Dog question: EBT, SBT or EBT x SBT??

[mistergixer]

Myself and Mrs Gixer have decided to get a dog, as it will be me who'll be mostly responsible for looking after it, walking it, training it etc i'm in charge of choosing it.
I've settled on a Bull Terrier of some description - great dogs if properly trained, loyal, loving, dependable, good with kids - we have 3 kids aged 1, 8 & 9. I would never leave the baby alone with any dog however.

Ideally, i'd love an English Bull Terrier, as i've always wanted one since i was a kid (probably down to Bill Sykes in Oliver Twist). But, looking through the adverts, they seem to be around the £800 mark which i think is a little steep! I don't want to breed them, show them or anything like that (just a good family pet), but most of the ads seem geared around that.

Second on the list is a Staffie. Again, great dogs and typical Bull Terrier breed characteristics - but, they are a little common (popular), and have unfortunately been tarred with the chav brush. I see loads around Hemel, the majority have a chav/geeza/wannabe tough guy on the end of the lead. I'm afraid to say this puts me off a little - i'm not knocking the breed at all, just knocking the dickheads that buy them 'cuz dey is well 'ard, innit'. EBTs suffer from this image a little too, but are definitely less popular as a chav accessory - probably the bloody price of them!

Last on the list, and something i know very little about is a cross between an EBT and a SBT. Anyone here ever owned one or know much about them? They mostly seem to look more like SBTs than EBTs - but i love the way EBTs look: their egg shaped heads, big noses and piggy little eyes - 'a face only a mother could love'.

Any suggestions?
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Space Monkey #7
Don Eladio is dead. His capos are dead. You have no one left to fight for. Fill your pockets and leave in peace. Or fight me and die!
Mistergixer's videos on YouTube

[ZRX61]

Don't see the point in owning any breed that has known health issues thru breeding practices...

[stinkwheel]

Piggy eyes and a huge nose is probably one of the biggest reasons NOT to have one. This means you aren't having the problems assosciated with deformed eyes and noses.

In terms of demeanour, I get along a lot better with Staffies than I do with English bulls.

I can't think of any genuinely nasty staffies (there are quite a few I don't trust but that's down to them not knowing how to behave appropriately on account of being owned by an arsehole).

I can think of at least three English bulls that I won't attempt to handle unless they are both muzzled and sedated. One of them has to have its head pulled tight against a post by its lead to even get a sedative into it. It still tries to attack me, even when it's too sedated to roll off its side.

My advice, if you're going to have a bull terrier, get a nice staffie pup from an accidental litter out of someones pet dog that has been born and brought up in a house full of kids. Please don't encourage people in council estates with breeding bitches kept in sheds out the back by buying a dog off either them or the petshop they supply.

Buy a dog from a shed and you'll get a shed dog. Buy one from a house and you'll get a house dog.
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I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Tonka]

My experience of EBTs is that they are a great dog in experienced hands - you've got a very powerful dog that needs to know it's place in the 'pack'. My Mum's uncle had one (bitch - that's female, not description!! ) and she was adorable, but trained to perfection.

You'll probably find that you're looking at pedigree breeder ads which is why they are expensive and biased towards showing.

I bought my Rottie from a local family who'd ended up with a litter by accident! He's no show dog, but he's adorable - totally adjusted to kids and people generally, but I take him everywhere with me to make sure he's well socialised and we go to classes each week to keep up the training, bond and meeting other dogs.

I'd really think about rescue places, as they often have great dogs and it's definitely what you make them - invest the time and you'll get so much back. I've just 'googled' staffy rescue and there are lots and area specific ones too - may not be your desired route,but could be worth a look.

Have fun though - pet dogs are the best!!
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'The core of a man's spirit comes from new experiences'
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[mistergixer]

Thanks for the advice Stinkers, duly noted.
I'm now hunting through the local small ads for suitable looking Staff pups. I see quite a few adverts where the dogs are advertised as de-flea'd, wormed, injected and with insurance - i'm guessing these are from 'breeders', so should i stay away from them?
What has amazed me is the amount of ads i've found for Staffs named either Tyson or Reefer - that's sooooooo 1990s!

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Space Monkey #7
Don Eladio is dead. His capos are dead. You have no one left to fight for. Fill your pockets and leave in peace. Or fight me and die!
Mistergixer's videos on YouTube

[mistergixer]

[Tonka]

[stinkwheel]

[Vincent]

Don't you just hate it when a particular breed of dog becomes fashionable. If your after a Bull terrier, wait a couple of years and they'll be half the price. This attitude of "I must be hard, I've got a Bull terrier" pisses me right off. It was the same when I had a couple of long dogs a few years ago - all of a sudden they were being posed by their owners all over the shop. Some of the best and most faithful dogs I've known have been crosses which realy all dogs were originaly - the Doberman was put together from other hounds and quite a few have behavioural probems. One thing if you're getting a dog, be prepared to clear up a couple of tons of shit a year, I sometimes feel like I do nothing else

[mistergixer]

I've started to look around at 'non-BT' breeds too. I'm quite taken by Bullmastiffs at the mo', they look like lovely dogs and don't seem to be chav accessories either!
I'm considering a lot of different cross-breeds, pedigree doesn't interest me, i just want a 'pet' with a bit of character.
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Space Monkey #7
Don Eladio is dead. His capos are dead. You have no one left to fight for. Fill your pockets and leave in peace. Or fight me and die!
Mistergixer's videos on YouTube

[stinkwheel]

[Tonka]

[mistergixer]

[Tonka]

[fredsredhat]

I've got a Staff and i hate the chav brigade "that dog's mint innit" no he's not "mint" he's my little lad. From my experience with the 1 dog, Staffs are VERY affectionate with everyone. very soft and manage to be very intelligent and dumb at the same time. As stinkwheel said they need to be conditioned from an early age to turn out into the best friend you'll ever have.

[Tonka]

I know what you mean about the chav reaction - my gobby little hooligan is a rottweiler!!

I'm really lucky that he is a crap specimen as far as chavs are concerned as he's working stock (slim and athletic), so he looks quite cute and gets lots of love from everyone, even complete strangers!

My other dog is a rescue and he's a complete cuddle too - in fact all my dogs have been, it's what you make them and I wouldn't be without them for the world!!
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'The core of a man's spirit comes from new experiences'
Suzuki SV650S (Clean); Yamaha XT250 Serow (Dirty)

[kawakid]

Sorry I hate the breed.

I have a gorgeous walk with my dog all through local woods, overlooking a water skiing lake, I am fortunate to see dear, foxes, squirrels, sheep, cows all on my walk.

And then.. At the end I have to go past the edges of a council estate and thus my rant about this breed.

I have been bitten probably about 4 times in the last few years all by this breed.

My wedding ring never rolls any more and I had to visit casualty on New Years morning after being bitten.

Just yesterday, a staff decided to attack my dog, fortunately I had seen it earlier and had picked up a stick in the woods. The owner was not in site.

I had previously seen the same dog attack an Alsation about 4 days earlier.

I had a go with the owner when he turned up. Basically I swore at him . I said i'd seen his dog attack 2 dogs in the last week, he walked off saying he'd attacked more than that.

I then went to my local police station, turns out the counter shut years ago, so I then travelled to the police station in the next town. To be told it was a dog warden issue and not a police issue. I tried phoning the dog wardens, but no joy on a Saturday.

Its ace how the police won't actually do anything , there is some scum bag, walking around with a dangerous beast not on a lead and its attacking other dogs (mine was on the lead) and they won't do anything.

I know everyone says its not the breed its the owner. But I've never been attacked by any other breed nor has my dog been attacked by.

The audacity of the beast yesterday was unbelievable, I didn't hear the attack at first (I had my I pod on). It was trying to bite my dog in the head/neck.

I just turn round and with full mite, went to clobber the beast in the head. About 6" before impact, it suddenly went limp and cowardly, and started looking all puppy like and upset and trying to walk away. I then proceeded to shout at it for 5 minutes.

I'm too much of an animal lover to have beaten it, once it had stopped.

Sorry I hate the breed.

https://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b82/mondeokid/dogbite1.jpg

https://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b82/mondeokid/dogbite2.jpg
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I've a twin and a 4.

[mistergixer]

Bump!

Thought i might update this thread, as yesterday i picked up a lovely staff puppy from a family over in Luton.
Haven't got any pics yet, as it's fairly difficult to get him to stay still for long enough, will add them when i have some. He's settling in nicely, and gets on well with everyone - he is, however, terrified of the wife's rabbits (in hutches at the end of the garden)....so much for these being a 'tough' breed.

Thanks to all (espesh Stinkers) for their advice and opinions.
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Space Monkey #7
Don Eladio is dead. His capos are dead. You have no one left to fight for. Fill your pockets and leave in peace. Or fight me and die!
Mistergixer's videos on YouTube

[Tonka]

Fantastic That's great news!

What have you called him? Looking forward to the pics!
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'The core of a man's spirit comes from new experiences'
Suzuki SV650S (Clean); Yamaha XT250 Serow (Dirty)

[fredsredhat]

good decision Another 1 here looking forward to the pics, beware, if my mrs sees them she will want to come over to yours and take him home with us

[base]

Hello, you made a good choice of dog!, now the hard work begins We have 3 girls of our own but presently we have 4! we are looking after Burtie whilst his owner is in Oz for a year .
One thing i would do and i mean really really do, is get your hound into a puppy class, and socialize as much as possible it will pay dividends later, as i know from experience.

The girls.............

[WildGoose]

From andrex puppy..
https://www.bikechatforums.com/files/dog0.jpg

To ugly, smelly, drooling, house destroyer..
https://www.bikechatforums.com/files/dog1.jpg
https://www.bikechatforums.com/files/dog2_190.jpg

In the blink of an eye..
He made it to 1 year on Wednesday.

Enjoy it
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So in other words, he stopped you for being flagrantly in posession of a motorcycle in direct contravention of the Hippies, Darkies and People Whose Face I Don't Like The Look of (Police Powers) Act. 1976

[Nb]

Looks like a cross threaded stud on a lorry rather than a dog.
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Cbr1100xx blackbird gone, mk4 golf gt tdi chav now
Colin1 wrote 'Im grateful for what i can get, which isnt all that much.'
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[michael j]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder......
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[WildGoose]

Dag nab it.

[EDIT] Sorted, I GES BCF IMIJ DATABAS R NOT AS CLEVA AS MU
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So in other words, he stopped you for being flagrantly in posession of a motorcycle in direct contravention of the Hippies, Darkies and People Whose Face I Don't Like The Look of (Police Powers) Act. 1976