Again I am here wanting help for Bailey my male blue staff..and I have really had enough of him now !! :(

by lindypeno Sun Mar 03 2013, 15:33

I have been on here before asking for help with him...he doesn't get on with other dogs, he is going steadly mad in that in wont stop chasing his tail constantly...my home is full of toys and bones to play with but now it has gone beyond that with doing it. He is fighting and trying to mount my female staff all the time (she is not in season)....he goes at other dogs all the time and even goes for me when I try and put him back on a lead when he has been out walking (away from other dogs)...He goes mental pulling and grabbing at the lead....He whines constantly.....

I can honestly say I am at my wits end with him....this is my third staffy and none of them compare to Bailey...I just feel I can not cope with him anymore and he needs proper help from someone. I have lots of animals and have never given up on them...I look after them all. But Bailey is really draining the life out of me....and I really don't know what to do with him anymore.

He is one now but has starting pooing and weeing up everything. He just seems like he is not all there and I don't know what I can do. I am heart broken that I feel I cant handle him. Any advice would be great

But please don't judge me, I just don't know what to do anymore.

by Guest Sun Mar 03 2013, 15:35

how old is he now.. the chasing his tail thing could be serious

by **Rachel33** Sun Mar 03 2013, 15:39

Hm, could you give a little more information? What is he fed? What's his day to day exercise and routine? Has he been vet checked? How do you react when he reacts to other dogs? What training has he had so far?

by Guest Sun Mar 03 2013, 15:41

yeah what rachel siad. vital information

by lindypeno Sun Mar 03 2013, 15:49

Jason wrote:how old is he now.. the chasing his tail thing could be serious

He is just over one.

by Guest Sun Mar 03 2013, 15:52

Rachel33 wrote:Hm, could you give a little more information? What is he fed? What's his day to day exercise and routine? Has he been vet checked? How do you react when he reacts to other dogs? What training has he had so far?

All the above. Every little bit of info is important!

by lindypeno Sun Mar 03 2013, 16:00

Caryll wrote:
Rachel33 wrote:Hm, could you give a little more information? What is he fed? What's his day to day exercise and routine? Has he been vet checked? How do you react when he reacts to other dogs? What training has he had so far?

All the above. Every little bit of info is important!

Hi Sorry I keep posting the info but it goes off...He is fed on Fish 4 dogs, he gets over one and half hours a day walks in a big field away from other dogs.. he goes with my other dog Tia....But chases his tail when he comes back....I have read about this and they say try and distract him with other things, I do and he stops and then starts again.

I am due to have his boosters done so I was going to ask the vet this next week and see if he could recommend someone.

He is a small male staff, has not been done which I get mixed reports on that...do I, dont I ??

I am really not a bad person and I love my dogs but I feel I am not giving him what he needs from me...

by lindypeno Sun Mar 03 2013, 16:02

lindypeno wrote:
Caryll wrote:
Rachel33 wrote:Hm, could you give a little more information? What is he fed? What's his day to day exercise and routine? Has he been vet checked? How do you react when he reacts to other dogs? What training has he had so far?

All the above. Every little bit of info is important!

Hi Sorry I keep posting the info but it goes off...He is fed on Fish 4 dogs, he gets over one and half hours a day walks in a big field away from other dogs.. he goes with my other dog Tia....But chases his tail when he comes back....I have read about this and they say try and distract him with other things, I do and he stops and then starts again.

I am due to have his boosters done so I was going to ask the vet this next week and see if he could recommend someone.

He is a small male staff, has not been done which I get mixed reports on that...do I, dont I ??

I am really not a bad person and I love my dogs but I feel I am not giving him what he needs from me...

Training has been hard because he has been so excitable with everything he does....but I have trained him like I have with my other dogs and they have been all good staffs...Tia my other dog is great with the cat and people and other dogs....

by **Paul H** Sun Mar 03 2013, 16:05

An old dog of my parents was neutered and he definitely chilled out a lot. Might be worth a try if training doesn't seem to help?

by Guest Sun Mar 03 2013, 16:08

Well, neutering is an option, but isn't guaranteed to change anything. Sad

What do you do when you get near any other dogs? Has your bicth beed spayed, and if not, when is her next season due?

by **Rachel33** Sun Mar 03 2013, 16:09

We don't think you're a bad person at all lovely, you're being responsible and coming here for help and not just dumping the problem on someone else!

Fish4dogs is a good quality food as far as I'm aware, and length of exercise seems fine! Is his daily routine pretty solid? Does he generally know what's coming next in his day? Or have there been any big changes to his lifestyle lately? And when/how did the dog aggression come about? What do you do when you see another dog?

I've actually seen the tail chasing a lot in blues coming into my kennels but not sure if that's just coincidence! Distraction is the key with OCD type behaviours, plus extra enrichment etc. My old foster staffy Ollie was a little neurotic and over stimulated by everything, he would begin tail chasing as soon as something aroused him even slightly, we found keeping his little life as calm as possible with a strict routine, lots of mental stimulation, exercise and a natural raw diet to be most effective in aiding his rehabilitation but he never stopped the behaviour entirely, it was his way of coping with his anxieties and was his distraction. Really feel for you, it's a tough behaviour to see on a daily basis!

by Guest Sun Mar 03 2013, 16:11

As Rachel says, the tail chasing can only really be stopped with distraction. Maybe a minute or two training every time he does it, followed by a treat?

By the way, how many walks does he get & what treats do you use?

by **Rachel33** Sun Mar 03 2013, 16:19

Caryll wrote:As Rachel says, the tail chasing can only really be stopped with distraction. Maybe a minute or two training every time he does it, followed by a treat?

Definitely, brillaint idea! Distraction should really be kept as low key as possible as anything too exciting is likely to arouse him further! Basic obedience training is a great distraction!

by **rebeccaleanne** Sun Mar 03 2013, 16:23

hi, we dnt think you are giving up, as if you was you wouldnt be hear. I presume he is the two year old? How has his behaviour been since he was a pup and as rachel said has there been any up heavly in his life recently or something changed?

I can not really 'advice' a solution BUT what i would do is visit the vet, this is me personally to rule out anything physical as you mentioned its getting steadily worse.

as for the neutering, im for this but thats me some are for this and some not, especially if you have a bitch.

how are you 'dealing' with all this and trying to correct his behavior?

by **Sazzle** Sun Mar 03 2013, 16:52

I've just started basic obedience training and I know they also do one on one sessions for specific problems, would anything like that help?

by Guest Sun Mar 03 2013, 16:53

rebeccaleanne wrote:hi, we dnt think you are giving up, as if you was you wouldnt be hear. I presume he is the two year old? How has his behaviour been since he was a pup and as rachel said has there been any up heavly in his life recently or something changed?

I can not really 'advice' a solution BUT what i would do is visit the vet, this is me personally to rule out anything physical as you mentioned its getting steadily worse.

as for the neutering, im for this but thats me some are for this and some not, especially if you have a bitch.

how are you 'dealing' with all this and trying to correct his behavior?

He's just over 12 months Rebecca ( in the first few posts ) I can only agree with Caryll and it is good advice , can you let us know about your girl , is she entire , we have asked but maybe you missed as there are a few posts to get through

by lindypeno Sun Mar 03 2013, 17:18

Rachel33 wrote:We don't think you're a bad person at all lovely, you're being responsible and coming here for help and not just dumping the problem on someone else!

Fish4dogs is a good quality food as far as I'm aware, and length of exercise seems fine! Is his daily routine pretty solid? Does he generally know what's coming next in his day? Or have there been any big changes to his lifestyle lately? And when/how did the dog aggression come about? What do you do when you see another dog?

I've actually seen the tail chasing a lot in blues coming into my kennels but not sure if that's just coincidence! Distraction is the key with OCD type behaviours, plus extra enrichment etc. My old foster staffy Ollie was a little neurotic and over stimulated by everything, he would begin tail chasing as soon as something aroused him even slightly, we found keeping his little life as calm as possible with a strict routine, lots of mental stimulation, exercise and a natural raw diet to be most effective in aiding his rehabilitation but he never stopped the behaviour entirely, it was his way of coping with his anxieties and was his distraction. Really feel for you, it's a tough behaviour to see on a daily basis!

Hi Rachel and everyone

I will try and answer everything, the dog aggression started with another dog coming up to him and then just went for him and the owner was miles away so I had to step in and drag mine away....Other dogs didn't like him jumping at them which is fair enough but it got that he just was funny with other dogs because alot would snap at him...

His routine is normal and the same practically every day...he gets his walks at the same time practically...his food at the same time every day....he knows when the kids go to school and when they come home...He does to be fair quieten down on an evening and sleeps quite well with Tia cuddled up together.

Tia has not been done but I was planning getting her down before her next season....she had one at Christmas...

He goes mental when my son's daddy comes to visit and he can not control himself with excitement and wees all over...but only with him...

I have had since being a puppy and he was a lovely pup....the tail chasing he has always done but not has bad as now.....

I agree keeping him calm does help....but even when out walking he just barks at you and jumps up at you, doesn't seem to know how to run about unless Tia is is running after a toy...he chases her doesn't seem to know what to do with the toy I am throwing, but that i have noticed only just seems to be happening and getting worse...

It is like he doesn't know how to be a dog, that really does sound daft.

Stimulating and treats...I throw lots of little fish 4 dogs star treats around the kitchen floor and put cheese triangles inside his big bones to stimulate him and take his mind off the tail...

I think I have answered everything.. Sad

x

by Guest Sun Mar 03 2013, 17:24

you say he gets his walks at regular times and 1 1/2 hours but you dont say how many , is it 1 for 1 1/2 hours , 3 for 1/2 hour ??

by lindypeno Sun Mar 03 2013, 17:32

Dave wrote:you say he gets his walks at regular times and 1 1/2 hours but you dont say how many , is it 1 for 1 1/2 hours , 3 for 1/2 hour ??

I go for a 11/2 hour walk during the morning and then he gets another at around tea time about 20mins

by Guest Sun Mar 03 2013, 17:47

Any possibility you can extend the tea time one to maybe an hour with a good runaround included , you may find it helps to get rid of a lot of that pent up energy.
Have they been on their own through the day then ?

by rescuestaffords Sun Mar 03 2013, 18:15

I would recommend a thunder shirt for his behaviour out doors and also to help with the tail chasing - as well as some more reward training.

by Guest Sun Mar 03 2013, 18:17

rescuestaffords wrote:I would recommend a thunder shirt for his behaviour out doors and also to help with the tail chasing - as well as some more reward training.

Great idea with the Thundershirt , it acted like a real pacifier for Tilly indoors when she got stressed , it was like I'd just drugged her Smile

by **Rachel33** Sun Mar 03 2013, 20:42

Sorry for a late reply, been side tracked! The only thing I can say in regards to socialization is to teach him that all dogs aren't bad, the key to that would be obedience training with him to teach some manners when meeting other dogs, and the use of bomb proof "stooge" dogs that will tolerate his behaviour and remain calm, but teach him that he can't be boisterous or snappy. Takes a while, but if his aggressiveness has come from negative experience it may be possible to desensitize him to dog friends again! Took about 6 months with my girl and she's still selective and reactive, but she's much much better and even has some play mates now!

His routine sounds pretty stable, is the house in general usually quite busy? What with having young children around? The "it is like he doesn't know how to be a dog" comment doesn't sound silly at all! I've met lots of dogs like this! I don't mean to sound rude at all, but I'm wondering if any of this is learnt behaviour? As in, do you give him attention when he acts like this, and therefore he knows if he carries out the jumping up and barking behaviours he will get your focus?

It sounds to me like he's a very people focused and easily overstimulated dog, I actually have a deaf dog in my kennels very similar at the moment, and we're slowly desensitizing him to handling. We have found that teaching him to curb his impulsive behaviours (challenging in a staffy!) and feeding him using interactive feeders such as treat balls and kongs/kong wobblers have helped to keep him slightly more sane and stimulated, he has these with every feed. I really think if the behaviour is getting worse it would be worth getting him vet checked.. otherwise you know we will advise as much as possible on here, but if you're deciding to be in it for the long hall calling in the help of a behaviourist would be your best option as it's a very complicated set of behaviours and hard to give advice without actually seeing them in person. Always feel free to post here though and we will continue to help as much as possible Smile

Keep your chin up!

by lindypeno Mon Mar 04 2013, 09:55

rescuestaffords wrote:I would recommend a thunder shirt for his behaviour out doors and also to help with the tail chasing - as well as some more reward training.

Dave wrote:
rescuestaffords wrote:I would recommend a thunder shirt for his behaviour out doors and also to help with the tail chasing - as well as some more reward training.

Great idea with the Thundershirt , it acted like a real pacifier for Tilly indoors when she got stressed , it was like I'd just drugged her

Yeah defo gonna try this, just ordered one Smile

fingers crossed...thanks so much for that idea xx

by tonydee Mon Mar 04 2013, 17:26

I don't claim to be an expert, but I would do the following ----

1. Get a check up at the vet's & advice re removing his 'bits'.

2. Work,work, obedience training & more work. If you haven't got the time, then perhaps friends, relatives or hiring a dog walker can help. Keep him on the go for as much of the day, every day as possible until he is too knackered to do anything at home except eat & sleep..

3. Get him involved in group walks & obedience classes that both you & he enjoy doing. The first classes that I tried were a nightmare & the second, really good & useful.

If you find a dog that he likes then you are really in business & can start to socialise off the lead, which makes a world of difference.

Good luck.

by lindypeno Sat Mar 16 2013, 18:37

Hi everyone, just wanted to give you all an update on Bailey, well tried the Thundershirt.....didn't really do much but did look smart on him....

So visit to the vet and he says it is not my fault at all which made me feel loads better.....he also said unless Bailey was really aggressive there was no point castrating him so am booking Tia my female in to be done...

He has ordered me so calming type tablets to try him and see if that calms him down....said I would notice pretty much straight away so finger's crossed this will help him..

Said he was lovely a little guy but even he said he could understand why I was finding him so hard but not to give up...which I am not doing....

So I will let you know over the next week or so and hopefully I might get Bailey sorted out for his well being as well as mine Smile

Thanks guys for all your advice xxxx

by Guest Sat Mar 16 2013, 18:42

Hope it all goes well for you Smile

by **Kathy** Sat Mar 16 2013, 18:56

Hope the medication can help, do you remember what the tablets were called.

by Guest Sat Mar 16 2013, 21:06

I think 90% of his problems will be bordom and not enough exercise. He's obv a hyper dog so you will need to run him about more maybe look into weight pulling

by lindypeno Sun Mar 17 2013, 09:19

no not sure until I get them on Monday x

by Girly Wed Mar 20 2013, 13:55

how's Bailey doing now? I hope he's calmed down a bit.

(PS - I would still have him snipped, but that's just my humble opinion)

by lindypeno Wed Mar 20 2013, 14:12

Well got the tablets yesterday and had one in the morning, and then another today....tbh he did honestly not go at his tail as much.....but still doing it and really excitable when my friend came round....He is asleep at the moment and I look him and I think you are so sweet like this lol....

I going to give these tablets two weeks and then back to the vets for a check up so fingers crossed x

thanks you asking xx

by Guest Wed Mar 20 2013, 19:40

fingers crossed for you Big Grin

by rescuestaffords Wed Mar 20 2013, 19:43

what are the tablets called?

by **pag** Mon Mar 25 2013, 11:54

A Kong toy that can store food or treats inside is a boon for a bored dog..

by **Galadriel** Mon Mar 25 2013, 17:02

Hope things improve and loads of good advice given about keeping his mind occupied and him calm etc. reward for calm behaviour too, if he's lying there being good then just give him random treats so he associates relaxing with good things for dogs!

Just thought I'd add though, he could very well be over sexed, especially if he's constantly mounting your bitch. I'm not for one to suggest neutering as a cure-all, far from it but if training isn't helping and medical causes have been ruled out then it's something to consider.

My rescue lab calmed down a LOT after he'd been castrated and stopped all his humping behaviour. Elmo, is nearly 8 months and as good as gold, showing no signs of being over sexed so if things stay like that then he'll be keeping his Crown Jewels! Smile

by Guest Mon Mar 25 2013, 17:42

Great news, hope the tablets help!

by **Staffy lover** Wed Mar 27 2013, 11:48

Fingers cross all works out well for you. Sometimes its just a case of being patient and in time all works out well. Pixee does chase her tail now and then for fun, we laugh when she does it. I always thought it was a dogs thing. When we first had Pixee, she didnt like dogs, but now she has a few playmates and wont go after dogs anymore. All works with time and patient and training. Keep us posted on how you are doing. Theres always plenty of help and advice on this wonderful forum.

by lindypeno Wed Mar 27 2013, 13:08

Aww thank you, he his still doing the tail chasing that wont disappear over night but he certainly does only seem to be doing that when someone comes in or first thing on a morning....And is a lot better with my children...so fingers crossed he will get there...he is still so young, you can see that when he is playing and running straight at me in the fields.....lol xx

by Guest Wed Mar 27 2013, 13:55

Galadriel wrote:Just thought I'd add though, he could very well be over sexed, especially if he's constantly mounting your bitch. I'm not for one to suggest neutering as a cure-all, far from it but if training isn't helping and medical causes have been ruled out then it's something to consider.

It's certainly something to consider, but I'd use it as a last resort!

by IrishStaffy Thu Mar 28 2013, 16:41

My Staffy has chased her tail on and off some years now. We tried all sorts of things to get her to calm down. Sometimes it would work sometimes not.
One day I came home and she had actually bitten 1.5 inches off the end. Needless to say we rushed to the vet
where they took the whole thing off. Oddly she is much more calm now and doesn't try to chase around and around anymore.
I don't know really know if it was mental or physical irritation but I wished I could have found a solution before it came to that.
Now when we are out in public people really can't figure out what kind of dog she is. Also I have a harder time reading her body language around other dogs. She is a very aggressive alpha female. We wanted a confident dog for a family but she is a bit more aggressive with other dogs than we like.

by Guest Thu Mar 28 2013, 16:55

Hi IrishStaffy, could you come and introduce yourself here?

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/f7-new-member-introductions

Most tail chasing (other than the odd bit of fun & games) is a mental thing. It's very rarely physical. OCD is a difficult condition to tackle in humans, and even more difficult in dogs, often needing to be controlled with constant distraction when it starts/is about to start, and even tranquilisers!

by lindypeno Thu Mar 28 2013, 18:30

Bailey is on one tablet a day but the vet says he will up the dosage if need be...I don't think one is doing very much...I have to really shout at him to stop chasing, unless you have a dog like this, honest it is really hard to distract etc...its gone far beyond that with him...

Even outside he will be walking while he is peeing because you can see him getting distracted to the tail and he can not help himself...(in the garden, I mean)

It isn't nice but I am trying whatever I can with him but is very very hard and sometimes I wish I had not got him But I wont get rid of him, I will work with my vet to try and make it better for him Sad

xx

by **Rupertsbooks** Sat Mar 30 2013, 21:33

This sounds really idiotic of me but I find talking to my dog and explaining things seems to help. My dog is not very neurotic but he is hyper and I practice getting him excited and calming him down straight afterwards a lot. When it is time to calm down I talk to him in a calm voice and stroke his head and he knows it pays dividends because he loves being stroked and cuddled.

I also think that bad behaviour takes a while to change. Having said that, I have fostered an aggressive dog in the past - she would bite me all the time and work herself up into a frenzy of biting when she was anxious. I felt very helpless. I certainly don't think your dog's behaviour is your fault. It's very testing.

I hope things are becoming clearer. Sometimes it's just a case of working out behavioural patterns.

Could you put something on his tail to stop him biting it? My dog hates anything citrus-flavoured.

by Stokester Mon Apr 01 2013, 23:10

Can somebody please explain the chasing the tail been bad? gary does it sometimes i just see it as him playing. doesnt bother me and he doesnt do it constantly.

by Guest Mon Apr 01 2013, 23:16

Stokester wrote:Can somebody please explain the chasing the tail been bad? gary does it sometimes i just see it as him playing. doesnt bother me and he doesnt do it constantly.

I don't think it is "bad" when they are just doing it every once in a while when playing.. It is when it becomes an obsession that it is a problem..

by Stokester Mon Apr 01 2013, 23:46

Kylie wrote:
Stokester wrote:Can somebody please explain the chasing the tail been bad? gary does it sometimes i just see it as him playing. doesnt bother me and he doesnt do it constantly.

I don't think it is "bad" when they are just doing it every once in a while when playing.. It is when it becomes an obsession that it is a problem..

well thats good news, i just see it as my dog having abit of fun and probably curing some bordom or trying to grab my attention, i just dont see any harm in it, hes not hurting nobody or himself but i see where your coming from when its something a dog always does then it can be a problem.
im not worried what so ever about gary and his tail chasing but i read it further up above about tail chasing and people seemed negative towards it so it made me curious. i thought other ppl knew something i didnt lol Smile

by Guest Mon Apr 01 2013, 23:50

It's the OCD that's the real problem.

With pups I prefer to gently stop tail chasing as soon as it starts - I don't like to give them a chance to develop OCD. However, as the dog gets older & more in control I'm not quite as strict about it. Dempsey 'spins' when he gets excited - if it gets too much we just distract with a treat & calm him down.

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