Hello from Minnesota

Hi everyone!

I'm excited to be here and excited to learn more about this breed.

I'll admit, right up front, I am a breeder and shower of Standard Poodles. I like to do obedience/rally with my dogs and do conformation in venues that don't require the Continental clips..so I show them UKC and Internatonal shows, where I can keep them is simpler to maintain clips (living on a farm is not conducive to big hair).

Anyway, my young adult son has special needs. He suffers from schizophrenia and anxiety. He is on meds and is high functioning, but stuggles so much with social anxiety. He LOVES dogs, and wants one of his very own, but not one of his "mom's dogs"...I have been a fan of the SBT for many years, loved the ones I've met at shows and here and there and my son absolutely adores the bully breeds. I don't want another "bigger" dog in the house, so I'm thinking this would be a good fit, but I want to touch bases with other owners/breeders before deciding for sure, this is what we are looking for.

I have horses/dogs/chickens and sheep here, so I'm looking for a dog that is not excessively prey driven. My Standards will snack on the chickens if given the chance, and I can deal with that kind of behavior, but I don't want a dog that will try to take down my sheep or chase the horses and get it's head caved in. I'm looking for an energetic, affectionate, compact dog, that has confidence, but not overbearing (so no alpha puppy). I'm encouraging my son to compete with the puppy, trying out rally obedience or something, so he start expanding his social circle. This will be strictly a companion dog/non breeding.

So I begin our research on this breed and any insight/advise will be gladly taken.

Hi & welcome to the forum  

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Hello and welcome

So I have 2 staffies, 3 horses and 2 cats.
The girls will chase cats from the garden but not my cats in the house.
They do not chase the horses and generally keep clear of their legs.
For me, it’s a question of early training. Staffies are intelligent but alot more stubborn than a poodle (being a terrier) so you just need to keep that in mind.

Just one thing, I am referring to the “english” Staffordshire bull terrier which weighs 20kgs max, compared to your American staffordshire terrier (which we call AmStaffs here) which weigh almost double of our Staffies and are much bigger, like your pitbulls.

Our Staffies are nanny dogs so great with children. Great demonstration by Nifty today when I met up with a friend, she was wanting to lick the baby
My Opium is giving the border collies and such a serious run for their money at obedience classes.
I find staffies energetic but they can veg out in front of the telly in the evening too.

I may be biased but I think with your canine knowledge to give correct education, a staffy could be a great choice and significantly different from your standard poodles
Oh, and staffies are real clowns with a big sense of humour too Never a dull moment with a staffy and their legendary smile is contagious to their humans

I like AmStaffs, but you are correct, they are big dogs and not what i'm looking for..its the true little staffy that I am seeking.

It sounds like one would fit in with my current pack o'hounds and be a good fit for an active young man. While this will be my son's dog, it will still be a member of our larger household...with all the critters that come with that.

Thanks for the info, that is helpful. I'm hoping with a dog of his own by his side, he'll be inclined to get out there and join the world a little bit more.

Please do let us know what you decide and how it goes with your son.
Any questions ? Hope we can help

I guess it’s the same with your poodles (sorry for my lack of knowledge of the breed) but staffies have certain genetic disorders that you must screen to avoid future heartache. This unfortunately is particularly true of blue dogs.

Hi from me & Katy A Staffie would be a great addition to your family & I'm sure would be a loyal companion to your son. They like nothing more than to spend time with you & especially cuddling Katy only ever chases squirrels anything bigger she stays well away from