any fellow AmStaff owners here?

Per the shelter she came from Hazel is an American Staffordshire and Dog de Bordeaux mix. They claim to have done DNA testing. Frankly, I don't see the Bordeaux. They are desended from mastiffs. She is not a big dog.

Anyway, my question is regarding AmStaffs temperament. The information I found on line is contradictory. Some places say AmStaffs can be aggressive. Others say they are like teddy bears. Anybody have an personal experience?

Hazel has not shown ANY indication of aggressiveness. She is happy/excited to meet new people, but has not growled, barked,etc at anybody. She is sweet with me. She might try to jump on me when excited, but am training that out of. I consider that "normal" dog behavior. She sweet and cuddly the rest of the time. Given her choice she would spend the day curled next to me on the sofa.

Maybe I'm making a problem where none exists. Maybe I should just accept that what I see is who she is.

Sorry no experience with AmStaffs. At the shelter I Mainly interacted with cats and the huge mastiffs and mutts.

You could contact the shelter and ask to see the testing results. I can't imagine they spend the money to test all their animals but maybe they have a grant or something.


We have a dog who we were told was one combination of breeds when we adopted him and it was pretty quickly that he was something else. He's aggressive if not with family and doesn't look a bit like what we were told. We love him and he he's much better with age but he's just a lot to handle.

To be fair he did not come from a shelter. He came from a rescue and there are many puppy mills where he's from. I suspect they lied about his breed to get someone to adopt him.

I'd go with what you see about Hazel more than her breed. I worked in home health and saw MANY dogs. I saw many pit bulls who were so sweet (as you know) and little lap dogs that tried to bite. And I did get bitten by a hunting dog that wouldn't have been expected to be aggressive.

BTW, I love the name Hazel. I had a great -aunt Hazel and I remember her rocking me and telling me stories when I was a little girl.

Thanks to both of you. I don't know why I got so fixated on her breeding. All the dogs I've ever had were mutts. I always loved and accepted them for who they were not for possible breeding. I'm telling myself to accept Hazel for who she is. I've fallen in love with her. She is a sweetheart who wants love and cuddles, but is also willing to just hang out and chill.

Beyondtherainbow, I had a great aunt Hazel too. Sadly, I do not have happy memories of her. She was cold and distant.

My advice is go by her behaviour, not her breeds, yes they do play a part but all you can control is how she behaves, not who her parents were

I have an AmStaff. He is sweet and has anxiety issues. He is afraid of everything. He is too afraid to go for a walk, take a bath, walk on a tile floor, go anywhere near a garage or a dumpster...he will not even walk past so I have to carry him. Which is not anything new because if I take him anywhere I have to carry him. He is a too afraid to do anything but lay on the floor. If he is not afraid then he will be stubborn and he will just lay down and refuse to move until he decides its time to move. He will wet himself and refuse to get up or move from his spot to be cleaned. I have to lift him and flip him over so I can clean him and the floor. He has a vet appointment to get his incontinence issue checked because....he goes outside for about two weeks and then forgets and then I start training all over again and he is almost 6 months. Even when he is trained he still can't wait to go outside.

If I tell him I to do anything or not do anything he is very much like a pet rock. One thing he does understand consistently that he is not afraid of is hash browns. Anything to do with hash browns is very exciting. The only issue I have had with him and aggressive behavior is if he has a bone to chew on he will snip at my cat so he has to be supervised if he has a bone. Apart from that no aggressive behavior.

Thanks Ardo09. Love your comment about your dog turning into a pet rock! How did the poor boy develop such bad anxiety when he is so young?

Like Willow suggested I'm focusing on her behavior not her breeding. So far she is an absolute sweetheart.

I was trying to make a point about him not listening to commands when I said he listens like a pet rock. I have no idea why he has anxiety.

Was he a rescue? If so, might be that he was either never socialised, or had bad experiences in his previous home

If you got him as a 8 week old puppy, he was likely not exposed to normal stuff in his first 8 weeks of life

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ardo09 I was trying to make a point about him not listening to commands when I said he listens like a pet rock. I have no idea why he has anxiety.

Lol, Hazel turns into a pet rock if I try to move her by grabbing her collar. She walks on a leash like an angel. Grab her collar to move her she drops to her belly and develops paralysis in all four legs. I suspect someone in her past dragged her by her collar then punished her.