Staffies, how easy to train?

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oldie48

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I know Staffies have a reputation for being aggressive with other dogs and I must admit I give them a wide berth if out with my dogs, just in case. My older daughter, who has no experience with dogs, has a very big family and is town based has bought a Staffie puppy. The household is very noisy with lots of shouting and fighting (boys will be boys) and frankly I'm a bit worried. She's assured me that she'll be doing puppy training classes, lots of socialisation etc and I've no reason to think she'd be an irresponsible owner, but their life is very very busy and a bit "high octane". They also have a couple of cats. The puppy is extremely boisterous and rather nippy and the youngest member of the family is rather frightened of it. Please tell me I'm worrying unnecessarily. I've got border terriers of my own and they are very friendly dogs and well trained but I wouldn't trust them completely with children, especially if there was a lot of shouting and screaming going on. Staffie owners, tell me I'm being prejudiced!
 
Bump. Lots have looked but no ones answered! Is there anyone out there who can tell me about Staffies? I'm worried they might end up with a dog that is aggressive with other dogs or that with six children who argue and fight that the dog might get involved and someone might get hurt. Are my fears groundless?
 
They are very good family dogs but a staffy in a boistrous boy home can be a disaster if they dont have somewhere quiet to go - they just become too rough. They enjoy rough play and will be rough if not taught properly. They are a great dog, but if they go they just get too excited about it so tell your daughter to instill a STOP command very early on and very strictly enforce it! they are eager to please and will be a good dog but she must be very consistent and strict, cause if given an inch they will take a mile and run. Mine is not good with other dogs, but has got to the point that the STOP command will interfere with her brain and make her stop. This took me ten years :D

She is a good girl though and loves cuddles but does get nervous in a boistrous place or if kids are running about, and she just lies down on her back wishing the world away.

Tell her to buy a gas mask cause they fart, a lot.
 
I'm afraid I can't tell my daughter anything, I've become rather good at walking a tightrope and skating on thin ice lol I have to be very careful not to appear to be interfering or I shall be sent to Coventry. Is there a good book you could recommend that I could give the family as a present? I doubt they'll notice the farting as all the boys seem very talented in that direction. I do however, worry that there will be a lack of consistency but a lot of shouting!
 
Probably no more likely than a big bouncy lab pup to cause any harm - staffies are normally very human friendly and if well socialised like any pup, quite dog friendly. I would treat it like any other dog!
 
Hmm I can foresee problems tbh they do need consistent training and can be very distructive and whiney if not trained. They need structure just like any other dog.
 
they are easy to train if someone is willing to put the time in, they need exercise both physically and mentally. they can be the best dogs with kids IF the dog and the kids know how to behave around each other, they are one of the most sociable and friendly breeds if they are socialised, trained and mentally challenged.
 
They are no different to any other dog. They need training and socialisation. My staffy x is easy to train as he's greedy and loves to please people. He's not great with other male dogs but that's because I didn't have him as a pup and he wasn't properly socialised with other dogs.

They are great with people and kids.
 
I've never had a staffie but recently looked after one for a friend so she came and lived with us for about 10 days. Despite not really knowing my 2 dogs having only met them briefly when passing each other out walking she settled in beautifully, they all got on like a house on fire and she was as good as gold with the cat too.

Her owner normally walks her on a lead but she was lead free with us playing with ours and came back when called although I made sure she had a treat every time.

I know I'm not very helpful as I'm not knowledgeable about the breed at all ( my 2 are a rottie and an EBT) but in my experience she was people and animal friendly, loving and very keen to please. In fact I loved her so much she's coming back at Xmas for a few days whilst her owner is away.
 
Thanks, this has helped to put my mind at rest. I'm hopeful all will be well and they will have a lovely friendly family dog.
sonjafoers said:
I've never had a staffie but recently looked after one for a friend so she came and lived with us for about 10 days. Despite not really knowing my 2 dogs having only met them briefly when passing each other out walking she settled in beautifully, they all got on like a house on fire and she was as good as gold with the cat too.

Her owner normally walks her on a lead but she was lead free with us playing with ours and came back when called although I made sure she had a treat every time.

I know I'm not very helpful as I'm not knowledgeable about the breed at all ( my 2 are a rottie and an EBT) but in my experience she was people and animal friendly, loving and very keen to please. In fact I loved her so much she's coming back at Xmas for a few days whilst her owner is away.
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I fostered an adult Staffy bitch for 6 weeks and she was a delight, a cuddley bundle of muscle and she got on very well with my 2 Dobes(dog & bitch) and our Lancashire Heeler bitch, she loved to play with them and had obviously been well socialised. Thats the thing with Staffys like my own breed Dobermanns they need good socialisation, I see so many in rescues saying they must be the only dog, they have been failed by there previous owners and its criminal they are the dog of choice for stupid people wanting a hard dog, in the right hands I dont think there are many breeds as good as them. I could happily have kept her and was genuinely sorry to see her go.
 
We had a staffie whippet cross - she was wonderful with my children, but she was so hard to train . . . she wasn't food motivated at all when out - just wanted to run and hunt and no amount of whistle training, yummy treats, long lining cured her of wanting to run and run and run. Her recall at home was perfect - out was a different story. She was hard work at home too . . . she was very much a "give an inch, take a mile" dog . . . we needed to be very firm about getting her to respect human space or she would take the Michael and "guard" the sofa/bed, etc. Once she she understood the rules of the house, she was fine . . . but we had to stay on top of her all the time . . . she was nowhere near as biddable as our two current collie crosses.

Staffies are wonderful dogs . . . loyal, affectionate and great with kids . . . but they can also be very stubborn - and ours was very difficult to train when out and about (but that could have been the whippet mix - or it could have been her dodgy past - we rescued her when she was nine months old and she had clearly been beaten at some point and had also been fighting with other dogs - scars on her face).

P
 
A friend of mine has a Staffie, who is a delight :) No different to any other breed really, correctly brought up and trained there shouldn't be too many problems.
 
It might set your mind at rest to know that they used to be nicknamed 'nanny dogs' as they were so good with children - playful, loyal, a guardian and companion.

Every one I've met has been more inclined towards a cuddle than a fight.
 
C1airey said:
It might set your mind at rest to know that they used to be nicknamed 'nanny dogs' as they were so good with children - playful, loyal, a guardian and companion.

Every one I've met has been more inclined towards a cuddle than a fight.
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That's not the reason they were called nanny dogs !
 
A quick google came up with tihs...

The purebred Staffie is a whole different ball game. It has a nickname, “The Nanny Dog”

That nickname came about because this breed is known to be so good with children.

The Staffie is the breed that is recommended for a family with young children by many of the welfare and re-homing organisations.
- See more at: http://www.doglistener.co.uk/choosing/staffie.shtml#sthash.VaKQ19kp.dpuf
 
Staffs? I've never owned one as I've never really had the need for one, but and I suppose because of the breed popularity, I see them just about daily. 30 years ago they weren't quite so popular, but even then, every single Staff which I've said Good Morning to, has been an absolute delight!

There is going to be the potential that should a Staff show aggressive tendencies to any thing, or any one that they have the potential for a nuclear like power, and God help those who fancy themselves!! What amazes me about the breed is that considering that amongst the breeders, there are those who are congenital idiots (and I'm sorry but there are), so how the breed, as a BREED, have remained as stable as they have, remains a mystery! Would I share my life with a Staff, as a house dog or a companion? Without question!

Training? It's a point of interest that most breeds follow breed-specific tendencies. Lurchers can be rather aloof. Guard breeds can have a penchant for just that. Collies can be, …….. and so it goes on. Staffs? from those that I've seen, and it's an aspect that I like about them, there almost seems to be a level of self control. It seems to me that there's a certain 'power' about them, and it's almost as if they're aware of it, if that makes sense. The word 'chilled' sums them up, all so often, and in that for the trainer may lay the first obstacle. More CBA(!) than a flat refusal!!

As with all breeds, and despite there individual peculiarities, 'Start as you mean to go on", is the answer, I'd say. Changing the rules, after we've made excuses for the puppy is the path to problems.

Alec.
 
I took this boy on 4 weeks ago.
1yo and 2 previous owners,
was advised he couldn`t meet other dogs,cats or children and couldn`t be walked because he pulled !! ALL untrue .
he was fed on bakers,had poor skin and appeared to live in the porch :(

well he has fitted in like a dream :) changed his diet,have built up to 1.5 to 2 hour walk every day and we have started OB lessons.he has not met 1 dog he doesn`t get on with.

my other dog is 5 and we do agility and OB.
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picture from this morning
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as for training-he is desparate to want to please and I ask him rather than tell him.
 
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