What A Difference Breed Makes.

[juice]

Many times i have seen posts about loose dogs charging others dolers, and not really thought much of it.

Well last night i changed my mind about it!

I am crossing the oval to go home , i see on the other side 2 boys with a staffy, they see me and grab it, no lead it seems so sit on it.

I give a really wide birth, keep right over the other side , next thing i see is this staffy, built like a brick with big studded chest plate charging straight for us, kid it tow running after him.

i Sh*t myself!

I have 3 dogs all on lead, i stand between him and them , and start circling mine out of his reach, he rush's around trying to get to them, kid catch's up jumps on him, his hackles are up and he growls and snarls as the boy grabs him.

Kid apologize's, and tells me he is friendly, its just the way he says hello.

So, i walk away shaking like a leaf.

But then started thinking, the night before an oodle charged from the other side of the oval to us, i didn't bat an eyelid, was i being breed scared?

Yes the staffy charged straight at us, yes his tail was high, he made himself big, yes he growled etc when the kid grabbed him.

It happened so fast, i wish i could watch again to see if he was just being an overzealous bull breed, or he meant business, my gut feeling was not good the way he ran at us?

Mine didn't react, except my old dally who actually went towards him to say hello, so perhaps he was ok?

Owning a bull breed myself it made me really see why people are scared.

[Staffyluv]

We have a huge lab at our dog park who greets all the dogs as they come in with hackles up from his head all the way down his tail and barking..

I have never had labs and I have to admit I was afraid for my staffy the first time this guy came at us.. His owner was there and said he is just excited... Ziggy loved him and he played really well with the big guy...

We have a friend with a female stafford who greets other dogs in a similar way, tail up a few bristles on her rear end up and she seems tense but she does nothing but say hello and then play...

I get worried unless I know the dog. Even more so with Ziggy then I did with Ollie because he is so submissive.. He just rolls over as soon as another dog growls or gets pushy...

[Odin-Genie]

I'll confess that I and my dogs get out of the dog park the moment an unknown bull breed dog comes in. We usually get out with any big unknown dog, but bull breeds in particular. Not because I dislike them. It's because all bull breed dogs I have met have a very rough play style which my dogs wouldn't tolerate in an unknown dog.

Saying that, the two dogs my elkhound likes playing with is a staffy cross and a bull terrier cross. And they have a great time together.

[juice]

I think in hindsite most of the staffys i have known do rush up like this. My bully doesn't she skips over in bounds

I suppose if he meant business he would have got past me to them, and my dally is a good judge of dog, he would stand behind me if he was concerned.

Perhaps he just had no manners?

it just got me thinking about the difference it makes on breed.

Edited April 4, 2012 by juice

[indigirl]

The big studded chest plate also implies this is a dog who can be dangerous, I would ave been nervous too

[Alkhe]

I think in hindsite most of the staffys i have known do rush up like this. My bully doesn't she skips over in bounds

I suppose if he meant business he would have got past me to them, and my dally is a good judge of dog, he would stand behind me if he was concerned.

Perhaps he just had no manners?

it just got me thinking about the difference it makes on breed.

I tend to agree with this, based on my own experience. I'm trying to think of times that things like Oodles have rushed towards us, but they tend to do it in a more 'laid back' kind of way (for want of a better word). More bounding over than full on running.

I also think dogs that have less visible hackles tend to look less menacing anyway- any dog that is running towards other dogs with hackles raised looks more 'threatening' than a dog with a shaggy coat, just because shaggy coats don't show hackles!

There's one new staffy type dog (I actually think she's an amstaff x or something) at my park and lots of people are terrified of her because she just has a mean look about her. I know that sounds horrible, but she is VERY muscular, and has small eyes and scars on her ears from where another dog grabbed her while both were on leash. She's a gorgeous dog though, I just wish people would give her a chance before pulling their dogs away as soon as they see her. She plays like all the other staffords that people know and are used to. Sigh.

[rusty&biscuit]

Unfortunately I think breed does make a difference. I LOVE american staffies, I'm not overly worried about them, more so the 'pig dogs' which there are a lot of up here. But in my defence I had to stand helplessly as my amstaff X saved the puppy I was looking after from being mauled by this pig dog. So anytime I see one bounding to me, I do get concerned, mainly for Biscuit and Rusty is a big boy and can defend himself if need be. However if I saw a poodle charging, no, I wouldn't be concerned. Even if it had the worst intentions, it is not even going to come close to the damage that a bull breed can do.

[Guest Willow]

The big studded chest plate also implies this is a dog who can be dangerous, I would ave been nervous too

Or an owner who wants to look like a "hard man"

I admit, I worry about bigger dogs, because I know how my own staffy reacts to big dogs....an aggressive small dog wouldn't worry me because it wouldn't worry my dog. When I've been walking my smaller boy without my staffy, I've been much more relaxed about big dogs approaching us.

However, despite owning a bull breed, I would be very wary of a loose one....

[dancinbcs]

Breed makes a huge difference. You know if a little dog charges that your dogs will not be torn to pieces or have bones broken but if it is a strong jawed breed these are definite posibilities. Breeds that have been bred to hunt and kill or fight to the death are much more dangerous to other dogs than soft mouthed dogs that have never been bred to bite anything other than food. With many breeds the outcome of a fight is lots of noise and spit but no real bites. Other breeds once aroused to fight are much more dangerous. Any dog that charges is not being friendly. It is an agressive act that most likely will lead to a fight. Any dog inclined to do it should never be off lead anywhere especially if it is strong enough to inflict real damage on another dog.

[Christina]

Of course breed makes a difference.

One is hardly likely to get in a big panic about the psycho chihuahua or bichon carrying on because although they can be a pain you have a chance of controlling the little devils, one kick, just a move it with your foot gesture, & its all over. With some breeds one kick & a hefty one, is like a fly batting against them. Perfectly normal to react that way, depending on breed, to a dog hassling when you have 3 on lead or even one.

[dotdashdot]

Bigger breeds worry me more, but I definately still worry about little dogs that are clearly aggressive, approaching me and my dog. It's never nice, and I don't want my dog to be affected by their bad behaviour.

I guess I've never had a bad "big dog" experience, but plenty of little dogs have rushed us and made me very angry (I have to control my 20kg dog, but they get away with anything)

[Diva]

Of all the staffies that have rushed my on-lead dogs, and it has been in the tens, only one has been friendly. So yes, that colours how I react now. Same for GSDs where the odds have also been bad, but the sample size smaller. I can't help but be affected by experience.

[bluedeer]

Bigger breeds worry me more, but I definately still worry about little dogs that are clearly aggressive, approaching me and my dog. It's never nice, and I don't want my dog to be affected by their bad behaviour.

I guess I've never had a bad "big dog" experience, but plenty of little dogs have rushed us and made me very angry (I have to control my 20kg dog, but they get away with anything)

same here

[dee lee]

I think it's a natural response. Some breeds have the potential to do more damage than others, & there is no denying all the bull breeds do.

An oodle, less so, especially if it's small.

Body language of both breeds generally is quite different too & I find bull breeds get so excited it's hard to tell what their intentions are.

From experience, I find it's always best to err on the side of caution. Twice my dog has been bitten when I haven't been as paranoid as I should, never again. (neither of those dogs was a bull breed either)

[juice]

Delee, i agree, posture in staffys is hard to work out if they are over exuburant or mean business.

He was charging full pelt for us and only stopped as i stood in front of mine, then he circled as i swung them around, no idea how i managed it :laugh:

His agression seemed to escalate as the kid ( teenager) grabbed him.

[dee lee]

Sounds like a lucky result.

I know those magic spins- afterwards you try & remember how you did it & it seems impossible! :laugh:

[grumpette]

I did one of those magic spins with a 30kg Rotty to keep her from two attacking SWFs and a Lab X. When we finally stopped spinning she threw up on me

[TheCheekyMonster]

Gus and I went to our local dog park, there were 6 dogs, 4 standard poodles all from the same family & 2 amstaf x everything rescues.... initially I was not worried about any of them.

Then what started into an innocent greeting quickly turned into 4 poodles standing on top and over Gus pinning him whilst one was using his backside as a chew toy... I tried to get in there to save him and these poodles started ganging up on me!! not being "aggressive" as such but were bullies!!, I am always a lot more comfortable with Gus playing with Bull breeds than some other breeds because 1 I own a bull breed and are familiar with their play style and 2 the only problems that I have encountered have been from oodles and danes!.

I think it has quite a bit to do with your confidence and experience in/with the breed more so than intentionally being discriminatory about a specific breed.

[melzawelza]

I would say its more that SIZE matters rather than breed. You're not scared of an oodle cos they're tiny.

I too am worried about unleashed bull breeds and I have a (friendly) one myself. But I worry about any large dog that could do damage.

It's unfair to make out that only the bull breeds can do significant damage. They can, no doubt about that, but so can any med-large size dog.

[m-sass]

I think any medium to large dog off leash approaching in an unfriendly or aggressive manner is a cause for concern, but what I have always found is that Bully breeds are the breeds less likely to have owners who can control them and are also the owners who take the greatest risks exercising their dogs where good control is essential, perhaps there are too many Bully breeds and X breeds of them that the general irresponsible dog owners can access too easily? I have come across my fair share of intimidating looking GSD's and Rottweilers off leash who have sized me up too, and I definitely would not have wanted to meet them roaming loose without an owner present but there is no comparison how much more control owners of these breeds have over the owners of Bully breeds from a training perspective. Sadly Bully breeds are the worse breeds I have found where off leash with an owner present provides me with little confidence if the dog attempts to rush at us that the owner will have effective control of the dog.