This is a recent e-mail question to me. I have removed names and specific information. I am sharing this because I get these from time to time and I thought it would be helpful to share my advice here. As always, this is just MY opinion...
Question:
"I am looking to adopt a young retired Amstaff show dog maybe next year. Right now I am mourning the loss of my seven year old American Staffordshire Terrier from cancer. I am not ready for a dog right now but I know I will be in the future and I want to spend the time to find the right companion.
What I need from you is advice. My dog was a loving family dog but animal aggressive. She came from a great family of show dogs and I had her since a pup. I can’t picture myself with any other breed of dog. I love their “human like” personality and family nature. We have 2 young boys and lots of time to spend with a dog as I stay home.
I was thinking about eventually adopting a young adult because I don’t want to take a chance of having another animal aggressive dog. Mine had a great life but she missed out on coming with us to a lot of activities because other dogs might be there. I want this dog to be able to participate with us in anything we do. That is why with an adult you know what you are getting. As for a retired show dog, they have been properly socialized with other dogs and come from a known stable background, so I figure that will help. I don’t plan on showing the dog. I don’t want to go to a shelter because of the fact that I have young children and I won’t know the background of the dog. I would do this maybe when the kids are much older.
What is your advice, as an expert on the breed? Do you think this is the right way to go considering my family’s needs? If not, what would you recommend?"
My Answer:
I am very sorry for your loss - 7 is WAY to young to lose this breed! I also wish you the best on finding your next family member.
AmStaffs are allowed (by standard) a level of dog aggressiveness. How much or how little depends on many factors. These factors all basically come down to the age-old debate of nature vs. nurture. There are many strains (or lines) of AmStaffs that are considered "hot", which basically means dog reactive - in the same token there are many that are not known for this type of behavior, and yet they still have it. So, then you have to look at their basic personality traits from birth (or as an adult, from an experienced trainer or breeder). Puppies exhibit all that they will be in life from wee little pups - there is the alpha, and there are many steps down from there. How the mother raises them and how the breeder nurtures this also matters a great deal. However, even given all of that from the best home - you have to raise the dog accordingly from there. Socialization is key, as well as training and positive behavior modification. I firmly believe that you can take almost any dog and turn it around - there are exceptions to everything, and I will confess there are probably hopeless cases, but overall any dog can be a good dog.
Many people are willing to accept dog aggression from this breed - I am not one of them. You must be the pack leader in your house and that means that you control acceptable behavior. I am NOT saying that this is a breed that should frequent dog parks, but it is a breed that should be able to travel with you wherever you go and behave too! Dog parks are a bad idea because in my opinion, an AmStaff should not usually back down from a challenge. Many dogs in the parks are ill-behaved and brought there specifically to exercise and let off steam...this is backwards, the dog should be thoroughly exercised and THEN be allowed to play with others...but many of them go there and act badly and an AmStaff usually will not put up with that. So, they are not bad dogs, they just don't put up with BS most of the time...although I know several people that faithfully take dogs from me to dog parks and don't have issues - so, as I said above there are always exceptions.
I don't know the right way to tell you to get your next dog, honestly. It makes logical sense that you would think that getting a retired show dog would be the way to go because they are social animals, but I am sorry to tell you that is not always the case. Many dogs are just brought out to show and are not handled much beyond that - the people showing them know how to manage the behavior, so it is not a problem if they are dog aggressive as we all just act like everyone else's dog is BAD and we keep our distance to be safe. I am not trying to paint a bad picture because there are those of us that extensively socialize and train our dogs and they are a-ok with all other animals - but being a retired show dog isn't necessarily a guarantee of that...
You also shouldn't discount a shelter as some shelters do extensive behavioral testing prior to adopting out bully breeds, mostly because of bad stereotypes and media attention - they want every dog coming out of their shelter to NEVER appear in the news - make sense? So, don't count them out. The problem here (in my eyes) is lack of knowing about their pedigree for health reasons. For instance, Cerebellar Ataxia is a growing concern in our breed and the dogs affected with this horrible disease usually have to be put down about 7 years old or so, there are no telling signs until it hits one day...a knowledgeable breeder will test their breeding stock for this and make sure that your dog won't get this later on - the same theory goes on with hips and elbows and heart problems...and as you know, cancer. You can't test for cancer of course, but what you can do is look for dogs whose ancestors have lived long lives!
A puppy is the way to go IF you are willing to go through all of the potty training, crate training, socialization, and obedience work. This will only work if you work with a breeder that will pick out a dog for you based on it's personality - NEVER LOOKS. I am sorry to tell you that, as most people want to choose their pup based on how cute it is - you only get that when it is the right fit temperament-wise too! I have never had a dog returned to me for temperament issues - period. I make sure that the dog suits the family - it is not a good relationship without that. I think you would have had a better relationship overall if you would not have had a dog aggressive dog. I know you loved her, but if you want to bring your dog with you places, then your family deserves a dog that can do that.
AmStaffs are allowed (by standard) a level of dog aggressiveness. How much or how little depends on many factors. These factors all basically come down to the age-old debate of nature vs. nurture. There are many strains (or lines) of AmStaffs that are considered "hot", which basically means dog reactive - in the same token there are many that are not known for this type of behavior, and yet they still have it. So, then you have to look at their basic personality traits from birth (or as an adult, from an experienced trainer or breeder). Puppies exhibit all that they will be in life from wee little pups - there is the alpha, and there are many steps down from there. How the mother raises them and how the breeder nurtures this also matters a great deal. However, even given all of that from the best home - you have to raise the dog accordingly from there. Socialization is key, as well as training and positive behavior modification. I firmly believe that you can take almost any dog and turn it around - there are exceptions to everything, and I will confess there are probably hopeless cases, but overall any dog can be a good dog.
Many people are willing to accept dog aggression from this breed - I am not one of them. You must be the pack leader in your house and that means that you control acceptable behavior. I am NOT saying that this is a breed that should frequent dog parks, but it is a breed that should be able to travel with you wherever you go and behave too! Dog parks are a bad idea because in my opinion, an AmStaff should not usually back down from a challenge. Many dogs in the parks are ill-behaved and brought there specifically to exercise and let off steam...this is backwards, the dog should be thoroughly exercised and THEN be allowed to play with others...but many of them go there and act badly and an AmStaff usually will not put up with that. So, they are not bad dogs, they just don't put up with BS most of the time...although I know several people that faithfully take dogs from me to dog parks and don't have issues - so, as I said above there are always exceptions.
I don't know the right way to tell you to get your next dog, honestly. It makes logical sense that you would think that getting a retired show dog would be the way to go because they are social animals, but I am sorry to tell you that is not always the case. Many dogs are just brought out to show and are not handled much beyond that - the people showing them know how to manage the behavior, so it is not a problem if they are dog aggressive as we all just act like everyone else's dog is BAD and we keep our distance to be safe. I am not trying to paint a bad picture because there are those of us that extensively socialize and train our dogs and they are a-ok with all other animals - but being a retired show dog isn't necessarily a guarantee of that...
You also shouldn't discount a shelter as some shelters do extensive behavioral testing prior to adopting out bully breeds, mostly because of bad stereotypes and media attention - they want every dog coming out of their shelter to NEVER appear in the news - make sense? So, don't count them out. The problem here (in my eyes) is lack of knowing about their pedigree for health reasons. For instance, Cerebellar Ataxia is a growing concern in our breed and the dogs affected with this horrible disease usually have to be put down about 7 years old or so, there are no telling signs until it hits one day...a knowledgeable breeder will test their breeding stock for this and make sure that your dog won't get this later on - the same theory goes on with hips and elbows and heart problems...and as you know, cancer. You can't test for cancer of course, but what you can do is look for dogs whose ancestors have lived long lives!
A puppy is the way to go IF you are willing to go through all of the potty training, crate training, socialization, and obedience work. This will only work if you work with a breeder that will pick out a dog for you based on it's personality - NEVER LOOKS. I am sorry to tell you that, as most people want to choose their pup based on how cute it is - you only get that when it is the right fit temperament-wise too! I have never had a dog returned to me for temperament issues - period. I make sure that the dog suits the family - it is not a good relationship without that. I think you would have had a better relationship overall if you would not have had a dog aggressive dog. I know you loved her, but if you want to bring your dog with you places, then your family deserves a dog that can do that.
I wish you the very best in your search! Feel free to ask me more questions or for help along the way - I will do my best. Ask lots of questions about the temperament of the parents, the health of the parents/grandparents and great-grandparents, how the pups are raised, and anything else that you can think of! Any breeder worth their salt will take the time to talk with you at length about all of those things and make sure that you are happy and that you make the right choice, even if it is not with them.
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I have a 6 mo old Amstaff that we got from a reputable show breeder in another state. He came to us @ 8 1/2 weeks. He has beento puppy kindergarten for 12 weeks and won free classes for doing so amazing but the 2nd half there were no pups. It seems every pup or dog that gets close to him wants to growl, bite or hurt him. Now, he is stiff around male dogs of any age. He is also getting very nippy with me and trying to trip my children and I during play. I don't like this and I am a bit worried. He loves to train and very disciplined out in public but I am worried about him@ home. He starts CGC training Monday. After reading everything on thenet I get riled up and afraid of owning the breed I love. Am I over reacting?
ReplyDeleteWell, it seems one issue perhaps led to another issue. Without being there it is hard for me to be 100% positive, but I believe that it started out with your dog being insecure, which fueled the other dogs to react negatively. This could be his own doing or your fear traveling down the leash, worried about how he would react to other dogs...too much reading of media stories will do this to you (smile).
ReplyDeleteRegardless of how it started, the fact is that it has caused him to BE insecure around other dogs now. This could have been destiny and hormones are helping it along, or it is due to what I mentioned above, and the insecurity issues are making him hyper-reactive.
An insecure dog is just as dangerous as an aggressive dog in my opinion. Both can result in bad situations. I really suggest that you get an experienced trainer to evaluate his temperament and reactivity towards other dogs now, before it spirals out of control.
In regard to how he is acting with you and your family, I give you the same advice - you need someone there that can SEE what he is doing. It sounds to me like he is pushing his boundaries and needs a firm and consistent routine of submissive-type exercises like long sits/downs to reinforce who the boss is. He is still a puppy and finding the appropriate help now can help to shape him into an adult that you will be proud of!
I would be remiss not to mention that "dog aggression" is not uncommon in this breed, as you know. However, it is quite manageable and there is no reason for it to become an issue if you can secure proper training and guidance from a good source that has experience with bully breeds. Make sure you seek out someone that understands these dogs to get the best results with managing this often misunderstood trait.
Please let me know if I can help you further, my personal e-mail is listed at the top of the page.
Good luck and kudos for all of your hard work so far! That is commendable for sure!