growling

hi there, iv signed up to get a little advice. do people advise to get a muzzle for a dog that growls at people i live with or just give it a firm NO when he does it?

Hi & welcome to the forum.

Can you give us a bit more information as to what happens & when? A muzzle will only mask the problem, not solve it.

its basically if one of them go near him, or if he gets jelous. my dog is quite a jelous dog and i do have children so wasnt sure if the muzzle would be a safer option till he learns that growling/biting is wrong.. but when he does growl he will crouch down asif hes gunna take a leap to jump at them or something. at the min iv just been putting him in the kitchen on his own out of the way everytime he does it and then bringing him back out when hes calmed down but its still happening??? sooo all advice welcome please x

I think to start with, what I'd do is tell everybody to ignore him unless he is calm and comes to them first. Give him space to either be fussed or left alone. Make sure everybody has some treats in their pockets so that if he approaches them they can treat him. Obviously, if he growls then he must be told "No", not be given the treat & taken out of the room like you're doing now.

How old is he & how long have you had him? Has he always been like this?

hes 11 months old, iv had him for about a month now, but i did get him off a young couple so i for some reason think hes been mistreated or something along those lines... my son is 2 years old and its hardv to keep them both under control in the same room as he will go up to the dog.. although i do say no etc ... but the dogs still growling can be quite scary. i think i will get im a muzzle to just try it. if i dont try i wont no will i ? just diddnt no if someone else hadtried it before and its made the dog worse but then again all dogs r different :/ x

Makes you wonder why the other people didn't want him.

I'm not being funny, but you really ought to have thought a bit more carefully before getting an 'unknown quantity' from people when you have such a young child.

The dog will be very anxious; he's been moved from his home to live with total strangers & he won't know what's going on. You are his focal point at the moment.

Who else is in your household? Can somebody else take over his feeding/exercise for a while so that he can get used to other people being 'good'?

well the people that had him before me said he was good with different people and children... i was lied too obviously, but hes only young so im giving him a chance to b0ond with others around me. so i was just askin if a muzzle would of been a good idea. iv braught him one today so im hoping this improves x

Dogs will pick up on any anxiety u have too about his behaviour - u need to be top dog, he's at the age where he's seeing how far he can go.

Take it bk to basics, be consistent, any bad behaviour, send him to bed, or put him away from everyone.

Try to distract him as much as u can with training, simple things , maby boundaries were never set with his first owners ?

A good cpl of walks a day should help too.

Mine is 1 next week and the slightest thing she does that isn't acceptable behaviour gets her sent to bed...and she will stay there until I tell her to come.

I don't know that a muzzle would be the answer, that's kind if avoiding the issue, he needs training, not many staffys will refuse treats so treat train.

im doing treat training, i take a hand full of treats with me when i take him a walk aswell.. hes has 3 walks a day, roughly 45 mins each maybe 30 min sometimes. is this long enough do u think?? hes also not eating his own dog food would this be something to do with him being unsettled or? sorry about the questions its just iv never had one of these dogs before and iv always wanted one but unfortunatly i dont no much about them....

It can take a dog up to 6 months (sometimes even longer) to fully settle into a new home. This poor guy is all at sea - he doesn't know if his new home is permanent yet. He might even be waiting for his old owners to reclaim him, even if they didn't treat him well; it's all he knew.

You, and the others in your home who are old enough, are going to have to give him firm boundaries & you will all have to do the same thing. Give him space to settle in; let him choose when to go to someone & when he does, have a treat ready. Supervise your son at all times that the dog and him are in the same room. As young as your son is, he must be made to understand that if the dog doesn't go to him, he mustn't go to the dog.

I know it isn't easy, but it won't be easy for the dog either. He's almost certainly anxious, possibly even scared. Once he realises that he's in a better place & that it's permanent he should start to be easier to handle.

xxtamiexx wrote:well the people that had him before me said he was good with different people and children... i was lied too obviously, but hes only young so im giving him a chance to b0ond with others around me. so i was just askin if a muzzle would of been a good idea. iv braught him one today so im hoping this improves x

In his own environment, when he's feeling secure, he may well be good with people/children. But at the moment his world has been turned upside down. Dogs don't really like change & can take a while to feel confident again.

I really don't think that a muzzle is the answer - you will be papering over the cracks, not getting rid of them.

Hello, do some reading up on staffys also it will help to find out more about the breed. They often make growly noises when they want to play or talk to you, this may be interpreted as being nasty when it isn't at all. When he looks like he going to pounce is he wagging his tail playfully or is it Defo a nasty growl?

Be good to read up on body language too. Someone might put a link on for you, i haven't worked how to it yet

I'm sure he'll come right with time, he needs to learn your ways and your rules. Try keeping him on a lead and having calm strokes with your son.

Good luck and don't give up, keep us posted x

P.s if I was you id get a vet to check him out too, you can talk to them about your concerns too. Sounds like he's getting plenty of exercise x

kate32 wrote:Be good to read up on body language too. Someone might put a link on for you, i haven't worked how to it yet

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t14672-dogs-body-language#211149

well what iv been doing is keeping the muzzle off until he growls, then it will go straight back on. hopefully he will then realise this is wrong and it will be like a punishment for him, its early days yet so im going to give it ago and see how we get on. thanks for ur advice everyone. really appriciated x

Is there any way you can video him when he growls? Just so we can see what starts it & how he reacts?

Thank caryll

Is this the rizzle we were talking about last week by any chance? X

yes i will try and get a video, will make more sence to u all then x

no only joined the site today hunni :/ x

Hi and welcome from us and Suki. I would give him a bit more time to settle and just supervise him around children. The link on body language should also be helpfull to you

No probs x

Good idea with the video x

will tyr with the video :/ x

A muzzle won't stop his growling. I would instead keep doing what you are doing with removing him but with care, he may turn on you as well. Do not say anything to him at all when he does it, it might make him more agitated or hyper. Just grab him and put him out like you are.

I would advise a muzzle when walking him though to be on the safe side.

However if you feel that you have bitten off more than you can chew (im sure a 2yo is very demanding!) please do not "rehome" him but let him go to a rescue.

Oh, i didnt read that you were putting it on when he growls. I really do not advise that, as a growling dog is a potentially biting dog and putting your hands near his mouth is a total NO NO.

Grab him at the scruff of the neck so he can't be turning around if he does decide to snap. DO NOT get complacent with this dog, growling is a WARNING not jealousy.

ok, it seems to have calmed down a little now as what iv been doing is i leave the muzzle off until he growls, when he does growl i put muzzle on if he does it again i take him out of the room so hes on his own. i suppose hes just curious as its all new too him i dont no... but my dad went to stroke him erlia and he growled at him the reason i put the muzzle on when hes in the house is purely for the safety of the people i live with. do u think i should see a vet about his behaviour? if so what would they do to help? just give me advice or??? someone said to me about getting him castrated to calm him down... what do people think about that? id never heard of doing that before but you guys know more than me....

A vet check would be good they might be able to put you in touch with a behaviourist which I think is what you need now.. really worrying that he growling so much, he must of had a terrible time before you got him poor lad, hope you can help him x

A vet will say the same thing we will - castration is not a fast fix. It may calm a boisterous dog down but it's not going to change an aggressive dog. As said before don't let anyone touch him. Totally ignore him until HE goes to them then a quick hello and a oat then ignore again, don't over whelm him. Like I said continue taking him out I really don't advise using the muzzle inside as he can and will get fed up with it being put on and won't make the connections between the muzzle and growling because it takes too long to get the muzzle put it on etc by the time it's on es moved on anyway do its absolutely useless. It should only be used outside for walks and in the vets.

Equi wrote:A vet will say the same thing we will - castration is not a fast fix. It may calm a boisterous dog down but it's not going to change an aggressive dog. As said before don't let anyone touch him. Totally ignore him until HE goes to them then a quick hello and a treat then ignore again, don't over whelm him. Like I said continue taking him out I really don't advise using the muzzle inside as he can and will get fed up with it being put on and won't make the connections between the muzzle and growling because it takes too long to get the muzzle put it on etc by the time it's on es moved on anyway do its absolutely useless. It should only be used outside for walks and in the vets.

I agree with the above. Muzzling will only mask the behaviour, not correct it. He won't know why he's being muzzled, and could poosibly come to resent it & growl even more!

The best way forward is as highlited above. By all means see a vet to make sure he is in good health, but the only thing that will change his behaviour is training, patience & consistency from all of the household. Where your son is concerned, you must strictly supervise & not allow him to approach your dog at the moment - safety first, obviously!

how many times is he getting walk and how long for?

3 times a day, i take his about 12ish, then again at 5ish then before i go to bed.... these walks are 30-45 mins long! i wont be rehoming him or sending him to rescue centre. i may be struggling and needing advice now but with alot of training etc this dog will grow up to be a loving dog... x

i would do it a hour each time maybe longer

An tired dog is a good dog an bored is a bad dog...

Good on you tamie x

xxtamiexx wrote:i wont be rehoming him or sending him to rescue centre. i may be struggling and needing advice now but with alot of training etc this dog will grow up to be a loving dog... x

Really hope you get sorted, but some dogs just don't fit into a family situation, but im so glad you are giving him every possible chance xxx

this won't help the problem but it may help him settle more...get one of the plug in DAP diffusers for dogs, it can help them in stressful situations, anything is worth a try

Yes, good thinking Amy. Iv been looking into products to help with travel sickness and there are products out there to help calm dogs in stressful situations, don't kno whether they be any use for you tamie, might be worth looking in to x

Just remember, never punish a dog for growling. A dog is growling as a warning, if you start to punish them for growling, they can turn into dogs that bite without any apparent warning.

I would let him settle as everyone recommended, and try and keep people from approaching him too quickly. He's probably very anxious and uncertain and you will need to read his body language very carefully to see if he's starting to get nervous as people get closer to him. Do some research of distance-increasing and distance-decreasing body language.

If you just leave him in the room but don't approach him/pay particular attention to him, does he approach you? If so, then I would leave him and let him do the approaching when he feels comfortable. Also, don't pat/stroke the top of the head, some dogs can see that as threatening, go for the chest and under the chin.

But I agree that if you have a young child and you're not sure of your dogs reaction, either keep them seperated or leave a muzzle (the basket type if possible so he can still pant if needed) on the dog.

A vet check is always a good plan just to ensure its not a pain response.