Dog discrimination ... is this now a thing?

[Bellaboo18]

I've had five Staffies - four dogs and a bitch. All of them but my current one we've had from puppies and they came from very good lines from well-respected breeders.

All of the dogs have been shitbags with others. The bitch is a complete wuss and runs a mile in the opposite direction if something comes up to her. She's the only one we have ever been able to let off - she's a poppet and will walk at your heel absolutely anywhere.

I see a few other male Staffies in my area and they will have a pop at my one. I do think the males have a deep-rooted desire to scrap. From personal experience (not just mine, but other people's as well), the bitches are far more placid.

It is a PITA. I tend to cross the road if I see another dog coming. Some he's fine with and will sniff happily and others as soon as he sees them he'll big himself up and start trying it on.

I don't think it does any good to bury your head in the sand about them because they can be very difficult, but I have NEVER had a Staffie who is anything but a complete soft touch with people.

Were they entire?

 

[SpringArising]

Were they entire?

Two were and two weren't.

The two who were, were both done after their third birthday and they were already scrappy with others before it was done.

 

[PapaverFollis]

I love staffies, they are big soft sods with humans and children and my favourite thing to do is get soppy cuddles from staffies whose owners are trying to look "well 'ard". However I am wary of letting my dogs interact with a staffie type (but I basically don't let mine interact with anything anyway!).

Can't see any reason to discriminate for holiday accommodation though.

 

[Scarlett]

i am very wary of them. I have had lots of dogs and am very confident around sizeable dogs. We were at a picnic place with our 2 horses, they were held in hand and grazing and we were enjoying our coffee. The horses were very quiet, didn't even look up at the kids and dogs as they were so used to them. Families and kids playing around as usual. No problem. A staffie was also playing with it's family which included kids. Looked to be a very sweet dog, smiling, friendly with it's kids. What could go wrong? within 10 seconds flat this staffie shot out and attached his teeth to my horse's hind leg. His owner was totally unable to get him off. It seemed to take for ages to get him off. His owner was not a pathetic sort and was as shocked as I was as it came totally out of the blue.
I don't have any problem with the muzzle and short lead for these type of breeds although I know it will upset a lot of people. I don't think it would have been overkill if that dog (and similar) were muzzled. What was so different was that it wasn't a barking, vicious looking dog pulling on a lead where you could see the potential threat and could avoid. This behaviour came out of nowhere. I wonder if this is similar to some of the bull breed dog attacks where the dog seems harmless to it's family and kids but then just attacks.

I've been in the same position with my horse three times over the years - once was a husky, once was a collie and once was a French bulldog. I certainly don't use it as an excuse to look unfavourably at a breed or suggest they are prone to it.

I have a staffy cross rescue of my own, he would chase if he was allowed but we very quickly taught him not to and he can be loose around the horses and even come hacking with me. His recall is superb. What you experienced was poor dog ownership and training.

As for the original post - yes, sadly I have seen this in adverts for holiday rentals before. Utter nonsense.

 

[conniegirl]

When we were looking for a dog I categorically put my foot down and said "no staffies".

This was because we were looking at adult dogs mainly from rescues. Most of the time they have very little history attached to them and you can never quite be sure that they havnt been had by "undesirables" that have taught them to fight/attack and that something you do in future may trigger it and because they do not tend to be the best with other dogs.

Had we been looking at puppies i probably would have concidered them as you have more control over breeding/temperament of parents and complete control over the training.

I have to say It would make me nervous to have a staffie i didnt know in the holiday cottage next door so if the owner of the cottages lives on site that may be why you've run accross this.

 

[paddy555]

I've been in the same position with my horse three times over the years - once was a husky, once was a collie and once was a French bulldog. I certainly don't use it as an excuse to look unfavourably at a breed or suggest they are prone to it.

I have a staffy cross rescue of my own, he would chase if he was allowed but we very quickly taught him not to and he can be loose around the horses and even come hacking with me. His recall is superb. What you experienced was poor dog ownership and training.

As for the original post - yes, sadly I have seen this in adverts for holiday rentals before. Utter nonsense.

sorry what I experienced was an unpredictable dog who locked his jaws onto my horse's leg. I have had collies snap frequently at horses, this was completely different. He was not out of control as such, if you watched him he was a perfectly normal dog playing with his family, then he snapped. Once attached he would not let go. With the average collie if it had even tried to lock on I would have kicked it and it would have run off. This was totally different, he didn't want to let go. It was very difficult to get him off, he really meant it. He did not suggest poor dog ownership and training.

 

[CorvusCorax]

No dogs have jaws which 'lock', but there are plenty of breeds which exert a lot of pressure in biting, bull breeds are not the only ones.
How did you get the dog off in the end?

As I say, purely on my own experiences, staffies would be one of the dogs I would least worry about. My dogs and I get hassled by Labradors on a weekly basis but blanket banning them from holiday accommodation would be ridiculous.

 

[paddy555]

No dogs have jaws which 'lock', but there are plenty of breeds which exert a lot of pressure in biting, bull breeds are not the only ones.
How did you get the dog off in the end?

As I say, purely on my own experiences, staffies would be one of the dogs I would least worry about. My dogs and I get hassled by Labradors on a weekly basis but blanket banning them from holiday accommodation would be ridiculous.

we had to wait, it just wouldn't get off and hung on and on. As the horse by then was pretty upset it wasn't safe to get in to it's jaws. In the end it released it's jaws. If it happened again I would try and get hold of it's collar and twist it until it throttled it. I should have done that at the time but was so shocked I didn't have the presence of mind to.

 

[Goldenstar]

I would not have a staffie is you paid me .
Their reputation goes before them .

 

[Bellaboo18]

I would not have a staffie is you paid me .
Their reputation goes before them .

A sad attitude to have.

 

[Snowfilly]

It is a thing. I know of one place that didn't allow a Doberman and one which didn't allow GSDs; there's several holiday places in Cornwall which are 'dog friendly,' but mysteriously full up if you bring a staffy and they do ask in advance.

I don't blame them, it's about other people's perceptions of the dog and they probably don't want the hassle when another guest complains to them. Right or wrong, certain breeds are always going to get people on edge.

Full disclosure - I've met some right idiots with staffies, have seen a couple attack other dogs, and go out of my way to avoid the breed as a whole. I'm sure there's decent ones around, but I don't feel safe around them and wouldn't be overjoyed if I found one next to me on holiday!

 

[Goldenstar]

Why ?
lots of dogs I would have .
But I don’t see why you would have a dog with the reputation they have it just makes life hard .
I travel with my dog all the time he’s an excessively well behaved Labrador I would not find it as easy with a staffie .
My friend has a lovely staffie but I need a go anywhere dog and sadly thats not a staffie

 

[CorvusCorax]

I've travelled all over Europe with German Shepherds with no problem, hotels, holiday parks and private rentals and have seen plenty of staffies and other bull breeds along the way. There's usually just a limit as to how many you can bring inside.

 

[Greylegs]

Did they ask the breed or did you volunteer? I find it odd if they asked. Sadly, I've come across several aggressive staffies, took my three out separately, a different staffie attacked each one. However, the worst breed I've encountered was a Labrador with a clueless owner, a springer who attacked my springer every time and of course, my own werewolf.

Hi ... thanks for replying. Yes, they asked for the breed but only after we had enquired about booking. If they have excluded breeds, why not just say so on tnei4 listing ..... ??

 

[Greylegs]

The fact a dog can fit certain measurements and therefore declared dangerous is cuckoo. My previous job was for an animal charity. We had an abandoned dog arrive pregnant, 2 of her puppies were classed as pitbull types and 3 weren't. Those two puppies had to be rehomed in Ireland. Does this make sense to anyone?? They had the same parents but just measured slightly different. Breed specific legislation is nonsense in my opinion.

I’ve never heard of this measurement thing before ... ?? My lad is a staffie crossed with (we think) a whippet or similar which makes him effectively a tall, lanky staffie. What are these measurement criteria? I’ll have to look them up.

 

[Bellaboo18]

Two were and two weren't.

The two who were, were both done after their third birthday and they were already scrappy with others before it was done.

See I'm not that sure why we expect entire males to get on with other males. We don't expect stallions to play together.

 

[Bellaboo18]

I’ve never heard of this measurement thing before ... ?? My lad is a staffie crossed with (we think) a whippet or similar which makes him effectively a tall, lanky staffie. What are these measurement criteria? I’ll have to look them up.

I'll try and find a link but you'll have nothing to worry about from a rescue centre, they'll have known what to look for. Ours is also a lanky staffie, I always say a slimmer build It'd be interesting to do a dna test and see what mix he is!

 

[Bellaboo18]

I’ve never heard of this measurement thing before ... ?? My lad is a staffie crossed with (we think) a whippet or similar which makes him effectively a tall, lanky staffie. What are these measurement criteria? I’ll have to look them up.

https://www.bluecross.org.uk/dangerous-dogs-act

 

[RunToEarth]

I wouldn’t want to own a staffie either, but I wouldn’t want to own most breeds of dogs through personal preference and it’s absolutely mindless to have a blanket ban on a breed of dog in a cottage - how odd!

GL, my parents have a dog friendly cottage to let in Norfolk which is near beautiful walking and dog friendly pubs, we love to take our girls down there - no breed requirements imposed-
https://www.norfolkhideaways.co.uk/...llages/ringstead-holiday-cottages/little-star

 

[Cinnamontoast]

Hi ... thanks for replying. Yes, they asked for the breed but only after we had enquired about booking. If they have excluded breeds, why not just say so on tnei4 listing ..... ??

They should definitely add that to their website. If you go on Pet forum,they have a list of dog friendly rentals.

 

[PapaverFollis]

See I'm not that sure why we expect entire males to get on with other males. We don't expect stallions to play together.

Entire male dogs can live together far, far easier than stallions can? Many have no reactivity to other male dogs? I'm not sure dog and horse social structures are entirely comparable here?

As an amateur dog owner I've kept two entire males together and out of trouble for 8 years... they get on fine with each other and other well socialised males... don't think I could do the same with stallions as an amateur horse owner.

 

[Greylegs]

https://www.bluecross.org.uk/dangerous-dogs-act

Thanks for the link. Interesting reading. It’s very worrying that a dog could be destroyed simply based on its looks alone. It might be interesting to find the actual measurements and check that the dog doesn’t “match”. Maybe some sort of certification process for responsible owners could be introduced to avoid all the consequent legal battles if a dog is suspect.

 

[SpringArising]

See I'm not that sure why we expect entire males to get on with other males. We don't expect stallions to play together.

Well the thing is they're not horses. And I know many many many dogs who CAN be let off the lead, who don't try to fight other dogs. Male Staffies ARE notorious for being rubbish with other dogs, it's just a fact. What is annoying is that people assume that because they're rubbish with other dogs, they're the same with people, which couldn't be further from the truth

I don't get offended when people say they wouldn't have one because of this. I only get annoyed when people are ignorant enough to think the above.

There are plenty of dogs I wouldn't have, e.g. I'd never have a Lab as they all seem to stink and moult everywhere... Having a preference either way is fine!

 

[Bellaboo18]

Well the thing is they're not horses. And I know many many many dogs who CAN be let off the lead, who don't try to fight other dogs. Male Staffies ARE notorious for being rubbish with other dogs, it's just a fact. What is annoying is that people assume that because they're rubbish with other dogs, they're the same with people, which couldn't be further from the truth

I don't get offended when people say they wouldn't have one because of this. I only get annoyed when people are ignorant enough to think the above.

There are plenty of dogs I wouldn't have, e.g. I'd never have a Lab as they all seem to stink and moult everywhere... Having a preference either way is fine!

Perhaps I poorly chose my comparison, I suppose my point was entire males of any breed ARE more likely to be aggressive with other males.
I'd still choose to treat each dog as an individual.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

See I'm not that sure why we expect entire males to get on with other males. We don't expect stallions to play together.

mine both do? and actually the most dog reactive dog I know is neutered-he will kick off at any entire dog he sees from quite the distance.

I like staffs, they are very smart, people oriented dogs. I have no idea about the whys of banning them from a cottage but I do see why they might be banned from a campsite. There is a problem with staffs and dog-dog aggression -even those that are 'just' playing can be a bit full on for other dogs ime (of my own staffy cross). and there's no doubt that over the last 30 years they've suffered from poor breeding and have often been owned by complete numpties which has not helped their reputation. There are many breeds I'd not give house room too and I'll not apologise for that, a staffy would be one of them.

 

[Cinnamontoast]

My original pair, l/w is cruising towards 16!😮 Both entire males. The b/w was often attacked by other dogs, dunno if they were entire, I suspect so given a regular offender was a breeder's dog. Neither ever went for other dogs, l/would retaliate, b/w never did.

And I echo MotherOfChickens, the most reactive dog I know is Zak, who is neutered. Doesn't matter if the other dog is male, female, neutered, he doesn't discriminate!

 

[planete]

I have an entire male and we have had several male dogs stay here for weeks at a time. In my experience a well socialised entire male will avoid a fight a any cost unless there is a female in season involved. I actually prefer intact male dogs as they do not seem to develop the nervous reactivity of many neutered dogs.

 

[PapaverFollis]

One of mine gets attacked a fair bit, or used to before I started bring more proactive about avoiding everyone and everything. It's not cos he's entire, they always just ignore my other entire dog... it's cos of how he moves I think (spaniel and it's often herding breeds that go for him). He has only retaliated ever after being nagged for 5 minutes by a terrier, my bad, I should have been rude to be owner and cleared off quicker. Neither of mine are looking for a fight in any way shape or form. They've even had an in season bitch dangled in front of them a couple of times (due to owners of bitches walking in season bitch off lead in popular dog walking spot and not mentioning it until mine were sniffing her... I wonder why my dogs are not allowed to talk to anyone any more?) with no hint of aggression between them. I don't know if mine are unusual.

 

[ApolloStorm]

I have a GSD, soon to be a second- I get some discrimination in the street, people crossing over, pulling their little dogs away. When my poor girl has been attacked by an out of control Yorkie, a Westie and a border Terrier. She never reacted to any aggressor and hasn't suffered any ill effects from this. She is very aloof with strangers, and I tend to only allow people to stroke her if she "picks" them and wants to approach them to get pets. I never let kids stroke her- purely because I know she is very wary of noisy loud obnoxious kids- I don't think she would bite, but I don't want to put her in a situation where she might feel like she needed to!
Most people (including my sister and mum) who have an ingrained fear of "police dog alsatian". Now everyone who meets her loves her, she is BIG but she is soft. I don't understand why they're banned from holiday cottages since surely they don't need to be around strangers any more than at home?

 

[hurricane124]

We've had a few campsites that have refused us bookings because we have a staffy. Seems quite common