Would a Rottie or a Doberman have the same aggression towards another dog that a Staffie could potentially have?

Sorry we are still researching our 2nd breed!:rolleyes:

Not sure I totally understand the question, but if I am understanding it right I would say it depends on the individual dog, not necessarily the breed. I've got 2 Dobes, one is the least aggresive dog you could meet, the other hates other dogs when we are out.

Here are the clauses in the breed standards for both breeds:

Dobermann:
Characteristics
Intelligent and firm of character, loyal and obedient.

Temperament
Bold and alert. Shyness or viciousness very highly undesirable.

Rottweiler:
Characteristics
Appearance displays boldness and courage. Self-assured and fearless. Calm gaze should indicate good humour.

Temperament
Good natured, not nervous, aggressive or vicious; courageous, biddable, with natural guarding instincts.

Your chances of getting one with the correct temperament is more likely if you go to a reputable breeder whose stock is known for it's excellent temperaments.

In my experience of both breeds, the Dobermanns are more reactive, and the Rotties are slower to anger.

Both are very powerful breeds with strong guarding instincts.  I have looked after Dobes in my own home with my own dogs.

Dobes certainly are known for male on male intolerance, I believe less so with Rotts, if there are no bitches to quarrel over.

Neither breed are known for being quarrelsome.

Any dog could have the same potential aggression as a staffie could potentially have.  The staffie is not an aggressive dog though, just a reputation due to bad breeding and up bringing!

Aggession does seem to appear to have two ways of forming.  One is breeding, other is up bringing (Nature and nuture!)

There is no genetic facts on if aggression is inheirted (Or temprement in general) however it does seem to be in my experiance that those dogs that are dog aggressive desend from other dogs that are dog aggressive (Same with nervousness and frienlyness).  This is not always the case though.

Also if the dog, as a puppy is not socilised correctly then you can end up with a dog that can't socilise so is aggressive.

There's no clear way about it.  I have been bitten by two dogs in my life.  One a mini smooth dancshund and the other a newfie.  Neither breed have ever been considerd aggressive.  I have been on the floor playing with staffies, rotties, boxers, akita's thoughout my life and have never had a problem with these breeds that have a bad reputation!

The best way to get a non aggressive dog is go to a reputable breeder who's stock is friendly and who is breeding for temprement and also you putting in the effort of training and socilising when you get the pup.  This will included one or maybe two training classes a week aswell as walking in town on saturday's etc.

Sorry didn't mean to offend any Staffie owners, the truth is i will always have a soft spot for Staffies i think they are a beautiful dog with a fantastic way with people, but of the few Staffies that i know they all dislike other dogs immensly.

We have a Cavalier boy and we aren't looking at getting another dog yet but researching what sort of dog we could add to our family. From the Staffie breeders that i have spoken to i have been told that for safetys sake when i am out i would need to seperate them if i added a Staffie "just in case" and i guess what i am asking is if this would be the same for all 3 breeds?

Is there more "chance" of a Staffie disliking our cavalier or the same with all?

We have been doing alot of research on the web etc but you can't beat advice firsthand from people who breed or own them.

Thanks

Now you have made it clearer you are talking dog on dog dominance.  With both dobes and Rotties I would say with a sensible age gap and opposite sex with the Dobe just in case (though most dobes I know only dislike other male dobes or large breed males or males that challenge them). 

What you will have to remember is that a puppy of either breed will be bigger than your cavalier when you get it and won't know it's won strength, so you will need to be careful and not leave your small dog unattended with the new pup until pup knows how to be gentle.

I know quite a few people with dobes who also have smaller dogs, and they are not separated.

Unfortunately I have no experience of how Rotties are with other breeds, but all the ones I meet on walks are just great with my girls (medium size confident friendly breed).

Thanks, sorry i don't think i originally made alot of sense!:rolleyes:

Not for a while yet anyway as i am having lots of fun giving our boy one on one attention with training etc!!

<<In my experience of both breeds, the Dobermanns are more reactive, and the Rotties are slower to anger.>>

I agree with you Brainless, a lot of Dobes certainly have a pretty low flash point. Like others have said go to a reputable breeder, see how their dogs react with each other if possible and ask about temperament history. As a general rule don't have a male Dobe if you've already got a male of another breed.

When I go out I can safely leave a Dobe (female), 2 Goldies (male) and a Sussex Spaniel (female) together. Hattie, the lunatic Dobe, is generally crated (she still destroys things when left) and does have a low flash point so I really wouldn't trust her not to start a punch-up. It really depends on the individual dogs concerned. Winnie the Sussex is pretty reactive too, so to leave her and Hattie together would be a recipe for disaster. But Lottie (Dobe) and Winnie are fine because Lottie is so laid back. Hattie and Lottie, same breed but very different personalities.

>>>Sorry didn't mean to offend any Staffie owners, the truth is i will always have a soft spot for Staffies i think they are a beautiful dog with a fantastic way with people, but of the few Staffies that i know they all dislike other dogs immensly.<<<<

I have four- three pedigree and one rescue cross girly. Only the cross is aggressive to other dogs ................

Sort of proves teh point the cross is unlikely to ahve been bred with dog likeing temperametn in mind possibly quite the reverse as are many poorly bred staffs too :rolleyes:

Not necessarily Brainless.  I have 2 Staffs and a Staff x.  They are all fantastic with other dogs and people.  The x-breed was born at home  (mum was rescued in pup and due to timewasters ended up keeping one!) , so has had all the necessary socialisation etc.  I think a lot has to do with upbringing (though not all).

Sarah.

Yep with dog dominant breeds and others with short fuses (most terriers) the socialisation is paramount as left to their inclinations and they like to mix it :D  Add to that deliberate selection by certain folk for beligerence....

" Dobes certainly have a pretty low flash point"  It often is more show than anything though, and I think Rotts don't see the point in displays like that :)  Problem there is that for a non dog understanding point of view it is harder to read when the Rott has been pushed too far.

If you were going to put a larger breed with a smaller breed I would seperate them when going out just in case anway.  If you were to get a rottie and he and cavalier where to play there is a chance, the rottie could accidently hurt the cavalier.  At least when your at home rough play can be stoped and calmed down. :)  I remember one of my grandparents boxer boys who was a very big lad but for years he was very excitable and could easily forget his own stregth when playing with smaller dogs, although he didn't live with small dogs he did meet and was friends with them on walks.  Now and again he had to be removed from play and calmed down due to his excitement and a 7 stone dog jumping round a toy breed could end in problems.  Just a risk no-one wants to take "just in case"

So  much easier to stick with the one breed

I know it seems that mixing breeds is quite complicated!

We do love our boy very much but his long hair is a problem for me and i always knew that i wanted more dogs!:rolleyes:
Had we known this was such a problem (had already spoken to breeder about wanting a larger breed also!) we may not have got our boy. We were told to get the smaller breed first!:rolleyes:

This time we are doing alot MORE research and asking alot more opinions.

Whatever we go for i will have to ensure i take all the right precautions to ensure that it is harmonious, i would never risk the safety of our boy!

If you have a Cav and want a larger dog, why not go for a GR or a lab or better still a medium sized dog?

Also make sure if you should be looking at a Dobe, that you do not go for the working strain they are much more prey driven, please look carefully into a good breeder, Cav's are such friendly dogs, personally I like dogs that can run and play together and are from the same dog groups, I know many mix and match it's nice to have dogs with something in common though. :-)

We are set on getting a short haired dog next time.

Its not just that we want a larger dog, we miss our Staffie girl very much and i guess a part of us would like to have something similar in the future. As you can imagine our little Cavvy is VERY different to our Staffie!!

Thank you all for your advice it is really helpful and it helps to know the things to look out for that i wouldn't neccesarily have looked out for!

Regarding hair, I would just say Dobe hair gets into everything. It has a knack of weaving itself into clothes and is a bu**er to get out, so not necessarily an easier option. At least with the Goldies it is relatively easy to clean up.

And I agree with Carrington, watch the breeding with Dobes. As a rule the British lines, rather than the European lines are much easier to live with, especially if you are a newcomer to the breed.

Thanks, i would say that our preference is a Staffie but it is important that i feel that i can integrate them properly before we make a decision. I remember the spikey hair well!!!

I am currently training our boy and would want him to be very well trained before our new one came along, that said we don't plan to leave a huge gap either. We will be contacting breeders and getting their advice when we have decided on a breed!!:rolleyes:

What about a whippet?  They are not a small dog as go about 20inches at the shoulder, but are very confort loving.  Their nature would go rather well with a CKCS.  There are a host of colour options too.

Hmmmm i'm sure they are very nice but not the dog for us! (not to offend any Whippet owners)

Something similar to a Staffie without the dog-dog aggression?

If you want a Staff. as long as it is socialised properly, you will have no problems.  My 2 Staffs and 1x live quite happily with 2 Belgian Shepherds

Sarah.

I would agree a bitch Stafford would be fine, especially as the CKCS is unlikely to try to challenge her.  Also if the breeder and parents of the pup are selected with care and are good with other dogs, and not too spirited/feisty then it should work OK.

One of the gentlest souls in the neighborhood is a staffie. He's the community babysitter for puppies. :-D Even when he's been bitten by other dogs he doesn't react. Only time he has ever had a growl was when a couple dogs were attacking a puppy and he stepped in to protect it (the GSD still adores him for it!)

That is so sweet!!!

Our old staffie girl was so sweet, very protective of me especially. She would happily curl up on the sofa with me for hours. I used to make my husband carry her up to bed and cover her with a duvet!!!:rolleyes:

I've never met another breed like it they are so people orientated!

>if you should be looking at a Dobe, that you do not go for the working strain

>As a rule the British lines, rather than the European lines are much easier to live with

I would agree with this We've had 3 Dobes - the first and second were from British/American lines and my current boy is European working lines and the difference is amazing! Aside from physical looks, he is like a completely different breed. Our first two were more than happy with a short walk and would then would curl up on the sofa until food time, and then back on the sofa again! The current one is on the go all the time - he has a 2 hour walk in the morning (1 1/2 hours off lead) and an hour in the evening (40 mins off lead). In addition to that we do about 30 mins training a day, play with toys in the garden for about an hour one and off, and he also goes all over the place in the car with us. He hardly sleeps at all throughout the day. He is 3 now so calmed down slightly but there is no way it would have worked if there were children in the house when he was a pup - the constant jumping, demands for attention, and the biting, were extremely difficult to cope with and many times we all ended up in tears. I met the owner of the sire at ringcraft class when my boy was about 12 months old and he told me that one of the pups had already been through 3 homes and was now in rescue again (both the owners of the dam and sire have males already which is why they couldn't home him I assume, very sad).  I have to say that I wouldn't go for a European again - the need for physical exertion and the brain work they seem to require is HUGE. Can't say it's an experience I would recommend although I love him dearly of course :D

Have you considered a boxer? When we got our first dog we did a lot of research and wanted a dog that was child friendly and dog friendly as then in laws had dogs and also a guard dog as ex hubbie worked away alot, a boxer ticked all the boxes. Ours loved everybody and everything.

I would worry about their bounciness and clumsiness around a toy breed.

>I would worry about their bounciness and clumsiness around a toy breed.

Yep, that was my first exact thought

Angel,i think if you look for a well respected,scrupulously honest/caring etc etc staff breeder and socialise your pup with as many different scenario's as you can,including a well run,reputable puppy class you should be fine :)

I was in Champion stakes yesterday with the most lovely male black staff.  I was curious to know if he was really black or a black brindle with very little brindle.  His owner assured me he was actually all black.  He had a fabulous temperament/attitude and not a bit of posturing toward an dog there.  He was super.

This isn't always the case so you really need to meet the parents and other relatives and see how placid they are with other dogs.

Ask the owner to go for  a walk with you where other dogs are walked.