Staffordshire Bull Terrier

[kaztuz]

My hubby and I are thinking of getting a Staffordshire Bull Terrier in the future. I was just wondering if any other ABer's have kept staffy's and what was their experience with them. My hubby works full time, leaving the house at 6am and getting back between 4pm and 5pm, I however start work at 10:30am and finish at 5pm. We have a very big garden so we would have quite a big kennel and a good sized run, but my concern is leaving it for longish periods of time. I would probably be home for half an hour at lunch time too so it would never really be on its own for more than 4 hours. It would also have good walks and plenty of exercise when we are around. I have read on a website though that because they like human contact they bark a lot and get stressed out if let on their own.

[Illyria54]

If you can get home each lunchtime then it shouldn't be a problem, 4 hours is the acceptable time to leave a lone dog, remember, they are pack animals so crave companionship, either with other dogs or humans, so to leave a dog for longer than this wouldn't be very fair. If you are getting a puppy, perhaps you can take a couple of weeks off to settle it into it's new routine. Be careful if you intend leaving it out in the garden all the time, Staffy's notoriously get 'dognapped' to be trained for fighting purposes, so just bear that in mind, Staffys make lovely pets they are very people oriented and they love children.
Good luck.

[smudge]

One of my brothers has 3, yes 3, Staffies.

I'm not really a dog person myself, but his are the most soppiest dogs I've ever come across. When they're not all laying nestled up together, they're rolling on their backs waiting for their tummies to be tickled!

They both work, but pop home every lunch time to feed them & let them out for a wee & a poo.

They tell me the only time they bark is when someone rings the doorbell, or when the postman rattles the letter box.

Hope that helps.

[jules77]

You say plenty of walks 'when you are around'. A dog is a life time commitment for the rest of its life, and you need to be able to commit to giving it regular daily walks, whatever the weather. Puppies need feeding every four hours, and you could do with being around full time for at least the first few weeks to house train it. I know plenty of people with Staffys and they generally make good pets, but are not good with other dogs. As Illyria says, SBT's are high on the hit list for dog nappers, so not a good idea to leave it outside in a kennel/run when you are not around. If you have no other dogs in the house I cant really see the reason for putting a dog outside in a kennel/run anyway?

[smudge]

A little more about Staffies:

http://www.petplanet.co.uk/petplanet/breeds/St affordshire_Bull_Terrier.htm

[lankeela]

Sorry but i don't think a Staffy would be the right sort of dog to take on as a puppy and then leave alone either inside or out. They are very demanding of attention and your time, and any young dog needs constant attention and training, let alone a breed that is so active and people orientated.

I think you would be setting yourselves up for no end of problems behaviour wise, and this would be no good for either you, the pup or your neighbours.

Please think long and hard whether you really need a young pup of any breed, maybe a slightly older dog would be a better bet provided you can give it an adequate amount of attention and exercise.

[smudge]

I would tend to agree with you there lankeela - our neighbour aquired a beautiful Springer Spaniel puppy two weeks ago.

The poor little thing had the runs for the few few days & that alone drove my neighbour to distraction clearing up after it.

Puppies need such a lot of care & attention & I personally wouldn't want to take on the responsibility of having one if I couldn't stay at home to watch over it - but people do.

Then again, I'm more a of a cat person & remember such times with kittens!

[kaztuz]

Thank u for all your answers, we are still researching the matter so haven't decided on a puppy or older dog. My family have always had dogs so I understand the need to ensure that they are properly cared for and researched before purchasing. Hence the question on here!!
To Jules77, when I say walks when we are around I mean that it will have a good walk for at least 30-40 minutes in a morning, and another in the evening regardless of the weather, and at the weekend as we tend to go out walking ourselves anyway the dog would come with us.
I can assure everbody that it will not be a decision that is taken lightly and I am a true animal lover.

[jules77]

thats good to know - there are too many people around that ask the right questions, but have every intention of getting a puppy regardless, then it ends up in a dogs home.

[Mysifier]

staffies do make good pets but remember they were origionally trained to fight, solots of training and socialisation is a MUST!