Fighting :-(

Hi All

We have 2 staffies. One female and one male. He is 2.5 years old and she is a little over a year. They usually love each other and loves to play! Recently he started to attack her when he hears loud noises or gets a fright. He is already on Clomicalm pills which don't seem to work.
They get a lot of attention and regular walks.
We are fearing the worst and don't know what to do.
Any help or advice will be appreciated!

Have you had a behaviourist out to assess them? There may be something they can see looking at the situation from the outside, or something they could recommend. There may, for example, be desensitising work you could do so he's less frightened by things.

I know behaviourists can be quite expensive but if you can find a good one they can be worth their weight in gold. Maybe ask your vet, they might be able recommend someone.

I got a lot of tips and advice off my local dog warden, theyre a godsend sometimes.

This is a little strange seeing as they get along fine other than when he gets spooked. When it kicks off are you calm and confident when you seperate them. They can certainly pick up if there is tension or stress which can upset them more.

As Liz mentions, it's probably a behaviour specialist that can work out best what is going on. I hope you can find the underlying cause and find a solution.

When you have a spare min do pop along here and say Hi:-
https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/f7-new-member-introductions

Is your male dog stressed more than you're aware of? Maybe although it shows more with a bang he's still feeling it prior to that and the bang's the final nail in the coffin and sets him off and he takes it out on the lowest member of the family (pack). Is he healthy otherwise? Has anyone else had any changes recently and he's picking up on that? Is he neutered btw?

We also think it is best to get someone to our house. He is neutered and she is spayed... No changes in our house lately.

I always try to be calm and learned not to say a word when this happens. When it carries on for too long I throw them with a jug of water and this usually helps. It's as if he realises then what he is busy doing.

Our vet gave us the Clomicalm to try to calm him but we've been giving it for 3 weeks now without any change.
Thanks for the advice.

Do let us know how you get on?

Did the vet say how long it should take for the drugs to work? What was his/her diagnosis? Maybe you should go back and perhaps he could get a behaviourist to help you. Most behaviourists have seen most things going so have probably seen this sort of behaviour before. Maybe he could be gradually desensitised to these things, you must have hell at the new year and 5th of November etc.

He may see her as a threat, I read something a while back, 3 jack russels they got on great together but then one day they just all started fighting, the lady got rid of one of them the one she thought was the problem, but still the other 2 she still had when ever she hoovered or loud noises where there they just attacked each other, so she kept them seperate out of fear, but apparently the problem was one ofthe dogs was very confident and the other wasnt the one which was insecure started the fights, think you may have to just start the introduction process all over again

I've had lots of experience with anxious dogs; there is no uniform solution but you really can't go wrong with getting a behaviorist.
Sometimes clomicalm works, but like people, not all psych drugs work with all dogs; it also often requires a good 4-6 weeks to show a noticeable effect. There are other anti-anxiety drugs that may be more effective in cases of aggression, like fluoxetine (prozac), that your vet may want to try if the clomicalm doesn't start working soon. Bottom line - don't give up, there are many more options out there.