For anyone who has ever owned a staffie or pit bull

[StaffieMad]

Hi, I have 2 staffies, bessie and Borris,

Bessie is 19 months old now, she has 2 walks, her weight seems to be a problem, not a massive one, she is a lil over weight, she does not eat that much, she has liver, sausages, turkey, beef mince and bakers comp for her dinner, only one type of meat for everyday of the week with a small amount of Bakers, she has 2 dog treats a day. She plays with our puppy like a mad man on the run, always skitting around. She also gets a frisbee when she walks so we chuck it for her so she runs, she also eats stones, so when she has the frisbee she wont!! She has just come in to season and I heard that they put a lil weigh on then! The vet says up her exercise, which is why she has 2 walks a day!!

Is walking better for losing weight than chucking a frisbee for an hour a day?

Also Bessie is the love of my life and I adore her!! She is amazing with children , elderly women and men, amazing with women, and all dogs. She has a major problem with the Postman and she also hates Men who she has never met before, but not all only some!! she is fine with elderly men , we have many signs on our door, like enter at own risk and beware of the dog! Also a post box outside of our gates. Poor Postman! Also a door bell and is shut away when the doorbell goes, we dont like doing this, she even tries to barge the door down with her head!! we cannot risk bessie, as if she bit someone then The dreaded may happen!

Does anyone elses staffies or Pit Bulls have the same worries as me with thier Staffies?

StaffieMad

 

[tl_ashmore]

My Beulah doesn't really like men. She's scared of them. It takes her a few minutes to get used to them, but after that, she is fine. She's just real timid. She would never bite anyone or anything. She would rather go and hide under the bed, but she's getting better around other people.

 

[Barb04]

My one advice is not to put a sign saying "Beware of dog". According to what I've read, it tells your insurance company that you know you have a dangerous dog which can be worse if something happens. You are better off putting a sign saying "No trespassing" which tells people to stay off your property without having to mention why.

My terrier mix is very protective of the house. Off property she is okay with people. When our postman comes, we get the same reaction but I think with CJ it is more show, but it does keep people away.

 

[tl_ashmore]

I've heard the same thing about those "Beware of Dog" signs. I wouldn't put one of those up. That's just asking for trouble.

 

[Renee750il]

Barb and Tambra are absolutely right about the signs. A 'No Trespassing' sign will take care of you and your dogs much more effectively without opening you up to liabilities.

We don't have Staffies or Pits, but we do have a German Shepherd/wolf mix rescue and two Fila Brasilieros, and people know not to get out of their cars when they come up our drive.

 

[1sweetnopichick]

my pit loves all people and kids but she hates other female dogs and all cats. Now, my female boxer doesn't like the vet. I think it's his smell - I've always been in the room with them when they're together and he's great with her but she hates him - we have to put a muzzle on her to keep her from biting him - she's never offered to bite but her growls & tenseness scare me & I'd rather be safe than sorry. She acts "aggressive" when she meets new people (ie she barks, growls occasionally and the hair stands up on her back and neck) but she stands and wiggles her butt at the same time. I think in that case it's just her way of saying - "hey I'm real nice but I'm still trying to figure you out, please stand there for another 5 seconds till I'm finished smelling then I'll climb into your lap" I only worry about her going to the vet as far as people are concerned and her "aggressivness" torwards people are only when they come to the house - her territory - she's GREAT with other people when she's in public. Oh and she hates strange dogs - I'm having the hardest time trying to keep her from attacking Bentley when he's in the house.

 

[Doggonecrazy]

I have a sign that says "3 dogs in the house, Please rescue in case of emergency" Advises authorities that you have dogs that might need help and warns the bad guys without admitting that they are aggressive/guard dogs/whatever. Insurance company said that was perfectly acceptable. Aslo suggested that I put a HUGE water dish and really long strong chain out the back yard. Anyone trying to come in that way should get the hint.

 

[Adrienne]

Wow can I relate! Neva is my APBT and she is six-years-old. We got her as a puppy and believe that she was mistreated because she was sooo submissive when we first got her. She is much better now but very wary of strangers, especially men. If they just ignore her and her barking she will work her way over to eventually give them kisses, sometimes I think she is very confused.

We also tend to put her in our room if certain people are coming over and when the doorbell rings or people come over unannounced. I do this just because I think it does really stress her out.

I have never heard of a female gaining weight while in heat...I have heard after they are spayed they may gain weight but I think with proper exercise and nutrition they should be able to be maintained at a healthy weight. I would think that an hour of frisbee tossing would be more exercise than a walk because they usually run for the frisbee. I would still say walk her at least once a day and maybe give her a little bit of a smaller portion of food. With all the exercise you say she is getting I don't understand how she could be over-weight. Staffies are "built solid" and should have a bulky look to them...is this what you may be referring to as extra weight? If she is 19 months then this is around the time she should be filling out.

 

[StaffieMad]

Thanks guys for all your help! bessie is a little over weight, this is not a huge problem, she has big muscles in her back legs, but has a bit of a tummy on her!! We give her 2 walks a day and started to walk her for an hour in the morning and frisbee her in the evenings! I live in the UK and have been told that i should have beware of the dog sign! She really does not eat that much, sometimes she will walk away from her bowl with some left in it! Shes not a greedy girls.

So STB, ASBT and PB dont start to muscle up till they are 18 months old. I used to have a Staffie ***** before bessie, she had to be PTS at 9 months old because she was very ill!! We still miss her now. Her name was Missie, we think thats ironic! So Bessie is our first healthy Staffie ***** and Borris is our first male Staffie and hes only 5 months old!

 

[StaffieMad]

Lol I mean ***** as female dog, sorry!!

 

[pitbulliest]

Sorry..just don't have enough time to read everyone's reply to your first post..but here's my suggestion about the dog vs. new men issue...(or any strangers for that matter)

If you're worried about your dog's behavior..maybe you can get the advice of an animal behaviourist and have your dog evaluated at the same time...just in case your dog does have some behavioral problems..maybe even aggression (although I doubt that's really the problem)..its better to know the signs early to see what you can do about it and what training mechanisms you can put forward to make sure that both your dog and people are safe....like I always say, better to be safe than sorry right?

Good luck

 

[StaffieMad]

Thank you i will look in to that!

 

[Purr]

Hi! I have a male Pittie mix. I think he may have some St. Bernard in him, so he's going to be like a huge Pit Bull when he's big LOL. I love Pits, and Staffs. They're terrific dogs. I do have a question though: is a Pit Bull and a Staffie the same breed, with a different name?

Beethoven (my Pit X) is protective of the house, and the car, when I'm in it. When I take him to work with me though, he's perfectly friendly, and runs up to greet the customers.

I've never heard anything like that about Beware Of Dog signs...You have a good point, though. I actually heard of a little boy getting bit by a GSD, but, because the owners had put up a sign that said Beware Of Dog, there was nothing the boy's parents could do. The boy's mother had apparently ignored the sign, and since they had been warned, they couldn't do a thing about it.

 

[Renee750il]

It depends on who has the better lawyer. "No Trespassing" covers you much better and doesn't open you up directly to the issue that you knew you had a dangerous dog.

 

[Purr]

Good point, Renee.