Question

Do you think that SBTs are dangerous because of their history of bull-baiting?

All dogs can be dangerous. I don't think they are now as they are not used for baiting these days. It's down to how they are brought up

The SBT was never actually used for bull baiting. It was developed as a fighting dog & ratter.

Unless you're a bull?

But I have a book all about them and it says that they were used for bull baiting in the 17th century.

Logan is afraid of cows nevermind bulls. There are a lot of dangerous dogs out there but no definitive "dangerous breed".

Just like people, no group/race/breed should be judged in entirety by the actions of some.

Caryll wrote:The SBT was never actually used for bull baiting. It was developed as a fighting dog & ratter.

http://www.thestaffordshirebullterrier.co.uk/history.htm

Dan330 wrote:

Caryll wrote:The SBT was never actually used for bull baiting. It was developed as a fighting dog & ratter.

http://www.thestaffordshirebullterrier.co.uk/history.htm

This is something which is detailed differently and clearer from one source to another. If you read the iopening passage again its a bit clearer. Bulls and some terriers were used for bull baiting. The stafford was bread as a mix of the two for ratting and dog fighting. One of the reasons the stafford is such a great family pet is that the dogs were often a good source of income for owners and helped suplement their normal wage. They were treated with great respect within a houshold, often eating similar meal to that of the family as a good, healthy dog was seen as one that would bring in more money i.e. being a better fighter. (this is from a number of different sources, I am not saying it is gospel)

I do not think staffords are dangerouse because of their history. Any dog is dangerous if trained incorrectly and/or mistreated.

The BULL DOG was bred for bull baiting. The staffy is a mix between a bull dog and a terrier. Thus not bred for bull baiting. Can you see a dog the size of a staffy bringing down a bull?

barrysmiff wrote:But I have a book all about them and it says that they were used for bull baiting in the 17th century.

There was no such thing as a Staffordshire Bull Terrier in the 17th Century - they were developed much later, after bull baiting had been outlawed, and weren't recognised as a breed until the 1930s.

The dogs used for bull baiting were out & out Bulldogs. Different to the Bulldog we know now, but Bulldogs all the same. No terrier in them at all!

Which book gave you that info?

Hayley wrote:The BULL DOG was bred for bull baiting. The staffy is a mix between a bull dog and a terrier. Thus not bred for bull baiting. Can you see a dog the size of a staffy bringing down a bull?

No but 6 of them would!

Dan330 wrote:

Caryll wrote:The SBT was never actually used for bull baiting. It was developed as a fighting dog & ratter.

http://www.thestaffordshirebullterrier.co.uk/history.htm

Dan330 wrote:

Hayley wrote:The BULL DOG was bred for bull baiting. The staffy is a mix between a bull dog and a terrier. Thus not bred for bull baiting. Can you see a dog the size of a staffy bringing down a bull?

No but 6 of them would!

Staffords were never bred for bull baiting. By the time the breed was being developed (and I'm not just talking about a mix of Bull & Terrier) bull baiting had been outlawed.

That article states that bull dogs and some bull & terriers were used, but that was a long time before the Stafford was developed.

the bull dogs aren't that big either , they're just chunky

The bulldogs of the 17th & 18th century were far bigger than the present day ones, and much longer on the leg.

If you change your question to

"Do you think that SBTs are dangerous because of their history of fighting?"

Then I'd say, no, not dangerous as long as the dog is brought up & trained properly.

Worst bite I've had was from a Yorkie.

Worst injury from a staffy has been a wet ear.

The old bulldogs are more like the American bulldog not British one. Don't believe everything you read.

They where more bull mastiff than bull terrier that where used to bring down bulls

MatLogan wrote:Logan is afraid of cows nevermind bulls. There are a lot of dangerous dogs out there but no definitive "dangerous breed".

Just like people, no group/race/breed should be judged in entirety by the actions of some.

Agreed, any breed can be ''dangerous'' I've seen a ''dangerous'' Chihuahua they're not big, muscly or anything. Any dog can be nasty just like any person can be nasty, it's not because you're black or white that you're going to be aggressive, as long as you bring up your dog nicely, socialize and all I doubt he'd be dangerous, all they need is to learn what's bad and good just like humans, if you let your kid fight all the time, most likely he'll think he's not doing anything wrong there for he becomes aggressive, dogs are the same.

Any dog can be dangerous with the wrong training and environment, just like people. A breed as a whole isn't dangerous, but Staffs are more prone to dog aggression than others. That in itself doesn't make them dangerous, so no.

Hayley wrote:The BULL DOG was bred for bull baiting. The staffy is a mix between a bull dog and a terrier. Thus not bred for bull baiting. Can you see a dog the size of a staffy bringing down a bull?

Perhaps if it was a little diddy one like Tilly and the Bull was just walking through the field and didn't see her it could easily trip over , does that count

Dave wrote:

Hayley wrote:The BULL DOG was bred for bull baiting. The staffy is a mix between a bull dog and a terrier. Thus not bred for bull baiting. Can you see a dog the size of a staffy bringing down a bull?

Perhaps if it was a little diddy one like Tilly and the Bull was just walking through the field and didn't see her it could easily trip over , does that count

Noooooo!

I don't think the huge majority SBT's are dangerous, end of. There are always exceptions to the rules though but this is nearly always down to owners or history of being attacked.
People that fight dogs do not want dangerous dogs as they have to go into the 'pit' to separate them and the last thing they want to be is bitten. From talking to people who have been involved with dog fighting, they would destroy any dog that bit a human for this reason. They where trained to fight other dogs not humans.
I do not condone dog fighting and have never been involved in dog fighting.
As an ex paperboy in my youth I was frequently chased by a Chihuahua and it's teeth was like needles, a GSD, a wiry Jack Russel and a mixed breed dog, the worse thing being that all of these dogs were out of the house but none where enclosed in their gardens by fences or gates so I was harassed out of the gardens and down the road... Several of them were kicked very hard.

Keith wrote:Worst bite I've had was from a Yorkie.

Thats only cus you've never been bitten by a bull breed

Retracking a bit - the bulls that these dogs were trained to fight in the bad old days were tied up, so not much chance for them to fight back. Plus, it wasn't one dog on one bull, but several dogs on one tied up bull. Bull baiting, it was called.

Thank goodness civilisation has moved on so that bull-baiting is no longer the "entertainment" that it was 200 years ago. Unfortunately, the bull baiting dogs (the English bulldog) has been bred on, due to show reasons, to become a parody of what it was and is now a canine cripple.

Staffs were bred as dog fighting dogs 100 odd years ago when civilisation was still raw, and it is very unfortunate that civilisation has not caught up with certain people who still regard dog fighting as entertainment and I live in hopes that every single person who engages in dog-fighting is punished to the full extent of the law.

"Staffs are more prone to dog aggression than others" ?

I could name at LEAST one other breed of dog that is by far more dog aggressive than any Staff I have known.

Staffy's are Australia's most popular dog! You think a country as laid back as Australia would have a dangerous dog as it's most popular breed.... I think that pretty much sums it up =}>-
I think they personally should be renamed Australian Bull terriers, laid back, friendly and just out for a good time :p

If you want a pretty well researched book on the history of the stafford, then you can't do better than the following....

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=8710575224&searchurl=an%3Dhoman%252C%2Bmike%26bt.x%3D26%26bt.y%3D5%26sts%3Dt

You might be able to get a copy from your local library.

barrysmiff wrote:Do you think that SBTs are dangerous because of their history of bull-baiting?

Just my opinion but when considering a SBT that is true to type then I think it's a fair statment that it is infact their history that has made them not dangerous to people. However, the same SBT could be considered a danger to anything on four legs.

I'd just like to add (like a lot of people already have) that the SBT was never bred for bull baiting. The SBT came from/were the orginal bull and terriers which were as the name suggests crosses of bulldogs and terriers to create a faster and more agile dog suitable for dog fighting. In historical references you will find their roots lie firmly in dog fighting, ratting and badger baiting.