Aggression and walking with other dogs

Hi there
We have adopted a gorgeous Staffy rescue called George, who is approx 2 yrs old and was neutered by the rescue about 7 months ago. We have had him for about 5 months and I think he was in kennels/pound for about 5-8 months. Nothing known about his past as he was apparently an uncollected stray.

He is calm in the house and very gentle with us, though can get excited quite quickly. Our problem is out walking on the lead - he hates bigger dogs coming over to him and gets very growly and aggressive. We have been teaching him "look at me" which works sometimes, but not with labs/retriever types or dogs getting very close or interested. He is seldom funny with small dogs, even if they are aggressive to him. We are not sure of recall etc so now he has settled in we have taken him to an enclosed park and had him off the lead, muzzled, a couple of times. (Due to the growliness/aggressiveness on lead).

The first time he seemed fine, if a bit nervous and "sort of" played with another dog, thought he wasn't that interested - more interested in running with us! Today there were quite a few dogs in this park and after running with a little terrier a bit, he ran straight up to a group of labs and after a few minutes went for one. Luckily he had his muzzle on and we got him away. We took him to a far corner, where he seemed fine, despite another little dog coming over persistently. Towards the end a large collie came bounding over and there was another vicious altercation whereupon we put the lead on and took him home again.

We tried reactive training but it didn't offer significant improvent and his behaviour today seemed to indicate that he was the aggressor. He does seem nervy around other dogs and often on the lead he pulls to run past them. I'm not sure what else we can do - was hoping it was the lead he doesn't like, but today seemed otherwise. Also, we were hoping to find some local (Edinburgh) organised dog walks (on lead) to help him get used to being around other dogs. Any tips or suggestions?

many thanks
Heather

Rescues can be hard because you don't know the history. It could be he had a bad experience with a specific breed of dog and is reacting to this. Walks are a great idea to help socialize him and get him used to other dogs

Here is a link that will help you read body language

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

Thanks - though he seems to react pretty quickly it can be hard to tell!
The trouble with walking him with another dog is that hardly any of our friends have dogs, and those that do tend to have small dogs. I'm hoping to find organised local walks or something.

Oh - he has tried to mount smaller dogs a few times as well (though he is neutered) and I have been told that this is a sign that he is insecure.

I wouldn't jump straight into organised walks. If he's aggressive because he's had a bad experience or if it's out of fear or anything like that, being around a lot of strange dogs might just make it worse, so I'd start off slow.

Do you think just walking with one dog then or just ignoring other dogs in general? We had been doing that and if anything he seems to be worse?

It takes time and some experience to be able to read body language and I always err on the side of caution. He will also pick up on your mood and feelings. Finding a group that organizes walks is a great start. Just go slow and make sure you are comfortable.

He will also need two walks per day of about 45 minutes each. If meeting a dog for the first time it's best to exercise him before so he will be more relaxed.

The mounting is an attempt of dominance and not insecuirity. Just discourage the behaviour by making him sit and wait before interacting with the other dog.

Are you able to video his behaviour while out on walks ?? We have had similar issues with our rescue dog Rocky and once I started to video what was happening we have been able to see what happens better and now have the issue under control.

Are you able to see a behaviourist this may be another avenue for you to try. If not try walking on lead with some calm dogs that you know, just one or two and see how you get on. Make sure they are introduced first with the dogs sitting down give a treat if all goes well.

You could try some recall training by using a long training lead. This way you will still have your dog under control. You will be able to have him sit and stay then take a few steps back from him then call him to you. Give him a treat if it all goes well.

I haven't tried filming him though we could try that. It does seem he is happy to ignore dogs on walks unless they come up very close (2 feet or less) or stare at him and approach directly. Unfortunately where we live most dogs are walked off lead and we are constantly approached insistently by large dogs whose owners are miles away. I just carry on walking with him as once the dog is a few feet away he seems to forget about it. What was happening with your dog?

Today in the park he ran over to the other dogs and being a few feet away we couldn't see very well what he was up to and having just been playing with another dog, thought he would be fine as he wasn't feeling constrained by the lead. Not so it seemed!! Much growling and snarling and I was worried my partner was going to get bitten by the other dog as he pulled George away.

I'll try to the longer lead too - we had some classes but he got very excited in them and made a lot of strange noises so it was hard to get him to focus. There were only a few dogs in the class and if anything it helped us more than him (watch me techniques and so on) - but not sure where to go from there...

A dog will see being stared at as a challenge, this would explain the reaction. This is the issue we have had with Rocky. Once we got this figured out by using the video camera we knew what to watch for. Try to cover his eyes or focus on you to distract him, a toy or command - Watch Me, will help.

I really hope you get things sorted, I'm sure the long lead will help you greatly.