I want one of those....................

Hi everyone, I'm a newbie and found this site through google - I need advice. I have the opportunity of owning (or is it being owned) by a 2 year old female staffie. Her owner is very upset that she has to rehome her but unavoidable circumstances means that this is the case. She is a beautiful looking dog and has a long pedigree, although I don't wish to show or breed. She seemed the ideal answer for us as she is obviously trained and I have none of the puppy stage to get through. She is quite a distance from me and before I commit myself entirely I have a couple of questions. My husband and myself have read about the 100% loyalty, that they are people dogs and one of only 2 breeds that have completely trustworthy as breed standard. I know I may have a few problems initially because as far as she is concerned, she has a home that I'll be taking her away from.
However, I have a couple of extended family members that have come up with hypothetical questions that I am unsure how to answer. I have a couple of small grandchildren and my son-in-law is a little wary and said that if she turned on one of the children I wouldn't have the strength to get her off - its not like a nip from a different type of dog. My comment was that why would she do that when she has not shown any indication towards this type of behaviour ever. I think he has read too many articles about "Granny's pit bull savages child" and the poor little staffies get lumped together with every other bull breed owned by an irrresponsible owner. He thinks we might be better with a puppy as we would know its character from very young but I'm quite smitten with this cutie. This has to be a family decision and everyone has to be happy with my choice - if I get a dog at all, I would like a Staffie. Even as I'm writing this, I just know that I will only get positive replies, but its nice to get a consensus of opinion. Many thanks x

Hi &

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Hi and welcome to the forum from Rocky and me.

Staffys are generally very good with children and are also know as the Nanny Dog because of this.

Sadly my husband and I dont have children but many members on this forum do and will be able to fill you in as to how a Staffy will get along with them.

Please have a good read of the wesite there is a load of very usefull info on there. We also have a good search facility where many relevent questions will have already been asked, please dont be afraid to use it.

I hope you get the opportunity to be owned by a Staffy they are certainly little characters and are full of personality. Good luck with it all.

hia from me and sasha,has the dog you might be getting been around children before?if so was it ok with them and were they young or older children?these are the sort of questions i would be asking the current owner,every staff i have met loved kids and they are known as nanny dogs cos of their love for children.if you do decide its the right dog for you,i would introduce them may be once the dog has had time to settle in abit first,good luck they are amazing dogs

Hiya and welcome from me and Moo

Staffies are amazing with children, she was my breed of choice,
A; cause I had one previous and
B; because at the time I got her I ran a social club, where kids where and I needed a child friendly mutt

Moo had 3 homes before me and she is an angel. When I was at work the dads (more a working mans club) would want there kids to interact with Moo, took the attention away from them and they could have a quiet pint lol!!

On the down side my sister won't let Moo near her children because of the cr*p in the media. Which has kinda split our family!

In my opinion you can't go wrong

Hi & welcome.

Staffords are generally brilliant with children. However, I'd advise a couple of things...
1. Before you get her, ask the current owner what experience she has with children & if she's used to them, what are the ages of the children she is used to.
2. If/when you bring her home, let her settle down for a couple of weeks before you introduce your grandchildren, and then make sure that they let her take her own time to greet them. If it looks like she's becoming stressed, or if she walks away to be on her own, ask the children to give her some peace. If they are very young, just tell them that she needs to go to sleep for a while.
3. Always supervise kids when they are playing with a dog - any dog!

My old boy, Bandit was never brought up around children, and when my son was born Bandit was already nearly 9 years old. He was brilliant with my son & 18 months later with my daughter! Both kids learned to stand by grabbing his scruff & heaving themselves up.

I suppose what I'm saying is that all staffs have the capability to love children as long as they are given a chance to get to know them slowly & calmly. A word of warning, though. If your grandchildren area little older, staffords do like to rough play, so you'll have to be aware of that & step in if you feel it's getting a bit too rough. Don't get me wrong, they won't get bitten, but they might get knocked over!

Vlad is only 8 months old and still behaves like a little puppy even though he is the size of a full grown dog! He loves my 6 year old niece and my friend's children. He runs around with them until he can't anymore! In fact, my niece chases him, he chases her and so it goes until one or both has had enough! He seems to know that he needs to be a little more gentle with kids. A good indication of how good their nature is: Vlad was loves to sit outside and watch the birds... yesterday, 3 birds chased him and then proceeded to eat the last of his dry food! He just kind of stood by the back door with a very confused look on his face LOL. They are gorgeous dogs... my husband and I did what you did and did a lot of research before we decided on breed and because we have friends and also my brother that own staffies, we decided to get one. You are 100% correct with you comment on irresponsible owners and media giving these guys a bad name, because they really are gorgeous! Vlad wants to be adored by everyone and he also thinks everyone and every animal is his friend! Good luck! Let us know what happens

hi looks like you have lots of advise here but i think your right YOUR THE ONE BEING OWNED they are a bundle of joyful energy that will keep you on your toes and give you endless fu. good luck and dont forget the only thing this forum insists on is lots of pictures we love to see pictures of all the dogs having fun and cuddles

Many thanks for all the advice. I have had a chat to the curent owner and have provisionally arranged to go and see her after Easter - she lives a long way from me. Will let you know how I get on, watch this space ......... Polly

My wife is a childminder and no issues. We have had 1 or 2 people come for interviews for new child places that have asked a few questions and seemed to have reservations about Tilly being with the kids and they have been told quite clearly. No dog should ever be left unsupervised with young children for any great periods and we would never do that. If the situation is a bit hectic we normally keep Tilly out of the room but she doesn't bother and if they aren't playing with her she will happily lie in her bed and chill out.
And if they don't love Tilly (which anyone in their right mind would ) then they don't get the place anyway