help please

Many thanks for taking time to read .. I have two dogs a female american bulldog and a 14 month neutered male staffy. the bulldog i took in about 6 months ago and have no concerns with. my staffy i have had since a puppy, he has always been a handful very energetic and can be attention seeking and a barker. the two dogs have bonded well. across the road from me is a man with a smallish dog, my staffy has seen this dog through the window and through the fence and barks like crazy until this dog has passed by. i can't understand why he reacts to this dog in this way .. yesterday while i was at work my daughter was in the kitchen while the dogs were playing in the sun this man walked past my house where upon my staffy jumped clean over the fence and attacked this dog. my daughter ran out to find my dog on his dog and the man kicking my dog in the face and body, he let go and my daughter brought him in, the mans dog appeared fine obviously shaken but no blood etc. my dog has never jumped before and has never fought with a dog i am very distressed by this. i have tried to apologise to the man i have gone today to buy a muzzle, i have told him my dog will not go out without a muzzle from now on and whilst playing in the garden i will buy tomorrow a chain to stake him out so he can play without the risk and obviously never without an adult present. if i could afford to replace the fences with as big as i could get i would so this is all i can do but its not enough for him. he has reported me to the police and says he wont rest till my dog is put down, my staffy is a sod at times but not a bad dog and i really have tried to be a good and responsible owner but i realise i have made a mistake by not being aware of the signals .. michelle x

Welcome why don't you introduce yourself here?

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

Sounds like a really horrible situation how much exercise do your dogs get, and does your Staff get like this with all dogs that walk past the house, or just this one? It sounds like he's territorial, but I don't know why it'd be that dog in particular. Has he ever had any negative experiences with this dog before, anything to make him scared or aggressive towards it?

hi and thankyou for your fast reply .. they go out twice a day when i am in work an hour with my daughter and when i get home an hour or more with me .. when i am off like today we have been out nearly 2 hours this afternoon and about an hour this evening.. over the last 2 weeks it seems to be growing that he will bark at other dogs that walk past but this dog sends him crazy , as far as i know the 2 dogs have never come across each other.. i am scared as i know the man has been to the police today ..michelle x

If he's started barking at other dogs that walk past, it sounds like he may be becoming dog-aggressive or territorial. Does he meet dogs on his walks, how does he react to them? Some Staffs can become aggressive to dogs as they get older, it's just an unfortunate possibility with the breed. It isn't the end of the world though, it can certainly be managed if that's what it is.

I know the man must've been terrified, I know I would have, but it sounds like he's overreacting to me. It sounds like something you weren't expecting to happen, and you're doing everything you can to try and make sure it doesn't happen again, so I don't see why he'd react so badly to it, but some people are like that.

Love the profile picture by the way, they're both beautiful

i have been suddenly much more aware of his behaviour today he ignored a few dogs but a couple he barked and became snappy he tail wagged through this, after we had passed by he kind of strutted and held his head high like to say look at me?? he has a habit of sitting on the back of my sofa watching the world go by his barking is more than it was at people who pass .. and thank you

ahh you must be feeling awful,can you take some steps to make sure he cant get out again,may be put a higher fence up,so if the police do come round you can show them it cant happen again,my girl got attacked last year by another staffy and our vet asked if we reported to the police and we said we had'nt because we did'nt want the dog to be pts and he said on one report they would'nt put a dog to sleep.

i have priced up some higher fencing today i am just not sure quite how to do it i think i need to buy concrete posts i will have to look into it .. for the meantime i have bought one of those stake out tethers so he can at least not get near the fence i will just put him on that while he is out with me. my daughter said my dog just kinda held onto this dog around the back end and even whilst the man was kicking him didn't let go until she screamed at him to get in the house he then let go the man continued to kick him and he didnt go for him it was the dog he was fixated on.. she said she saw no blood on both dogs just some hair floating around .. i would move house and area with him rather than let them put him down i'm afraid

i think as long as you are seen to be doing some thing so it cant happen again all the better,i was'nt there when my girl was attacked(hubby was walking her)but he said it was very scary so i guess the man would be upset,understandably so.we make sure now that when ever we are out with her she is straight back on the lead if we see another dog as she just hates other dogs now,it can be a bit of a pain but some thing that has to be done.

i think all this would not be so bad if he wasn't a staffy the man has now a bee in his bonnet saying his wife and child are too afraid to walk their dog in case my dog attacks them .. in truth in the 8 months i have lived here i have never seen them walk past never mind with the dog .. i saw him last night going from house to house and they had a little meeting in the road he came to my door knocked and ran into the road and shouted abuse at my daughter .. he has been into my house when i first moved in my staff peed all over his shoes he was so happy to see a new face

I don't think the police would take such drastic action when a dog has attacked another dog, especially when there isn't much physical harm done and the owner is doing everything to stop it happening again, so try not to worry about that.

It does sound like he's developing an aggression towards dogs. Did you notice if all the dogs were small, or what the body language of the other dogs were? If he is becoming dog-aggressive, there are some things you can do to minimise the risk of it happening again. Working on getting him to focus on you rather than another dog, and of course putting him on the lead as soon as you see another dog, etc.

i decided to have my other dog because he got so much pleasure out of the dogs we met on our travels, this whole thing has made me think i think he has gradually changed since i got her, he is fine with some dogs wags his tail or just walks past then others he is barking and snapping i will start to ask if these dogs are male or female ?? then trots away head high i always feel he looks at me and says yep don't mess with my bitches,

To be honest, I'm more inclined to think it's his age. Dogs do love other dogs when they're young, but when they're older, their temperament can change. You'll find lots of members here whose dogs loved other dogs as puppies, but now hate them. It's an unfortunate risk with having a Staff, sometimes it just happens. As long as you learn to manage it (and we'll offer you advice if you need any), he should be fine. My old Boxer, Zac, was dog-aggressive, but he never had any fights or trouble with other dogs while we had him because we managed it, and he was a very happy boy so don't worry, even if he does develop dog-aggression, you can keep him, and other dogs, perfectly safe.

i think in the last 2 days this is the most positive i have felt it helps a lot to have a good ear to sound into .. many many thanks .. i will wait on what the police say he is supposed to have seen them today .. Michelle x

He sounds and looks (from your profile pic) very dominant. Does he do what you tell him when you tell him or do you have to tell him a few times? e.g. does he get off the couch or go out of the room if you tell him.

no he doesn't at all really, most of the time he is a massive show off cocky and just naughty he is affectionate and at times will look unsure and will pee he can be destructive i had him at a very early age i was stupid really they gave me a date he was ready i assumed he was 8 to 10 weeks when his papers came through he was just 4 weeks i have always felt he missed out on the manners his mummy would of given him and he has grown up a bit of a brat

Because you got him so young, it'd make his training more difficult, but have you put much effort into training him? I mean, do you still work on getting him to listen to you and do what you want, work on his destructive habits, etc., or do you let him get away with it because it's gone on so long? Obviously this isn't going to help specifically with the dog issues, but it'll make things easier if he's more willing to listen to you, because the more he listens, the more you can train him, and some training can help when he sees a dog he doesn't like.

Well that is probably the main reason for this type of behaviour.

You need to start asserting yourself and make him do what you say. If he is on the back of the sofa, get him off it. If he tries to get back on black him. I would suggest you get some advice from a behaviourist who can come to your house and see how extensive his dominance is, because if pushed too much some very dominant dogs can be aggressive.

he is mainly very fun loving and affectionate i find he lacks respect .. my female bulldog i took in as the woman didnt want her she is very respectful towards me and listens when i say no she stops with him i say no he just wags his tails and will try lick me. its like with her she is grateful to what i give her with him he just expects what he gets .. he reminds me of a spoilt child pushing his luck thinking he is the boss .. i find it hard to know how to assert my dominance at times

Perserverance is always the key with it. If you tell him to get down and he doesnt, physically pull him down and then block him. over and over. but like i said, its best to have a behaviourist do one session to show you how to do things right and to read him a bit more so that they can say "right stop he is about to growl" etc. sometimes we don't see the signs of our own dogs cause they do them a lot ya know?

good luck

i know how far i can push him his nature in its self isn't nasty i have a nick name for him we call him "little *" but this whole episode has given me a fright and its time little * started to behave before something much worse happens and yes i think that is a good idea thankyou i will have a look round tomorrow to see what is local to me and give a call to get someone out for some help .. i want him and everyone around to be safe and happy .. thanks again all for good sound advice i appreciate it

All sound advice.

All I would add is that I would never leave my dog on his own in the front (or back, for that matter) garden! It's a recipe for disaster, especially when there's a fence/gate less than 7' high.

the fences i am looking to replace these one are about chest high to me and he just cleared them in one leap i never leave them out alone and from now on he will be tethered even if i am there as i don't trust him now when he jumped my daughter had just gone in to get a drink as she was sunbathing with them

A stafford can clear 5' easily if he wants to! Even a higher fence will be scaled if they've a mind to.

he won't be going out there loose from now on i have learnt a harsh lesson

I don't have that problem with my boy - he's too lazy!

Hi Mich, Do you have a back Garden. If so, maybe he could play there. Im sorry your having problems. Kenny can be dog aggressive and i totally understand. I wish i could advise you, but im still trying to figure out whats Ken's up too lol.
If this chap has rang the police, may be you could ring DDA WATCH. They can offer you some advice on what steps to take. If this guy is intent on "trying" to get your boy PTS, i definatly would speak to them. Also, do you have a dogs Trust close to you. They offer training classes and it usually costs around £6 per lesson. I can understand you wanting to use a muzzle, but personally, I think they make the dog worse. Of course, if all else fails, you may have to use one.

Here's some contact details for DDA WATCH - 08448442900, -08448440802, 07850580850

www.ddawatch.co.uk

keep us updated xx

hi it was the back garden he was in the two dogs were out while my daughter was sun bathing he just clear jumped the fence which he has never done before normally he barks and lets them pass.. i have no training classes in walking distance to me i have always looked and i phoned to further classes to see if they knew something about one i didn't know about i would love to take him to a class i think he would gain so much from them .. i don't drive and have no one to take me i don't know about him on a bus or train it would be terrible i think .. and thank you i will have a look at that now and give a ring tomorrow

We're always here. We've had many problems with Kenny. He's forever trying it on. If classes are difficult for you, maybe ring a behavourist. Some can be quite helpful, even on the phone. I dont think it will amount to to much with the police. You'll proberly get told off and told to take steps to secure your garden. Maybe placing some cheap trellis at the top will put him off. I know it wont stop him, but the extra height may put him off trying. You can also get rolls of bamboo which can be put up, again, this will stop your dog seeing out, and people seeing in. We have a local B&M Store in town, I think its about £7 for a few meters and quite tall. It could help in the short term. Good luck x

i have been looking today but for the meantime i have a tie which i put on my garage he can run the yard and not get to the fence i felt safer knowing he couldn't just take off but he could follow me around as normal .. i think a behaviourist is a definite i have already looked and got a few numbers ... thank you all so much you have all made me feel so much more positive