Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi there.

my family and I adopted a pretty little black and white female am staff when she was 7 weeks. she is 15 weeks old now and everything is going well.
We also have two male boston terriers that are both 2 years old.

I have heard lots of things , it seems like everyone has some kind of opinion, like not to leave her alone with our bostons ever and not to trust her with our cat and that one day she will turn on our dogs and kill them and she will never be compatable with them. now i love her to bits but i want to have everything straight... so i know the truth...

my question is this:
is it true i can never leave her out with the two bostons when im not around, even though she is being raised with them and gets along with them perfectly?

is it true ill come home one day and she will have ripped apart my cat, even though she gets along with him fine?

also, my sister and her husband adopted our puppy's sister, but every time they are around each other our pup growls and snaps and puts her paws on their pups back like she is trying to push her over.. our pup is not like this with any other dogs (she is around other dogs alot)only her sister. should we not bring them around eachother anymore?

could you guys give me some tips to having a great staffy. I have also included a pic of my bostons.. aren't they adorable..

thanks Sarah

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Yes! they are absolutley correct. Pitbulls(including staffs and staffybulls) are not like other dogs. Most dogs function like wolves in that when one dog submits the other one stops the attack, however pitbulls and their cousins are very different. They weren't bred to follow this rule, when one dog submits the other doesn't take that into account but rather they just keep going. They don't bark and bite repeatedly, but rather they raise up on their toes and grip their opponent. They are perhaps the sweetest and most people friendly type of dogs around. However, you must realize their heritage. THey were bred to be the king of the dog fighting world. This is what they are driven to do. Just like a greyhound runs, a retriever retrieves, a pointer points, etc so to will a pitbull fight. Ofcourse many of them do like other dogs, this is where the problem lies. First of all, your dog is a puppy, many bulls get along well with other dogs because they haven't hit maturity yet. This misleads owners, because they feel their dog would never fight, but then out of nowhere maturity hits and that changes. This instinct could kick in when they are 1 or it could be when they are 10. You just never know. Is it worth taking the chance of your bostons being killed by not seperating them? Better safe than sorry right. With you not home, u won't be there incase that instinct kicks in and your bostons will pay the ultimate price. The bottom line is that u simply can not undo hundreds of years of selective breeding. However you can MANAGE it. YOu're dogs can do great together but u must supervise them always and study their body language. This doesn't mean your staff will grow up to be mean and kill your bostons, just means alot more work and greater responsibility. I sincerely hope i haven't scared you, and i hope u're not thinking oh no, my dogs aren't going to get along etc. Its just that u need to follow certain rules, there have been many cases of people coming home to find one of their dogs dead at the hands of their pit because they didn't seperate them and pretty much all of these people had the "not my dog, he's the exception to the rule" mentality and they lived to regret it. Good luck with this great breed and your beautiful bostons!!

BTW yes am staffs generally do have a lesser fighting drive but not by much so the same rules still apply as with american pitbull terriers

My 2 1/2 year old female AmStaff was raised with two little Pomeranians. One is four lbs, the other is seven. We also have a cat. Everyone gets along, accept for an occasional snarling match, usually over a couch to lay down on. The Pomeranians usually win and the AmStaff walks away. She is by no means wimpy, just well conditioned to what is expected of her in the house. We are the pack leaders! Outside the house, she will not back down from ANY strange dog. Even though I'm 99 percent sure she wouldn't try to hurt the little dogs, we don't keep them together when no one is home. The Poms have the run of the house, and the Amstaff is happily crate trained. We've also had birds, turtles and hamsters that are not bothered. The Amstaff is the most wonderful breed we have ever owned-super people and child friendly! Just be a little cautious and responsible. Also consider fixing her if you haven't already. Good luck and if any more questions just post. I'm new to this forum, but pop in on other Amstaff and Pitbull forums every so often. Bob