Is owning a Staffordshire bull terrier enjoyable?

Hi after always having dobermanns previously and losing our dog earlier this year from old age we have decided to try another breed. We are after a dog that we can enjoy it will be our dog for life so we want to get it right. We want to be able to take it on holidays, days out, play with our 3 year old daughter and generally have fun with, Although we both like the staffordshire bull terrier my husband is concerned that people will be hostile and take the enjoyment out of it he is also worried about socialisation and agression towards other dogs we are aware that any dog should be socialised from a young age but we dont want to bite of more than we can chew... i was wondering if you think these are valid concerns and are there more pros to owning a staffie than cons?

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Hi and welcome from us and Suki. I think there are definately more pros than cons to having a staffy. There are some negative sterotypes but changing peoples minds are part of the joy.

Hi betsy,

I've found that people are, by and large, far from hostile to staffies.
I'm fostering two at the moment while they look for forever homes, and we've been bombarded on our walks with comments such as: "lovely dogs" and "ooh, are they staffies, they're nice".

Lots of people patting them on the head, etc.

And many owners of other breeds happy to let them all have a sniff of each other - from yorkies to labradors.

Neither of the two I'm fostering at the moment show any aggression whatsoever towards other dogs, humans or wanting to take their food bowl/treat/bone from them briefly for some reason.

They learn quickly, respond positively, are mature around the house even though they're both young, and are about as loyal as you could imagine.

Both adore human company but don't get under your feet.

I can extrapolate all this to my previous lad, who I recently lost, my brother's staffy, my mum's staffy, who she also lost, etc....

Socialised, given a little training, and taught to walk properly on a slack, short lead, their "image" generally comes across as very positive to other people.

It all depends on the dog AND how you raise it. Most people will boast that staff are very good with children, and most of them are. My Romeo however is very shy of children, but not agressive.

I find so much joy in him, as i have with ALL the staff our family has owned, all of them beeing good with children as having been raised with them. (Romeo never see's kids, nor did he as a puppy.... so now they are a little scary for him with all the yelling and running towards him and such, but if they are quiet and soft with him he's ok.... but not so intrested normally)

Since you have had dobermanns, i can asure you that just because a staff is a smaller dog, doesnt make them less work then a dobermann would be, but they are smaller so they are more travel sized.
Because i have exsposed Romeo from sucha young age, he will go on trams, buses, planes, trains, cars... in malls, shopping, to fashionshows even without a fuss.

I can strongly recomend the breed, but staffs are not for everyone, but i think since you are used to having a powerful breed of dog that you would adjust well to having that same power,... in a smaller body.
From what i have seen males tend to be more dog agressive then females, but then again Romeo and his litter brothers are all very social and easy with other dogs, his sister is not. But then agian, its up to that dog.

I have had some negitive sterotyping heaped on me, but i really dont care because my dog is so awsome, and i get a kick out of correcting idiots i meet. But i get more positive reactions normally of people smiling when they see my smiley boy walking along next to me.

Youll get no more attention from other people than you did with your dobe, my brother has one and is used to the mixed reactions from people. just depends who you meet on a walk. I have two staff crosses and wouldnt change them for the world, its not just enjoyment but pride as well.
I had them both in puppy parties and both are great around people and other dogs, in fact marley my eldest will just trot on by most smaller dogs and will only take interest and play with bigger dogs.
We have a few staffies and crosses in our park walk pac and there all lil diamonds. they play hard, are loyal and obediant and if there was a scoring system on the most well behaved dogs in the park im sure they would be consistantly at the top.
There are also plenty of acticvities you can enjoy with them like agility or flyball which they are fantastic at and equally they will plod along beside you for miles on leasurly walks.
Generally they love everyone, but the love you'll get back from them as an owner is fantastic. staffies can never be accused of being shy or hiding there feelings and to top it of they do it with a great big smile.

Moving from a Doberman to Staff is a reasonable move as people still have their feelings about Dobie DobieDoos, you will not be dissapointed with their loyalty and affection, I've got 2 , my OH is a childminder and we wouldn't change them for the world

Hi and welcome to the forum from Rocky and me.

You will not be disappointed with owning a Staffy. I have never known a more affectionate breed of dog and they are great with children too. Rocky has become the most loyal friend anyone could ever wish to have.

Where are you thinking of taking your dog on holiday with you ? Some countries do not allow Staffys in so may be an idea to check this first. A couple of threads that may be worth reading below. These mainly concern France though.,

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t21765-pet-passports

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t13095-pet-passport-french-dda-ammendment

Hello and welcome
They fun, active, loyal,great with kids, completely bonkers but i wouldn't be with out Marley.

Hi and welcome.

Callie is a joy. She is always happy, boisterous, excited, a little goofy. It's impossible to be in a bad mood around her. And she is incredibly affectionate. We all feel like we are a better family since she came along. She has been very easy to socialize as she loves everyone and is good with other dogs in general.

Having said that she is stubborn (new thing--lies down on floor, grass, road(!) and looks reproachfully at you when you tell her to do something she would rather not do) and would happily chew the house down. But they need training, and supervision. Not a low-maintenance dog, at least in her current puppy stage.

I've met a few negative people--more about pit bulls as Staffies are relatively uncommon in the US. Far more who thought she was beautiful, cool-looking, strong, affectionate, well-behaved. I'd say 10 to 1.

And I just don't care what the negative people think of her (though I do understand your concerns). I think she's awesome.

Hiya from me and Moo, Staffies are amazing, simple

Hi and welcome.

I was one of the idiots who believed all the negative press, and as I have 3 children, I always said I would never have a staff and I never let my children near one. I met my dad for the first time 2 and a half years ago and he has a staff. I soon fell in love with him and did some real research of my own and decided I wanted one.

We have had Charlie for almost 2 years now and he is amazing. We socialized and trained him well from the get go and we couldn't wish for a better dog. He has zero aggression, he's fantastic with all dogs and other people and, most importantly, he is amazing with children. If you take a look in the gallery, there's lots of photos in there of my boy with my children.

When we are out and about on walks, we meet lots of dogs with dog aggression - almost all of them are horrible snappy little dogs, I have yet to meet an aggressive staff.

Yes we do get some negativity, but we also get a lot of positivity too, and the pros of owning a staff far outweigh the cons in my opinion.

Hi we had gsds before getting our oldest staff and she is a lot more affectionate she is well socialised if a little boisterous but will happily walk with all kinds of dogs she addoors my 2 kids (16&14) and my nephew (7) although she can easily get over excited
My boy however is a different story he is a private rescue and has a lot of nervous issues one being other dogs but he is work in progress ( I sort of knew what I was getting as I know his background ) but again he is calm around the kids and is very loving
We travel in our camper a lot and most of the time have no negative comments although I think whatever breed you have someone will always have one bad thing to say about them
With having dobies you will be used to the power
Good luck with finding your new fur baby

I think with rescues it is nearlt always a different kettle of fish because of their past. Some have been abused, neglected, abandoned, given up without training etc. And that's the same for all breeds of dog.

Thanks for all your replies its been reassuring to hear so many positive thoughts regarding the staffordshire bull terrier after reading the posts and doing some more research we feel alot more confident that they are the right dog for us so i suppose we need to look out for a reputable breeder thanks again everyone!

Have you considered rescuing? there are loads of dogs that are desperate for a new home

steve76 wrote:Have you considered rescuing? there are loads of dogs that are desperate for a new home

I know ive seen how many of these beautiful dogs the shelters have. Its the fact that we have a 3 year old child i thought most shelters wouldnt rehome to families with small children. if it was just me and the husband we would prefer to rescue.

Yes, Staffys are the best. I'd never be with out 1. Yes, you will allways get ignorance around a Staffy. Only the other day, a lady was on the other side of the road walking a little fluffy dog who was barking and pulling towards kenny, She was looking at me as if i had the devil on a lead, yet Kenny didnt take any notice and kept walk. Who's the devil here!!

betsy wrote:

steve76 wrote:Have you considered rescuing? there are loads of dogs that are desperate for a new home

I know ive seen how many of these beautiful dogs the shelters have. Its the fact that we have a 3 year old child i thought most shelters wouldnt rehome to families with small children. if it was just me and the husband we would prefer to rescue.

Unfortunately you're right about this, its the reason we can't rescue. Most rescues won't rehome to a family with children under 10 unless it is a very young pup (4 months or under). Its frustrating but it is to safeguard the dog and the children.

I am truely biased so will say that I would not even consider another breed. Everything said here about their positives is true but they do require BIG committment to excercise, boundaries and lots of people company and love.

Dora is our first dog and we are so happy with her.

We met more than a little resistance from family members when we told them what breed we were intending to get, but we explained that (as far as we knew and could research at the time) most of what is perceived about the breed is false.

She has just had her first birthday and yes as she was growing up we had times when she was quite a lot to handle, but that was as much down to us having to learn the ropes of general puppy training as much as anything else. We soon contacted a trainer that was able to put us in the right track when we felt out of depth and this forum was really helpful too. Our trainer did say that she wasn't an easy dog to begin with, but she is thrilled with the results we have achieved with her.

We were firm with her, gave her lots of attention when she was good, and none when she was naughty. We were amazed how quick she learned stuff. She now understands so many commands - more than we ever expected.

A year on you look back and realise how far you have come. There were difficult moments, and we have put a lot of time and effort into her, but seeing Dora grow from a tiny pup to a year old has been a joy and was totally worth it.

She is fun, playful, affectionate and a joy to be around. And she soon won over the rest of the family too. The person who was the least keen on us getting her is now her biggest fan

alexiastra wrote:Dora is our first dog and we are so happy with her.

We met more than a little resistance from family members when we told them what breed we were intending to get, but we explained that (as far as we knew and could research at the time) most of what is perceived about the breed is false.

She has just had her first birthday and yes as she was growing up we had times when she was quite a lot to handle, but that was as much down to us having to learn the ropes of general puppy training as much as anything else. We soon contacted a trainer that was able to put us in the right track when we felt out of depth and this forum was really helpful too. Our trainer did say that she wasn't an easy dog to begin with, but she is thrilled with the results we have achieved with her.

We were firm with her, gave her lots of attention when she was good, and none when she was naughty. We were amazed how quick she learned stuff. She now understands so many commands - more than we ever expected.

A year on you look back and realise how far you have come. There were difficult moments, and we have put a lot of time and effort into her, but seeing Dora grow from a tiny pup to a year old has been a joy and was totally worth it.

She is fun, playful, affectionate and a joy to be around. And she soon won over the rest of the family too. The person who was the least keen on us getting her is now her biggest fan

Thanks for sharing a really positive story

Very enjoyable , we have always had dogs got our first Staffie 6 yrs ago ,we now have 6 (must be mad)
You do get people who look at them disgusted but you will find that you get 10 times as many who love staffies ,anyone who has one or a friend / family member who has one will love them.
They are mad as hatters but also the most loving dogs around.
Just give your dog proper training and lots of love and you will be rewarded more than you can imagine

guess all the bases have been covered by everyone else but yes staffies are a great dog to own. we wouldn't be without buster now and he's great with people and kids. bit funny with other dogs but that's down to him being rescued and not being socialised before.

Betsy

A Stafford is a great companion if well exercised and well socialised with proper training you have tremendous dog.
They require a firm hand as i assume a Doberman would but they soon learn there place in the home, they are adaptable to change and always willing to please
Well done for researching and hope you get what your looking for

Best dogs in the world for me! They are loving, loopy and very loyal with very human characteristics (including snoring, farting and chatting). When you take on a staffe you have to embrace the madness and throw yourself in to their love of life - you will miss out on so much if you don't. Lola makes me laugh every day which is worth every worry you could ever have.

Jaq wrote:Best dogs in the world for me! They are loving, loopy and very loyal with very human characteristics (including snoring, farting and chatting). When you take on a staffe you have to embrace the madness and throw yourself in to their love of life - you will miss out on so much if you don't. Lola makes me laugh every day which is worth every worry you could ever have.

Well put Jaq that's pretty much it in a nutshell