hows it all got so bad?

recently walking my dog when i heard someone say i needed to 'control' him, worse thing is theyre right, i hadnt thought he was so bad before until now.. but looking back i can see how bad hes got, he barks at aything when on walks, lunges and will try to attack. and in the house hes now confined to the back yard, as he tries to 'go for' anyone who enters the house, family or not, this behaviour has only occured over the last few weeks and ive no idea why hes suddenly this ball on aggression. what can i do with him? at my wits end with him. any advice much appreciated,

have you tried going back to puppy basics? like you go first in the front door , sits and waits for food , sits and waits to greet ppl, as for the walking treats in the hand for when dogs come by good behaviour gets a treat ...

He might be in pain if its suddenly come on. Maybe a trip to the vet, just to rule out the possibilty.

ive tried the basics, but he just gets bighty, only screaming at him will stop him for a minute, hes been vets for a check up too, they said hes probably bored, but he goes out for 2hours a day. i play with him but he just goes mad at anyone.

If this has only been going on for a few weeks and he was fine before then I'd be asking the vet to run tests including a full thyroid panel.

i would consider trying a trainer to help you , mine has a problem with ethnic ppl but that is because the previous owners were rough with him , i am lucky that i can distract him and now he is ok ....

i think i would be inclined to muzzle him at all times until you get some help but i think this really is a must for you as i feel you will end up being frustrated with him and that in turn will make him worse .

It could be boredom, do you split his walks up during the day, ie an hour in the morning, an hour in the afternoon and so on.

does he also have a good play session inbetween walks.

What are you feeding him on, have you recently changed his food ??

When will we realize that our babies are animals first, dogs second and only then, breed? Calm, assertive leadership with rules and limitations and a firm understanding of their needs is what is needed.

We all have our own ways of handling them and we do what works for us. We should know our dogs and, if we are responsible, we adapt to them and deal accordingly.

thanks, no he hasnt had his food changed hes been on the same food for a ear now, he gets 40 mins morning, 40 mins afternoon 40 mins night, with playtime for 30 mins in between,
yes hes been attacked recently but hes been attacked in the past and it has never triggered anything like this before. hes cant be muzzled at the moment due to a neck injury recently, vet said dont muzzle him as its likely to cause him alot of distress.
hes had checkups all clear. they cant find no reason as to what could be causing his sudden anger, may i add i also have NEVER hurt him so it isnt a nervous/frightened thing. thanks for all comments.

If you desensitise him to a muzzle, regardless of his neck injury it won't distress him or make it worse, but can give you piece of mind

possibly, but id rather not put him in a muzzle just yet, im hoping hes going to grow out of this, or atleast calm down a little bit

I use a muzzle when the situation calls for it on Chance, but if you use on and continue training he may not need one for long, and i'm afraid the 'grow out' of it thing doesn't really mean much.

There has to be a reason for his behaviour whether fear, being attacked by another dog whatever.... I wouldn't rule out teaching him to accept a muzzle in case you do need one

you put a treat in the muzzle ...dont put it on straight away , keep doing this you then offer the muzzle right up but not do it up you keep doing this until he feels comfortable ..there should be no resistance ..eventually you will be able to do it up , i promise you it will not hurt his neck as they do up round the top of the head a bit like a halti or easy leader ,

i think the second attack may have contributed to his behaviour , only going by experience

no, he will happily be muzzled but i cant keep him muzzled all day indoors too. as he just takes it out on my furniture or family members or me, and with a house where there is constantly people walking in with babies toddlers etc and they have this dog pounding at them its quite terrifying, so hes now confined to the yard if its dry, or the shed which has windows, bedding etc, but the thought of having to leave him out there because he literally cant be near people without lunging breaks my heart, i can sort the outdoor behaviour but the indoor is a different matter. im scared that if i ignore this behaviour its gonna result in a very serious injury to someone or that he'll have to be pts. can he be saved ? i just dont know

Have you tried crating him when people come in the house for him to calm down when they first come in? and then let him out once calm

i would love too, but i quite like having hands, he goes absolutely beserk if you try getting him into a crate, he has and still does bite even if i put a crate in the same room.

You need to train him to get used to a crate, it's not a case of shoving him in and letting him get on with it.

The crate needs to be in a quiet room out of the way, not in the same room as everyone as that will wind him up even more

with the crate it needs to be inviting to him so i would put his bed in it maybe one of your t shirts that u have worn ...his favourite toy or chew ..do the same as with the muzzle dont force him in but coax him in ..when he goes in dont shut the door give lots of praise every time he goes in ...the gradually shut the door but not lock until he is comfortable with this ...it will take time it is not a five minute thing ...he needs to know that the crate is a safe place to be and nothing to be scared of

i dont mean to sound rude here, but ive tried this, ive done the bedding in crate something with my scent on, his toys in etc, i out the crate in the back room he didnt go in it for the 6 months i left it in for, he WONT go in it end of. but what is it that hes so petrified of? i dont shout at him, unless hes fighting, and never ever hit him. and as far as im aware noone in my house has hurt him :/

Sorry but it's not up to him whether he should use the crate or not, if you want him to use it then be firm and train him to use it.

He isn't necessarily scared, it could be a number of things that has caused this behaviour

very true, but ive had numerous scarres, broken fingers etc where hes bit me due to trying to get him in a crate, i dont think itll work now, but il try...

thats not good!

Well just try leaving the door open and if any time he goes in by himself, give a treat and just slowly build from there!

it isnt, but i knew he had a bad past when i rescued him so i wont give up on him now wish me luck

i think patience and perserverence seems to be the key ...all the best keep us posted as to how you get on

If all else fails maybe you could try taking him to a dog behaviourist or trainer and see if they can give you any pointers. That way someone can meet him, see exactly what the problems are and suggest some ideas for you.

We have had dogs all our lives but never Staffies before, so after reading about their little ways I took both of ours to trainers as pups, Charlie is still going, it wasn't so much for them as me that needed to re think my training techniques

Is it possible that his neck injury you have mentioned could be the cause of his recent behaviour? if he is in pain from that it might make him scared to be touched so he bites out of fear??

well, a behaviourist is my last resort! I don't think its his neck onjury as he only did that a week ago and he was like this weeks before he repulled his neck, :/ I've no idea what's caused him to act so aggressively

Im confused cuz most of the messages have dissapeared so the thread makes little sense. I'm probably going to get slated for this but I dont think dog owners should risk other people's safety just because they are being defensive. If a dog, any dog, chihuahua, great dane, stafford, is lunging at people and trying to bite I would be inclined to muzzle it whilst walking out in public.

You may have complete control over your dog but its just not worth the risk. Speaking of dogs not liking certain ethnicities obviously it's not the dog's fault because maybe it hasn't been socialised properly or has been mistreated. And I understand everyone loves their dogs and wants the best for them. But on the other hand, I have lots of friends and family members who are black, asian and chinese. My niece and goddaughter are mixed race and I would hate for something to happen to them. It only takes for the lead to break, something to trip the handler etc. for it to be too late.

I believe prevention is better than a cure and if a muzzle has to be worn by the dog while it works through it's issues then so be it. I think that if the owner knows the dog has an issue it is their responsibility to ensure nothing can possibly happen. It only takes one moment for things to change. Both Chance and Bully are big powerful dogs.

Hope everyone gets their issues sorted.

Oh and I defo agree with the comment on behaviourists. Behaviourists are governed by so few laws and it is very easy to set yourself up as one with little or no training. To find a good behaviourist that you agree with their methods is a difficult job. What one person thinks is a good way around things might be your idea of a nightmare! I think you need to find someone who comes recommended by someone you know rather than just listening to the vets.

the thread messages have dissapeared because 2 people were having a conversation on it that was nothing to do with the thread, my dog CANT be muzzled as to yet, i was advised by the vet to just NOT muzzle him until his neck injury is better. my dog is fully under control in public hes on a very tight leash (which cant break) as its a metal chain. also my dog has a problem with ALL people not just mixed race ones. he has also never bitten anyone but me!!! he is powerful but i would never put another persons life/health at risk. oh aslo he isnt ever mistreated so you cant blame the 'owner' for this one, my dog was always well socialised, this behaviour has literally come out of nowhere. hes always been a loving gentle dog,

behaviourists YES!!! i am going to get him seeing once if thats the only thing for him, believe me im trying my damned hardest to get this sorted out

I deleted my messages but you only to read my thread on chance to understand his issues but no I will not muzzle him all the time as I've taught him to stop lunging at everyone he sees.

Neither him or me are being defensive but he isn't a risk to anyone, and him being mistreated is a bit of an understatement

Oh bullysmum it's chance that has the issue more with ethnic people that was aimed at me

I hope you get his sorted out and whatever the problem is you can help him get past it.
Well done for not giving up on him

Just as an aside:

The trainer I take Charlie to is great with all the breeds I have seen her with and one of the dogs in the group is a 3 year old Daschund with a biting problem ( they are one of the worst breeds for this ) and the dog is so much calmer and becoming much less snappy, she even shares Charlie's blanket at classes sometimes.

I didn't like the methods of the first trainer we took Polly to, he scared her and took my confidence away, You have to like and trust the trainer before your dog will, they sense how you feel and it will affect their training.

Good luck, loving dogs owners like you can work miracles

bullsmommy1 wrote:the thread messages have dissapeared because 2 people were having a conversation on it that was nothing to do with the thread, my dog CANT be muzzled as to yet, i was advised by the vet to just NOT muzzle him until his neck injury is better. my dog is fully under control in public hes on a very tight leash (which cant break) as its a metal chain. also my dog has a problem with ALL people not just mixed race ones. he has also never bitten anyone but me!!! he is powerful but i would never put another persons life/health at risk. oh aslo he isnt ever mistreated so you cant blame the 'owner' for this one, my dog was always well socialised, this behaviour has literally come out of nowhere. hes always been a loving gentle dog,

behaviourists YES!!! i am going to get him seeing once if thats the only thing for him, believe me im trying my damned hardest to get this sorted out

I understand that hun but a muzzle isn't going to cause injury to his neck. And I didn't literally mean the lead break it was just an example of what could happen. What if you lost your grip on the lead its just little things that could so easily happen. I understand that you are trying everything you can and I highly commend you for that. I just think if a dog is lunging at/being defensive (barking, hackes up, tail up etc) towards people then he is liable to bite them if he gets a chance. I understand also you would never put another person at risk but these things happen without any input from us, a child might try to stroke him for example.

I know the health and safety obsessed society we live in is OTT but I just think to protect your dog from dangerous dog laws it makes sense. It only takes one little mistake. I'm not arguing with you just trying to be sensible. If your dog wants to bite people, any people, then it should be muzzled when out in public.

And dont be silly ella dont get defensive, your a fantastic owner and your dogs are a credit to you. I'm saying this more to protect everyones dogs more than anything. I would hate for someone on the forum's dog to even snap at someone and for them to take it to police and issue a DD warrant or something horrific like that. If you have covered every eventuality then they can't say your not being responsible.

All I'm basically saying is if your dog tries to bite people then I think it should be prevented thats all. For everyones good.

I'm not being defensive or silly I was trying to help the OP to know who's comment was aimed at who....

Thanks for that, yes Chance is very people aggressive due to his past which i wrote on the other thread, but i will only muzzle him when the situation dictates it, he is always fully under control and i'd never let him bite anyone.

He has come an awful long way in 9 months but just with his mental state, I doubt he will ever be a 'perfect dog' so to speak, he won't get to how Harvs always been, to much damage done as a pup, we just have to deal with it differently.

Cleaned this thread up, back on topic now

no it does affect his injury because he scrapes his head on the floor trying to get it off, but I know what your saying, I appreciate all comments, and advice, I'm working on it:-) just hope my techniques work, otherwise its a behaviourist, and if that doesn't work who knows what life hold for the little fella.

If he is trying to get it off, then he isn't desensitised to it properly as he in theory should be able to have it on all day without once trying to get it off

Well yeah! Only recently though like I say until about 3 weeks ago he'd wear it all say without a problem

It sounds like he sees himself as the leader, to me. Has he always been submissive or is he usually hit-and-miss with obeying you? I know you said it came on suddenly, but if he's not sick or injured (you said he was like it before his neck injury) then you or someone else might have done something to make him feel like he has to take over as the dominant one. Besides that, a medical problem is the only thing I can think of.

He's been like this for 4 weeksish but before he was never THIS bad, he has been attacked a couple times in last few week though so maybe that's caused it? But I don't thi k it is that he's calming down slowly so just hope it's a phase

I don't know, I don't see dogs doing anything without a reason for it, but I'm glad he seems to be calming down maybe keep a close eye on him and you/others and see if you can pick up anything that might explain it, so if it happens again, you have a better idea of it?

Very true he's a lot better