Do Staffordshire Bull Terriers behave the same as other dogs? Discussions

I have just read a book where it states that Staffies are bred for a silent and killer bite. That it is inate within them just as a Collie has the stalking trate and the Huskie runs.

It also says that Stafford Bull Terriers do no give out the same signals other dogs give out, i.e a growl to warn of an oncoming bite.

I was quite shocked as I have worked with Staffies.

Is the book correct it what it says?

I don't think it's fully true. I walked a male staffie for 4 years and he was a normal dog, I could always read his signs of impending trouble and so gave me time to react.
Maybe some staffies are like the book describes, but I don't think all dogs of each breed act like they're 'supposed' to, all dogs are individuals I think.

This book could be spot on or complete garbage!!
It's called
'The 100 Silliest Things People Say About Dogs'.
Here is an example on this site ...
http://www.nonlineardogs.com/



Burried in this book, Page 120

'Myth 38...You can make a Pit Bull, American Staffordshire Terrier any other breed that has specifically been bred for aggression, into a sweet dog if only you raise him right'
Phew, a bulky heading for sure.
But the pages go on to say that just as a Husky has been bred to pull and will therefore run, a Collie to herd and therefore stalk and stare, the dogs Pitbulls and Staffies have a silent and sudden ability to attack with a killing bite. The piece states that it is rewarding for the dog as this is what it is bred to do. It is in them, innate.
Once they start the chemical in the brain takes over and makes sure he cant stop. He cant honour surrending or calming signals as it has been bred out of the dog.

It goes on,
'Just like the Collie and the Husky, these breeds have been developed to perform a specific task. You cant take the behaviour out of their genes- i.e make them 'sweet' - by raising them a certain way, anymore than you can take the stalk out of the Collie or the sled gait out of the Husky by raising him differently. The major difference is that it's generally not a tragedy when the Collie or the Husky does his thing'.

Strong stuff!

All i will say is a SBT does not know what breed he/she is.
They act like a dog first,like anything it may apply to one dog but not every dog.A dog will observe and react to a situition diferently depending on the individual personality and upbringing.

Depends how much the traits have been 'diluted' over time I suppose. Of course, some dogs might be only a generation away from a fighting dog, but some may be 40 generations from their last fighting ancestor. Drive can be lost like any other trait (coat colour, tail set etc.) and even if a dog retains physical traits that characterise the breed (strong jaw, powerful head) it doesn't necessarily mean they retain the desire to attack that once accompanied them. Genes have a part to play as does up-bringing, as with everything. So while your book might be correct in some cases, it's oversimplified and can't be used to generalise re: the whole bull breed population.

Great post mse2ponder

Yes a dog first but breed is a huge factor! One that a certain tv trainer overlooks!

I agree Tango Charlie.
i know have a couple of dogs..but they are staffordshire bull terriers,thats one thing i never ever forget.

This is true but some game dogs have come out of curs and vice versa so its pot luck even so more in the sbt as the gameness genes do not pass down as well as they do in the apbt this is why some people prize a good staff above a good apbt

A Stafford is a dog.

The main difference is their ability to inflict great damage if they do attack.

Some people just like to encourage that ability in them.

Oh yes - totally possible. It's a random process - just the probability of one is greater than the other.

And hence, the ability to read calming signals and canine protocol has been bred out of them. No barking, no growling and no reaction to a dog showing passive signals.
Well, that is what the article states.

Fortunately the amount of people who do this with Staffords are in the minority and turning to other breeds/ crosses now that fit the bill better.

I have owned Staffords for years and have four at home now and do not recognise that description of them.

They give and read all the signals the same as any other dog.

i believe that any dog is capable of aggressive behaviour. some would say that terriers have a tenacity that other breeds don't have. having said that, it is down to the owner to ensure that their terrier is not encouraged to behave in a dominating, aggressive manner.

i have a jack russell. i am frequently told they are snappy, yappy dogs. lily shows neither of those traits and i believe it is because she is happy. she is loved, she knows the boundaries and she has plenty of exercise/play.

i am a huge fan of all terriers, from yorkshire to pitbull. i love their big personalities and the fact they make you work to be a decent owner.

so staffs do behave the same as other dogs if they are given all the right opportunities to do so.

I agree Staffords in general do bark and growl and give out the same signals as any other dog. Mine couldn't be silent if he tried, he sounds like a tasmanian devil half the time and that's when he's playfighting. He's certainly more than capable of reading other dogs body language.

Yip,they are VERY vocal arent they?;-)
The noises that they make have us in stitches sometimes.
Kia does the vocal and a dance to go with it,her front legs go up and down alternativley,looks likes shes doing the tango

Well the article's rubbish then, my staff barks when she's excited, she gives off tonnes of calming signals as well as reading them, it hasn't been bred out of her at all. Where is this article you're talking about?

Staffords do behave differently to say Greyhounds, but then Greyhounds behave differently to Pugs or GSDs or Wolfhounds, it's pretty dumb to try and lump all other breeds into one group and Staffords into another.

It is from this book featured on this site...
http://www.nonlineardogs.com/

It is not lumping breeds into two halfs, It mentions, for example, The Border Collie's Eye and Stalk behaviour, the Husky's pulling behaviour and the Staffie's fight behaviour. It also mentions the Staffie's inability to switch off from a fight.
Here is a snippet of the article...

'Just like the Collie and the Husky, these breeds have been developed to perform a specific task. You cant take the behaviour out of their genes- i.e make them 'sweet' - by raising them a certain way, anymore than you can take the stalk out of the Collie or the sled gait out of the Husky by raising him differently. The major difference is that it's generally not a tragedy when the Collie or the Husky does his thing'.

Quite harsh I think.

Two things here Collies and Huskies are still used for herding and pulling today.

The original pit dog was said to be the Bull Dog. As a more agile dog was often required they added other breeds, popular History says that was the White old english terrier, now extinct.
Do we believe Bull Dogs are fighters or Terriers.

I honestly believe most "Pit Bulls" are really a combination of crosses, and not all the same combination. This is one of the main reasons why the police find it so hard to 100% identify them.

It does not matter what a fighting dog looked like.

Staffords are not naturally fighting dogs they just like to please their owners

I actually think there is some truth in that re being difficult to work against breed traits.

BUT what I'm not certain of with Staffies is there history. I'm pretty sure they weren't originally bred for fighting other dogs (or where they?) and there was a period when they were being bred for this, for what period of the overal breed history was this?

At present the vast majority of border collies have some collie trait, but it does differ significantly from dog to dog. Whether show line bcs will lose these traits as years go on will be interesting (and sad) to see.