Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 10 month old female american staff she is very friendly but my sister inlaw has 2 mongrels that live her( she also stays within our garden walls).so my dog has grown up with these dogs but nearly every day these 2 dogs always growl or turn on her one then the other till she lies down and submits .I don't want her to be an agressive dog but i thought being a staff they would be the ones on the run, have i got a true staff or must she be a mix as i have never heard of an american staff being scared of other dogs.Or will she change with age? hope someone can clarify this question for me as i bought this dog for a bit of protection for my wife as i work abroad a lot.

It doesn't sound like she's scared of the other dogs, she's just letting them be dominant. She may well be purebred. Whether she's pure or mixed she will still have a unique personality. No breed is guaranteed to give you a guard dog, but just because she's submissive to the other dogs doesn't mean she would sit and take it from a human either. Not all Staffys are going to have the personality that they've been stereotyped as having.

At the same time, I feel like I should mention that having a dog for protective purposes is a bad idea in general. If it's the feeling of protection that you're after, then a dog is great. But if someone wants to hurt your wife or break into your home, no dog is going to stop them. A close friend of mine works for an insurance company and has seen many dogs of all different breeds "dealt with", including dobermans, pitbulls, and even two 200lb English Mastiffs. A dog will only serve as a deterrent for stupid teens, that's all. The best thing would be a home security system.

One other thing to consider would be house insurance and specific laws. Many insurance companies will not insure the homes of certain breeds and along with German Shepherds pit bulls of any sort (American pit bull terrier, staffordshire terriers, bull terriers, etc.) top the list. And depending on the state you live in you could actually wind up with jail time and large fines if someone gets bitten by your dog - even if they are on your property and even if they broke into your house and, heaven forbid, harmed your wife. Did you ever hear about the case of the criminal and the skylight? A thief crawled up on a couples' roof and accidentally fell through the skylight into the kitchen. He landed on a counter and pierced his leg with a large knife. That couple had to pay for all of his insurance and hospital bills because it happened on their property.

Anyway, I'm rambling Her personality is a submissive one, at least toward other dogs. That's not a bad thing - in a staff some submissiveness is good because it indicates you may not have to deal with aggression problems later. It has nothing to do with her breeding, it's just the way she is..

Leah gave you lots of good info/opinions.

whether this dog will be protective only time will tell. I'd think that her level of bonding with you & especially your wife would be the best indicator. The more she interacts with the 2 of you, has positive experiences, training with respect, that she considers you both her pack leaders, is the best you can do for her.

Also when dogs are in close proximity, they usually work out their own status. This 'submission' may not generalize to other dogs in other situations. Its unfortunate IMO, that she doesn't have some doggie pal to really have a fun time with.

A dog that is well socialized to lots of situations/dogs/people is the best protector, cos that dog knows what is 'right' & is quick to pick up that something is wrong.

The best protection trained dogs like Schutzhund (sp?) are those that are calm, steady & exceptionally *friendly*. A dog that just randomly shows aggression or is a biter, is NOT a good candidate & often a dog that bites is doing so out of fear.

You might research some of the German Shepherd sites & visit some training facilities to get to know what a real protection dog is like.

continue to go to classes WITH your dog & cultivate her best qualities & if she is protective or not, you will have a loving companion.