Rescued a 9 year old Staffy, just a quick question!

Hi!

I rescued a 9 year old staffie yesterday, she's absolutely lovely and so docile. Very affectionate and all round great. However my mum took her out today with a neighbours dog, a really friendly golden.

They'd been fine all day but according to her my dog jess went for the golden. I wasn't there so didn't see the incident and I have a feeling that the neighbour is just being hysterical. She didn't bite her, so imo there is a chance it is just play that looked a certain way. This neighbour also perpetuated the lock jaw myth to me so I'm not inclined to trust her about this incident, But at the same time I'm naturally worried.

The rescue centre assured us she has shown zero signs of agression with them, and I can vouch for the fact she is ridiculously placid and affectionate.

It seems so out of character, this dog is extremely well trained. Can do all commands goes to her bed when asked, never barks. Idk if I'm overly worried or what but it would break my heart to send her back to the shelter.
Anyone offer any advice or reassurance? I'm worried because I really love her and don't want this to go wrong.

Any advice would be great!

Thanks

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Hi ya, welcome to the forum from Flo & me

In all probability it was play, Staffies do play rough and can make some horrific noise whilst about it too. It's hard to say for sure as none of us saw the incident.

Moving forward I would suggest a walk together on lead so that your neighbour can see how calm your girl is and then let them off in a quiet area and see how they interact. You are quiet right with the lock jaw, it is a myth. Having said that if they do fight it can be difficult to separate them which is where this misconception comes from I would think

Its maybe been a bad day lot of people if they have never had staffies or seen them in action can perceive it as vicious . Just monitor the both dogs closely as above .

Thanks! Yeah that's what I think, I think it's a massive overreaction, and the shelter assured us she had exhibited zero signs of aggression.

That's the difficulty I didn't see the incident but I don't see why she would suddenly turn, she's the most placid dog I've been around. Just while I'm here, what is the ideal weight for a female staffie. She is overweight so she's been overfed without a doubt, I'm just trying to figure out what sort of goals to set for her.

Thanks again!

Hiya i never went by kilos with my mia i just know their ideal weight is the ribs showing but not protruding this is my mia aged 13

Hi and welcome from me and Misty. congratulations on the rescue! Lovely to hear of a dog getting out of kennels and into a loving forever home.

I definitely agree with the above. Staffies do like to play rough and the noises misty makes sounds horrendous sometimes. When her and her Sprocker friend play he is the same and it sounds as though they are going to kill each other but they just chase each other. She once had a wonderful friend who was a staffy x chow chow. He used to walk her around the park with her lip in his mouth. It looked like he was going to rip her lip off! Honestly the first time I saw him do that I felt sick, however the more I watched I realised misty always went back for more and he never once left a mark on her. It did look awful though but she loved it! 

Plus I think if your girl was aggressive she would have left a mark on the other dog. Misty has been bitten by a staffy and he drew blood and left marks on her nose so again the fact that nothing really happened make me think it was play but like Ian says do some on lead walks to make sure. 

Plus the fact she is literally only just out of a shelter it's a lot to take in so quickly, New home, New routine new walks etc it could have been a bit too overwhelming in such a short space of time.

Really hope all goes well and can't wait for lots of pictures x

hia from me and Sasha  ,aww well done you on rescuing her  ,for people that dont know staffies some times their play might look like aggression but its just play,its really early days for her to be settling in with you,is there a way they dont have to see each other for a few days,then try walking them again together,both on lead

I wouldn't read too much into it until you see it yourself.My guess is that it could be rough play or may be a warning.If she meant to be nasty she would have certainly left a mark.As said,take them out together on leads and watch the body language.
As for the ideal weight,it all depends on the height of your dog measured at the shoulder.The breed standard states 14 to 16 inches max,and a bitch at that height I wouldn't let her go no more than 18 kg.
Today you find some staffs that are not bred for the show ring a lot higher than that,so if that is the case you can add on a few more kgs in proportion to it.I know when you get a new dog we can easily fall into the trap of over feeding,if she is a little bit over weight feed a little less and make sure she is exercised enough to burn it off.Keep her fit and active,she will thank you for it,as it's only natural for a senior to put on a few kgs.Saves you on the vet bills as well.

I agree, it could well have been play and I too would want to see it for myself before making any judgements.

However, do bear in mind with rescues that they have had disturbed lives, at least recently, and there may be stuff in their histories that you don't know about. It can take a while for a dog to settle, as they learn to relax and trust, and let go of their baggage. I would always advise taking it slowly with any rescue, making sure that dog and people meetings are done with a little care and lots of attention. I would leave it a little while before allowing play, let the dogs walk alongside each other a few times first.

If you do have real concerns, though, contact the rescue centre. A good one should always be on hand to talk about any issues and give advice.

Thanks everyone for being so welcoming and for the great advice. I did contact the rescue centre again and she has never shown signs of dog aggression, or any aggression at all. I'm absolutely in love with the dog, I want everything to be okay, so I was probably just over worried

this is her, as you can she, she's settled in well

Oh wow she's beautiful xx

Oh she's lovely!

By the way, I meant to say before, good on you for taking on a older dog. So many people are put off because of age but, as you know for yourself, they're such great dogs!

Do ask if you've got anything else you want to bounce off us. We've here to help as well as to be a place of like minded staffie lovers.

Ah shes adorable can see why you picked her

Mia05 wrote:Ah shes adorable can see why you picked her

thanks, she's so lush. I really could not leave her in there as soon as I saw her. My mum just got back from a walk and reckons she did the same thing again. It's annoying because I haven't seen it happen so I can't figure out what's going on. I watched a couple of vids of staffies playing and it sounds the same, like jumping on them and like the way they sort of go towards the neck.

It's hard to tell without seeing it. I literally can't take her back there. I don't want to lose her it's really stressing me out.

Mia05 wrote:Ah shes adorable can see why you picked her

She totally melted my heart as soon as I saw her.

LizP wrote:Oh she's lovely!

By the way, I meant to say before, good on you for taking on a older dog. So many people are put off because of age but, as you know for yourself, they're such great dogs!

Do ask if you've got anything else you want to bounce off us. We've here to help as well as to be a place of like minded staffie lovers.

Thanks! I wasn't bothered about the age thing, I want her to have a happy last part of her life where she can chill out and just enjoy herself. I will definitely, thanks for that.

She looks adorable

Try not to stress, you stress will transmit to her and that won't help her settle in and won't help her dog interactions.

When you're out and about with her, I'd use a long line (5m or so) so she can have plenty of space but without being completely free to take off or anything. It's just a sensible precaution for any new rescue dog while you get to know them and vice versa. Keep the line slack at all times when possible, not on the floor and tangled but with any excess in a neat coil in your hand, and the line between you and her with a 'smile' in it. Just keep an eye on her body language, especially if you see her stiffen, and that should give you more confidence to know that she is sound with others.