they seem to have a fearsome rep in some circles thanks to the media

However we love them and are seriously considering the breed.We are looking to add a dog to our family and i have heard such lovely things about them from owners and also online -the fact they are called the nanny dog says it all really!

We have 3 children -1,7 & 13 -who are all dog crazy and would love one of their own.

One thing that does concern me is that i have read/heard-perhaps not true at all but have to ask -that if the parents dogs are aggressive or have been perhaps encouraged to be aggressive by irresponsible owners then the pup might have a so/so temperment

Where would i find a decent owner with well rounded pups ?Im assuming stay away from donedeal etc ?any advice greatly appreciated !

meoklmrk91

http://www.ikc.ie/dog-ownership/choosing-right-dog/dog-breed-society-contacts?field_clubsoc_clone_tid=104

The above would be a good place to start. I would avoid donedeal because of backyard breeders and such. Of course when you get a puppy you want the parents to be well rounded and well socialised regardless of what breed it is so the kennel club is definatey a good place to start.

Just something for you to consider, there are lots of staffies and staff puppies in rescue in Ireland, I am not allowed to give rescue names etc. on this forum but they aren't too hard to find. Just something for you to consider.

TooManyDogs

TextureLikeSun wrote: »

i have read/heard-perhaps not true at all but have to ask -that if the parents dogs are aggressive or have been perhaps encouraged to be aggressive by irresponsible owners then the pup might have a so/so temperment

This can be true of every breed, that irresponsible people breed from aggressive and it gives the potential for the offspring to have aggressive tendencies. As with everything it's not 100% guarantee that aggressive parents will produce offspring with a tendency toward aggression and likewise that parents with 100% sound temperament will produce pups with a likewise temperament, but odds are stacked more in your favour if you search out sound parents.

Have to say I love staffs, and have friends who have them with kids or grand kids regularly in and out of the house and they're just big cuddle bundles, their only danger to kids is that tail being wagged like a whip cos they never stop wagging

Any dog of any breed that is badly brought up and then isolated and not socialised has the potential to attack, and if you look at most of the newspaper reports the dogs in the fatal attacks often were isolated in the garden or yard or rooftop etc. Isolation for long periods of time will often leave dogs with mental issues, but it's only the bully type breeds reported in the papers because that's what sells papers. I'm sure if you go through the bite statistics you'll find a heap of other breeds in there that bite more frequently than bully types.

Best of luck with your staffy search, they're brilliant

fatmammycat

I have never– and I truly mean never– met an aggressive staffy. To me they are the most adorable easy going little balls of cuddledom and raised right (as with all dogs) would be a boon for any family, especially with children as they seem a particularly affable breed and WAY more tolerant than a lot of other breeds. I wouldn't put too much stock in newspaper stories, they often have an agenda, and salacious stories sell.

Done Deal dont even advertise Staffys.
IKC you can still find dodgy breeders through them.

The best tool in finding one is yourself. Try and contact as many breeders as you can. Then try and visit as many as you can. You have to remember everybody throws the words "reliable breeder" around but every breeder will tell you that they are reliable. So give it time in your search.

With regards the dogs in question, they are great with kids and other humans. Not great with other dogs. Reason being , if another dog starts a fight with a staffy, the staffy will finish the fight. Hence bad publicity.

Speaking of bad publicity, papers love the get a hold of these storys and run with them. It was huskys last year. They seem to glaze over the human element of these attacks. Simply there was an unprovoked attack. There is always a reason for an attack.

I think staffys are great but my big downside to them is not the biting but the chewing. They love to chew and break. My dog has chewed through plaster in the walls, Skirting boards, Doors, I caught her trying to chew a flat surface. I had another staffy for a few months that i was fostering that was the same. Chew Chew Chew

Fantastic dogs though .

ShaShaBear

A good friend of mine recently adopted an adult staffie boy from the pound. Think he was in and around 3 years old. Has a lovely video of him going around the rooms in the morning to give everyone, including her two-year-old, their morning kisses.

So many of them end up in pounds. In fact, a well-known rescue in Galway had six of them a few weeks ago. Not sure, but there might even be one or two still in foster waiting for a home!

TextureLikeSun

Thank you all so much for the advice it is greatly appreciated Will keep you informed on our search