Staffordshire Terriers
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originally bred for bull and bear fighting.
Over the generations the Staffie has put his fighting history behind him and his other famous trait, as a loving family member, has earned him a place in the hearts of many. Staffie owners recommend their dogs as confident, people-loving dogs. A typical staffie is energetic, devoted to his families, and normally loves meeting strangers.
people will generally fall into one of two camps, those strongly for the breed and those strongly against.
Lovingly referred to as a "keg on legs", the Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a stocky, muscular dog that exudes character, strength and athletic ability. Their expressive countenances indicate their mood and intelligence.
The stafford is a dog with extreme strength for its size with unbeatable bravery.
The Staffie is renowned for its reliability as a nanny dog. They are extremely loving dogs, being loyal and devoted to man, with special emphasis on their reliability with children. The breed thrives in the family environment, being a suitably compact size for close family living. For these reasons, they are sometimes referred to as "nanny dogs".
As a result of their dog fighting heritage, one of the problems noticed in this breed is a tendency of aggression towards other dogs. It must be understood that even a Staffordshire Bull Terrier with "good" temperament may fight when challenged by another dog and should therefore be adequately controlled in public places. It is a good idea to avoid possible confrontational situations and a good idea to use a toy to distract the dog around other dogs.
It is always good advice to avoid allowing your Staffie to make eye to eye contact with strange dogs, as this is normally seen as a challenge. It must also be understood, however, that dog aggression is not related to human aggression in this breed. A staffie that is aggressive to strange dogs may still be completely trustworthy to humans.
Staffys are notorious for their tenacity and strength. They will not start fights with other dogs, but won't back down, and usually win. If they get hit in the head or hurt themselves they show no pain. Although they are fighters, they are good pets and generally won't harm anyone.
The Staffie was used mainly for lion baiting because they were known to be better than any other dog at dodging the claws and getting straight to the face, unlike the cousin the sixteenth century staffords that would crush a lion in seconds, the eighteenth century version was a lot smaller around 60 cm which gave them a disadvantage, but 60 percent of the time they beat the odds.
in the words of the American Kennel Club: "from the past history of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the modern dog draws its character of indomitable courage, high intelligence, and tenacity. This, coupled with its affection for its friends, and children in particular, its off-duty quietness and trustworthy stability, makes it a foremost all-purpose dog."
I am amused by guys who try to use a dog like pit bulls or rots as an extension of their manhood. They only seem to impress other idiots.
As for best breeds. I've owned both a golden retrievers and an irish wolfhound.
Both dogs are great with kids and other dogs. Both are exceptional family pets. Both are devoted to the family as opposed to a single owner.
The best attribute of the retriever was it's smarts, real sharp dog. The best attribute of the wolfhound was it's capacity to love the family, it put itself between me an a black bear once, and it protected my sister's baby from a rotwieller that went on a neighbourhood tear-up.
Great dogs.
I sorta like Irish wolfhounds - but only from what I have read. I saw a couple once, but have never spent any time with them - so I really cannot say too much about them.
The reason I like Staffies more is that they are smaller (and tougher!) and, believe it or not, Staffies remind me of dolphins. They are always friendly, always want to play, and their mouths are formed so that they naturally seem to have a permanent smile on their faces.
But mess with them and they will tear your heart out.
They reason I like smaller dogs is because I like having them in the house, and bigger dogs, through no fault of their own, tend to knock things over. I grew up with with three cats and two dogs sleeping with me on my bed, and I still like having animals in the house - which is why I don't really want a bigger dog than Staffie.