Friday, May 8, 2009

how can i stop my staffie pup from turning on other dogs?

it all started coz other dogs started attacking him while we were out walking . he particulary goes for bigger male dogs
Answers:
You may have a nervous-dominant dog which will lead to and aggressive-dominant dog.
Try keeping his collar high up on his neck - like they do in dog shows. This will help you keep better control. While you are walking him, do not let him lead you. He should walk beside and just behind you. Be relaxed and calm and assertive - you need to show him you are in control. You are the alpha leader and therefore should be followed, you must be in control of your dog.
You need to catch him before he becomes too fixated on another dog. His ears start to perk and he begins to put the slightest tension on the leash - just give the lead a good swift jerk UPward - also try adding a firm "Hey." "No." or "Shh."
This will not hurt your pup, it will just snap his mind out of attack mode. You don't need to be mean about it, you want to be assertive and calm. By jerking the lead and changing his state of mind you are telling him that that behavior is not wanted by you.
You need to keep your dog in a calm-submissive state of mind. They can only experience one state of mind at a time.
If you don't take control of him soon - he's gonna get bigger and he's gonna pull you. He could hurt another dog, or make another dog hurt him. He could also bite a person who tries to break apart the dogs if (Lord forbid) they should ever get into a fight.
A Gentle Leader is good for keeping control, but if the other dogs are picking on *him* I suggest altering your walking route. How old is he? If still young, socialize, socialize, socialize! My Staffie/pit mix is very popular amongst all the neighborhood dogs, because we take him out to play with a different one every day. He's pushing 80 pounds, and plays nicely even with the pugs and doxies. You've got to keep em socialized.

Oh, and wear a good strong pair of boots while you're out, so you can kick the other dogs in the face if they come at him!
I hope he's muzzled when you take him out
It's a dominance issue, most likely. He sounds like he feels like he is the Alpha of all Alphas.

Go to a bookstore or library and find a book that you like on obedience training, then train your dog. That will fix that charging off crap right away.

DO NOT take your dog to the local pet megamart for training b/c the training that they do is based upon treats and is a complete waste of time. When you run out of trerats, the dog runs out of training.
take a stun gun to the vicious little f.ucker!
ring the RSPCA and give the other dogs a break.
How old is he?? If he is really young under 6 months take him to the dog park so he can be socialized. Get him neutured too, as young as you can, that will cut back the normone thing and make him less testorone filled, it won't stunt his growth either, so get it done. If he is older and you had him proper socialized as apup and he is between 1o months adn 2 years he may be maturing and sadlly he may just be dog aggressive toward same sex dogs, keep him leashed and tell your neighbors to leash their dogs too, those idiots with loose dogs are cause problems with the bans too. If you have any other questions or wnat to chat about staffs/pits e-mail me.
A professional trainer and a lot of intense re-socialization. This is not an easy problem to fix, it requires a lot of time and patience.

You need to make sure that you are well established as the alpha dog. Your pup must be made to listen and obey you at all times. This needs to be done in a gentle way however. You don't ever want to hit, yell, or be overly aggressive with this type of dog. That will just cause him to become defensive. It's like the dog whisperer always says, you must be calm assertive.

This isn't something that anyone can teach you over the internet, you should really consult a professional in your area. If you let this get out of hand then you will most likely have to euthanize your dog in the near future because it attacked and killed someone else's pet. Especially considering the breed of the dog. Anyway you look at it, this is not a good situation to place you and your dog in.

Remember, you are not only responsible for your dog but everything and everyone that he comes into contact with.
buy a clicker and use it when he does this when he stops and sits down give him a dog biscut
Neutering, muzzle?
persist with gentle but firm training
ask at your vet about puppy socialising parties
Dudes! Everyone is *SO* quick to blame the Staffie. read the freaking question. the other dogs are going for HIM!

MotherBear has a point, choose a different place to walk him. And call to report the dogs that are not on leashes who come after yours. You might carry pepper spray to defend your dog. It isn't too late to socialize your pup, either.

He won't pull you if you get a gentle leader, I got mine yesterday and the change in behavior is great. All my neighbors want one for their dogs, now!

Pitties (and all closely related variations) ROCK!
All you can do is continue to expose him to more and more dogs, obviously avoiding those who'll bite him. You can use a soft muzzle if you need to. If he makes an aggressive move you need to swiftly pin him and " Assert that you ,not he are the Dominant dog" It is unfortunate ,but the only way to correct this behavior is for it to be displayed. Happy interaction is good medicine too.
If he's turning on other dogs you should make him dress less provocatively and stop flirting with them
I speak from experience as I had to let my staffie go as she was getting increasingly aggressive towards other dogs. The problem with staffie's is that they get over involved, I suspect that he thinks you need protecting and therefore thinks he is doing his job. Firstly you must neuter him, this will cut down on much of the problem. Also you must redifine the boundaries so he knows that you are the boss and not him and therefore he doesnt need to protect you. Make sure he does not go on the sofa or beds, make sure he is excluded from some areas of the house so he knows his place. All discipline must be followed through.
Also always make sure he eats after your family as he will then know he is lower in the pack.
It sounds harsh but believe me the alternative is so much worse, we are still very upset.
Just teach him your the boss and it should get better.
Good luck.
You are goingt o have a problem as he gets older. The problem with male staffies is that they are ok with bitches but with other male dogs they are a nightmare. I should know I have had them for many years. Once a male staff starts to get nastie there is very littl eyou can do. Keep him on a lead at all times. Trying to separate a staff when he has locked onto another dog is very difficult. Best thing I have found is an end of a rolling pin in the mouth so they release. You dont want to be in that situation. Youo should check his breeding some lines are known to be nasty dogs. He will be very faithful and very loving to you but keep male dogs away
I don't know why you got a thumbs down, this is a really common problem. My dog had the same problem - he was a terrier attacked by two staffies on his first walk!
Take him to dog training classes and explain the problem to the trainer. They may ask you to muzzle him for the first session while they assess his temperament. He needs to learn how to get along with other dogs, and this is the best way.
The problem is fixable so don't give up.
Staffs aren't keen on other dogs. Keep him on a lead when out walking and scan the horizon for other dogs.

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