# staffy ok with kids?



## cubeykc (Aug 8, 2008)

after alot of advice about huskys iv decided not to get a husky well not for a few year any way but what about a staffy? are they ok around kids?


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

they're known as the nanny dog.. usually great with kids. I've got 3 nephews and they'll all play with Rio (staffy cross) when they see him at Christmas and he'll just stand there wagging his tail.


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

Yeps staffs are fantastic with kids but young staffs can be very bouncy lol i know bow here is sometimes think i should paint him orange with black stripes an change his name to tigger 


But he is a typical male young staff lol 

my mates had a staff bitch for years and she was fantastic with her kids as meko said she acted like the nanny followed the baby about watching over her 


so yeah i do think they are fantastic with children


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

even older staffs are bouncy.

to say Wils is almost 3 (only a month away!! doesn't seem like its been 13 months since i got her) and a big dog that 'needs lots of exercise', she's the one who'll be happy sleeping while Rio (anything from 8 to 12 years old) is pestering the crap out of her for a quick bout of wrestling.


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## RasperAndy (Sep 21, 2007)

great choice of dog, couldn't agree more : victory:


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## cubeykc (Aug 8, 2008)

that could be the dog for me then as they look very nice and i would only get 1 knowin that there good with kids as me boy is only 8 weels


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

They are fantastic dogs if brought up correctly hun : victory:


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## cubeykc (Aug 8, 2008)

Emmaj said:


> They are fantastic dogs if brought up correctly hun : victory:


do they get very big and it would be brought up with kids and cats


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

nah not very big at all.. short and stocky.


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## POAGeckos (Jul 11, 2008)

Staffs are great with kids, used to have a staffy and she would always get our foster pups and kittens to take care of, she was loved by all the neighborhood kids. Pitbulls are the exact same and are very caring, I have 3 that care for our foster animals, and young nieces and nephews.


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

cubeykc said:


> do they get very big and it would be brought up with kids and cats


 
They aint a large breed i would say more medium breed 

depends on the dam and sire as to how big you can get long or short legged staffs too 

your best option may be to have a look on the KC list an then talk to a couple of breeders tell them what your after an they should be able to if not help point you in the right direction


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## cubeykc (Aug 8, 2008)

Emmaj said:


> They aint a large breed i would say more medium breed
> 
> depends on the dam and sire as to how big you can get long or short legged staffs too
> 
> your best option may be to have a look on the KC list an then talk to a couple of breeders tell them what your after an they should be able to if not help point you in the right direction


thanks also do you know what there like with cats as my OH has 2


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

if you get a puppy it'll be brought up with cats so should be fine. If you get a rescue you can find out how it is with cats.


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## cubeykc (Aug 8, 2008)

Meko said:


> if you get a puppy it'll be brought up with cats so should be fine. If you get a rescue you can find out how it is with cats.


looks like im gettin a puppy then the OH would kill me if any thing happens 2 her stupid cats


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

LOL 

yeah as meko said a pup being brought up with cats shouldnt be a problem at all 

my sister brought her jrt up with cats an she was fantastic with her cats just disliked other peoples :lol2:


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## cubeykc (Aug 8, 2008)

Emmaj said:


> LOL
> 
> yeah as meko said a pup being brought up with cats shouldnt be a problem at all
> 
> my sister brought her jrt up with cats an she was fantastic with her cats just disliked other peoples :lol2:


:lol2: maby if i hint hard enough she might gt me 1 for x mas


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

ooooo ya never know :lol2:


though i am glad you said she had cats................huskies are a big NO NO with cats lol 

fine with cats as pups but soon as they hit 6 months plus bye bye kitty


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## Nebbz (Jan 27, 2008)

staffys are one of the best around kids, so long as they are bought up and trained around them!

mines brilliant with my sisters kids, jai 4 and shai 6 months. 

playing horsy (roo just giving up lol!)


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## Nebbz (Jan 27, 2008)

cubeykc said:


> do they get very big and it would be brought up with kids and cats


mine was bought up with my cats, and is now scared of them as my tom is a grumpy old man..all the dog wants to do is sniff him but hes never got close enough with out getting tagged! lol

and there are two types

irish (tall and stocky...like mine)

and traditional, short and stocky.


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## cubeykc (Aug 8, 2008)

Nebbz said:


> staffys are one of the best around kids, so long as they are bought up and trained around them!
> 
> mines brilliant with my sisters kids, jai 4 and shai 6 months.
> 
> playing horsy (roo just giving up lol!)


 
yer he would be with me kid every day but how easy is it 2 train 1 with a kid ?


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## littleminx (Nov 20, 2008)

Kinda disagree many staffs are dog on dog aggressive and will literally eat your house as pups.

I would go for a Lab which was my first dog and was and still is the best family dog compared to bt Ridge and Inuit.


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## Nebbz (Jan 27, 2008)

easy as pie. lol! when ever my nephew comes round roo goes mad! (jai feeds him you see! lol) 

but the dog will see your child as one of the pack! and will know he is below them, so long as you make it clear, i got my boy at 11 weeks, and he was only allowed to sniff the kids. 

they dont know there strenth and size half the time so tend to nock kids over easy! but its all accidental! my nephew cracks up laughing.

dog never batters an eye lid...pic is proof! loL!


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## Nebbz (Jan 27, 2008)

littleminx said:


> Kinda disagree *many staffs are dog on dog* aggressive and will literally eat your house as pups.
> 
> I would go for a Lab which was my first dog and was and still is the best family dog compared to bt Ridge and Inuit.


this can be true, mine is. he hates other dogs! but its mainly my fault (as i tense up with other peoples dogs!)


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

Rio is / kind of aggressive to other dogs. He'll bark, snarl and snap at other dogs unless you hold him there for a while till he knows there's no threat. Although he didn't bat an eyelid when he met Wils for the first time, it was his choice as to whether i got her or not..


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## gazz (Dec 9, 2006)

Staff's rased as regular family pets are great with kids.I'd suggest a pup so it is rased knowing how the family works.And you will know how he/she works.If you have cat/s then i'd reconmend a pup again if the cats are out going they will over rank the staffie by the time it's mature but a staffe pup rased with cat are 99% ok with cats.Just today my cuz came round with here daughter age 2.Her daughter and my staff got on strate away they was playing for age's.Staff's are great for burning out kids if you would a peaceful night :lol2: coz all staff's do is play & play & play kids can rarely out tier them.Size wise they are medium there are two frame size the Staffordshire BULL terrier(short & stocky) and the Staffordshire bull TERRIER(leaner & leggyer) so that's personal preference on your part on what look you like.


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## matty (Feb 17, 2007)

I personally wouldn't trust any dog with really young children, regardless of the breed.

Having said that if I was asked about staffs in particular I would be more inclined to trust them with kids rather than most other dogs.


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## gazz (Dec 9, 2006)

littleminx said:


> Kinda disagree many staffs are dog on dog aggressive and will literally eat your house as pups.
> 
> I would go for a Lab which was my first dog and was and still is the best family dog compared to bt Ridge and Inuit.


Nothing wrong with Lab's ofcourse.But i disagree with you statment your judging the breed by indviduals.Meny dogs have been to my house other staff's,a german shephard,a Lurcher,even a Pom,my staff did NOT eat these dogs they played bouncing around the garden.Also my staffie didn't not eat my house and they won't if you teach them not to.


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## POAGeckos (Jul 11, 2008)

littleminx said:


> Kinda disagree many staffs are dog on dog aggressive and will literally eat your house as pups.
> 
> I would go for a Lab which was my first dog and was and still is the best family dog compared to bt Ridge and Inuit.


I disagree with your statement. If raised with other dogs they are just fine. Labs are fine, dont get me wrong, but they are very mouthy, but have a soft mouth, but they still bite. I have a scar on my face from a lab I had when I was young, he just got to excited, and labs way of playing is all about biting. Staffs and other bully breeds are not mouthy, and also they don't chew your house apart, that is more for a lab or golden.


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## Nebbz (Jan 27, 2008)

POAGeckos said:


> I disagree with your statement. If raised with other dogs they are just fine. Labs are fine, dont get me wrong, but they are very mouthy, but have a soft mouth, but they still bite. Staffs and other bully breeds are not mouthy, and also they don't chew your house apart, that is more for a lab or golden.


DID I GET A BROKEN STAFF? lol he tore the house appart :lol2: had to crate train him to stop it... :lol2:


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## POAGeckos (Jul 11, 2008)

Nebbz said:


> DID I GET A BROKEN STAFF? lol he tore the house appart :lol2: had to crate train him to stop it... :lol2:


 lol, all depends on the staff. all the staffs i got never touched anything in the house, and only chewed toys.


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## Nebbz (Jan 27, 2008)

lmao! just got unlucky on that one then!...

we needed a new carpet any way...and wall paper...and needed to replaster the walls...they wernt straight :lol2:


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## animal addict (Jun 1, 2008)

matty said:


> I personally wouldn't trust any dog with really young children, regardless of the breed.


same here - you can never be 100% sure a dog will not turn no matter if they have been brought up with kiddies or not - they are an animal at the end of the day and will react instinctively if need be - however staffies are lovely dogs and I am sure that you are both aware enough to manage any risks safely - my sister was born when I had my corgi x and she growled once at the basket when my sis cried when she first came home but never attacked or shown any other aggression to her since (obviously she wasnt ever left alone with her or the baby in a basket near the floor etc) but when my sis was 8 (and knew not to pull her or whatever) for whatever reason she just snapped at her this one day when my sis went past and patted her (she was quite old at the time but never grouchy old) so just goes to show you can never predict and for some-one who has facial scaring from being mauled as a child by a dog it just isnt worth the risk to trust an animal - anyway I digress - good luck with your choice - I'm sure a staffie wont disapoint - my friend wont have anything other and they are v.good on the obediece front if trained right - hers (all had from pups) never chewed the house or anything and great with other dogs (inquisitive but never agressive) shes had a fair few of them now


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## Nebbz (Jan 27, 2008)

deffo got a broken one then :whistling2:


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## gazz (Dec 9, 2006)

Nebbz said:


> Had to crate train him to stop it... :lol2:


Nothing wrong with that : victory:.That's how my house didn't get eaten inside out my staffie was crate trained as a pup and didn't ever need it after about a year & half.Anything in the crate was here for the taking.And no go on anything out side.


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## Nebbz (Jan 27, 2008)

i was well stubborn to get the cage as thought it was wrong so on so 4th...but now im a believer and it does work! lol made house training easyer too!


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## gazz (Dec 9, 2006)

Nebbz said:


> i was well stubborn to get the cage as thought it was wrong so on so 4th...but now im a believer and it does work! lol made house training easyer too!


It's wrong to use a crate if it's used for full punishment.The crate should be view by your dog as a den/bed/a safe haven.The crate can be miss used.So if one is used you should research how to use it.Crate should be positive not negitive.This info is for the person considering a staff ofcourse.As you've already been there done that.


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## Nebbz (Jan 27, 2008)

definatly, its hilarious, its big enough for me to get in, and i got in it once and locked the doors and he was digging to get in it! yelping did not want me in there that was his bed! lol

was so funny!. its hard work to change the carpet (we have off cuts to line the plastic) he just wont get out!


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## *H* (Jun 17, 2007)

My eldest Staffy cross absolutely adores kids, she's grown up with mine who are 9 and 11 (7 and 9 when we got her) and when the neighbour brings her two littlens over (3 and 5) I sware Millie thinks they've only come over to play with her 
She won't let kids out of her sight, if they're playing in the garden she has to lay in the door with one eye on them, or of we're out with her and the kids she has to keep them in eyesight at all times. 
As for being a bit iffy with other dogs we've never had a problem, she loves everything and anything, when we had our cats they'd all lay together and she'd spend hours washing them.


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## mrsfluff (Jul 15, 2007)

*H* said:


> My eldest Staffy cross absolutely adores kids, she's grown up with mine who are 9 and 11 (7 and 9 when we got her) and when the neighbour brings her two littlens over (3 and 5) I sware *Millie thinks they've only come over to play with her*
> She won't let kids out of her sight, if they're playing in the garden she has to lay in the door with one eye on them, or of we're out with her and the kids she has to keep them in eyesight at all times.
> As for being a bit iffy with other dogs we've never had a problem, she loves everything and anything, when we had our cats they'd all lay together and she'd spend hours washing them.


My staffy x thinks anyone who comes to the house has only come to see her :2thumb: She's 13 now but still thinks she's a pup (and acts like it!)

Jo


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## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

I would like to say i think ANY breed of dog would potiencially be okay around kids of any age HOWEVER i would NEVER leave any dog alone with any child.

So long as the introduction is carried out correctly and the dog knows that the child is not a toy and is above them in the pack ranking the dog should show respect at all times.

I wouldnt advise getting a dog at this point in your babies life though. Having a puppy peeing and pooing on the floor and having a baby that will potiencially be crawling in the near future is not a good mix. Also having to split your time between a puppy and a baby will be an awful drag on your resources. Puppies need an incredible amount of attention, especially as it comes to training which should be done from day one. Your baby will also soon be dealing with the after effects of jabs and teething will soon kick in. Are you really sure you wanna be dealing with all that.

I'd leave it for a while really.

Marina


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## boacoats2 (Oct 3, 2008)

yes, i have 2 staffies and a girl of 3 and my son is nearly 2. and they are one of the only breeds i would totally trust with kids, so long as you don't mind them being a bit boisterous and jumping around a lot they're fantastic. obviously you are going to get the odd one that through ill treatment or whatever will bite but if you get from a pup and train properly then a staffy is much more likely to protect you and yours than go for them. i worked in a veterinary surgery for 6 years and i nwas bitten/tried to be bitten more times by alsations, labradors, collies, retrievers and little lap dogs than i ever was by a staffy, rotties or any of these other so called "dangerous" dogs. obviously you've got to use your common sense and judgement but on the whole i would say staffies are a sound choice


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## Jb1432 (Apr 19, 2008)

I told you this karl:lol2: Good to see what everyone else thinks, im getting one as soon as i move out. As well as having a gorgeous dog you can keep up chav image up mate:2thumb::no1::lol2:


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## boacoats2 (Oct 3, 2008)

Nebbz said:


> deffo got a broken one then :whistling2:


 

nah its not broken my 4mnth old pup was full of it. pulled wallpaper off, ran off with the kids shoes :lol2: bit of crate training sorted it out. my older dog had a habit of chewing one shoe out of a pair. if i bought a new pair to go out in, did'nt matter where you hid them he'd find them and chew one! leaving the other one perfect as a reminder :lol2:


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## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

It might just have been misplaced teething problems nebbz. My rottie chewed the edges of the carpets when he was teething nothing i bought him seemed to suffice. As soon as he had all his teeth it stopped. We still had to replace two carpets in a rented house though!


Marina


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## mrsfluff (Jul 15, 2007)

boacoats2 said:


> nah its not broken my 4mnth old pup was full of it. pulled wallpaper off, ran off with the kids shoes :lol2: bit of crate training sorted it out. my older dog had a habit of chewing one shoe out of a pair. if i bought a new pair to go out in, did'nt matter where you hid them he'd find them and chew one! leaving the other one perfect as a reminder :lol2:


I had a bull terrier cross that liked to bite electrical sockets out of the wall :? He calmed a lot eventually, but for some time he was an odd un (I rescued him from a not nice home, which is where I think a lot of his behaviour issues came from).

Jo


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## Liam09 (Jul 25, 2008)

yeah i have a staffy whos 8 years old now!! and he's gr8!!


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## kerrie (May 29, 2006)

yep great dog to have with kiddies


























although they can chew the wallpaper when puppies lol

also good with drunk teens


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## cubeykc (Aug 8, 2008)

kerrie said:


> yep great dog to have with kiddies
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## kerrie (May 29, 2006)

a couple more


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## don5999 (Oct 15, 2007)

Ruby is my 5 yr old Staffy. I got her as my ex has 2 children and at the time they were young.
She is the only dog i totally trusted with the boys...even when they were all rough-housing.
She will still return to them to check up on them if we are out on walks.
Although I cant take her near any other dog but my sisters staffy...


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## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

kerrie said:


> a couple more




Thats nurture not Nature!!

Marina


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## lenemily (Jul 7, 2008)

Staffys are fantastic with children but please please before you consider getting one look through your local rescues so many staffys need forever loving homes 
even puppies !!!
there are so many out there so again please consider a rescue both mine are and i have no problems with them :2thumb:


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## weelad (Jul 25, 2006)

love them!


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## cubeykc (Aug 8, 2008)

lenemily said:


> Staffys are fantastic with children but please please before you consider getting one look through your local rescues so many staffys need forever loving homes
> even puppies !!!
> there are so many out there so again please consider a rescue both mine are and i have no problems with them :2thumb:


would love to rehome 1 but i have a baby to think off i would only get a 8-12 week staff and i would want to see the parents


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## animal addict (Jun 1, 2008)

cubeykc said:


> i would wank to see the parents


lol thats one helluva freudian slip :lol2:


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## boacoats2 (Oct 3, 2008)

cubeykc said:


> would love to rehome 1 but i have a baby to think off i would only get a 8-12 week staff and i would wank to see the parents


 

sorry you would what now? :lol2:


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## cubeykc (Aug 8, 2008)

boacoats2 said:


> sorry you would what now? :lol2:


 
:lol2: my spelling is shocking


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## RasperAndy (Sep 21, 2007)

cubeykc said:


> :lol2: my spelling is shocking


or your sex life is just wrong on so many levels


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## cubeykc (Aug 8, 2008)

RasperAndy said:


> or your sex life is just wrong on so many levels


:lol2:


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

cubeykc said:


> :lol2: maby if i hint hard enough she might gt me 1 for x mas


 I think it'll take longer than 2 weeks to do all your research and then start looking for decent breeders who might have a litter. Don't just get the cheapest you find, do some careful research as the back yard breeder poking out cheap £150 pups without proper paperwork and reguistration, won't have been bothered about either parent having bad temperament. And temperament is inherited. You want a dog that is physically close to the breed standard and bred by someone who knows the breed and possibly who shows. That way you know they have a reputation to keep up, her dogs should be correct physically and of sound temperament. If any dog in the show ring, bites the judge or attacks the other dogs, it will not win or will be asked to leave. So if someone breeds and shows and wins with their dogs, you may have to pay more money but you can be sure it is a good example and physycally and temperament wise, it will be all that it should be and not a ticking time bomb of health or temperament problems.


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

boacoats2 said:


> yes, i have 2 staffies and a girl of 3 and my son is nearly 2. and they are one of the only breeds i would totally trust with kids, so long as you don't mind them being a bit boisterous and jumping around a lot they're fantastic. obviously you are going to get the odd one that through ill treatment or whatever will bite but if you get from a pup and train properly then a staffy is much more likely to protect you and yours than go for them. i worked in a veterinary surgery for 6 years and i nwas bitten/tried to be bitten more times by alsations, labradors, collies, retrievers and little lap dogs than i ever was by a staffy, rotties or any of these other so called "dangerous" dogs. obviously you've got to use your common sense and judgement but on the whole i would say staffies are a sound choice


 How come you say you worked in a vet's surgery for 6 years yet you didn't know that there is no such thing as an 'alsation'. There used to be a breed called 'Alsatian' but for the last 30 years it has been called the German shepherd dog'.


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## Nebbz (Jan 27, 2008)

Marinam2 said:


> It might just have been misplaced teething problems nebbz. My rottie chewed the edges of the carpets when he was teething nothing i bought him seemed to suffice. As soon as he had all his teeth it stopped. We still had to replace two carpets in a rented house though!
> 
> 
> Marina


yeah same as roo, i crate trined and discoverd staffy proof toys he still has them!!!!!!!!!!!

2 rubber tires for a car. and a purple rubber thing, and a black one shaped like a rugby ball cant think of what there called though but a god sent!

but soon as it stopped all adult teeth through hes fine, he chews the odd thing like post its seem to be his fave at the moment?!


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## aj_0121 (Nov 26, 2007)

i have a staff his 11 months old now and he loves kids licks them to bits when they come around and is so gentle with them


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## gazz (Dec 9, 2006)

fenwoman said:


> How come you say you worked in a vet's surgery for 6 years yet you didn't know that there is no such thing as an 'alsation'. There used to be a breed called 'Alsatian' but for the last 30 years it has been called the German shepherd dog'.


Why do you do that ??.It's a bit of a s:censor:t thing to pull up on someone. Why do you insist on doing such things ??.They came to the UK as German sheperds then we went to war involving Germany.Owners in the UK of the breed though the word 'GERMAN' would harm the breed.So they changed the breeds name to first Alsatian wolfdog then it got shorted once again to just Alsatian.In 1977 it was pushed by the breed owners to retern the name back to German Shepherd and was grated by the KC.Now at the preasant day leaving the past in the past.It is disired to refer to the breed as German shepherds.But your far from braking the law for refering to a German shepherd as a Alsatian and big percent of the uk still does.It's not worth getting on your high horse about ??.There didn't use to be a breed called 'Alsatian' it was another name for the same breed.


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## Kismet (Sep 17, 2008)

I have a Staffy pup, she's just turned a year old, she's a big lump of dog and can knock a person over in one stride. She's sweet, obedient, loyal and a hyper crazy bag of nuts...

All this said some friends of mine came over with their 8 month old twins and I was a bit wary, but I could barely recognise my girl, she was gentle and quiet and allowed them to pat her and pull her ears and grab at her face and legs with only a gentle wag of her tail! She did once or twice have a sneaky lick of their milky hands but that was about it...I was stunned at her calmness.

I don't think any dog should ever be left alone with children, regardless of temprement. They are animals after all, that said I've yet to see my girl so much as show her teeth in all the time I've had her...towards me or indeed other dogs or anything in fact. 

Also I have two cats who cause the dog more damage than she does them, they claw at her for trying to snuffle and lick them! She's never once been nasty with them, she's a big idiot who play-bows to them and is a bit surprised that they're not up for a game of fetch!

I got my girl when two entirely unpedigree pets got it on when their owner wasn't looking (they were being seperated by a childgate with a big board on top while the male, a recent rescue, was undergoing treatment for a poorly eye and awaiting the snip!)...I know lots of folks here are Pedigree worshipers but I'd take my girl or a cross any day of the week! Shake up the gene pool that's what I say! 

Check out local rescue centres, they may even have pups. :2thumb:


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