2 Big Staffies Moving In Next Door

[Tiggy]

Seems to me you are judging an entire breed, just because of one bad experience.

Sounds like you are creating a problem in your mind, where an actual problem probably does not exist.

Be careful on how you address your new neighbour, don't want to get off to a bad start by assuming the worst of their dogs.

I never thought I would say this, but I can understand where the OP is coming from.

Me too.

There is a bastard of a staffy living next door to me, attacked my big dog at the park for no reason (my dog wasn't even standing neat the staffy nor looking at it). Thank god for good fences.

And then a few weeks back we had the unfortunate experience of meeting a couple with two staffys, one of them grabbed my puppy around it's neck - again my dog didn't want a bar of this other dog, it simply attacked.

So, I don't hold this particular breed of dog in high stead at present. I was one not to judge any dog not so long ago but I need to meet some really nice non dog aggressive staffys to sway my mind right now.

eta - I meant to say, I hope the OP has no problems with her new neighbours nor their dogs

Sorry you've had a bad experience GR maybe we can meet up at Riverside one day ;) .

[poodlemum]

I can also sympathise with the OP - during my time as an Obedience Instructor I encountered MANY Staffies who were dog aggressive - I am sure that there are also many who are not, but it's the bad experiences one remembers

[black magic]

Sorry that you had a bad experience previously.

I think it's really important that you don't paint every staffy with the same brush following your prior bad experience.

Your neighbours may have two exceptional examples of the breed.

If I had any dog moving in next door regardless of breed and I was worried about my dog due to a previous dog attack I would look at my fencing to see if it is adequate just to make sure my dog "felt" secure.

I second talking and getting to know your neighbours.

[Kaz]

Talk to the neighbours as soon as possible. Maybe you could have some walks together to get the dogs comfortable with each other.

Remember that dogs behind a fence often act totally differently to those off their respective properties.

I'm not at all scared of staffies but when my neighbour moved in with his two, I was nervous as hell as the adjoining fence was wire and not in the best nick. And the neighbour has no fences at all!

So I had the neighbour and his dogs come round for playtime the day after they arrived. Better to bite the bullet and get it over with.

Now my three and his two are the best of mates

[Dogsfevr]

Just remember Scotties aren't always angels & give just as good as any Staffy.

I have meet many a fiesty Scottie who where willing to do just the same.

We board countless Staffies & never had an issue except for the over excitement.

I totally agree with pockets

I wouldnt be worried, treat every new dog as a NEW dog, put away pre-conceived ideas and assess the dog, not the breed smile.gif Your dog will probably be fine as will they and they wont even both each other near the fence and will be happy and behaved canine neighbours

If you do go over be careful what you say & imply because to be honest i would be totally *** off if someone came over about my dogs implying due to the breed & incident that mine will be the same or could be .

You would then need to be sure your dog doesn't start any fence issues where the table could be turned back to you.

You can't presume every staffy is the same & you will come across Staffies in every day life & your body language will rub off onto your dog so you need to be the confident leader your dog needs not create added insecurities

If the fence isn't secure then fix it but that shouldn't happen just because there staffies.

[percyk]

definitely go have a quiet cuppa with the neighbours

maybe invite them to your house first to meet your dog

we live in a relatively staffy-free area but there are a few that visit the dogpark

and when i talk to the locals who do frequent the park many do have staffy stories to share

we went to the dog beach...ever shrinking now it seems...and the staffies there had that nonstop in your face panting energy that some dogs cannot cope with

i used to really like the breed...but im wary now...

we will be moving soon...i have just begun to realise that we too may be thrown into the world of reinforced fencing and constant vigilance

sigh

but i shouldnt predict and catastrophise

good luck with your situation...hope it comes to nothing and your fears are completely unfounded

[Rileys mum]

I have a fear of bull mastifs around my dog since my guy got attacked by one but I know it's completely irrational. I had to make a conscious effort not to project my worry to my dog when passing or playing with similar breeds. He's since played happily with other mastif dogs with no trouble whatsoever. Each dog is individual.

All dogs.... Every single one has the potential to attack. Socialization and training by responsible owners is what makes the difference.

I know many staffies and all of them would rather lick you to death than lay a tooth near you or another dog. They all have dedicated owners

Talk with the new neighbors. They may well be great owners and, if not then you may look at more secure, solid fencing to give you piece of mind :D

[Kaz]

At my last houses, my dogs used to fence fight with the neighbours dogs.

It was a mixed breed small fluffy.

The neighbours had only a few words of English so it really was to difficult to sort the matter out.

Instead I ran a temporary fence with wire and star pickets along that side of the garden. It was about two feet away from the boundary fence having just that little distance immediately calmed things down.

Hopefully your dogs will be friends and you won't have to try this

[SoL]

The incident was unfortunate but that's not to say that these new Staffords are going to be owned by idiots but by owners who know and respect the breed and have taken the time to train 2 adult well socialised and mannered dogs. Talk to them and tell then what happened.

[Agility Dogs]

Seems to me you are judging an entire breed, just because of one bad experience.

Sounds like you are creating a problem in your mind, where an actual problem probably does not exist.

Be careful on how you address your new neighbour, don't want to get off to a bad start by assuming the worst of their dogs.

I never thought I would say this, but I can understand where the OP is coming from.

Me too.

There is a bastard of a staffy living next door to me, attacked my big dog at the park for no reason (my dog wasn't even standing neat the staffy nor looking at it). Thank god for good fences.

And then a few weeks back we had the unfortunate experience of meeting a couple with two staffys, one of them grabbed my puppy around it's neck - again my dog didn't want a bar of this other dog, it simply attacked.

So, I don't hold this particular breed of dog in high stead at present. I was one not to judge any dog not so long ago but I need to meet some really nice non dog aggressive staffys to sway my mind right now.

eta - I meant to say, I hope the OP has no problems with her new neighbours nor their dogs

WOA THERE!!!!!!

I think by deleting the rest of my post you have really changed the context of it. I was NOT denigrating any breed, nor was I saying that I have a problem with staffies in general.

I WAS saying that I can understand the OP being nervious about a situation given a previous experience. Please don't twist what people say to suit your own arguments.

[Vickie]

I agree with others who suggested you go talk to the neighbours. Just be careful to make it clear that at this point it is your problem, not theirs.

We have a dog next door that I worry about. I am on very friendly terms with her owner & told her of my concerns very early after we moved in. It has never caused any animosity between us and she has always made an effort to respect that I never want her dog to interact with mine.

The dog next door is mostly staffy & the traits of her breed do come into it a bit, as they tend not to work well with herding breeds. My males have had bad encounters with a few staffys in the past & never seem to have forgotten, that is my problem, not my neighbours.

She is way too rough for my dogs. They would not understand her idea of play & would find it offensive, again my problem.

All of mine would tell her off if she rammed into them and she would retaliate.

I have watched her with other dogs, she escalates very quickly & is so powerful that none of mine would stand a chance once that escalation turned into aggression. Her obedience also leaves a lot to be desired.

So for me it is an issue that my dogs would have with her dog & this is how I explained it.

Edited December 21, 2010 by Vickie

[Remarkabull]

SBT are not one of my favourite breeds but I have met many lovely ones. I have also met many stupid, in your face, disobedient nutcase ones too.

I think the problem is that because they are such a popular breed and there are so many BYB producing sub standard specimens (in both temperament and looks) and most of those are going to yobbos and people that only want them because of the way they look and have no real desire or understanding how to train, socialise them etc so there is a huge number of 'staffy' looking dogs out there.

Unfortunately I am related to some people that own 3 SBT (they are registered breeders of the elusive and rare blue and blue fawn - note the sarcasm) and there is no way I would let my dogs or my kids go anywhere near them. In fact, I am the biggest dog lover around and it's very rare for me to actively dislike a dog but I can say that I almost hate those 3. They are not aggressive (well they weren't the last time I saw them but it certainly was heading in that direction), but are hyperactive, disobedient and over excited idiots of dogs. They jump all over everyone, they bark constantly, they can't be walked calmly or without pulling your arm out of it's socket and they even annoy each other so much it often comes to a fight, especially between the 2 bitches who now have to be kept separated.

Hopefully your new neighbours will be of the responsible variety and will have lovely, friendly dogs and I also think you should talk to them about your concerns but do it carefully and try not to imply bad things about their dogs without knowing them.

[Quickasyoucan]

What ever happened to innocent until proven guilty.

I own a stafford x and have a purebred next to me and a cocker, cattle dog and beagles in the near vicinity. The only dog that there have been complaints about is the cocker (barking and biting a neighbour).

We all have personal experiences with dogs which could colour our views. My own dog has been attacked twice on lead once by a GSD and once by a cat (unprovoked and the cat did the most damage), yet I wouldn't be worried if a GSD was moving in.

You need to wait and see what happens before you judge.

[Golden Rules]

Seems to me you are judging an entire breed, just because of one bad experience.

Sounds like you are creating a problem in your mind, where an actual problem probably does not exist.

Be careful on how you address your new neighbour, don't want to get off to a bad start by assuming the worst of their dogs.

I never thought I would say this, but I can understand where the OP is coming from.

Me too.

There is a bastard of a staffy living next door to me, attacked my big dog at the park for no reason (my dog wasn't even standing neat the staffy nor looking at it). Thank god for good fences.

And then a few weeks back we had the unfortunate experience of meeting a couple with two staffys, one of them grabbed my puppy around it's neck - again my dog didn't want a bar of this other dog, it simply attacked.

So, I don't hold this particular breed of dog in high stead at present. I was one not to judge any dog not so long ago but I need to meet some really nice non dog aggressive staffys to sway my mind right now.

eta - I meant to say, I hope the OP has no problems with her new neighbours nor their dogs

WOA THERE!!!!!!

I think by deleting the rest of my post you have really changed the context of it. I was NOT denigrating any breed, nor was I saying that I have a problem with staffies in general.

I WAS saying that I can understand the OP being nervious about a situation given a previous experience. Please don't twist what people say to suit your own arguments.

Umm, I was only agreeing with the part I quoted, that being

I never thought I would say this, but I can understand where the OP is coming from

And then I noted my experiences with staffys of late.

The rest of your post had nothing to do with me or my experiences so I didn't quote it.

I think you have misinterpreted what I wrote

[DerRottweiler]

Seems to me you are judging an entire breed, just because of one bad experience.

Sounds like you are creating a problem in your mind, where an actual problem probably does not exist.

Be careful on how you address your new neighbour, don't want to get off to a bad start by assuming the worst of their dogs.

I never thought I would say this, but I can understand where the OP is coming from.

They are not judging an entire breed, they have a fear because of a bad experience. Fears are rarely rational and to tell them they are less than sensible because of their fears is not all that helpful.

Yes they are. I'll use simple logic to demonstrate.

1: My dog was attacked by a Staffy.

2: Therefore all Staffys must be evil.

3: My neighbours have big evil Staffys- they must be evil.

As you said, the fear is not a rational one, but it is breed bashing.....it never makes sense nor is it ever rational.

Edited December 22, 2010 by DerRottweiler

[megan_]

The OP didn't say all staffies were evil. They said that past experience has made them wary. That is perfectly normal.

Sheesh, you can't say anything that could possibly be construed as negative about ANY dog on DOL these days lest you be accussed of breed bashing. Guess we're lucky that the OP wasn't worried about a lab...

[DerRottweiler]

They did, albeit implicitly.

You may see it as an innocent 'fear', funny enough, there are never threads by n00bs about fearing poodles or SWFs.

Jus sayin.

[Dogsfevr]

The OP didn't say all staffies were evil. They said that past experience has made them wary. That is perfectly normal.

Sheesh, you can't say anything that could possibly be construed as negative about ANY dog on DOL these days lest you be accussed of breed bashing. Guess we're lucky that the OP wasn't worried about a lab...

Needless to say, I am now terrified of staffies.Not exactly wary i would say.

The heading 2 big staffies bit of an over kill & the dogs presumed to be evil before they have even moved in.

If these where poodles the OP wouldn't be wanting to have a chat??

[poodlefan]

Types a response.

Deletes it.

Types another

Deletes it.

Nope, not worth it. I've been there and ain't going to be called a no life effwit bully for expressing an opinion again. Score one for muzzling of frank breed discussion on this forum.

OP, get a second fence inside yours to keep your Scotty off the fence line or talk to the neighbours about upgrading to colour bond fence with concrete sleepers at the base. Regardless of what the ALL the dogs do or do not do, it will discourage ALL of them from any form of barrier aggression (which by the way my poodles will indulge in) and keep noise levels down.

[Kaz]

I have just reread the original post and I don't see any sign of breed bashing.

The op has had a bad experience and a lingering if somewhat exaggerated fear. Hey - she's human

Her concerns about staffies being escape artists are quite reasonable.

Very glad she has put herself out there and asked for advice.