Staffs are they all vicious???

[wolf_Q]

Prey drive and human aggression are NOT the same thing. Just because a dog would attack a swan does not in any way mean the dog would attack a human.

I have siberian huskies. They would love to eat any small critter/bird/etc. they could get to, but I do not let them off leash and give them the chance. They are also often around small children and are perfectly fine with them.

The dog definitely should not have been off leash. No, all staffies are not vicious, most of the attacks you hear about involve dogs trained for fighting, or simply left intact and neglected, they need proper socialization and training. I do believe they have a higher tendency (as well as several other breeds) to be dog aggressive and they require an experienced owner.

[DrKym]

Prey drive and human aggression are NOT the same thing. Just because a dog would attack a swan does not in any way mean the dog would attack a human.

I have siberian huskies. They would love to eat any small critter/bird/etc. they could get to, but I do not let them off leash and give them the chance. They are also often around small children and are perfectly fine with them.

The dog definitely should not have been off leash. No, all staffies are not vicious, most of the attacks you hear about involve dogs trained for fighting, or simply left intact and neglected, they need proper socialization and training. I do believe they have a higher tendency (as well as several other breeds) to be dog aggressive and they require an experienced owner.

Well said and exactly the same point I keep going back to on this thread.

[wolfsoul]

Prey drive and human aggression are NOT the same thing. Just because a dog would attack a swan does not in any way mean the dog would attack a human.

I completely agree, but there is definatly a fine line between the two. Prey drive is often stimulated by a moving/running creature. When a chase is instilled, prey drive can have the same affect in a completely different manner than human aggression with the same result. Candy was a wonderful dog, and she had alot of prey drive. It was a good thing for us because we use toys as reinforcement, and she had a strong drive to chase them (moving/running item). However, the reason she came to me and did not stay with Marla, is that running children would also set her off, and she would chase the children and grab on to them when they ran. It could have been trained away, but it does show the correlation between prey drive and actually hurting a human.The dog does not understand that it is a human. It sees something, chases it, and sometimes grabs on. It is not the dog's fault, the dog should have been trained, but it shows a strong connection between the two.

Prey drive is the #1 thing that trainers look for in a protection dog. A schutzhund dog without prey drive is not a schutzhund dog at all. And yes, these dogs are trained to attack humans. Just because it is called prey drive, and not human drive, does not mean it is restricted to only one thing. Many schutzhund dogs are wonderful with the family cats.

[angelbow20]

Dogs have prey drives for small animals but that doesnt ever mean they wont go after a little kid.. I was bitten by a dog when I was 3 because the dog saw me running and attacked me for no reason, I was in my yard playing and he was in another yard with his owner. so I think even if you think your dohg wouldnt hurt alittle kid dont always be so sure if its a high prey driven dog. the dog that bit me was a black lab and my best friend had the same thing happen to her when she was little by a golden retriever.