help with my staff showing aggression

hi everyone this is my first post on here, im hopeing to get some advice please...

i have 3 dogs....

J.D - Staff cross aged 2
lacey - staff aged 1
buddy - pug x shihtzu aged 8

jd has started to show small signs of aggression towards buddy and some other dogs in the park.... He is a staffy cross but i have no idea what he is crossed with. I got him from someone on gumtree which i totally regret now! The guy is addament that he is full staff but he is massive.

The aggression started about 8 months ago, Basically they are all together and if they hear the slighest noise outside or someone knocks on the door they all go guns blazing, all barking at whatever it is but then jd will pounce on top of buddy who is 3 times smaller than him and just goes in for the attack. When im out with him in the park he gets on with only a few other dogs but then will suddenly just go in for the attack.... I now have to muzzle him when out and that just makes him look menacing which he really isnt, infact hes got the best personality and loves to be kissed and cuddled like a big baby... im totally confused by his sudden change. Sometimes when i take him in the garden he can become really over excited and prances around growling at me and he does sometimes put the fear in me....

Im absolutely terrified that one day he will kill buddy, i dont know what to do anymore i live on edge every minute of the day.... i dont think i can handle him hes so powerful and forcefull.

any advice anyone can give me would so appreciated.

Hi & welcome to the forum.

He is a big boy, isn't he? Has he been castrated?

Can you post a full size pic of him? if its the larger white one in your pic he looks like a boxer mix.

And on the aggression note, it does sound excited related. So you need to work on ways of calming him down. When they hear a noise get a squeak toy or something like a rattle bottle that will distract them ALL from whatever it is and say a sharp QUIET when they get focused on you reward them when they have calmed enough to sit and focus on you only. If this is persevered they should stop going nuts when you say QUIET.

if this doesnt work try removing them from the area as soon as they go mad and put them into a room where nothing is going to go past the window like the kitchen and dont let them rejoin you until they are calm and if they are still on edge same again just remove them immediately. They will soon get the message that being hyper gets them locked away from you.

Im going to go out on a limb here and say it is the pugx that is the one who goes mad first and has taught the other two to go mad as most smaller dogs usually do and the staffys i know are usually less likely to be barky. So if you wanted to try just removing the pugx when they go mad it might settle the other two faster and will stop him being harmed by the bigger one. boxers are very excitable dogs and thats why i think he might be a boxer mix.

as for being out in the park i would suggest not taking the big one out with the other two at all. Not until you can calm them ALL down.

perseverance is the key to this one.

wow he is a big boy going by your picture, agree with Equi and Caryll, i would try and tire him out with exercise and def get him castrated as this can calm him down loads as we found out with a previous dog before he died as he was a rescue, also agree with the above take out of the picture the dog who starts the barking and madness put him in a different room, i know its hard if someone knocks at your door,

I personally would say that he this behaviour comes from dominance and excitement. When I look at JD's age and size it seem the most obvious answer is that his testosterone is raging so hes throwing his weight around. You say that he was fine with other dogs before and his aggression is selective (he doesn't just lunge and snarl at any dog he sees), it also sounds like hes ok to start with but then starts to get funny with other dogs and Buddy.

With this type of aggression if you are happy about it castration does work well as it removes the need to dominate which some hormones bring on. The age that Jd is at means he is trying to push Buddy to the bottom of the pack and take his position, quite rightfully since he is larger and stronger so in his eyes more deserving! Other ways to combat it is to keep Jd on his lead and be ready to step in the second you see any negative body language (staring, tail up, hair rising on back). Have some treats in your hand or pocked at the minute you see him getting narky use a certain word (I use 'Leave'), say it firmly and turn and take a couple of steps away from the toehr dogs. Ask JD to sit, if he doesn't put the hand with the treat in a little cloer to his face to get his attention and ask him to sit again. If he still doesn't even though there is the temptation of the treat, walk a little further away and ask him again. This time if he doesn't sit push his bum down and make him. Dont forgot the minute he sits down and is focused on you, you must give him a little treat!

The leave method is useful to break their attention and stop fights happening as they soon realise leave means come to you, sit down and you get a treat. But it doesn't solve the problem of why he is getting snappy in the first place. You need to look at your pack hierarchy and make some decisions on what you are going to do for Buddy's safety. This is why I always try to say to people get two dogs of different sexes, they can be fine for ages and then suddenly the balance is lost and you get problems. It can happen at any time. I'm not going to lie sometimes even my girls who are mother and daughter have their differences!

Can't add a whole lot to the above but here is a link to help you recogniize body language

http://staffy-bull-terrier.co.uk/dogbodylanguage.html

wow so many useful replies.... i didnt think anyone would reply, thanks!

I would like to add that i do walk jd seperatley from the other two, he has been castrated, all my dogs have been done.... i have also recently kept buddy seperate from the other two and buddy is 100% the starter of all barking! i have come to realise that jd and lacey are getting all buddys bad habits, Unfortunately i spoiled buddy as a puppy i smothered him like a new born baby.... BIG MISTAKE! since getting jd i have tried to become a better dog owner by not treating my dogs like they are human and using more disipline where needed... i would let buddy get away with murder and he is sooo naughty now!

This evening i had my mum over for dinner, i had to put jd and lacey in their cage as they are very in your face upon arrival and my mum cant handle them jumping all over her, but jd got very aggressive towards me when i went to calm him. He has never done anything like that towards me before and it put the fear in me i was kind of a little afraid of him.

i feel like hes suffering, sometimes he has an expression he can get on his face like hes just had enough, its weird!

I love my dogs so much my partner even moved out because i wouldnt get rid of them..... but sometimes i cant take all the stress and feel like giving them all up!

i really dont know what to do anymore, the thought of them not being here is so devastating to me but i just dont know how to help them......

You say he sometimes looks as though he's 'had enough'? Have you seen a vet with him just in case there's someunderlying problem that's making him a bit quirky?

Also, have you thought about getting advice from a behaviourist? Someone qualified who can see you & the dogs together first hand.

In the meantime, maybe you could introduce some simple control exercises such as the 'leave' and 'quiet' commands with all your dogs. You may also need to toughen up on JD's training - don't allow him to get away with anything!

And is there a training club you can go to? It really sounds as though JD doesn't understand his place in the family. He's pushing the boundaries, but isn't really happy with it so he's getting frustrated & confused.

i am planning a vet visit next week, i had read somewhere that a health problem can cause aggression so was straight onto that. Unfortunately i am not in a position to get a behaviourist in due to the costs.

and you say hes getting frustrated, well thats exactly what my mum said this evening......

Im hoping the vet visit will come up with some answers i cant bare to see him like this anymore, its bringing me down which i think they can pick up on!

thanks for all your advice and ill post an update after the vet visit.

In the meantime, try to stay calm when you're in the same room as them. If you're feeling anxious/nervous they'll all pick up on it. Take a few deep breaths if you feel yourself tensing up.

I think youve got some great advice there from the others you need to think were jd is coming from when someone knocks your door there is a competition going on were the winning dog will get to greet the visiter so thats why you are getting this behavior cause hes matured hes stepping up.
And your dilema in the garden is similar its dominance and a dominant dog doesnt like to back down they see you and how you deal with things as a challenge dont be fearful as this will make him worse . If that were me I would just ignore the dog when hes acting like this turn away dont try to comfort or talk it down dont make eye contact and definatly dont challenge it when its highly tense the dog will probably follow you and be unsure of whats happening but only when the dog is calm give cuddles and loves .