Spooky...

[tegk68]

My eyes nearly popped out of my head when I came across this video. Not my staffy starring in it, Aggie, but someone elses on YouTube. However, it is exactly what she does day in and day out, right down to the noises and I thought "OMG someone else has a nutty staffy too". Do other dogs do this or is it unique to staffys?

 

[tegk68]

My eyes nearly popped out of my head when I came across this video. Not my staffy starring in it, Aggie, but someone elses on YouTube. However, it is exactly what she does day in and day out, right down to the noises and I thought "OMG someone else has a nutty staffy too". Do other dogs do this or is it unique to staffys?

 

 

 

and when I go for a walk, this is exactly what it consists of too!!

[Alison]

Definitely a Staffy thing - most dogs play with sticks that have already become detatched from the tree! Wonder if they could be trained to scrump fruit? That'd be very handy!

[Happylittlegreensquirrel]

I did not like the first video at all in fact I found it disturbing ,

 

the dog looked and sounded* distressed ( I accept it was most likely having a whale of a time but its how it looked and sounded to me ) and I think it projected a negative image of a fantastic breed ( obsessed dogs clamps onto object and does not let go for 3 + minutes )

 

 

Sam

 

 

* Holly was very unsure of the noises from video 1 and left the room tail down and ears flat

[Bernie]

Afraid I didn't care much for either video. Dogs playing with sticks is one of the most dangerous habits, they can become detached and cause the most horrific injuries or even death. Any stick can cause the same. I don't have a staffy but have also seen my friends EBT do similar which I have frowned on.

See THIS

[phoenix21]

lwow that dog was holding on for a long time!! I have a video of phoenix doing similar maybe not as extreme!.,....and she would and does let go if she wanted to

 

phoenix

[tegk68]

Having now watched way too many staffy videos on You Tube it seems to be very much a staffy trait. Certainly Aggie was never 'put up' to doing it that's for sure. She did it from a nipper out of choice. Why I have no idea. Likewise Phoenix's video is very reminiscent of Aggie's behaviour.

 

I can defiantely assure you 100% HLGS that those noises from the staffy are of enjoyment lol. Staffys do have an odd vocal range compared to lots of other dogs. In addition, just in case anyone was wondering, they can let go, at anytime, when they want to or indeed if your dog is obediant when they're called off.

 

I hadn't thought of it as possibly portraying a negative image, probably because this is something that happens every day in our household and I just see it as being 'normal behaviour' for Aggie. Certainly staffy's like to play rough and they also have a scary, to those not familiar with the breed, vocabarly (sp) to go with it. Not sure one would find a video of a staffy looking and sounding, for want of a better word, cuddly when playing but they are of course! It's hard for me to get my head round what you and possibly others (?) see in that video of the dog hanging from the tree when to me that is just my staff, so I don't know what to say really....

 

As for the dangers of sticks etc. I can see the negative aspects of that but I do, and maybe more fool me, feel that whatever toys/exercise regime etc etc you choose to use with your dog there is always a risk attached to it. I'm afraid I wouldn't have a 'cat in hells chance' of stopping Aggie from either chasing sticks or hanging/pulling branches no matter how hard I tried. Partly because of where we live - our garden runs straight into unfenced woodland and partly because she is obsessed by all things tree.

[Happylittlegreensquirrel]

ooh err Helen I did not mean to offend you I will try and explain

 

I would not put a video up of my 2 lurcher's playing as they look and sound like they are fighting , now of course I know they are not and other sighthound people know the rahh rahh rahh noise is a happy dog and its normal ( ish ) for lurcher's to play like that but it would portray a very negative image to people who did not know it was playing and normal. I don't even let my two off lead in front of strangers for the same reason as it really really does look like they are fighting.

 

I as a non staffy owner ( at this time ) don't know how staffys sound when they are really happy and I was being very honest when I said to me the dog sounded distressed but am happy to accept it was not

 

equally the idea of a dog hanging from a branch is totally alien to me. I guess that I was also influenced by BSL as well ( in thinking that showing people who know even less than me about staffys a dog making "strange noises" that is capable of hanging off a branch for 3 minutes might not be a positive thing )

[tegk68]

You haven't offended me at all, maybe Aggie though ......

 

Seriously though, you haven't at all but you have made me think that something very commonplace in our lives that I viewed as amusing, (I'm afraid to say), is not to others. That is not a good thing. What can I say, I can't argue with that.

 

I spend much of my life with my staffy defending her to people, as I'm sure you can appreciate. "It's a pitbull", "it's going to eat my arm/head/child etc etc", "it's a dangerous dog, should'nt it be muzzled?", "is it going to bite me?". Yadda, yadda, yadda, you know the story. Therefore I am happiest in my own little world with her, away from the crowds and the unknown. We mostly frequent the woods where she gladly, in her eyes, defends us from the evil trees and chases away any ghouls that might be lurking...thank you Aggie .

 

I don't much venture out into public, as I've said above. We go to our local pub for a beer or two, where she's well known and I don't have to hear all the yadda, yadda bits also as mentioned above. I don't take her on group dog walks or Refuge organised ones and the like. Of course if I did, she most likely would behave impecably (sp?). She is a sweet dog afterall. But i have a fear, that if she didn't then it wouldn't be a case of "oh well, she's just having a little off day", it would be "well that's a staffy for you". I will have let the breed down. I will have fed some person who doesn't know my dog or SBT's exactly what they want. It is a real fear, to me anyway (coupled with the totally irrational one that one day the government will ban staffys as well and someone will knock on my door to take her and find that they have to shoot me first to even lay one hand on my sweet, kooky little dog - see it is totally irrational....I hope).

 

So when I posted these videos, in fun, as i know you know that that was my intention, and then i find out that it worries people, that makes me very sad. That's all.

[Happylittlegreensquirrel]

I think I have explained myself in a very clumsily manner and with a poor choice of words and for that I apologise Helen

[Bernie]

The fact that the video was of a staffy did not offend me at all, it was the 'stick and branch' thing that caused concern. I don't have a staffy at the present time but we had a family one when I was younger. He was the most loving and friendly lad, and neighbours used to actually bring their kids along to play with him. He would always give his toys up to toddlers.

How things and peoples opinions have changed over the years probably due to irresponsible owners. There are Staffy's living near to me and none of them are what you would call nasty dogs but the daftest most friendly anyone could hope to meet. I have also transported these dogs on several occasions and the noise they make I think is unique, a sort of yodel, all have been friendly as have other so called unpredictable breeds.

[KathyM]

I don't see anything wrong with the vid personally. It's only going to compound ignorance about staffies if those generalisations are already there in someone's thoughts. I think if it was a collie on the vid, noone would've said anything. Of course there's a risk with sticks, I personally don't let mine have them because I'm a bit paranoid about it - same can be said for tennis balls though.

[staffymad]

Snatch doesn't hang off branches but he does climb trees when he sees a particular branch he likes and tries to chump through it. Funny thing he is scared coming down and I had to get him off tress (me who is scared of hights) more than once.

 

As for those noises, yup, total staffy thing. Ruby isn't quite like that but Snatch has a vocal range from squealing pig to banshee.

[Lainey]

My american bulldog pup has just nearly trashed the computer trying to find the staffies she could hear!!! Great vids of really happy dogs! This is what every staffy type dog sounds like when he is in the throws of living life to the full. my english x staff will find a giant tree root and would chew away at it (making the same noises) until it fell over, however, due to tree conservation etc etc etc we always move him along- but woe betide any traffic cones that crosses his path!