Very proud!!!

Well as you all know I been working on getting my boy dog friendly, today while we were out on the fields having some of the lead time, 3 dogs walked past all of them basically next to each other but different owners, Dragon before would run straight to them (bare in mind there's a fence that's why he was of the lead although the fence is quite short) but today he looked at them and kept walking around to me and my girlfriend, basically he doesn't know how to react now he knows biting isn't what we want so he's abit confused but more happy to be around dogs his tail was waging and before it use to go under. He did try sometimes to go closer to the dogs but we called him and he came back, because the fence has a few holes and the other dogs head was in the hole so he could bite if he wanted so we don't ever let him run straight to the dogs, we normally walk towards the fence and see what he does, he doesn't do much stares and walks to me and my girlfriend.

I think he's improving a lot just not sure if I should get our trainer to meet us again and this time bring some of his dogs? His recall is fantastic but not sure if he's ready to be around loads of dogs on a big extant able lead?

Well done Dragon and well done Joe for the awesome training wish Maggie would do that

This sounds great Joe, you've been working hard and it's beginning to show results - well done!

I may have missed something in your previous posts, but in the one above you say that Dragon's tail was wagging, which is a good friendly sign, but that previously his tail used to be tucked under him. This would indicate to me that his dog aggression was fear-based.

Others more experienced than myself might like to take up this point and advise you further.

Have you got a friend with a dog friendly dog who you could go walking with?

I wouldn't mind him running to a dog if it was to play but with Dragon if he runs towards another dog is never to play, so when I want him to see another dog and get closer I walk with him slowly of or on the lead so he doesn't get to excited in a way lol seems to work great lol it makes him be more calm

Yea he attacked because he was scared, that's what our trainer said, but is tail on walks on the lead is normally under then when he wees his tail goes up for a while but soon goes back down, lately he hasn't had his tail under that often but he still does it sometimes, weird thing is he always gets so excited to go out walking or to the park (while playing his tail is always up)

rescuestaffords wrote:Have you got a friend with a dog friendly dog who you could go walking with?

Yes we've been doing it with a very calm dog and very well trained

Well done Dragon , I think you should become a dig trainer Joe :-)

That's all good to hear, that you have a calm friendly dog to walk with, that will help Dragon enormously, and that he gradually becomes accustomed to the idea that not all dogs are going to be aggressive towards him.

In my early days with Dobes, my first bitch was was fine playing with dogs that she knew and trusted (and in those days we all had our dogs off-lead in off road places), but if she came across a dog she didn't know, she used to do what I called a "strafing run" - running past the dog yelling her head off. I know NOW that this was fear based and she was adopting the "attack is the best line of defence" policy (although she never went as far as to bite at the dog). And of course, being a Dobermann in those days, she didn't have a tail to indicate what she was feeling, but if she had had a tail, I've got a feeling that it would have been tucked under.

Anyway - I feel sure that you are on the right track with Dragon in getting him more confident around other dogs, you're doing a great job!

Well done to you and Dragon glad to hear so much progress is being made. I think wait until you're as sure as possible to introduce the trainer and another dog properly, no harm in perfecting what he already knows.

Tara wrote:Well done to you and Dragon glad to hear so much progress is being made. I think wait until you're as sure as possible to introduce the trainer and another dog properly, no harm in perfecting what he already knows.

Yes I'm going to do that give Dragon more time, so I should be looking out for his tail? To me it's normal of him having his tail tucked under because when we walk him on the lead his tail is most of the time under and I heard that staffys normally have their tails under a lot? What should I do when he has his tail under while walking on the lead or any other cases? I don't want him to feel scared

DragonTheStaffie wrote:

Tara wrote:Well done to you and Dragon glad to hear so much progress is being made. I think wait until you're as sure as possible to introduce the trainer and another dog properly, no harm in perfecting what he already knows.

Yes I'm going to do that give Dragon more time, so I should be looking out for his tail? To me it's normal of him having his tail tucked under because when we walk him on the lead his tail is most of the time under and I heard that staffys normally have their tails under a lot? What should I do when he has his tail under while walking on the lead or any other cases? I don't want him to feel scared

Depends on the dog, I suppose. Loki's not much of a tail-wagger so I rely on other ways to tell if he's scared of not. All the time you spend with Dragon, I'm sure you'll be able to tell if he's feeling OK or not