Uchimataman asked:
I have had him for a week and am hopelessly in love with him. He is wonderful with kids affectionate, cuddly, housetrained etc. Problem is he tries to attack every dog in the park. How can I stop him doing this. Every dog I have previously had always had the freedom of not being on a lead and I would like to give this one the same but I dare not. Any help or advice?
I have had him for a week and am hopelessly in love with him. He is wonderful with kids affectionate, cuddly, housetrained etc. Problem is he tries to attack every dog in the park. How can I stop him doing this. Every dog I have previously had always had the freedom of not being on a lead and I would like to give this one the same but I dare not. Any help or advice?
Watch the dog whisperer on tv….your dog thinks he is the pack leader…he thinks he is of a higher status than you…basically he is insecure….he will feel you tense up when another dog appears…you have to be the master and dont be nervous.
I love staffies
unfortunatley though, fighting is in their nature.
you could get him neutered , although to be honest, i dont think it would help….see a dog traning clas perhaps
If you got him from the dogs trust they can help you in after care. IF not I would suggest the vet. It sounds like my staffie cross puppy. She barks at anyone coming into the garden and any dogs that don’t respond. You should keep him on the lead for at least 3 months though as he might run off and not come back. I bet he is gorgeous and I love my staffie. They are ace.
Nope. If he is dog aggressive you need to keep him on leash. Its the respondsible thing to do. With enough training on recall(come) you can work your way up to letting him off in wooded areas and allow some freedom on a longer lead. But its extremely irrespondsible and dangerous to let a dog aggressive dog be off leash. Especially with a staffie. People who see a dog like that running after and attacking another dog are going to have a baaaad bad image in their head. Do the dogs and the breed a favor and keep him on leash.
Staffs are known for their dislike of other 4 legged friends.
I had 2 that were as you say, affectionate and fantastic with children. I Could never let them off the lead when out.
I had a neighbour who had the softest Staffie you could imagine. He was a lovely dog, and would quite happily play with any other dog when he went out. Everything was fine until he was about 4 yrs old, and he was attacked out of the blue by another dog, and there was an awful fight, which the Staffie won. It seemed to trigger the fight instinct in him, as after that he could not be allowed off around other dogs.
It was not a fear reaction, he really relished fighting. He was just as loving and soft with the family and any other human. Their vet told them that it was an instinctive trait in the breed. Some of them are great until they have that first fight.
I wish you luck with him. But for now it is kinder to him to keep him on a lead.
Thank you for having a rescue dog and one that’s reached it prime in life.
This breed has this problem if not socialised properly from a young age. Best thing is to mussel it. this way it can’t do any harm, then try him on a re-tractor lead, this will make him less brave as when some dogs are on leads they get a false sense of bravery, or take off the lead around dogs that the owners have agreed (after you have told them the problem) with the mussel on ! to show him he can’t bite anybody.
Also take him to training classes. They will be able to advise better
than anybody.
What ever you do don’t keep him away from other dogs as this will only continue the behaviour, he needs to be exposed to other dogs and adjust.
Hi, i own a Staffie and also work at a rescue centre for dogs. They are the most intelligent and affectionate dogs and abso brilliant with kids, and so adaptable. However, alot of them are aggressive with other dogs as this breed was esp bred for dog fighting many years ago. Luckily, my own Staff is fine with other dogs, but i know many like yours ,and it is something that you will not be able to stop. Only alternative is lead walking, or you could try a muzzle, altho i know they make them look like vicious animals. You haven’t said if he is neutered as this can sometimes help, but i think that at 7yrs it prob wouldn’t make a difference.
i think you have to look at the positives and the fact that most of the time you are in the house and the dog is great with your kids …..you just have to be a responsible dog owner and keep him on the lead. ( maybe , if you have transport, you can go into the countryside in a quiet place and let him off occaasionally)
good luck……give him a kiss from me!