cousin's 7 month old Staffie, trouble with other dogs

Spiritguardian3 · 10-31-2007, 03:12 PM

It seems almost silly to say it but my cousin is having trouble with his 7 month old staffie. The puppy is neutered, and has been around other dogs but since about 5 months he has been increasingly dominant. He isn't aggressive but has a problem of not getting along with other dogs (ie just walking by he gives a dominant, assertive posture) and has been attacked by aggressive unfixed males. I have been recently certified to 'train' dogs (do group puppy and basic obedience classes) and my cousin has asked me to help with his puppy. Its already clear that he won't seek a behaviorist or a more experienced trainer. I am trying to find a solution to work with his puppy and put him on the right path. I don't know much about staffies except they tend to be dog aggressive and have a loooot of energy lol. What is a good way to introduce a staffie to other dogs in a way that they won't eventually be dog aggressive? Or is it already 'too late'? I was thinking of trying to have my boston terrier (female, 6 months old) for play dates and walk them near each other. I'm just not sure if the staffie puppy is afraid of other dogs or just dominant. I'm meeting him on saturday and don't plan on bringing my puppy but am trying to think of a game plan. Any suggestions?

Annamarie · 10-31-2007, 04:57 PM

where has he come across these unfixed males? if it were my dog i'd keep him away from these dogs anyway but especially because he is aggressive i would keep him away from all situations where he has the potential to attack or be attacked. i would also socialize him in a controlled environment where you know the other dogs. if he's full out attacking other dogs, muzzle him. regardless of wether it's a fear or dominant behavior, it's not acceptable. my min pin was a fear biter and i muzzled him and it did him a world of good. once i took away his weapon he learned other ways of coping and slowly became less fearful. plus people kept THEIR dogs away from him because nobody wants their dog to be around a dog that must be muzzled, so I didn't have to deal with owners letting their dogs harass my dog.

as far as you bringing your dog, i think it's a bad idea right now. you could end up with an injured or fearful boston terrier as a result. make sure all your pup's experiences with other dogs are positive as she's very impressionable right now. a bad experience may sour her for life (same with the staffy).

i also have to say that for your cousin not to seek help from a more experienced trainer when you as a trainer feel inadequately equipped to deal with his dog is totally irresponsible on your cousin's fault. if you have an aggressive dog, it's your duty to seek help from a trainer. we sought help from several and we have a min pin, not a staffy!

Spiritguardian3 · 11-01-2007, 09:00 AM

Thank you for your advice Annemarie

He's met unaltered males on walks, he was attacked by a lab on the street and had a scuffle (from my understanding the dog pretty much pinned him down and tryed to make eye contact) with a shepherd mix in a petstore. Both times he was on leash, I think its more of a matter of my cousin needing to know the signs of other dogs and his pups. Its weird because I've owned a male aggressive Rottweiler and was able to work with him but Im not sure how to teach someone to work with their own dog.

What I did with the rottie was really spruced up his obedience and would work on our obedience in front of other dogs (near our local dog park) It took months but I was able to make him not even notice other dogs and when he got close I would give the heel command and he would just stick by me. He could never be trusted fully around males but he wouldn't get into his 'i'm a big strong stud dog' mode. I can't really do that with my cousins dog because I know he won't work that hard with his dog.

I know he won't do anything else, he wouldn't have even asked me if I hadn't told him I got certified, I'm worried his sweet puppy will become a satistic. The worst part is his puppy is all black and most people think hes an english lab mix so he doesn't have to worry about people shying away from him. My biggest fear is that this dog will become a danger to the public without corrective training and the last thing I want to happen is that. Im thinking of calling a couple of trainers in my area for their opinion, I'm just worried they'll tell me 'you need to see professional help' because I can't pay for my cousins dog and I know he only came to me because I told him I was a trainer.

Max'sHuman · 11-01-2007, 10:16 AM

This kind of stuff is pretty irritating. I'm sorry you have to deal with it Spirit. I have a cousin like that too but I don't even thinks he realizes he has a problem. He has a Pit mix who is still under a year or just over and she attacked my other cousin's Springer Spaniel. The spaniel had to get stitches in her face. My cousin's first dog is a pit and he has no idea what he's doing. I haven't talked to him or seen him in a while, but when I heard about that scuffle my heart just sank because I feel like it's a disaster waiting to happen.

ACampbell · 11-01-2007, 11:01 AM

It is unfortunate that your cousin is having problems with his Staffie...and also unfortunate that it seems your cousin will not be the responsible owner (and I"m not being rude, I mean by not seeking a more indepth trainer as you seem to feel uncomfortable in your capabilities) and that's the bad kind of PR that these dogs are getting, for those exact reasons.
For my bullmastiff/APBT mix, to get him more accustomed to other dogs other than beating the crap out of them, we introduced him to my basset hounds. Sweetie (the 15 year old female I had, RIP) assumed the dominant role, but she was pretty passive about it...it was unspoken law that she was the queen and he respected that, I think she growled at him once and that was the end of it. But we did slow introductions, I had the APBT mix on my front patio for the first week, and would introduce them with each leashed so they could be yanked off of each other if they wouldn't play nice. Once Smokey figured out that he wasn't expected to beat on them, everyone plays nice. Also, Smokey is very responsive to the "No" command...and when he seemed to be getting too "macho" acting, and towering over the bassets (not a huge feat there) and aggressive behavior, I'd tell him "no" and he's stop it...he figured out fast that it was unacceptable behavior.
For the most part, my APBT mix is not very dog aggressive...if he meets other dogs on the street he will act a little aggressive at first (stiffening up, doing the whole macho act) but if I tell him "no" he will calm down unless the other dog is instigating a fight...then he can't seem to turn it off and we remove ourselves from the situation quickly before anyone can jump. This has only happened once, with an unaltered male Rottweiler that was seriously aggressive toward myself and hardly controlled by the owner...I decided quickly as the Rotti was tugging and jumping at the end of the leash at my dog and myself that it was a bad situation waiting to happen and we could walk another way.
Personal opinion take it as you want: It seems your cousins staffie hasn't been very well socialized, or that his socialization has had bad affects (i.e. being dominated) He needs to get proper training (your cousin and the dog both) and get where the pup is responsive to him...that will save a lot of problems later on.

Annamarie · 11-01-2007, 08:15 PM

i'm sorry but if your cousin isn't willing to work with the dog no amount of training is going to help. frankly, i think your cousin shouldn't even own a dog.