Rescued male Staffy that hates men.. Help!

Hi guys, so I just want to explain the circumstances and see if anyone can suggest anything? I plan on getting him into a training school of some sort but just wanted some opinions.

A week ago I adopted a 2 year old pure bred english, he's a big boofy cuddly thing. Very very affectionate towards females. The issue is the original owner had a violent ex partner which is when Zeus apparently started hating males. She gave him to a friend to look after, this friend then palmed him off to a house full of young men knowing very well he didn't like males. So apparently because Zeus was threatened and would act aggressively towards the males, not wanting them near him, they proceeded to tie him up and beat him etc. Disgusting, I know. But now I don't know how to slowly get him to realise not all males will hurt him. I'm not game enough to let the boyfriend near him yet as I don't want to upset or scare Zeus while he's still settling in. Any tips on how I could overcome this? He's never actually bitten or attacked a male but if they get too close to him he starts barking, growling, hackles raised etc. He's such a gorgeous boofhead, I'd really like to figure out a way to help!!

Hi and welcome to the forum from Rocky and me.

Is there anyway you can gradually introduce him to males over a period of time. Maybe use some treats or a favourite toy and play games with him.

It's all about the trust - and that has to be earned by both sides.
Baby gate.
Male human on one side, sitting on the floor, a good distance away, dog on the other.
Feed treats through the bars but don't offer fingers or approach with face.
No eye contact.
Talk calmly to the dog as though it's really no big deal.
That would be my advice. The dog simply needs to sense that there'll be no abuse - terriers are very empathetic dogs and soon work it out for themselves as long as an environment is provided which gives both sides a chance to show their intentions.

Good sugestion.

You could also ask your oh to just totally ignore the dog, but have treats in his pocket. If the dog approaches, just toss a treat halfway between the two of them - no eye contact, though & no sudden moves.

As already said, terriers are pretty quick to form opinions based on their environment and the behaviour of those in it.

P.S. Welcome to the forum!

Hi and welcome to the forum from Tyson & me.

Hi and welcome!

I'd suggest letting him settle in first like you say. Make him a den-like place he can have as his own and feel safe in, a crate with a blanket over the top would be ideal.

Once he's settled in and knows he's got somewhere safe to retire to, invite your OH over.

Ask your OH to just act like there is no dog, completely ignoring him. Arm your OH with treats and just ask him to settle down somewhere away from the dog, preferably in view but not facing him, keeping his back or side to the dog would be ideal.

Then just carry on watching TV/whatever still ignoring the dog. If the dog decides to check your OH out, ask him to carry on ignoring but just throw treats on the floor towards the dog.

It might take some time before your dog even decides to come out of his den to say hello to your OH but he will do. Don't rush him or try to coerce him, let him take things at his own pace.

Once he's happy to say hello to your OH make sure everytime your OH comes over, he gives your dog some treats and once your dog is happy with your OH, introduce another male to the house in the same way you did with your OH.

Good luck and good on you for rescuing this poor boy!

Hello and welcome to the forum from me and the kids , no further advice to add looks like its all good already

Give your partner a squeeky toy or something, and put zeus on a lead somewhere in a room and let your bf squeek the toy from like the door so hes not too close and talk to him in a nice tone of voice or maybe treats get your bf to put some infront of zeus (not too close) then walk away and gradually the dog will be fond of him ?

Hi & welcome to the forum
Well done on the resuce he's a stunner.
I like the suggestion sat side on on one side of a baby gate and the dog on the other side with treats and time.

x0gawjus0x wrote:Give your partner a squeeky toy or something, and put zeus on a lead somewhere in a room and let your bf squeek the toy from like the door so hes not too close and talk to him in a nice tone of voice or maybe treats get your bf to put some infront of zeus (not too close) then walk away and gradually the dog will be fond of him ?

I personally wouldn't do that TBH, it might overwhelm him and talking to him if he's displaying anxious behaviour will only reinforce it. Much better to ignore and let the dog come to him in his own time I think.

Galadriel, well said. In the dogs own time when he is comfortable. Read his body language as you go. Also maintain a barrier between the dog and the OH to start with to avoid any disasters. He will come round in his own time but be patient.

Hi and welcome from us and Suki. Agree with the advice already given. The more often the dog is around your OH the more likely he is to be accepting of him.

Thank you for the advice everyone! I'm going to give him another week or so just so he's completely settled in and knows that it's his territory and slowly introduce the partner like you've all suggested. I'm really hoping we can get him out of this! He's perfectly trained in every other way, just the trust thing. I'll let you all know how he goes

Hi any news how are things going x

Okay so I've introduced him to the boyfriend and a couple close friends and he was fine! Absolutely loves them. Kept him on the lead and had treats on hand for the first couple times but in the end he'd be wagging his tail and licking them all over.
I did move house a couple of days ago and he absolutely hated the furniture removalists.. Must have sensed something or maybe their workboots reminded him of the previous owners, not really sure but it was quite scary seeing him get that aggressive. I don't think he'll ever be completely cured of hating males but at least he doesn't hate all of them!

Brilliant! It'll be a slow job & probably a work in progress, but at least you've proved to him that not all males are bad!

Pleased to hear you are making progress with him. Hope you all settle into your new home well.