Couple of questions......

Ty is just coming up to 7 months now. He is great on the lead and is very sociable with other dogs but he keeps lunging at dogs and people. Its not in a malicious way but being a staff we get "the look". Any tips to stop him doing this as I don't want to start his recall training until I've got tis niggle sorted.

My other question is, is it best to get him castrated? Would this effect his growth i.e his muscular staffy look.

Thanks in advance

Jon & Ty

When he lunges or pulls toward a person or dog you can have him sit and wait. When he is calm allow him to interact. You could also try turning around in th eother direction when he does it.

Here is a usefull link on the pros and cons of neutering.

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t12763-long-term-health-risks-and-benefits-associated-with-spay-neuter-in-dogs

I'm glad you posted this as Millie, also 7 months, is doing exactly the same thing. She thinks every dog and every person we meet should want to play with her. I'm just trying to get her out everyday to somewhere I know we will meet plenty of people/dogs and hope that eventually she will realise most are not interested in her. When walking past people I usually say "walk on" or "leave it" and when she does give her a treat and tell her she's a good girl.

Although I agree with plenty of socialisation at a young age, not everyone wants their dog to play with yours! So you do need to stop the lunging. As said already, either turn around & go the opposite direction when the dog lunges, or stop dead & make your dog sit & look at you. You can do this by holding a treat up near your face & saying "watch" or something similar.

Thanks for the replies. My wife took Ty out today and if he lunged at other dogs or people she made him sit and wait and it worked. Obviously its gonna take a bit of time but he's made progress already.

I agree with you Caryll not every dog wants to interact with him and we are aware of this. We do only let him approach other dogs when we've cleared it with the owner.

Jon wrote:I agree with you Caryll not every dog wants to interact with him and we are aware of this. We do only let him approach other dogs when we've cleared it with the owner.

Wish I could meet you on some of my walks with Dempsey instead of some of the people I do meet! The times people have let their dog charge over to Dempsey without so much as a shouted "Is he ok?" Then they wonder why he growls at them!

billy used to do this as well but we got him a head collar and it has stopped it

Head collars (haltis) are great for dogs that lunge suddenly because it takes the forward momentum away. Saves your dog's throat, and your arms!

Jon wrote:My other question is, is it best to get him castrated? Would this effect his growth i.e his muscular staffy look.

The question of if & when to neuter is a complicated one. There are pros & cons and you should read up as much as you can on the subject before making your decision. The following article might help you (it's a long read, but worth it!), but you should be aware that neutering will not always have the desired effect on temperament...

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t12763-long-term-health-risks-and-benefits-associated-with-spay-neuter-in-dogs

This is also an interesting read...

http://www.doglistener.co.uk/neutering/spaying_neutering.shtml
and
http://www.doglistener.co.uk/neutering/neutering_definitive.shtml