seriously worried.

hi, my name is sharon, i am very concerned about the behaviour of a my staffy taz, i had better tell you the full story, my daughter in law had a call from her ex a few wks ago stating that if she didnt have her 2 dogs bk he was taking them to be put to sleep, 1 is a pure staffy, the other a boxer/ bull mastiff cross, she had not seen these dogs for 2 and a half yrs, she contacted her housing agency and they assured her it would be fine for her to have the dogs. i went with her to collect them, what a shock, they were kept in a sml pen lying in weeks worth of urine and excrement no food or water and both extremely underweight, after having them for a couple of weeks, in which time my children had grown close to them played with them for hrs and gone out for walks with them every day, her landlord came and said the office was wrong she could not have dogs there.we tried everything to rehome them as they are both well behaved housetrained dogs and were so happy now they were being looked after. i agreed to have the dogs on a trial to see how we got on but im concerned with taz the staffy, i have had the dogs for 10 days now and taz has shown aggression on 3 occassions now, firstly my 9 yr old was pointing outside and telling him to go out as he was getting a bit bousterous and he barked then jumped up and snapped at his hand, really scaring my son. i shouted and he went straight outside, then my son again was giving the other dog alfie a cuddle on the patio when taz ran straight down the garden and went for the other dog, trapping my son against the wall whilst they were fighting, my partner stopped them straight away but again my son was quite shook up, then tonight my partner called the dogs to go out for a wee but taz went straight in his cage, my partner bent down to try to get him to come out and he was snarling at him. i have said he will have to go as he is making me a nervous wreck even though he is very loving most of the time, i am watching him constantly, my partner and daughter in law say give him time to calm down but im scared that next time could be too late. i realise now that i was probrbly very stupid to take these dogs on after only knowing them for 2 wks and who knows what tyhey were put through in those 2yrs they were mistreated. any advice please

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Hi and welcome from us and Suki.

The first bit of advice that I can give you is try not to worry or be nervous becuase your dog will pick up on it and become nervous which may cause him to be aggressive. Here is a link that will help you understand body language

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

Given that he was mistreated before he will take some time to settle into his new home and will likely have some trust issues. Try not to make a fuss of him and let him come to you. If he goes into his cage and wants to be left alone than give him some space. Concentrate on basic obediance commands and give lots of praise when he does right.

What are you feeding him and how much exercise is he getting? Have you taken him to a vet? If he is ill or has an injury that can cause aggression as well. If he is pysically okay he will need two walks of 45 minutes each every day. I would also recommend that your son be supervised with him until he is settled in to be on the safe side. It would also be a good idea to have your son participate in training the dog as well as feeding.

I agree with Jstaff. I can imagine how worried you are, I have a nine year old and 5 year old twins and I know how terrified I would be if my dog started showing aggression. It sounds like the dogs have been through hell and Taz is struggling to find his feet and settle in. It might be worth seeking the help of a behaviourist to help you to help him. I know how worried you must be, but please bear in mind that this dog has been half starved, kept in a tiny pen with probably no exercise, left to lie in its own muck and god only knows what else. I would have a few issues if I were treated like that. Good luck with him

What can I say? Poor Taz is very unsettled & confused. He's been I'll treated & then gone to two more homes in a very short space of time. He will need time to accept your family as trustworthy. As already said, give him a little space, let him make the decision to come to you. Make sure that everybody has some small treats in their pocket so that when he's good he gets a reward. If he misbehaves, try to ignore it - give him a command like sit & then reward the good behaviour.

Can you tell me what you feed him (type of food & brand) and what his daily routine is?

P.S. Welcome to the forum!