# Can a staffordshire bull terrier go off the lead?



## Guest (Jun 4, 2017)

Can a staffordshire bull terrier go off the lead and be friendly with other strange dogs if the staffy has been trained and socialised from a pup. I am asking this because i really want one and love everything about them but the only thing that gets me down about them is people saying they are dog aggressive.


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## shadowmare (Jul 7, 2013)

Why wouldn't they be able to go off lead? 
*just because a dog is socialised and dog/human friendly does not mean that you should allow them to go up to people or other dogs when they are off lead*


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## Guest (Jun 4, 2017)

I have a dog who is only okay with a precious few, carefully selected dogs. He is off leash all the time. If I see another dog or another dog approaches I simply recall mine before any interactions happen. 

I would make sure your dog learns to be dog neutral, and has a stellar recall which with a breed like staffies should not be an unreasonable expectation.


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## Mirandashell (Jan 10, 2017)

It depends on two things. The dog's temperament and the early training. And this applies to all dogs, not just bull breeds.

I own a Staffie who is the calmest, most laid back dog I know. No prey drive, not really bothered about other dogs or people. Is pretty much bombproof. And that is mostly his temperament. 

So if you are thinking of a puppy, get one from a good breeder with calm parents. Then you've got a fighting chance of a calm dog. If you are getting one from a rescue, speak to the staff. Take the dog for a walk, get to know him or her a bit. And then you can make an informed decision. 

DON'T buy one online from a backyard breeder or puppy farm cos only god knows what you will get in that case.


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## Guest (Jun 4, 2017)

Well, that's me told :Hilarious
My dog does not have a calm temperament, significant prey drive, and comes from a horrible situation. Yet he's off leash every day. igeon


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## labradrk (Dec 10, 2012)

Its not abnormal for Bull breeds to end up dog intolerant, same for a lot of terrier breeds, some guard breeds, some working breeds etc. Basically they generally aren't the sort of dogs that want to mingle and 'socialise' with random dogs in the park, and if that is a deal breaker for you I suggest looking into the softer types of dog that are better suited to that sort of outlook.


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## Mirandashell (Jan 10, 2017)

I would agree with you, Labradrk, if the OP is in an area with a lot of dogs. I live in one and unless I go out very early or very late, I'm going meet other dog owners. So having a dog that is tolerant of other dogs does make life a lot easier. If I lived out in the middle of nowhere, it wouldn't matter so much. So it's up to what the OP wants, I suppose.


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## Guest (Jun 4, 2017)

Mirandashell said:


> I would agree with you, Labradrk, if the OP is in an area with a lot of dogs. I live in one and unless I go out very early or very late, I'm going meet other dog owners. So having a dog that is tolerant of other dogs does make life a lot easier. If I lived out in the middle of nowhere, it wouldn't matter so much. So it's up to what the OP wants, I suppose.


It also depends on the dog intolerance though.
I know a lot of "intolerant" dogs (I prefer the term selective), who are perfectly fine seeing other dogs, passing by other dogs, etc.

Then there are dogs who are more reactive but may or may not be necessarily dog intolerant.

As a huge generalization, your average bull-breed is more likely to be dog intolerant than reactive. So you should be able to walk your dog peacefully around other dogs, just avoid interactions.
Meanwhile a dog who is magnetized to other dogs and adores them and is hindered by a leash could develop frustrations and reactive behavior due to those frustrations but is not necessarily a dog intolerant dog.

IDK... I just don't see dog intolerant (selective) as that big of a deal. Perhaps I'm biased because it's something I've dealt with so much. 
But basically my dog can't be turned loose to go play with random dogs. That's really his only limitation. 
Heck, he used to travel with another dog selective dog and stay in a hotel room with him. They knew the drill - ignore each other. Which they did.


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## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

Much the same as the replies you got on this thread

http://www.petforums.co.uk/threads/...ead-around-other-dogs.449467/#post-1064874630


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## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

I have met loads of staffies and only one has been bad with other dogs but then I am in an area where people need and want their dogs to be friendly so do not wind them up so they look 'ard.


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## labradrk (Dec 10, 2012)

Mirandashell said:


> I would agree with you, Labradrk, if the OP is in an area with a lot of dogs. I live in one and unless I go out very early or very late, I'm going meet other dog owners. So having a dog that is tolerant of other dogs does make life a lot easier. If I lived out in the middle of nowhere, it wouldn't matter so much. So it's up to what the OP wants, I suppose.


As ouesi says it depends on what you are defining as dog intolerance. It does not necessarily mean they want to rip the heads off of any dog they see.

Mine are what I would define as selectively social meaning that with a calm introduction with a well balanced preferably dog neutral dog they are fine. Dogs that are manic, rude, nervous scatty things, etc, no, and as I can't vouch for the temperament of random dogs we come across we avoid them. I live in a town and it's not hard to make space and avoid other dogs. You do have to be more aware of your surroundings and take space and other people's lack of control of their dogs into account, but over all it's not difficult to manage a dog that isn't a social butterfly.

Personally I found it more annoying to manage a dog that wanted to "say hello" to everyone. And the more I read about people and dogs getting chased, attacked, running off (on one group I am on there was yet another post yesterday about someone's dog being chased and subsequently killed on a road being chased by a 'friendly' Labrador) etc the smarter I think it is to be very selective in how you manage your dog.


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## Guest (Jun 4, 2017)

by being friendly to strange dogs i dont mean the dog wanting to play with them but just not attacking them.


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## labradrk (Dec 10, 2012)

Bigpoppa2000 said:


> by being friendly to strange dogs i dont mean the dog wanting to play with them but just not attacking them.


No one can answer that question because it depends on the individual dog. They all vary in tolerance level. "Attack" tends to be a word that is overblown and overused too, and seems to vary in definition.

Honestly if you really want a dog that is highly likely to be social with other dogs then look at breeds known for that.


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## Mirandashell (Jan 10, 2017)

It does tend to be the 'friendly' dogs that are off-lead a lot of the time as their owners don't consider their behaviour a problem. So I'm like you and try to avoid other dogs. If I see a dog on lead, I will put Ty on his lead, more just to reassure the other owner that I'm paying attention than to stop Ty going over to him. It's highly unlikely that he would, but you never know. 

Most people around here have their dogs on flexileads. But quite a few don't know how to use them properly!


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## Mirandashell (Jan 10, 2017)

labradrk said:


> As ouesi says it depends on what you are defining as dog intolerance. It does not necessarily mean they want to rip the heads off of any dog they see.


Missed this on my last post.

I agree it doesn't automatically mean violence. But some dogs do get very stressed around other dogs. And some dogs become overpowering and can cause that stress. So those I try and avoid.


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