Meet Maya, 6 months old and 13kg (around 28lbs) of pure muscle.
Her mum is a Staffy and her dad is a Border Collie. She’s inherited all their best bits: she’s athletic, really well-behaved (very obedient actually), calm, patient, and doesn't chew things up except her toys. She’s so loving too.
It cracks me up seeing her even more excited than me when she nails a new trick. We’ve started doing some basic Heelwork to Music at home; yesterday she learned 'spin' and got so hyped about it, she bolted over to my partner to show him how well she could spin around.
Anyway, I’m not trying to sell her to you! 😁
The more she grows, the more she seems like the perfect halfway point between the two breeds. Do you think she looks more like a Staffy or a Border?
I think she’s quite small in height—she’s roughly the same size (maybe a few cm taller) as a Beagle or a Staffy.
Do you reckon she’ll keep getting taller? She’s got a very slim waist like a Border, but she’s muscular like a Staffy.
My vet has her down as a Border cross; she didn't think she looked 'typey' enough to need categorising (though she's still young, so we’ll see what the vet thinks when she’s fully grown. No hate about her breed mix, please!)
Translated from French
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Hi dundeemaya 🙂
Regarding Maya and children, dogs can really surprise you sometimes.
Since just before she turned 2, the way Padja interacts with other dogs and people has completely changed:
She’s started putting others in their place when they misbehave. She does it calmly, without any aggression. It can be quite something to see, though, especially when she lets out a massive bark that basically says "NO, that’s not okay!" – she’s got a bit of hound in her, so she’s got a very deep, loud voice.
The other day we bumped into a little Beagle puppy. The pup was jumping all over her, with its paws up on her back. Padja waited a bit, but when she realised the pup wasn't moving, she let out a huge "WOOF!". The little one tried again, and – boom – another big woof! That did the trick; the pup stopped and just lay down watching her.
On the flip side, she’s become incredibly gentle with nervous dogs and frightened children. I don’t have kids myself, and I never taught her how to correct other dogs or be soft with shy ones.
When Padja was a puppy, she was... well, a typical puppy 😅 only interested in her own needs.
Then we went through a bit of a "messy" phase where I started to wonder if she was going to be trouble... not with people, but with other dogs. I saw her start to show her teeth in certain situations, and she’d butt heads with Nana at home. She’d try to boss her around; it was like she was testing her authority. A proper little madam.
And that’s how we ended up here. She’s now perfectly balanced in how she behaves with other dogs and really considerate with the shy ones. Since this is all quite recent, I’m still being cautious and keeping a close eye on her during interactions (with dogs and kids, obviously).
It’s a real shame to have that kind of attitude towards a dog that has absolutely no behavioural issues and is regularly seen by the vet. She’s a year old now and no one has ever said a word to us. Why have a go at me? She wasn’t even what I was looking for; she was already born, part of an accidental litter. Should she have been put in a rescue centre where she probably would’ve missed out on socialisation, all because her pedigree is an issue? The law is much more flexible than you think, as long as you're responsible and acting in good faith.
And I’ll say it again, a pedigree AmStaff is a Category 2 dog, just like a Rottweiler. It’s only the unregistered ones that might fit the breed standards of an American Pit Bull Terrier, which puts them in Category 1. That is NOT the case with my dog.
My girl is getting spayed soon; it’s been a bit complicated before now: her first season came earlier than expected and then she had a phantom pregnancy. The vet has booked her in to be spayed in September.
Maya is a crossbreed just like any other, no more dangerous or powerful than a Mastiff, a Pointer, or a Kangal. I’ve done everything by the book and I’m doing my best to make sure she’s well-balanced. It’s not like I was the one who bred Maya’s mum anyway—and she’s been spayed since then, for that matter.
Why restart a debate that doesn’t even need to happen?
It’s true that having a Staffy-type that falls under Category 1 means they have to be neutered.
Maya wasn't exactly part of the plan; to be honest, I didn't want a Staffy or Mastiff type. I was worried about getting it wrong, having problems, or not being able to socialise her properly.
But she was just so cute, it was love at first sight. Seeing as she was already here, she might as well be with me—she needed to find a home anyway.
I’ve seen two different vets plus one at the out-of-hours emergency vet, and they all agreed that she doesn’t meet the physical characteristics of an AmStaff type. The neighbours all like her—well, from a distance for my next-door neighbour who’s scared of dogs, but she’s not exactly terrified as long as Maya stays back.
Besides, if you have a registered pedigree AmStaff, they fall into Category 2, the same as a Rottweiler.
Maya wasn’t planned, but she’s been a lovely surprise. I wouldn’t change it for the world; she’s perfect in every way.
Isn't breeding Staffies against the law? They're meant to be neutered, aren't they? So I don't really get why people are having litters if it's banned. (If the dog takes after a Staffy, it’ll be categorised, even though there aren't supposed to be any more births unless they're Kennel Club registered, of course—well, according to the law anyway, from what I've read.) ANYWAY, she’s a beauty—a Border Collie with a touch of Staffy.
I didn't see her as a family dog at all. She's never really been around children up close before, mainly because we don't have any and I don't tend to let her go near other people's kids—the poor things would probably get knocked flying! 🙄
So it's actually quite surprising that she's behaving like this so naturally. But I'm not complaining!
We have noticed something quite curious lately, though. My partner’s one-year-old niece is the only child Maya has ever really known, and even then, she was a bit too boisterous so we didn’t let Maya get too close to the little one.
Now that she’s walking, we’re trying to let Maya interact more while keeping a very close eye on them. To our surprise, Maya is incredibly gentle with her; she stays right by her side without actually touching her. She follows her all over the garden as if she’s supervising.
One time, the toddler was wandering off towards the swimming pool, and by the time her mum went to get her, Maya was already there in front of the little one, blocking her path without any aggression. I’m wondering if it’s just her Border Collie side coming out—does she see our niece as a "sheep" that needs herding?
An update on the paperwork side of things: we saw a second vet who spotted the AmStaff in her quite quickly. After looking her over, he said her muzzle is too long and thin for her to be an issue. She’s officially staying as just a Border Collie cross.
And actually, we’ve passed the police several times during our walks, and Maya didn't cause any trouble at all. We also managed a weekend away camping with her and even visited a zoo: no issues getting in anywhere.
It’s just the bus every now and then where people try to tell me dogs aren't allowed; sometimes I tell them they are, and other times I just don't want to bother them by forcing Maya on everyone. (Even though she’s muzzled on public transport and very calm—she just sleeps until we get to our stop).
She absolutely loves her vet, who gave me loads of compliments on Maya’s temperament. I was a bit stressed during the first appointment, but he quickly put my mind at ease: with her personality and the fact her build doesn't fit the breed standards, there’s no reason to expect any problems.
Plus, she’s really well-trained (even if I do say so myself) and doesn't have a mean bone in her body, despite the fact she’s been attacked twice.
Oh, a crossbreed just like my girl! Well, if she has those mismatched eyes from the Border Collie side, she’ll likely keep them.
At 3 months old, it’s pretty normal for her to be destroying everything she touches; mine was quite a handful to settle at first, and I had to keep correcting her time and time again. You’ll need to find that balance between activity and rest.
Mine finished growing at around 7 months.
She’s a year old now and knows when it’s time to play and when it’s time to settle, even though she’s still a real live wire. Physically, she takes after the Staffy side quite a bit, but she’s still "slender" like a Border. If your pup’s mum is an Amstaff, she’ll probably end up about the same size as mine (or not!). Which of the two breeds do you think she looks like most at the moment?
Hello! Mine is also called Maya, and her dad is a Border Collie and her mum is a Staffy too. She's only 3 months old, so it’s hard to tell how big she’s going to get... but I’d love to know. She has all the same traits except she’s very playful, so she basically destroys everything she gets her paws on! She’s white and brown—she’s taken after her mum’s colouring—and my brother has one from the same litter but with the dad’s colours. She has odd-coloured eyes; one is brown with a little light blue speck and the other is completely light blue. I was also wondering if she’ll keep her light eyes or if they’ll change as she gets older? And at what age do you think she’ll be fully grown, seeing as she’s already 3 months old? 😁
What a lovely, lively girl! She’s definitely got more of a Border Collie look about her, although from the side, her face looks a bit like a Staffy.
Wishing you lots of happiness with her 👌
