Staffies (Staffordshire Bull Terrier): a brilliant family pet
The Staffordshire Bull Terrier, more commonly known as Staffies, has been a recognised breed of the UK Kennel Club since the 1930’s but there are references to this breed back to the early 1800’s.
Originally bred as a baiting dog and then on to fighting the Staffie has been a favourite of ours for hundreds of years. Unfortunately their reputation for this behaviour has never left them. The other uses for Staffies were and still are often overlooked; their high intelligence and passion to please and their loyalty make them great family pets.
Dan Callaghan, from Barkers Trail Academy gives us some fascinating insights into the joys and challenges of owning Staffies, speaking from his informed experience.
Bold, fearless and affectionate
With any breed there is always a generic temperament, a ‘one size fits all’ sort of description. A quick google search will tell you things like, bold, confident, fearless and affectionate. For the most part this is absolutely true, but Dan has unfortunately also seen a great deal of scared, frightened and timid Staffies.
This is likely due to poor breeding. Unfortunately with popularity comes demand and easy money, so there are lots of poorly bred dogs, in Dan’s experience. Good temperament is bred into dogs and a Responsible Breeder will take care to produce this.
Are they pets or workers?
Dan says:
“Well to put it bluntly, both! The Staffie is well known for being the affectionate cuddle monster, but what people will say is that they have so much energy! This is because the Staffie is actually an incredibly intelligent breed, ranked 34 alongside the field spaniel on the Stanley Coren Intelligence of Dogs list“
Sorry Dan, they’re 94th on the version I looked at! (We can all guess who is number 1 can’t we readers? Lol)
Dan’s completely correct though – if you want a dog that will cuddle you and give you kisses but will also learn lots of tricks and work for you then the Staffie is a great choice of dog.
Health issues in Staffies
Although they tend to be quite healthy and live long happy lives they do have a few common problems:
- Hip dysplasia
- Skin allergies
- Elbow dysplasia
- Cataracts
- Cancer (various)
Are Staffies aggressive?
This is by far the most common problem Dan has to deal with in this breed and also the most common thing people will think of when the word “Staffie” is mentioned. Unfortunately this is a true issue, but does that mean that they are inherently aggressive towards dogs? Absolutely not! Dan says:
“If you get one from a reputable breeder and you do the correct type of socialisation (see below) then your Staffie will grow up to be a well-adjusted and behaved dog that you can be proud of.
If you buy the dog from Dave in the pub, then you are already fighting an uphill battle via poor genetics (yes genetics DO have an impact on behaviour) and then if you do not worry about the social aspect, then you are likely to have a dog that is anti-social.”
Socialising – what does this mean?
One topic that Dan is always asked about is socialisation, “Hi I have a puppy and want to socialise it” is the usual message he receives.
“I detest the so called “puppy parties” where the dogs are taken to a hall and released to play and socialise. Why do I detest them? Well because they encourage unwanted behaviours.”
Dan explains why (these two examples could be describing ANY puppy. Border collies are usually like puppy 2 by the way.)
Staffie puppy 1 – This puppy is very confident and full of life. He comes into the room and is excited to see his new friends. He runs in, jumping around and having a great time. This puppy can bounce on the others, pin them down, bark, chase and all round have a blast.
What have we allowed the dog to learn here? It’s ok to play rough! SO when they’re a fully grown, muscular and powerful dog, who runs up to another dog and flattens them, what then? Well the other dog may take offence to this and retaliate, which then causes a fight! Now when a confident Staffie has a fight they walk away actually thinking “that was fun”. So what do they get good at? From day one the Staffie should be taught control and correct approach behaviours.
Staffie puppy 2 – This puppy is nervous and would rather be left alone, she comes in to the room and is bombarded by dogs. She stands there, tail down wondering what to do and then tries to retreat to her owner. However she has nowhere to go, the dogs keep coming so she growls. That didn’t work, she nips, success! We all know where this is going right? Poor puppy 🙁
Overall
Although Dan has focused on some negative parts of Staffies, this is more about awareness of what can go wrong if you don’t get things right. The Staffie is one of Dan’s favourite breeds. Their energy, loyalty, affection and the noises they make, give you a fantastic little dog.
“If you have the chance to own one and do things right I guarantee the Staffie will be the only dog you’ll ever own again.”
Thank you Dan, for a great insight into this fascinating breed! More information can be found on the Your Dog Advisor page for Staffies.
Ask for help?
I hope you have enjoyed finding out about owning a Staffie? Please comment and share your views and experiences? What breed would you like to know about? Or do you have a breed of dog and would like to share your views on living with your dog? Please CONTACT ME to let me know?
You are very welcome to CONTACT ME to ask for my advice? I can help you with a variety of issues and problems around getting a dog and suggestions for tackling training issues. Go to the What Dog? page for more information on my new service.
Saying No!
Be consistent – please?
Why say no though?
ome people think they only need to use treats when their puppy is little. Why? I still like chocolate and I’m 55 years old! If you asked me to do something and offered me chocolate I would DEFINITELY do it! Sunny will always come back to me, no matter whom I call, just in case I feel like giving her a sweetie. Well of course I do! She’s 12 years old but if she comes when I call, she 
Tiffany feels that the best thing about a Westie is his personality. Her dog, Dougie, very much knows his own mind. She says that when he’s got something to say, he can be vocal! If he doesn’t want to do something, he won’t do it! But every night when they get home, he greets them so enthusiastically. Dougie is so loving and Tiffany’s little shadow at home. She couldn’t imagine not having him.
Yappy barking
Health issues
Tiffany says that Dougie is full of life and always raring to go out, so most of their holidays are geared around walking holidays. Having a dog has made her go outdoors considerably more than she did before.
Rushing all day long
Ask for help?
Symptoms of Pyometra include: 
Luna made such a great recovery from the operation and really rocked the shirt provided by the vet, which was brilliant compared with the stupid lampshade they usually provide. She was moving around normally within a day or two and a month today since the op she if fully healed and back to her usual self. On the strength of that, I decided to go ahead with Aura’s spay. Aura is more active than Luna, so I thought it might be harder to manage her recovery. Silly me! She is younger and fitter than her mum, so was completely better within the week. Amazing.
Ounce is now almost 14 months old and is due for her vaccination booster pretty soon. I had noticed months ago that she was occasionally slightly lifting her back left leg when she was standing, particularly if she had her head down. A friend who’s an animal physiotherapist suggested lifting her food slightly and that definitely helped.
I generally do try these days to hold off rushing to see the vet until I understand what is happening. Dogs are often sick because they have eaten something that disagrees with them. Or they might have an accident in the house because they drank too much water. Equally, they might cut their pads, or bruise a leg, but this should clear up on its own. It’s really a question of keeping an eye on them.
Investigations
Tracey says that she wanted a breed that was active and healthy, as well as being able to cope with being left for a few hours at a time. She has owned five Whippets in total and says;
If you love to take long walks, then chances are a Whippet will fit your lifestyle perfectly. Tracey says
Fitting in easily
Final advice
