10 month old being aggressive

I have a 10 month old female staffy Heidi, I've had her since she was 8 weeks old. We've had a lot of training issues, but she now seems settled and her behaviour at home is good. I have another 5 year old mongrel (I think she may be pit bull/lab) who is a rescue, and they get on really well together. They play roughly and there are sometimes power struggles but Heidi always sub misses to my older dog eventually, and clearly seems to enjoy her company.
I used to work in a Staff rescue centre which makes me feel even more stupid for not knowing what to do with Heidi, but there you go.
She has not come in to season yet, and I am waiting until she does to get her spade ( I know this may be a major point as to her latest behaviour). On the lead she interacts very well with people, dogs, children. I worked in a doggy daycare until she was 6 months old so she was well socialised with other dogs and always well behaved with them.
Since she got to about 8 months old her recall has become basically non existent if there is a distraction (food, another dog etc) she will not come back to me, and has run off a couple of times after deer so I rarely take her off the lead now, only if there is no one around. A couple of times another dog appears out of no where and (my fault, completely) she runs off, the problem is, if the other dog is the same size or smaller she gets aggressive. It starts off with her wanting the dog to sub miss, she stands over it until it is lying, and if the dog then attempts to carry on playing, or makes any noise she gets nasty, up until now it has only been nipping, but today there was an incident where she was growling and trying to bite the other dog. The other owner picked his dog up (I couldn't "catch" Heidi, this is another problem, she is extremely fast&agile) and she continued jumping up snapping, the other owner even kicked her a couple of times but it didn't deter her, it was upsetting but I understand he was trying to protect his dog. She eventually came back.

It's so embarrassing, and terrifying. As I said I am used to this breed, but cannot manage her, which makes me feel useless. I realised today that she can't come off the lead anymore, it's just too risky. But I feel so cruel keeping her on the lead all the time?

Does anyone know why she would start this behaviour? Is it purely to do with not being neutered? Both dogs get plenty of exercise, and I have a garden they play in too. I worked so hard for so many years to change the public opinion of this breed, and lately I feel I am undoing all that hard work. She really is a lovely girl, but just seems to "turn" in those situations. And also, I have noticed she is more boisterous with my older dog at the moment, it never escalates beyond play but I can see my older dog getting a bit irritated sometimes, when this happens I put Heidi in her crate for a "time out" which seems to work.

Any advice would be so appreciated.

Welcome why don't you introduce yourself and your two dogs here?

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

I can't help on the dog-aggression because it's something others have more experience with. But I will say that you should get her a long line. You can get them online, they don't cost a lot, they're very long leads that you can clip onto a harness and hold onto the end and let her run around. That way, she can run around, sniff, explore, etc., but you can work on her recall and bring her back to you knowing that you have hold of the other end. It's what I use for Loki and a few other members who don't trust their dogs off the lead. They are brilliant. The recall issues are probably down to her going through her teenage phase too, you'll find you're not alone in that.

I'd say it's because she's getting older, their temperament towards other dogs can change as they get older and more mature. As much effort you put into socialising them, sometimes it just happens. It's unfortunate, but nothing you can completely stop. You can try to walk her with calm, friendly dogs and help her improve, but sometimes they can only improve to an extent. You can teach her to watch you so she focuses on you rather than another dog, which makes it much easier to walk past them. You hold a treat up to your face and tell her 'watch' and give her the treat as soon as she looks at you. Continue doing this until you don't need to hold a treat up anymore, and then when she's better at it, start doing it outside where there's more distraction.

I'm afraid I can't help with the dog aggression either but can fully recommend a long line as Tara sugested, I use one with Daisy and her recall is now getting much better and my confidence in her is growing, sounds like it would really help you

Long line is a really good idea.

I think they all become pains when they come into "puberty".

I wouldn't feel guilty putting her on the lead. She needs to learn that you are the boss and this kind of behaviour is not on. Give it two weeks and see how she settles. Go back to some of the old basic training - it will be boring for you but even more boring for her and she will get that she is being allowed less freedom. (i.e. she has to earn her privileges with good behaviour).

I think a lot of dogs are annoying at this age and if it's not one thing it's another. They regress a bit - testing your boundaries? Don't put up with it. My sister doesn't have a Staffy, she is a spaniel x but she is v aggressive towards certain people in a horrible way. What I found worked was saying "sit" (instead of "no") and then grabbing her by the scruff of her neck and just holding her down in silence for about a minute. It doesn't hurt her but she is forced to calm down and there is no shouting etc. to escalate things. I think sometimes dogs also like to feel "contained" by their owners. I think sometimes holding them down or else putting them in the next door room and ignoring them gives them a framework and makes them more mindful of not doing whatever they feel like at any given time.

I think your concern about this speaks volumes. I am sure you can get to the bottom of this. Let us know how you get on.

p.s. remember that none of this is your fault.

I really wouldn't advise that. Good if it's worked for you/your sister, but if it is real aggression, the last thing you want to do is make the dog feel like it's being dominated or confined/restricted in any way. Some dogs may react OK to it, but a lot of them will find it uncomfortable and make them act even more aggressively, or simply shut down because they're so nervous.

I agree with Tara on that. Pinning a dog down can actually cause nervous aggression, which added to the original aggression is not a good idea!

I'd use a long line with her for the time being (a 50' line from ebay will be great - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BRITISH-MADE-50ft-Long-Dog-and-Horse-Training-Lunge-Lead-Webbing-BUY-BRITISH-/300888703441?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Kitchen_Washing_Machines_Dryers&var=&hash=item460e5d41d1#ht_1721wt_722 ) and then if she won't come back first call you can reel her in. I think this is especially important when she's probably going to come into season any time now!

You could also teach the 'watch' command so that when you come towards dogs you can get her to concentrate on you rather than the dog.

P.S. Please don't allow your dog to just run up to another dog without checking with the other owner first & then introducing the dogs calmly.

You ask about neutering...My girl Lexi got neutered at about 4 or 5 and she was the same before as she was after.

Definitely advise the long line, darcy sometimes forgets her recall & if this happens, I just reel her in we've got a 50ft & 100ft one of eBay they're great, 50ft is plenty though

I would switch to a long line and just keep socializing like you are. Sounds like she is displaying teenage behaviour so I'd go back to basics as well.

Hello - I don't mean pinning a dog down with any aggression. It is just a way of - in this case, and I am not an expert in any way - saying it's ok, it is over, calm down. When she has calmed down I give her a cuddle. Before I hold her I do say sternly "sit down" and she usually does as I say, eventually.

Also I would really recommend dogstardaily.com. I love Ian Dunbar who is a v influential "positive reward-based" trainer - he apparently pioneered it. You can find answers for almost anything on the very friendly and coherent website. You have to become a member (free) to access a lot of their articles, videos and podcasts.


This might be useful, for instance:

http://www.dogstardaily.com/blogs/drayton-michaels/predicting-dangerous-human-behavior

http://www.dogstardaily.com/videos/fixing-aggression-takes-time-training-dogs-dunbar

http://www.dogstardaily.com/videos/lunging-leash-%E2%80%93-sirius-adult-dog-training

http://www.dogstardaily.com/videos/fighting

Here is a whole article (sorry about length but Dunbar has really helped me and perhaps it will be useful?)

"He fights all the time! He's trying to kill other dogs!"

The fury and noise of a dogfight can be quite scary for onlookers, especially the dogs' owners. In fact, nothing upsets owners more than a dogfight. Consequently, owners must strive to be objective when assessing the seriousness of a dogfight. Otherwise, a single dogfight can put an end to their dogs' socialization. In most cases, a dogfight is highly stereotyped, controlled, and relatively safe. With appropriate feedback from the owner, the prognosis for resolution is good. On the other hand, irrational or emotional feedback, besides being upsetting for the owner, can exacerbate the problem for the dog.

It is extremely common for dogs, especially adolescent males, to posture, stare, growl, snarl, snap, and maybe fight. This is not "bad" dog behavior, but rather reflects what dogs normally do. Dogs do not write letters of complaint or call their lawyers. Growling and fighting, however, almost always reflect an underlying lack of confidence, characteristic of male adolescence. Given time and continued socialization, adolescent dogs normally develop confidence and no longer feel the need to continually prove themselves. To have the confidence to continue socializing a dog that has instigated a fight, the owner must convince herself that her "fighting dog" is not dangerous. A dog may be obnoxious and a royal pain, but this does not mean he would hurt another dog. Whereas growling and fighting are normal developmental behaviors, causing harm to other dogs is decidedly abnormal and unaceptable.

First, you need to ascertain the severity of the problem. Second, you need to make sure you react appropriately when your dog fights, and give appropriate feedback when he doesn't.

To know whether or not you have a problem, establish your dog's Fight-Bite Ratio. To do this you need to answer two questions: How many times has your dog been involved in a full-contact fight? And in how many fights did the other dog have to be taken to the veterinarian?

Ten-to-Zero is a common Fight-Bite Ratio for one- to two-year-old male dogs, that is, ten full-contact fights with opponents taking zero trips to the vet. We do not have a serious problem here. Obviously the dog is not "trying to kill" the other dog, since he hasn't caused any injury in ten fights. The dog would have caused damage if he had meant to. Moreover, on each occasion, the dog adhered to the Marquis of Dogsberry Fighting Rules by restricting bites to the other dog's scruff, neck, head, and muzzle. Surely, there is no better proof of the effectiveness of bite inhibition than, when in a fighting frenzy, one dog grasps another by the soft part of his throat and yet no damage is done.

This is not a dangerous dog. He is merely socially obnoxious in the inimitable manner of male adolescents. Yes, the dog is a bit of a pain, but he has wonderful bite inhibition (established during puppyhood) and has never injured another dog. Solid evidence of reliable bite inhibition — ten fights with zero bites while adhering to fighting rules — makes it extremely unlikely that this dog will ever harm another dog.

Fights are bad news, but they usually provide good news! As long as your dog never harms another dog, each fight provides additional proof that your dog has reliable bite inhibition. Your dog may lack confidence and social grace, but at least his jaws are safe. He is not a dangerous dog. Consequently, resolution of the problem will be fairly simple. Of course, you still have an obnoxious dog in dire need of retraining, since your dog is annoying other dogs and owners just as much as he annoys you. Contact the Association of Pet Dog Trainers to find a Fiesty Fido, Difficult Dog, or Growl Class.

On the other hand, if your dog has inflicted serious wounds to the limbs and abdomen of his opponents in just one of his fights, then you have a serious problem. This is a dangerous dog, since he has no bite inhibition. Obviously, the dog should be muzzled whenever on public property. The prognosis is poor, treatment will be complicated, time-consuming, potentially dangerous, requiring expert help, and certainly with small guarantee of a positive outcome. No dog problem presents such a marked contrast between prevention and treatment.

An adult fighter with no bite inhibition is the very hardest dog to rehabilitate, but prevention in puppyhood is easy, effortless, and enjoyable: simply enroll your puppy in puppy classes and take him to the park regularly. Do not wait for your adolescent dog to get into a fight to let him know you don't like it. Instead, make a habit of praising and rewarding your puppy every time he greets another dog in a friendly fashion. I know it may sound a little silly — praising your harmless, wiggly four-month-old male pup and offering a food treat every time he doesn't fight — but it's the best way to prevent fighting from becoming a serious problem.