# Male versus female staffie.....



## Blaise in Surrey (Jun 10, 2014)

Good morning 

Although I am not in the least ready for my next dog, having had both of mine die within a couple of months of each other this year, a conversation I had with an elderly lady in my new parish has set me thinking...

I'm determined that my next one will be a rescue staffie, and I'd pretty much decided that it would be a boy. In all the animals of which I have experience (dogs, cats, rats, rabbits, guinea pigs, budgies) I've always found the male of the species to be much more affectionate than the female (all have been spayed/neutered - except the rats). However, this lovely lady (who's nearly 100!) is an ex-Crufts judge specialising in, you've guessed it, the SBT. She says that female staffies are more affectionate than males, and that nearly every male staffie she's known (and there have been literally thousands!) have had issues of aggression towards other dogs.

Help please


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## Bisbow (Feb 20, 2012)

I have a x staffie bitch and loving is not a good enough word for her. She is ready for a cuddle any time of the day or night and showers us in love
My daughter has a full staffie dog, he is loving on his terms. When he wants a cuddle you know it, he is a lump. When he does not you are ignored
Both ae lovely but I prefer bitches over dogs any day although I know not everyone agrs with me


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## labradrk (Dec 10, 2012)

I don't think you can generalise really. People tend to generalise based on their personal experience, but it isn't as formulaic as saying "males are more laid back/more affectionate", "females are more independent/aloof" etc. Just take each dog as an individual. If you get a rescue then obviously you'll have a decent idea of the dogs character.

As for dog aggression/intolerance, yes it's always possibly going to be on the radar for Bull type breeds (as with many others). Females are equally capable of being intolerant as males.


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## Burrowzig (Feb 18, 2009)

labradrk said:


> I don't think you can generalise really. People tend to generalise based on their personal experience, but it isn't as formulaic as saying "males are more laid back/more affectionate", "females are more independent/aloof" etc. Just take each dog as an individual. If you get a rescue then obviously you'll have a decent idea of the dogs character.
> 
> As for dog aggression/intolerance, yes it's always possibly going to be on the radar for Bull type breeds (as with many others). *Females are equally capable of being intolerant as males*.


Yes, but without so much of the hormonally driven aspect. It seems to be quite widely accepted that male Staffies are more likely to be dog aggressive/intolerant than bitches.
And bitches being less affectionate? I have 4 bitches and spend the evenings smothered by them on the sofa being licked. If dogs are more affectionate than that, I'd be needing a snorkel.


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## Pappychi (Aug 12, 2015)

Never had a male Staff but had three female rescues. I don't know about being less affectionate but Tamla, Kelly, and Gemma would snog your face off if you sat down long enough. I agree with Burrowzig above ^ snorkles would be a must if they got any more loving.


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## Phoenix Rising (Jan 25, 2016)

My parents had a female staffy who absolutely loved her cuddles, she passed recently and they weren't going to get another but my mum wants to rescue another. Sasha was dog friendly too but when we've looking at staffies looking for homes for alot of them it says best suited as an only dog or something along those lines. Yet we know several live in multi dog households and are dog friendly, though not sure if these are all male or female dogs. 

My other sister is trying to put her off explaining the stigma attached to staffies these days and its not like when they got Sasha 16yrs ago anymore and what if UK decides to add staffies to ban list like canada has done recently. My mum is adamant in that case they're in even more need of saving and finding a home as then they won't get put down if they already have a family! I really hope there's no chance of this law coming to UK too (extending to staffies) in the future, but we're not sure if another staffy is good idea incase they are banned here too in the future and it gets taken away. my mum has early stages of Alzheimers and we worry she wouldn't be able to cope with that happening but she's adamant she wants to save one more in Sasha's memory before she 'loses her marbles' as she puts it!


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## Wilmer (Aug 31, 2012)

I have never had an SBT, but what I would say - wouldn't a show judge have mostly encountered entire dogs? And I assume entire dogs are more likely to have male/male issues than neutered. I've met a few SBTs over the years, and regardless of gender they have been snoggily affectionate...


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## Guest (Sep 30, 2016)

BlaiseinHampshire said:


> She says that female staffies are more affectionate than males, and that nearly every male staffie she's known (and there have been literally thousands!) have had issues of aggression towards other dogs.


LOL well I have to laugh about the affectionate part. 
Bull breeds (males and females) are nothing if they aren't affectionate. Saying females are more affectionate is like saying donuts are sweeter than cake. Either way you're going to get sugar overload LOL. 
A safe bet with a staffy is that they are going to be affectionate to the point of obnoxiousness at times.

Dog intolerance is a thing too. There's no denying that bull breeds do have a tendency to mature in to dogs who can be very selective about other dogs. If you don't manage this it will absolutely turn in to dog intolerance. 
The best analogy I can make is, it's like off-lead reliability with sighthounds. Yes, there are sighthounds out there who are reliable off leash, but I would not ever get a sighthound if off-leash reliability is a deal breaker. In the same way, I would not ever get a bull breed expecting them to be happy-go-lucky, get along with everyone dogs. They're just not. Some are, but they're like those off lead reliable sighthounds.

The other thing about bull-breeds is that they can be what I call adrenaline junkies. They like things that get their adrenaline going. If you can channel this in to things like leaping in to the air for a frisbee or running an agility course at break-neck speed, great, but be careful with the adrenaline junkie dog who figures out his own way of getting that rush. This is where you end up with the dog who actually gets a kick out of being reactive for example. It's not so much that the dog is dog aggressive or even dog intolerant, it's that the dog actually gets internally rewarded for that rush of the altercation, the owner's reaction, the other dog's reaction... It can be a really vicious cycle.


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## EmCHammer (Dec 28, 2009)

I think that Phoenix Risings mum sounds wonderful and the country needs far more people like her. By putting her off you are being part of the stigma against staffies .. they are not hated that much and adding more responsible owners showing people the way can only be a good thing.

We do get a fair mix of staffies in at the rescue who need to be only dogs having said that most of ours are ex pound dogs and who knows where they came from in the first place and what upbringing and socialisation they had.

There are so many out there will find the right one for you. 

I've only had 3 male staffie crosses and they are all simple souls and all very happy and affectionate they love cuddling and snuggling . One of my boys scout gers attention everywhere he goes as he is so friendly with everyone


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