Puppy really aggressive- please help.

Hi there, as some of you may know I own a 20 wk old Staffy pup named Denzl who is an absaloute angel, apart from with other dogs Ever since he has been allowed out, I have tried my utmost best at socialising him, and from the word go I have realised I have a problem & a big problem at that.

Basically, when Denzl first meets a dog (male or female) he is lovely, wagging his tail etc. then he tries to basically get on top of the dog or 'hug' them, trying to put all his weight on them which in my oppinion is him trying to be the dominant figure. Then if the dog reacts in anyway, sharp movement or tries to paw him off, he attacks, he is a growling ball. It is so embarrasing, not only am I scared for the safety of the other dog who hasn't even did anything wrong- I'm TERRIFIED just in case the other dog does Denzl harm by innocently retaliating at this little rascal. I know this is nothing to joke around about, and I understand that staffies can have dog aggression issues, but I just really want to give my best shot at trying to eliminate this behaviour, as he was fine with my aunties EBTxSBT bitch, Peggy a few weeks ago when she gave him a row. The thing is most dogs are just letting him do this, we let him off leash and with him getting bigger and bigger I don't think this will be safe in the coming months, when there will be more dogs in the park ect. because of good weather, and also him becoming a lot bigger. We've never bumped into another dog when he has been off leash, but I do think he would have a pop if we did, which I'm extremely scared about.

Denzl will be getting neutered, when he hits 6 month. Which I'm hoping may reduce this issue a bit.

I am just so scared incase he does damage to any dogs, or vice versa.
It is really not practical for him to be aggressive, as we do outdoor activities such as camping, and our familys Labrador & English Bull x Staffy come along. Having Denzl there too would just be terrible.

Today, Denzl tried to domineer a 13 week old Staffy x Collie bitch. When she objected (she was really nervous) he climbed on her body and was biting her throat, though he never actually bit down hard as there was only little bits of saliva on the pups throat, and I know he could have did a bit of damage if he wanted to. But I really feel sick even thinking of him doing such a thing, and I'm so annoyed and frightened now, just in case next time he does harm another dog.

PLEASE if any one knows of any tips, methods & WHAT TO DO WHEN THIS HAPPENS then I would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much in advance xx

What is his body language like when he is doing this? At 5 months old, I would think it would be more play than anything. Sometimes dogs can look and sound really frightening when they play but they don't actually hurt each other.

For your own piece of mind I wouldn't have Denzle off lead just yet. He is still such a baby and you need to be able to have recall and to set boundries too. Socialising is the best thing you can do but as you mentioned he is a pup now and will only get stronger. The lines he can cross needs to be set now, and he is so young that socialising in the right manner will come with training.

Its great that he is socialised now and the more better, just be aware that its not always your dog thats the problem, but if you haven't the control yet then a flexie lead or training lead may help.

Sorry waffling on!!

I think the best thing to do is a simple hello and good bye.
Allow the dogs to greet have a sniff and then walk away and gradually over time stay a little longer.
Dogs don't need much more than an introduction and a good introduction is perfect to dogs a few sniffs and they already know what they need to about the other dogs, where its been/what sex/dominant/submissive etc so i really would just stick to the introduction and go on your merry way giving praise when he introduces himself nicely like giving his rear for it to be sniffed.
A good introduction is both dogs giving their rear end allowing each other to have a sniff this is submissive social behaviour, if a dog will not allow their rear to be sniffed simply walk away because they are not ready and could be dominant and one of the ones who woud snap if your boy tried his jumping thing. Also if you could approach from the side or behind never head on because eyes tend to cause bad energy before dogs even become close. Hope this helps

Hiya! 'shontelle' he just looks really uneasy to be honest, tail wags nicely when he gets close, sniffs face etc and then after about 20-30 seconds BAM! he's on top of the dog, eyes really wide and looking really awkward, the other dogs always like 'hmmm whats goin down' & then if it walks away to get him off he starts growling and throws himself at their throats basically.

'MissRogue' I'm going to try this technique, as I think everything is worth getting done- I am determined to make this work with him, so that he at least tolerates dogs!

'Janey' Denzls recall is great, he's noticed a few dogs and stayed with us & comes back straight away, I think its more if another dog comes towards him that i'm worried about lol. We have a enclosed area thats used for 'pitch & putt' but it doesn't get used, so I regularly take him in there for a wee run where I know he can't get to other dogs (perfect for training!) so I could use that just now at least.


Can I just add for everyone that this isn't with every dog, some dogs he's fine with, but nine times out of 10 he does this dominant behaviour.

I just don't want an attack to come from this!

xx

I think this is dominance, pure & simple. You need to work on introdusing your dog quietly & calmly to others...........

MissRogue wrote:I think the best thing to do is a simple hello and good bye.
Allow the dogs to greet have a sniff and then walk away and gradually over time stay a little longer.
Dogs don't need much more than an introduction and a good introduction is perfect to dogs a few sniffs and they already know what they need to about the other dogs, where its been/what sex/dominant/submissive etc so i really would just stick to the introduction and go on your merry way giving praise when he introduces himself nicely like giving his rear for it to be sniffed.
A good introduction is both dogs giving their rear end allowing each other to have a sniff this is submissive social behaviour, if a dog will not allow their rear to be sniffed simply walk away because they are not ready and could be dominant and one of the ones who woud snap if your boy tried his jumping thing. Also if you could approach from the side or behind never head on because eyes tend to cause bad energy before dogs even become close. Hope this helps

Great advice - and if he starts to get dominant/growly/over-excited, turn around & walk away. He'll soon learn that unacceptable behaviour means no fun with other dogs.

The other thing you may have to bear in mind is that some staffs will never be good with other dogs. It's just in their nature. So, although you should try everything to get him to play nicely, you should be prepared for the worse, and get to know your dog's body language extremely well!

Good luck!

..and when he gets desexed that should hopefully quieten him down abit as well....

You know Brooke there are lots of dogs out there who will simply not tolerate other dogs its a shame but thats the way it goes and your dog will be contented not to play with others.
Beleive me when I say ive tried everything with mine he wouldnt let a dog sniff him a meter away never mind his face or jewels.
Keep trying and in the end if he doesnt want any then accept it and make the best of the situation.
Id never muzzle mine as most dogs who come over soon realise that its a no go area and leave while they still can and the ones who dont well you cant put your boy in the situation of not being able to defend themselves
Good luck

gem wrote:Id never muzzle mine as most dogs who come over soon realise that its a no go area and leave while they still can and the ones who dont well you cant put your boy in the situation of not being able to defend themselves
Good luck

Thats why i love the halti so much they can still pant/play and defend while its loose but if you see any wrong body language you can put a little tension on the lead and it keeps their mouth shut.

MissRogue wrote:

gem wrote:Id never muzzle mine as most dogs who come over soon realise that its a no go area and leave while they still can and the ones who dont well you cant put your boy in the situation of not being able to defend themselves
Good luck

Thats why i love the halti so much they can still pant/play and defend while its loose but if you see any wrong body language you can put a little tension on the lead and it keeps their mouth shut.

Ive never tried the halti but can it really shut a staffys mouth ?

Whats been said the wife wants to try a halti on me

BlueStaffBlue wrote:Whats been said the wife wants to try a halti on me

It will never work for you, tell the wife sorry

I have no idea what you 2 are on about but she said it's alright she has a baseball bat

BlueStaffBlue wrote:I have no idea what you 2 are on about but she said it's alright she has a baseball bat

Ha ha that will do the trick

gem wrote:

MissRogue wrote:

gem wrote:Id never muzzle mine as most dogs who come over soon realise that its a no go area and leave while they still can and the ones who dont well you cant put your boy in the situation of not being able to defend themselves
Good luck

Thats why i love the halti so much they can still pant/play and defend while its loose but if you see any wrong body language you can put a little tension on the lead and it keeps their mouth shut.

Ive never tried the halti but can it really shut a staffys mouth ?

Yeah it can, most of the power behind their jaws are to close not to open so it can keep their mouth shut lol
I hold Taz's muzzle shut while he's with other dogs if he is acting up so he can still do the greeting just not the "i'm a big tough guy act"

im not having a dig here but you should have control ov him at all times and you should be able to stop the jumping up and getting in there face before it even happens becouse believe me there will be a dog that will disaprove and get the first shot in .

Do you take your Pup to dog school?

kitten wrote:Do you take your Pup to dog school?

I took my pup Roxy to puppy pre-school from the week after I got her, to start learning how to socialise with other pups in a controlled environment. The people who run the class can watch your dogs behaviour and should know if it is normal puppy behaviour/play or if it is aggression. They should also be able to give you excersizes/techniques to try to help with any issues or point you in the direction of somebody who can. I believe it would be easier to work with any issues while the dog is still young.

All the very best.

Exactly. Well said. I didn't see anyone suggesting it and it's so important

i had the exact same problem with franki... franki went to puppy school at 8 weeks of age to learn how to be social.
being nervous could cause him to go some dogs, if a dog tried to play and get over him bang it was on. i went to a dog school where dogs were off lead before training and at lunch . when i would arrive 5 or more dogs would run up to franki to say hi and he would say ggrrrrrrrrr.... when frank went to big school i never let him off lead. he only had a prob with a few dogs, sometimes he would pick out one dog and just watch it and if it came near him he would lunge at it . he would get on fine with most dogs ,but i always keep him on lead. frank graduated to avanced level and will work off lead doing all the comands by either hand signals or voice comands. when hes working i can drop stay him in the middle of 12 dogs walk away and he wont flinch or get aggro, but as soon as trainings over and the dogs are playing he gets snappy again , . good luck and keep up the training make sure your dog knows who is the BOSS. LEAVE IT would be a good comand to teach your dog.

vanessa wrote:..and when he gets desexed that should hopefully quieten him down abit as well....

Please bear in mind that castration won't always address aggression issues. If it's dominance then it probably won't work.

I think you need to work on training (preferably with the help of a training club where you can also socialise your pup) and calm & controlled introductions to other dogs.

..how is he going now anyway??

I am interested to see how it has worked out for this pup, as the description is just like Russell... although it has only been a few times where he gets aggressive Russ is always the one to jump onto another dogs back and try to put all his weight on.

our friends have a staff about a week younger than Russ (who has filled out a lot quicker and is now a lot stronger and bigger than him)
from the moment these two met (at 10 weeks) they would play for 5 minutes then get into a fight - which was clearly not playing, I have tried lots of things and they seem better around each other now though still have shorter tiffs when we are together, they listen better when we tell them to stop now.

at the dog park Russ has met many other dogs who he plays well with but still appears to try and dominate... and he plays well with my families dogs (labs, corgi, staffy) the only other dog he seemed to get a little aggressive with was a boxer pup at the dog park, but naturally we take him away before it gets out of hand... im still not sure if that was aggression or just a play growl.

at puppy school he shows no interest with the other pups - they are white fluffy yappy things, but sometimes there is a staffy X husky who he plays beautifully with.

At 10 weeks this wont be aggression it will be purely play, very hard rough play but play non the less. This is where u come in to teach him what is and wasnt isnt acceptable and when "playing" becomes to rough. What i did with kaos was let him play with other dogs and the second he got to rough or was displaying behaviour i didnt approve of i jumped straight in with a sharp "AH AH" and removed him from play time and put his lead on for 5 mins and made him sit. Then let him join in again and kept repeating it. Fair enough this method took about 5 months lol but now he is 1 and a bit and i only have to look at him with that look and rattle his lead and he comes back by myside and gives himself 5 mins chill out time lol x

we take Winston to puppy classes. Yes he has Jethro to play with but Jethro is old and Winston plays just so roughly with him.. we let them play for a few minutes and only when we supervise. Now at puppy classes Winston was trying to push the other puppies around.. the instructor showed us if he gets too rough to just poke him with your 4 fingers very quickly.. not hard to hurt him, but enough to break his train of thought..( behind his rib cage ) Last week was good because some fluffy little mutt of a puppy came and gave Winston a taste of his own medicine! Puppy school is a must for dominant puppies.. well all puppies really...

you should never let a dog submit to another dog its a game they play which would show dominance, a dog witch shows its being dominated will always be timid

hmm I don't believe it was play, if you saw it I think you'd agree the pups were def fighting, they come home with scratches all over them and even for pups its so hard to pull them off eachother.

I'll try that poking thing, bit like Cesar Milan's style I guess!