Help!!! aggresion towards dogs and people!!

Hi all,
I'm looking for some advice on my staff's behaviour.

I have a 2 year old male staffy called sox. His behaviour is getting worse and worse and I need help to know what to do about it.
He has always been a dominant dog and is very protective over me.
When we are out on walks he will growl at everyone and everything that passes us, but if someone else is walking him he is totally fine?
recently he has started to growl at people! he will also growl, snarl and lunge at close family members which he has know since he was a puppy. this really upsets me as we are a close family and they are starting to get afraid of him. I find it very difficult to trust him in room with others on his own.
Sox is very well socialised, as we are always around other people and he generally comes with me everywhere I go, we have another female staffy who is 1 year old and sox loves her, he has never been aggressive towards her and is very playful with her.

I am baffled as to why he has started growling at people recently and need to stop this behaviour before it gets any worse (if that's possible) but have no idea where to start as I have tried to discipline him by telling him off and ignoring him but he doesn't seem to care!
Any comments or thoughts would be much appreciated

the only thing I can think is consult a behaviourist? positive association with others in the mean time is a must use treats or toys or whatever means necessary . you know how he reacts around other people u may be tense and not realise as u know how he reacts around other people

Have you been to the vets to check he's not got a medical condition that's affecting his behaviour?
I'd recomend you have a read through of this http://4pawsu.com/understandingaggression.html but there's a lot of people on here who have experience who'll hopefully be able to give you more advice.

I would suggest a visit to the vets as the first thing to do, at least you can rule anything medical out that way. Do you walk Sox on a short tight lead? This can make them feel restricted and often make them display the sort of behaviour you're noticing on walks. A loose lead gives them room to move.

With family members it's essential that they don't show apprehension around him but calm control with positive movement.

As already mentioned, there are people on here with far greater experience of behaviour issues who, I'm sure, will offer further advice.

Welcome to the forum too

Thanks for the replies, the link was very helpful.

It sounds a bit strange, but he growls at people a lot when he is woken up, but something as little as sitting down next to him when he is sleeping. For a staff he is very lazy, he loves to sleep.

I walk him on a short lead at the moment. I do have long ones here though so tonight I will try him with one of them instead.

I'd agree with getting a behaviour trainer out. If an animal does something with only one person, then it is in all likelihood something that person is doing that is causing the problem.

In this case, there are two things you mention that could be contributing towards Sox's reactions. The first is the point Ian brought up - short leads. The shorter the lead, the more tension, and that tension is one of the great causes of reactivity. Use as long a lead as you can while keeping Sox at a distance where he couldn't actually reach anyone. Relax, the more relaxed you are, the more relaxed he can be.

The second point is that you say you have tried reprimanding him. If he's in a situation that he finds worrying, a worrying reprimand will only ever make matters worse. Not only are you adding extra worry, you're also saying that he's not allowed to tell you when he's worried. You are better asking him (nicely) to do something he can do, such as look at you or sit, and then give him a reward for doing that.

If he's becoming unhappy in other areas, such as if you wake him up, it might be worth a quick check by the vet. A change in tempermants, especially towards the grumps, can sometimes be a sign of a problem. Don't be alarmed, it's just a possiblity but one that's worth ruling out.


It sounds like you need to pick up on his worries when they are much

Maybe he sees himself as the man of the house who has to protect his bitches (pardon the terminology). If you go to a good training class and show him you re a strong confident leader he may not feel like he has to be the leader and protector.

My bulldog was a real dominant bitch, she died recently and everyday we had to remind her she wasn't in charge. She was a real cowbag but we loved her. It is hard if they have a dominant streak, but if you go to training you will feel equiped with the knowledge to deal with it. My local dog training that I have just gone back to with my new pup deals has aggression classes on a set evening. Good luck x