hi,

this is more a post out of intrest just to see if anyone else has had the same experience as me.

Whenever my son whos 5yo is sitting on the floor whether he is playing or watching tv, my staffy likes to go n sit on him. He has neva shown any kind of aggression or nastiness towards him he loves him to bits n they're like best friends its just this putting his bum on him lol. He dont do it to anyone else just my son so i'm guessing its a dominance thing with him.

Like i say just wondering if anyone else has had this and if I need to try n stop it coz it looks so comical.
Thanx

My Rottie bitch does this to anyone sat on the floor, again she is as soppy as anything and it does not harm anyone (although she is a bit of a lump) as she will move when we/they say.....she just loves being close to you :)

My boy Anton does this to me.  He's so funny and everyone laughs at him as he has one back leg at one side of me and the other one at the other and he sits there for ages :d

Dominance rules for dogs don't always involve taking the higher position or sitting *on* the lower ranking member - infact, the higher ranking member is often at the bottom of the pile, where it's warm and the safest ;)

Missy always sits on either Big Dave or myself.......

Sounds like my staffie who does this with all our children - we think it is because she wants to be as close to them as she can! without actually sitting right on then - as she is too heavy

Jo

i think it depends as well on the flooring you have my husbands mums staff sits on anything so she doesn't have to sit on the floor eg sam the other dog.  it's such a funny sight, also luicy my westie is the same if you sit on the floor by the fire she jumps on your knee so she is closest to the fire.

awwwwww thats great then that its just coz he wants to be close to him. nice to know they have such a bond. thanx :D

staffys as you problably know are known as "nanny dogs".  thats not to say that any dog should be trusted 100% with children or anyone/any animal to that matter.  Mostly, it all comes down to how they are socialised.  However, I have to say that as a first time owner of a staffy named Poppy who is now 8 months (part of the family from 8 weeks), I have noticed how gentle she is with children.  I do not have children of my own but have whitnessed her behaviour towards my sisters step children aged 5 and 7 years.  Poppy met Charlotte and Becky for the third time today and she amazed me.  Charlotte, being the youngest, came in to the garden and initially, Poppy raced over to lick her to death as most staffys would do.  However, being a 5 year old, Charlotte  didn't realise that Poppy meant her no harm and that  she just wanted to say hello.  As soon as she showed fear, Poppy just lay down on the grass and allowed Charlotte to make a fuss of her.  She had also done this on previous occassions, however where as a dog will not forget, unfortunately Charlotte did. 

After 10 minutes, Charlotte, Becky and Poppy were happily playing with each other and all fear was forgotten (again). 

Time and time again when I have been walking Poppy both on and off lead, she will always make a bee line for any children.  Even when the television is on and she hears childrens voices, her ears will prick up and she will stare at the screen.  Poppy seems to adapt her behaviour depentant on who she meets and plays with.  She plays rougher with my boyfriend than she does with me.

I don't think that the fact your staffy sits on your son is a sign of dominance (however, he may have come to realise that he is dominant over your son which is not necessarily a problem), I think it is more of a protective and affectionate stance.  Providing your son has been taught to treat your Staffy with respect, I think your staffy is saying "you are my friend, I love you and will protect you and want to be close to you". As you say, your staffy has shown no signs of aggression so be proud of your staffy and yours son!

yeah i've noticed the same with mine he acts totally differently depending on who he's with and he does think the world of my son. Thanx for your kind words i am very proud of them both as they do have total respect for eachother altho they do wind eachother up sumtimes!!!
My dogs really surprised me because as a breed i think they get alot of bad press and i was a little aprehensive of getting one to begin with. I am so glad now that i did get one as i dont think you could get a more loving devoted member of my family and I feel very lucky to have him :D

I have to say that I was apprehensive of "bull terriers".  My boyfriend and I intend to start a family in the next year or so. One day, about 18 months ago, he came home and told me he had seen the type of dog he wanted.  As soon as he mentioned "staffordshire bull terrier", I panicked and said no way a bull terrier.  He told me that he had seen two of them with a toddler who was hanging off one of their ears, whilst walking around.  I decided to reseach the breed and was amazed at what I found.  Gentle with children, courageous and strong for their size.  The strength still put me off.  However I researched it more and after a long time, decided that a staffy was completely suitable as a member of our current (and hopefully expanding family).  Of all the breeds, only two are deemed as totally reliable, one of which is the staffy.  Poppy is our first baby as far as we are concerned and I know that she will be trustworthy with any future children of ours (still under supervision of course). 

The more I research staffys, the more angry I get as although i have seen many posting confirming what I have read, I also see as many news articles trying to argue the opposite.  Staffys are classed as dangerous dogs in Germany, Canada and other countries.  If only these people in power could look at the positives and ignore the very few occasions when a staffy attacks.  I read that staffys were banned in Germany because of an attack on a child.  Our press omitted to mention that the owner of this staffy was a thug with various convictions of aggressiveness.  Totally undoing the reputation that responsible staffy owners wish to portray.    I have travelled through germany, years ago and thought it somewhere that I could go back to be it short or long term.  Now I can't do that.

I shouldnt have to justify what breed of dog I own (not that we actualy own her, like I said, part of the family), but I do, especially when I have people crossing the road to avoid us!

yeah i was exactly the same i already had my son and knew a few ppl with children that had staffys and i have to be honest i thought it was irresponsible having a dog like that around children. But like you i did some research and there was so many good reports on them about what a loving devoted family member they make and how they're good with children etc etc. I was still a little worried but i thought with the right training for both the puppy and my son this could work and it did. Now i would recommend a staffy to anyone. Its just heart breaking really that some people will still get these dogs and train them to fight because of their strength as it really is a waste of such a beautiful dog.

I have to say that now experiencing a staffy, in future I will always have a staffy as part of my family.  Yes, they are stubborn, yes, they are mischievous but I can cope with that, it part of their allure.  Poppy knows what is wrong but she tests me sometimes.  If she is bored, not getting enough attention, she will do something that she knows is wrong just to get my attention.  It could be chewing on something that she knows she shouldn't, taking something she should'Nt.  she is a character and I respect that and love her for that.  I cannot imagine my life without her cos she fulfills it so much.  If she got lost, stolen (as staffys often are), I would be beside myself.  Although she is insured, if she was never found, £400 which I paid for her would never give back to me what i had lost. 

The breeder who I got Poppy from had an experience of someone who wanted to take her at 6 weeks.  She had the feeling that it was purely for breeding/fighting.  How gratefull I am that she recognised this and refused to let her go.  Good breeders have an instinct for this. as they also have that same instinct (and through close questioning) of people who genuinely want a good temperament dog.  Her breeder is always there for us to answer questions, give advice etc.  This is something which many people ignore.  If we decide to get another, we will certainly go back go the same.  KC registered, health checks done, seeing mum with pups, all big ticks as far as I'm concerned.

i have 2 confess that i had my puppy off a family friend who isn't a breeder as such but til i joined here i didnt realise the importance of them being registered and tests etc etc i just thought if you didnt have the papers you couldn't show them and as we only wanted a pet that didnt matter. After reading alot of posts on here i realise that isnt the case and if we were ever to get another I would go to a proper breeder. As for character i've never known a dog to have such a strong one!!! It's like having another child coz he sulks if you tell him no and can give you the dirtiest looks lol He is a full member of our family and if god forbid anything should happen to him it would be like losing a child and nothing could ever replace him.

Sorry, didn't mean to bang on about good breeders.  If you have seen a puppies behaviours through a family friend and you trust that person/people then there is nothing wrong with that.  You get a feel for how they are brought up, and you can see that in the way they lly behave.  Yes, Poppy is KC registered and maybe in time I may decide to show but that was not the reason we got her.  Most importantly we got her cos we wanted a dog who had character, and could fit into what we see as a family.  I had a crossbreed when I was younger and she was the most affectionate dog you could ever wish for.  Like I said before, its the way they are brought up, much like children I suspect.  The only thing with pedigrees is that some have tendancies for certain physical problems and sometimes it is good to make sure proper checks are done. And most reputable breeders would ensure all checks are done before you take puppy home. 

Another thing is that most reputable breeders don't make any money.  All they are concerned about is continuing the line of good temperament etc.  don't be put off though by the way you got your pup.  You get a feel about these things.

I think it's more of a case that i got lucky with this one and fingers crossed he wont have any problems when he gets older but that remains to be seen. I just meant that should i ever be in a position to get another one i'll do it properly as i now know the importance of the health tests and i wouldn't want any member of my family going through any unnecessary pain or stress. :)

Sezi

Mine is exactly the same as you have described! He is wonderfully stubborn and absolutely hillariuos. Wouldnt change him for the world!! Glad to hear others as passionate as me as my OH thinks im crackers cause Sox is like the baby I dont have (yet!). But for me his character is so inspiring it is like having a child in the house and it is well worth putting up with his mischievious ways.

Another little Staffie story! My Hollie is extremely maternal...can't walk past a pram without wanting to look in it!
When I had my last baby, who is nearly 4 now, Hollie was very protective over us both. My OH had hold of the baby and he stood up and was walking around with her. Hollie jumped up and started circling his legs as if to say "Oi, thats me mums...one move towards the door and your leg is getting it"
She soon learned that he wasn't going to run away with her!

awwwwwww bless its always worried me having another baby as mine gets jealous if you cuddle a teddy so i dread to think what it would be like over a baby. :(

Although we don't yet have children, I see that bringing up a staffie from 8 weeks is extremely good experience.  If i'm tired, hungover or just generally under the weather Poppy always has her routine.  She wakes,toilets, plays, sleeps, wakes, plays, eats,  toiltet, walkies, sleep.wake, chew, play, chew etc etc.  Routine is important and she never lets me forget!!  However, she seems to adapt herself to how i'm feeling.  sometimes she will just jump on my lap and stay there for a long time if she thinks i am tired.  if i\m upset she will give me a cuddle and a lot of licks.  Obviously dogs and children are different entities but from what i've learned along the way, in some respects you teach them through the same methods.  We are now looking forward to extending our family, both in the human and kanine variety.

Hi all staffie lovers
Our staff is exactly the same when our daughter (or any other person for that matter) sits on the floor. I put it down to their love of human contact, although I am not too keen on the bruises I sometimes get as she isn't the most dainty dog! She also does a wierd thing, not sure if anybody elses does this, when you are sat on the settee with your legs in front of you she comes and stands astride of your legs pushing her bum as back as she can, it always makes unsuspecting guests laugh. They are peculiar little animals, ours makes us laugh when she huffs because she can't get her own way, just like a sulky teenager!