I REALLY want a staffy!

Hi all,

I would like to ask you all some questions about staffies. I am head over heels in love with them but never owned one. Ive only seen some on walks with our labrador. Some of them are mad as hatters and want nothing more than a fuss and play. Some, however are not so friendly and I would go as far to say, aggressive. Obviously you get this with any breed. Ive met some pretty nasty labradors too.

So my questions begin!

Is it entirely possible for a staffy to live in a household with another dog without there being fights?
Would a staffy be able to get on with my 2 kids? (5yrs and 1yr) the eldest knows how to respect dogs and the youngest one is being taught as well.
Is a staffy pretty tolerant of family life? e.g Ive found my 1 yr old in our labradors crate and our lab doesnt bat an eyelid!
How are they at being trained?
Could they be let off lead in a safe place?
Even if they are socialised from day 1 can they still become DA?
How much exercise would they need? we take our lab on 5km walks (i know you couldnt do that with a pup though)

Anything else anyone wants to add, i'd appreciate it! I soooo want to add one to our family but its something you have to get right first time isnt it as you cant get a dog then dump it because it didnt suit your lifestyle. We've only ever had labs and goldens so no idea what staffies are like to live with!

Thanks a lot!

Deffinantly possible too have a staffy with another dog without fights, we have 2 male staffys and a female collie x and they get on great.
Staffys were known as the nanny dog they love family life and kids.
Trainning, i would say from personal experience they are fab can be a bit stubburn lol. And im always letting mine off in parks etc, but thats down to recall and trainning etc.
In my oppinion no dogs do not just turn aggressive, if well socilised you will have a great dog.
As for walks ours get around 1 hour and half - 2 hours a day and thats enough. but we have taken them on 5 hour walks before and they love it.

And well done for doing your research not many do. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Michelle

i think its certainly possible for a staffy to live in your life, as said above staffys are one of the best dogs for young kids. Woody has always been good with other dogs off lead even those that are DA themselves have been fine because of Woodys good nature. they do like attention though and can suffer if they dont get as much attention as they would desire. good luck in finding one for your home x

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Hi and welcome to the forum from Rocky and me.

Would you getting a rescue dog or buying from a reputable breeder?

If you decide to go for a rescue please check the list of centres below:

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t10833-rescue-centres-list

Staffys are usually very good with children, although I don't have children myself may be someone else with experience of this can answer better.

Sorry but I have only ever had 1 dog at a time so cannot answer for more than 1.

They are quite easy to train and pick things up quickly such is my experience anyway.

If you do not feel happy about letting them off lead buy a long training line, and practice recall lots.

They would need at least 2 good walks a day of at least 45/1 hour each time.

Hope this is a start to a long and very happy friendship with your Staffy. Good luck and all the best.

sounds pretty good for a staffy !

Mine is 10mths old, I have 4 kids aged 4,7,10,11 they all adore Diesel, and Diesel adores them. She has to put up with constant love and attention lol the novelty of having a dog hasnt worn off for them !

Staffys are very intelligent - as well as physical exercise they love puzzles and mental stimulation.

My staffy is a big softy, she loves to chillout and snooze the day away, following me around like a shadow, she almost craves cuddles, as staffys in general are deeply affectionate and love human contact. Mine even sleeps on our bed at night between me and the OH !!!!

Mine has about a 45min walk a day and she looks forward to playing like crazy with the OH when he gets home.

she likes her walks, and has picked up training really fast, start as u mean to go on, stay consistent and all will be well

I wish you luck and hope u find the perfect addition to your family

my maisy loves my 2 girls age 2 and 8, when they cry she is there to see whats wrong, if she knocks the little one over - which doesnt happen often - she stops dead in her tracks and looks devestated bless her. she loves playing chase with them, she loves hugs and kisses - sometimes bear hugs from the 2 year old and being covered with the blanket like a baby, maisy just gives kisses back!

a staffy is the best family dog you can get in my opinion

To answer everything as best i can:

Is it entirely possible for a staffy to live in a household with another dog without there being fights? Yes, it is. It will be better to get a dog of a different sex to yours and get either a pup or a rescue that is proven to be dog friendly.


Would a staffy be able to get on with my 2 kids? (5yrs and 1yr) the eldest knows how to respect dogs and the youngest one is being taught as well. Staffys are known as the nanny dog, but like with any dog should never be left on their own with them. Also staffys will eat anything so you have to be extra careful of small bits.

Is a staffy pretty tolerant of family life? e.g Ive found my 1 yr old in our labradors crate and our lab doesnt bat an eyelid!
Again, they are called the nanny dog! but a dog should always have a place to go where it cannot be reached by kids, to have some alone time if they wish.

How are they at being trained? Trained for what? in general they are good but take a little longer than labs due to being a little less food or toy orintated (not always the exception though) they tend to be harder to train but with enough time they can do anything.

Could they be let off lead in a safe place? Yes, but other peoples dogs may react badly to yours and lets just say your dog will most likely not back down from a fight and will most likely win. if you have two dogs and two kids it can be a lot to handle so i would just be cautious. other people may attack your dog if they feel it is going to attack them (which in most cases isnt true but some people see a staffy coming towards them and assume the worst)

Even if they are socialised from day 1 can they still become DA? Some can yes, my pup was brought up with 2 dogs at home and was at my nans with 1 dog and my friends with her dog a lot and at car boots sales etc but is still DA with some dogs. Its down to personality and POSITIVE social training (some dogs may get attacked and become fear DA)

How much exercise would they need? we take our lab on 5km walks 5km will be fine for it as long as it gets playtime as well, the more energy they have the more destructive they can be.

Another few things, they are like brick poo houses, they will walk through most fences unless its metal or concrete. they can chew anything and if left to do so can be destructive.

do you want a pup or an adult dog?

and one more thing, not to be rude i really hope i don't, are you sure a new dog with all you have going on is a wise choice? i know kids can be a handful and believe me so can staffys. theyre like kids themselves. just think about whether you would like to wait until the kids are a bit older and not so much of a handful

My wife is a childminder and Tilly is tolerant with all ages.
Tilly will remove herself when the little ones get too pushy and dance all over the bigger ones if they show some interest. I have an office at home and if she wants some quiet time she lays over my feet all day as my Staffy slippers My best dog ever

Hi and welcome from us and Suki

Thanks for all the replies. Its something we are seriously looking into but we are not going to rush into getting another dog. We would love to rescue a staff but would also like to get a puppy from a reptuable breeder so again thats something we need to decide on. We need to think long term too as things are ideal now to bring another dog in but will they be in a few years? I am lucky enough to have a partner who works so that I dont have to so I would be home all day but if he happened to lose that job what happens to us and the dogs then? It all needs to be taken into account. I want to gather as much info on staffies as possible so when the time comes we can make an informed decision.

Thanks again for the replies! Im sure i'll be asking a lot more lol

Hi and welcome. I echo all that has been said. Personally there is no dog in the world like a Staff. Once you have been around one you will be hooked for life. They do require a huge committment though but it is well worth it.

Staffies are very easy dogs to deal with if trained correctly. They can be a pain in the bum while puppies as they chew like crocodiles. If you do get one then it would be better to get one the opposite gender of your labrador.
Staffies have a great sense of humour and you may find they're lot 'sharper' then your lab. There's a reason that they can be stubborn to train-because they won't do something for nothing! My dog abbhors fetch. He'll chase the ball and then go into a bush and rip it up-in his eyes he ran for it-its his to keep! If you want a puppy I would wait till your children are a couple of years older as they can rile each other up. An older dog used to children would be more tolerant.