Hello, I am hoping that some of you lovely Labrador lovers would be able to help me with an issue I have. It is my issue I believe and I don't want to pass it on to my babies. When out walking and I come across a , Staffordshire bull terrier type breed of dog I get rather nervous about being around them and don't let my babies near them. Today on our walk my eldest dog was eager to play and ran towards a Staffie. I immediately called her back. She came but then the Staffie followed. This was OKish until it tried to get on top of her as soon as they came face to face. I really find it hard to tolerate this kind of behaviour in any dog, I would really be embarrassed if my dogs behaved like this. Any way I told it to get off and it being a Staffie was not going to put my hands anywhere near it. So I used my foot to move it off my dog and stood myself between it and my babies. The owner had not even got close enough to take his dog away and did not recall it once. If it had been any other breed of dog and seemed friendly I would have tried to make friends with it. Have you any advice that would help me get over my apprehension of these types of dog. Thank you
Nope. Here Staffies are rare and Pitbulls are banned but I am the same with the breed of dog I've had the most trouble with, Siberian Huskies. Vet bill to the tune of $1,000.00 trouble, probably $2,000.00 in today's dollar. And I'm nervous of Rotties, GSD and Dobermans. If, IF, I don't know them or their owner, which of course is the case on the first meeting. I may not know the owner of the Lab we meet either but, hypocrit or not, I trust them. WE are nearly always off leash. I rode horses for some years and there's no way to physically control such a large animal so I did get fairly good at calming myself in order to calm a horse. Say, like when the township truck with loose brooms, shovels and who knows what all rattling and waving came around a corner at me. Deep breathing and confident posture plays a big role in helping me calm myself. And trying to relax, clenching your legs down on a frightened horse won't help a bit, I try to do the same things with the dogs. So I guess my "Nope" up there isn't strictly correct but I do certainly understand your apprehension and I don't necessarily think it's wrong when you don't know the other dog or owner. You might benefit from the Turid Rugass book, https://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=dtb527 The title is "On Talking Terms with Dogs - Calming Signals"
Maybe you could go and spend some time with some of the breed and it might change your mind? There may be some sort of organisation near you that has involvement or something? Or even go to some shelters? So you could see that they're not all the same. I was a bit apprehensive but one of my closest friends got a staffie and she's literally the most loving, kind, patient dog. I believe that as long as they're properly socialised from being pups (same as any breed really) that they're just as playful as all others. They just seem to attract irresponsible owners. When I've been out walking my dog it's the little yappy things that have bothered Stanley. A Jack Russell came up and bit him on the nose the other day, I've never seen him look so shocked. Obviously you will come across some aggressive staffies, but I don't think it's disproportionate to other breeds. You just seem to hear about it more due to the damage they inflict.
Sorry, no helpful suggestions because I feel exactly the same. Its so unfair for a lovely breed but sadly its been 'kidnapped and ruined' by the type of people who want a status dog - strong, punchy and aggressive. Having witnessed someone training a Staffie to be aggressive, I will forever be afraid of them, for me and my dog. Also, by the way, this is why I am not keen on tuggies
Thank you all for your replies. I like the idea of visiting a shelter. Wood Green animal shelter is not too far from me and I know they run courses for children to help them learn how to look after dogs. They may be able to help, especially explain the difference in behaviour between breeds. It is good to know others too have similar experiences. Thank you for sharing your tips with me.
I have had really good experiences with staffies where I live. There are quite a few around here and the owners are lovely too. Harley (my dog) gets on amazingly with a White staffie who lives near the park where we occasionally walk. I see everyone putting their dogs on lead when the spot the staffie and it upsets me. I know they have a reputation but that is due to how they are trained. The one Harley plays with is a very gentle soul who is very submissive to other dogs and just wants to play. Any dog can bite / attack, not just staffies. I have had major issues with some collies and usually little dogs like Jack Russell's or terriers. They are the ones that usually try to attack Harley. Maybe take some treats out with you and if a dog you don't feel comfortable with comes running over, throw some treats away from you and ask the owner to call them back.
I walk with a good friend of mine who owns 3 Staffies, Hattie and I walk with them without any problems but I do see other dog walkers fearful faces as we walk past, it's sad because like @Naya said any dog can bit or attack not just Staffies. Both my dogs and my OH have been horribly attacked by a Flat Coat, who would have thought? Unfortunately it's the bad press Staffie's get due to some terrible owners walking them on chains, using them for fighting. I find it very sad. It's all down to how any dog has been socialised not it's breed, in my opinion anyway. My Hattie is a Pets as Therapy dog and my area coordinator has a Staffie who is also a PAT dog, he goes into Special Needs Schools and is a super star. Try not to judge a book by it's cover
