Lenny turns on other dogs at random.

[b]I've had my staffy cross pit (unconfirmed) since June this year I rehomed him off a old school friend who posted him on facebook. He's 4 years old he originally came from a dogs home at the age of 9 -12 months. We wanted a staff anyway and were planning on going the dogs home when we came back from a short holiday as I wanted to rescue one rather than go buy a puppy. Just before I came to collect him post holiday he was set on by another dog he sustained a few puncture wounds but they were minor she took him to the vet got him sorted she told me he did retaliate during the attack. He was very well trained gave paw, sat, rolled over, would leave food, stay and fetch a ball and return it. On the information I had gathered I thought he still deserved a shot with my family (we have two boys aged 3 and 6) and we were assured that he loved kids and he does. He settled into our family well and we got accustomed to his rather energetic nature and we made sure he was exercised well. We are lucky that we live near a wonderful beauty spot with a stream and we love nothing better than taking him there with our kids and letting off the lead he has wonderful recall and loved playing with other friendly dogs. Then one day while piling everyone back in the car we were strapping our kids into car seats then we hear a commotion Lenny was fighting with this large black dog he locked onto this dogs ear and was doing the whole bite shake behavior luckily the other dog wasn't hurt although both my partner and the other dog owner sustained minor injuries to their hands trying to separate the dogs, the other dog owner who insisted Lenny started it decided not to report the incident on account of his dog being ok. We had Lenny insured for everything including incidents like this one. We ermmed and ahhed about what to do with him but as we couldn't be positive he instigated it we decided to give him another chance. I was initially shocked to see what he was capable of especially when I considered my three year old son but he'd never shown any aggression towards my kids and if they got a bit much for him he'd take himself off upstairs and sprawl out on our bed. Then this week he was happily sniffing this jack russell then out of blue bang he grabbed him by the neck the dog who was neighbour again was fine with it as her dog was unhurt. Lenny has always had a problem with cats (which is fine by me as I was fed up of the mad cat lady three doors up who's cats constantly went in my garden) and cattle and horses and I was made aware of this when I got him so he was never walked where I would encounter either. We trained Lenny to sit and watch us as other dogs went by. I just really want some advice how train him so we don't end up with another situation again where we may not be so lucky. Any advice would be great as we really love him and I don't want him to get into trouble. In all other respects he's got a wonderful temperament he's been fantastic to my kids despite the youngest being heavy handed at times.

When we first had Pixee, she use to go for other dogs just like that, but never got into a fighting stage. She use to dance and skirt round them growling. The blue cross said to us, that she got da when in there and was getting worse, cos she was just so stressed in there. It took time and patient to get her to where she is today, she can be off lead and will never go after another dog now. The first few times it happened, and I was lucky the owners were ok with it, I used a very firm voice, no shouting as this way you lose all control over your dog for ever, she knew I was angry, I put her back on lead, very short, walked home saying nothing, and made her lie on her mat till I calmed down. She knew, they are very clever dogs. And from there she worked out, that if she approached another dog like that, all she gets is a short quiet lead walk back home and on her mat ignored. Staffies do not like to be ignored. We have had her 11 months now Others may able to give better advice.

Hi and congrats on rescuing Lenny. As I mentioned in the welcome thread, I've also rescued a big staffy x that looks a lot like yours.

Ours also had socialization issues with other dogs, although he never actually bit another dog or was bitten during his time with us. Having said that, his tail would go right between his legs when meeting strange dogs and he would snarl and snap to make them go away. Those are the final warnings before a bite occurs, so what we did together with our dog trainer was to stop his interactions with other dogs unless he was:
a) on a lead which we could pull back in case of aggression/fear to avoid biting
b) being given plenty of positive reinforcement for being close to other dogs, for example being fed treats while the other dog sniffed his bum

Gradually we worked up to removing the treats and giving him more time to get acquainted with the other dog. After 2 months, this past week he has turned into one of the most playful dogs I've ever seen! It was almost overnight. He does the sphynx pose to every dog he meets now and wants to play all the time, even with non-receptive dogs. So my message to you is that no dog is beyond help and that you just need to hang in there and keep him controlled during the interaction. If you aren't strong enough to hold him, then you must muzzle him in public until you trust him. If any dog owners give you grief, just say the dog is in training and the muzzle is just for safety (this is all true anyway). As for the fight with the large black dog, take it with a pinch of salt as all dogs are saints in their own owners eyes. The JRT episode is a bit odd, since a staffy x would really damage a JRT if they were biting to kill. Have a look at this page for info on bite levels - http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/was-it-just-a-little-bite-or-more-evaluating-bite-levels-in-dogs
For example, my Mani was doing level 1 bites (snaps) so we knew those could progress to level 2 bites if we didn't train him to improve. Remember, a happy, confident dog is a dog that won't feel anxious and fearful close to other dogs and will most likely not feel the need to bite to get the source of fear/anxiety to leave.

Oh and finally, dogs (unless they have a neurological problem of some sort), don't bite at random. You need to pay attention and read what he's trying to say with his dog body language. Lots of behaviours can signal anxiety/fear and the bite is a way to make those go away.

Thanks Mani. The information you have given has been very useful I'm seriously thinking of trying the treat route but may purchase a muzzle if I feel this isn't working. I will keep this updated .

If you get a basket-type muzzle, you can feed him treats even when muzzled. Positive reinforcement etc. Teach him to sit for treats and do that when others dog come to sniff. He'll concentrate on sitting for the treats instead of occupying his brain with aggro thoughts.