Staffie At the Dog Park Today

[SeaBreeze]

I've been visiting the 'dog park' for over 30 years now, and have come to know that although the majority of dogs there are socialized and friendly, there are a few that can bite or attack...luckily those incidents are rare. I also know that regardless of the breed, the behavior and personality can't be painted with a broad brush, there are exceptions in every breed or size of dog.

Well, today there weren't many people around, and this woman was approaching us with a Staffordshire Bull Terrier aka Pitbull. The dog reached us first, and I greeted him as usual with a hello buddy type greeting. He first went nose to nose with my dog who is super friendly but not assertive, the Staffie's tail was in full wag and the meeting was nice and mellow.

I then bent over and called him to me for a pet, and the woman said something to him and apologized to me that he wasn't supposed to approach me unless she gave him permission. I playfully told her, 'oh, you are sooo controlling'.....meanwhile I was petting her dog and all was well.

She explained to me that not everyone was welcoming to him like I was, and many people didn't want him near them or their dogs. I told here that I've met many dogs there and it's not the breed I judge, it's the individual dog. We both agreed that Staffie's that were aggressive became that way because of their owners. I've seen some aggressive ones over the years, and that is so true, they were taught to be that way, 'guard' dogs, never socialized with people, children or other pets. I never saw one like that at the park.

We had a nice little chat, and both went on our way. Hope to see 'Hurley' again, he was one sweet dog. My dog has been nipped a couple of times there in the past and chased aggressively by a couple of dogs, but overall our walks are very pleasant and without incident. None of the dogs I've ever seen being aggressive were Pitbulls at the park, they have all been sweet and their owners all seemed to be very loving, caring and good people.

 

[Ruth n Jersey]

We don't have a dog park in our area but I've often wondered how they all get along. I agree that you can't judge a dog by it's breed. At one time we had 2 German Shepards,both were wonderful dogs and one would hide when company came, yet just the mention of the breed made some people shudder . Do you ever worry about your dog picking up some type of sickness from the other dogs? When we traveled with our last dog a Yorkie,I always worried about that when we stopped in rest areas along the way. He was a great traveler but it was always on my mind.

 

[SeaBreeze]

They all get along pretty well Ruth, some just say hello to each other and continue their walk with their owners, some will just ignore the other dogs and go about roaming the open fields looking for critters or just sniffing and checking things out, some will romp and play with each other. Some people throw tennis balls for their dogs to fetch, that's all they do for the whole walk. Most are mellow and friendly, otherwise I'd never take my dogs there. Each dog has plenty of space if they want it.

I don't worry about my dogs picking anything up from the park, none of them ever got sick from something they caught there. When they're pups, I don't take them there until they've had all their shots and are ready to mingle. It's a BIG area, with trees and grass, bushes, weeds and a creek, so it's not like a dirt lot with a fence around it like some dog parks are.

My old dog Hans running at the park years ago, that's just a tiny section of the park.

Old pic of some dogs in the water.

 

[Butterfly]

SB, since my Bonnie is one of those Staffie/pitbull type dogs, I thank you for your willingness to befriend that dog in the park. WAY too many people assume my Bonnie is vicious, but nothing could be further from the truth. She is a big moosh and her only danger is that she might kiss you to death. The truth is that dogs of this/these breeds are no more inclined to be vicious than dogs of any other breed -- they've gotten a huge bad rap because of what some very evil people have forced them to do. They just want to be loved like any other dog does.

 

[RadishRose]

Of course not all Pitties are vicious!

If a dog is bred to be tan, it's tan.
If a dog is bred to have gentle qualities, it's gentle.
If a dog is bred to be aggressive, it's aggressive.

It's genetics. It's the way the poor animal was "created". That becomes the Breed.

If a dog is bred to be aggressive and have powerful jaws and extreme musculature, there is reason for caution.

There are so many unwanted and abandoned Pits because the owners did not recognize the aggressive inclinations that were bred into them; could not handle them and abandoned them. It's very sad.

Hopefully, breeders will stop this practice. It's not ONLY training them to be vicious.

 

[Butterfly]

Of course not all Pitties are vicious!

If a dog is bred to be tan, it's tan.
If a dog is bred to have gentle qualities, it's gentle.
If a dog is bred to be aggressive, it's aggressive.

It's genetics. It's the way the poor animal was "created". That becomes the Breed.

If a dog is bred to be aggressive and have powerful jaws and extreme musculature, there is reason for caution.

There are so many unwanted and abandoned Pits because the owners did not recognize the aggressive inclinations that were bred into them; could not handle them and abandoned them. It's very sad.

Hopefully, breeders will stop this practice. It's not ONLY training them to be vicious.

I disagree. I believe they are just like any other dog -- some individuals dog are more likely to be aggressive than others. My vet says it is all down to the way they are treated. They are just dogs.

 

[RadishRose]

I disagree. I believe they are just like any other dog -- some individuals dog are more likely to be aggressive than others. My vet says it is all down to the way they are treated. They are just dogs.

I do agree to an extent with your vet in that training and treatment play a big part, but agree to disagree on the genetics part.

Remember Caesar Milan's Pittie named "Daddy"? He was a wonderful dog.