Great dane x staffie puppies, advice?

delain

it's not going to be an accident is it, did the staffie climb a stepladder?!

Those could well end up as massive muscle dogs. Or have lots of health problems, seems funny breeds to x if you ask me.

sazziecee

I am definitely veering towards NOT getting one, but it's just my OH was so excited this morning when I kind of agreed...

I have just said to him that I think if we are going to get a dog, we should do it properly, find a breed we both agree on and not get one from his friend just cos they are "there" He agreed with me but is still sat googling images of dane/staffie crosses to try and get ideas of size etc. He has also been googling puppy classes etc, so at least he is thinking of that aspect.

I would rather wait really and get one we both agree on completely, whether thats from kennels or a breeder

hoogervaaner

Very sensible, I adore mine but they were damned hard work when they were younger. If you are not 100% best to leave it, particularly with a dog of this size, there are so many large dogs who end up in rescue aged 6-18 months. If you require any sofa chewing stories to convince your OH it is not a good idea I am the person for you!

mustangsal

I just really want to echo what people have already said, a rescue centre would be best i think. Also if you love greyhounds, a good rescue centre will be able to tell you if each dog is good with cats. My old lurcher is great with cats. Even though she's a known chicken killer. :eek:

Also, a big concern of mine is for the staffy Mum. If they breed any more litters with the dane as the father, it could end tragically for the pups and the mum. Far too much of a size difference to guarantee a safe whelping. They could end up having to pay £1000s for emergency c-section and no puppies to sell at the end of it. The staff could die just trying to give birth. People need to think about these things before irresponsibly breeding. You need the cash there incase anything goes wrong, even with dogs of the same breed.

Wish you luck on your search, but really, it's worth waiting to find the right dog to fit in with your family.

Bubby

WOW irresponsible isn't the word!!:mad: (your husbands friends!)

Unfortunately whilst people buy all their puppies they will continue to breed from that poor staffie:(

I think you need to think long and hard about what YOU want aswell as your husband, dogs are a massive commitment far more than cats in my opinion and it needs to be a joint decision. If you decide on a particular breed then I would contact the breed club and source a breeder that health tests their dogs. If it is a mixed breed that you want or you are happy to have an older dog/or a dog that may have issues then contact your local rescue centre.

I am involved in rescue as a volunteer and whilst I would love every dog to have their forever home unfortunately a rescue dog just isn't suitable for every family. Many can come with their own little issues big or small and whilst we try to test dogs in most situations I will be the first to admit that there are sometimes situations that will arise when the dog is in their home that we haven't tested for and with young children people need to be fully aware of this.

Caroline_a

I have had 3 Danes, the first one being a rescue dog. They are fabulous dogs when trained, and, contrary to what people think, need very little exercise, particularly when they are growing, as too much exercise can damage the growth plates. All of my Danes were fabulous with the children too by the way.

However, they can be wilful dogs, and need careful training from an early age. I've never experienced an aggressive one... however I have experienced aggressive Staffies, so temperament of both mum and dad should be a huge factor in deciding whether to get one or not. Of course, you will also need the usual injections, worming, microchips, insurance, etc etc.

I would say though I am totally against this new idea of breeding 2 pedigree breeds together and trying to sell them as some sort of new 'designer' dog. They are mongrels, pure and simple. Anyone wanting a mongrel can quite easily go to a rescue kennels and help a homeless puppy find a forever home, rather than paying a lot of money for some backstreet breeders marketing ruse.

peachyprice

sazziecee wrote: »

He agreed with me but is still sat googling images of dane/staffie crosses to try and get ideas of size etc.

You mean there are more people out there deliberately breeding from these two breeds?????? Sorry, that's just sick.

An accident is one thing but 2-3 litters is totally and utterly irresponsible. Nice friends you have there.

welshmoneylover

What a bizarre mix of breeds to have a little from and its the !!!!!es third litter :mad:

Rescue centres are over run with staffy/crosses dogs at the moment, why on earth would anyone want to add to the problem I'll never understand :mad:

elsien

I think they were very lucky to get away with it - my previous rescue bull terrier turned out to be having great dane pups which we didn't want, so we had them taken away. The vet said that having them would probably have killed her due to the size of them.
I don't know much about great danes, but with any cross breed I'd presume they could take after either parent, so if you do take one on be prepared for the possibility that you could end up with a great dane sized dog, and if you're really lucky it could also be a power chewer. I certainly wouldn't be paying for one though, it only encourages the owners to be more irresponsible and do the same again - it's not a cross breed, it's a mongrel, whatever they are choosing to call it.
Staffies can be great family dogs, and good with kids, but as with any puppy you really don't know what you're going to get temperament wise without really sussing out the set up they come from and what the parents are like. Take a bit more time - puppies are so cute it's easy to fall in love with them but as you've said, it would be sensible to do it properly.
It could also end up quite boisterous - bull terriers have a tendency to go through things not round them. They don't mean any harm, but can knock small children off their feet without realising what they are doing. So combine that with a great dane size, and you get this sort of thing ending up in rescue centres.
http://www.dogsblog.com/bailey-68/
He's a bull dog, not a staffie, but the principles the same.

sazziecee

peachyprice wrote: »

You mean there are more people out there deliberately breeding from these two breeds?????? Sorry, that's just sick.

An accident is one thing but 2-3 litters is totally and utterly irresponsible. Nice friends you have there.

Yeah we did find a few other puppies of a similar cross and also a youtube video (whilst very cute, was very large at only 6 months of age)

Thanks to everyone who has posted, I do think it would be a bad idea to get one as I am just not sure what I would be "getting" either in temperament or size.

Also I don't agree with him selling them, he is charging £100 a puppy ( £80 to us) to apparently "cover costs" but as they won't have had their injections or anything, just been fed and possibly wormed, I do think he is just trying to make a bit of extra beer money off them! there are 5 pups.

he is also kind of pressuring us, we would prefer a girl, but there is only 1 in the litter, so he is wanting a decision and a deposit now, they are 4 days old.... :mad: