Since i last posted look what we got!

[ManxMatt34]

Some of you already probably know i have a rescue Staffy as of straight after the ARTNW at the end of April. Lovely dog, and a real daddies girl.

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/227246_10150189649854356_503579355_6556172_2931960 _n.jpg

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/262696_10150237686239356_503579355_6885198_6099542 _n.jpg
http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/226929_10150190671901992_563681991_7523513_2188292 _n.jpg

She is soft as anything and with quite often gum onto my arm, she's a great little character like most dogs quite often are doing some hilarious things.

But now all hell has been let loose as we decided to get....

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/307743_10150334052874356_503579355_7653172_2746838 39_n.jpg
.... Her a little friend. Another Bitch called Ellie. Had her about 3 weeks bludy none stop. Do any other orgers have staffies or had any experience of them. We find them lovely dogs, great manner and yet people will still cross the road to avoid Titch (the older) when we're out on walks. It's an hilarious assumption that they're aggresive dogs.

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/316736_10150334051409356_503579355_7653159_9413068 86_n.jpg

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/299292_10150334054249356_503579355_7653196_7109999 60_n.jpg

[Dave20046]

wahey!



you're mental though, they've gotta be a lot of work.



(...and walking :()

[ManxMatt34]

wahey!



you're mental though, they've gotta be a lot of work.



(...and walking :()

Wern't you here when i'd not long had the elder? And she picked that bug up? Or was that someone else?

Nightmare. But we're moving back next year over your side of the water and you're first on the list for baby sitting!

[gruntygiggles]

It's because they are so often bought as status dogs...goodness knows why because yes, they are gorgeous.

I reckon so long as you're not wearing a hoody you'll be reet ;-)

Seriously though, I know from experience that taking on a rescue dog is no small responsibility at all and so hats off to you. It has been four and a half years since I got Hollie and she has gone from wanting to kill any dog she sees to living with three others. She still gets anxious around other dogs if they are too boisterous, but now she just runs off and gets out of their way.

I think bringing another dog into the home is a fab idea...but beware, rescue dogs can hang onto some weird and not noticable anxieties and behaviours that can be easily taught to pups, so I would very much advise puppy classes or, as Stretch and me did...socialise like mad so that you take away the chance of unwanted behaviours setting in.

As for other people crossing the road though, ignore them. We get the opposite, people see our four and just want to barge in and say hello...which is not good when trying to teach one of them that humans aren't scary!

Love the pics, they are both adorable :-)

[ravingdavis]

When I came to visit your Staffie was a bit poorly, the lesser Dave was there too :)

Soft as muck she is, lovely dog.

[Dave20046]

Wern't you here when i'd not long had the elder? And she picked that bug up? Or was that someone else?

Nightmare. But we're moving back next year over your side of the water and you're first on the list for baby sitting!
Unforgettable am I :-({|=

Yeah it was based on that, that two of them must be ridiculous! She is soft as anything though..


nice one! (apart from the babysitting thing ;)

[Bluefish]

Bleedin hell Matt, worried about a snake, scared of a spider, and you have those two lol. They look lovely though, i remember have been in peoples houses that have had a couple of staffies and they had shredded it, literally eaten just about every thing doors floors you name it, good luck mate ;)

[Artful]

I've got a 2 year old male Staffie and he is brilliant. He loves people and other dogs but he is a bit possesive about his garden when people (especially if they have dogs) walk by.

He is our second Staffie (we had boxers before) and they do seem to have a passion for anything wooden when going through the chewy stage.

[timwilky]

Both my son and younger daughter have rescue staffies. Both have young children, I have never seen such friendly friendly dogs. The wife is terrified that they are going to "turn".

There is a problem of them being used and treated inappropriately and then people get upset when they react as trained (or not). David's Staff Rocky is a very "physical" dog, clumsy as hell. But he is band from my home as he nicks Jaspers food which makes Jasper scrap with him. Out on the fields though they are great together except Rocky is knackered after a 100 yard dash.

[Sir Trev]

It has been four and a half years since I got Hollie and she has gone from wanting to kill any dog she sees to living with three others. She still gets anxious around other dogs if they are too boisterous, but now she just runs off and gets out of their way.

How long???? Oh flip. We've had our rescue black lab Jackie almost a year now and she still wants to kill any other dog on sight. She's somewhere near eight years old and no amount of training courses and socialisation has helped - someone did a real deal on her at some point in the past and she's not changing yet...

We had new neightbours move in yesterday and ARGH! they've got a Jack Russell. It's already got under the fence (that arthritic Jackie cannot breach) and at some point fur will fly!

Those Staffies look very sweet by the way Matt.

[missyburd]

Lovely, she's got so much character and the little one looks to already dote on her!

You just have to get used to people's reactions to certain breeds. We homed a rescue German Shepherd about 7 years ago. People avoid us on a walk which I don't mind as he's still awkward with some dogs. I've seen a few GSD's do the whole "will just act alert and interested until the dog is right on my toes then WWWWWOOOF" lol. Terriers and Border Collies get extra attention though :rolleyes: It still amazes me the number of people that will walk boldly towards you with a GSD then ask if he bites and can they stroke him :neutral:

Staffs unfortunately have just as bad a rep and they are just lovely natured dogs as are GSDs, unless in the wrong hands. Then they are a force to be reckoned with.

[Owenski]

HA! Manx u muppet.
The rescue dog was well past the chewing stage when you picked her up but you're gonna suffer with that little pup. Say bye bye to the couches pal staffies are mental at chewing stuff to bits, freaking rapid at doing it too!

Buy them lots and lots of toys to destroy, if they get bored its your house which will suffer.

Cute as feck though pal, and whats this about moving over here...?

[ManxMatt34]

HA! Manx u muppet.
The rescue dog was well past the chewing stage when you picked her up but you're gonna suffer with that little pup. Say bye bye to the couches pal staffies are mental at chewing stuff to bits, freaking rapid at doing it too!

Buy them lots and lots of toys to destroy, if they get bored its your house which will suffer.

Cute as feck though pal, and whats this about moving over here...?


I must get in touch Matt about that, not spoke in a while. I absoulutly promise i will ring you soon. Just been buggered from work. It's all in the post. 12 months unless someone offers me a 40k plus a year job here for doing next to nadda.

[dizzyblonde]

BOB BOB BOB BOB BOB BOB.............


Bob the dog!

Yup Staff x whippet/greyhound.......slightly overweight, loves cat food, when you leave the room, thinks baby is permanently offering food whilst crawling, scared of the cat, can't go in his bed and whimpers around the house, runs like a fat bomb on legs(28+kilos of power), doesn't like bin bags, is scared of dogs smaller than him, clumsy heavy feet, exceeedingly well behaved around school kids, scared of umbrellas, scared of cars, scared of anything, hates water, if its raining will jump over puddles, hates the shower or baths, defo no hosepipes.............

Spent two years waiting for him to calm down and stop eating furniture, escaping under fences, over fences(well actually that one took four!) smelly, woosy dog......



....and farts a lot:puker:


baby bob
http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/199801_1014067628282_1122788272_51069_5397_n.jpg

big Bob
http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/208305_1014065468228_1122788272_51052_7961_n.jpg

rumbled, kitty pillow :)

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/74346_1618274253070_1122788272_1693551_6414703_n.j pg

^^^^^and yes, that door frame has been eaten :(

[gruntygiggles]

How long???? Oh flip. We've had our rescue black lab Jackie almost a year now and she still wants to kill any other dog on sight. She's somewhere near eight years old and no amount of training courses and socialisation has helped - someone did a real deal on her at some point in the past and she's not changing yet...

We had new neightbours move in yesterday and ARGH! they've got a Jack Russell. It's already got under the fence (that arthritic Jackie cannot breach) and at some point fur will fly!

Those Staffies look very sweet by the way Matt.


Well Hollie was used as bait for fighting dogs when she was a puppy (suspended above the pit so her thrashing would get the fighter dogs going, then pulled out the way last second) so she was petrified of other dogs. She went from that environment to Bath dogs home. Got rehomed but was too difficult, so back to Bath dogs home. She was successfully rehomed 2 years before I got her, but after 2 years there, her owner died and as they couldn't walk her because of her dog aggression, they put an ad up in the vets which I saw.

I had never seen anything like it in my life. We took her for a walk so I could see how she would react to Stig (who was then 18 months) and it was like a canine version of the exorcist. She was a dog possessed with evil and my then other half wanted to walk away, but she got me...I would rather take her and spend any amount of time working with her than leaving her to go back to the dogs home.

When I took her home, I kept Stig with me and would use body language and stern voice to not allow Hollie to get within 5ft of us. Pretty much trying to tell her that Stig was off limits. It honestly only took about 3 hours and she went and lay in the corner of the room. Stig got up and Hollie looked, but her body language was completely neutral so I let him go and lie down in the opposite corner. Another 3 hours of two dogs lying motionless at opposite ends of the room and all of a sudden, she jumped up, tail high in the air wagging so hard and fast she could have taken off and her ears were like antennas...lol. Reading her manner, I decided it was safe to leave her to it and she ran over to stig, pounced on him and scared the living daylights out of him. She carried on in a way only Hollie can...and after 30 seconds, he realised she was playing and they pretty much tore up the whole of the downstairs for the rest of the evening. They have been inseperable ever since.

With other dogs, she needs time to be able to know that they are no threat, then she is fine. It was dogs under zero control running up to her that still worry me. She's not done anything for years, but I will never trust her...thankfully, if I pretend to throw a ball, she will just run away and I can deal with it, but if a dog is nice and calm...she will go and say hello now.

Don't give up. I've also learned, mor with Stig than Hollie as he is not good with strangers that if he always gets treats off new people, he reacts to them so much better than being corrected when he growls. Last time Viper came here...within 10 minutes Stig ignored me and jumped up to give him a cuddle on the sofa :-)


As for Staffies...I love them. I have noticed though that I hardly ever see them off the lead running around a field getting proper exercise. I only ever see them being walked around town...so maybe it is a lack of exercise that has more to do with ripping the house apart than the breed.