parent here

Hello everyone, my son has been on here for advice from other staffy owners and has relayed the info back to me and said i was to post for advice. Im not great on these but i can type haha.
I guess il start at the beginning, after losing our last dog in feb this year i didnt think i could have another but when my son said about the staffy being due puppies through colleages we thought about it and he started doin research into staffys, he also through work know a few people with them, all of which said prepare for loads of chewing and mouthing. So when puppy was born she was the only 1 as the other was bigger and got stuck during birth and unfortunately died.
At the start for the first few weeks she was doing good and when she mouthed we firmly said no and turned away and it worked and the mouth became less forcefull which i thoughtas what happened, but now she is a million times worse and im fearful of her as she has bitten my arm, legs, stomach. She has bitten my 13 year old grandsons trousers and ripped them too and my oldest son who has a 3 year old says he wont be coming to our house anymore, and i can tell this is greatly upsetting richard but i feel like she is big and strong for just coming up 4 months and how many more people will get hurt in the process, just this morning richard came in from walk with ripped joggers.

The main issues are: when she is sitting quietly with me on couch she suddenly just starts jumping about and mouthing at me (snarling and growling) but any attempt to stop it makes it worse, ignoring,walking away, putting her on floor (if you can even grab hold of her), pet corrector spray, nothing works she lunges at me.

Secondly when playin if i take her to my daughters she will play with her dog but then if the kids or any of us are in garden she will decide to hang on to our trousers and growl and snarl. also on walks she will decide to go for your feet and jump at clothes and everything.
at the end of my tether with it, my work saw the bruises and all they said was what if that was one of the children.
Richard does do everything now with her as im to scared of her behaviour and he is doing well training her as she will sit, sit stay,lie down, down stay which i know is good for her age.
I feel like even though everyone says its not normal the way she is and its affecting home life and my relationship with my son as he hates that i want to rehome her. He even phoned a behaviourist that he knows who unfortunately is too busy and going away to take on clients til september. Also training classes dont start until aug which he is tryin to find a class to attend sooner to begin with.
I can see he is doing his best but im too scared im bitten again as she is so mewnacing.
I dont know what the right routine is either currently its mostly: first meal at about 8 and down for toilet, she then has a wee play or chills out then she gets her walk after her meal is settled, on walk she gets told to sit at roads to cross and gets a play off lead which is usually stopped as she has bit us and jumped up, my son sometimes takes her to his friends shop for socialising and she gets lunch then late afternoon after play she gets another walk usually at country park then her last meal (thats usually after dinner actually) but you get the gist. In house she is always looking for something to chew she has a stagbar a kong all sorts but ultimately she turns her attention on biting us. I understand shes young but i dont want a dog im scared of and that is hurting me and wrecking everyones clothes i just dont see her improving at all just now she is bigger and heavier and its made it hurt all the more. I dont know if being raised with no litter mates only adult staffys has just made her too rough but we got her at 8 weeks and in 7 weeks of having her shes like this, when we got her she was used to being in bed with mum and owner as they spoiled her as only puppy but we got her crate trained which is good for settling her down.
I dont know what else to say (although iv said alot...sorry) but something has to change

Thanks for your help so far with my son and hopefully you have some advice

J

Hi, and welcome to the forum - I'm so glad you decided to come and talk to us! We'll help you sort the pup out, don't worry!

I feel for you, I really do! I know it's difficult and she's coming across as aggressive, but she isn't. What's happening is that she has no bite inhibition at all, and this needs to be taught. Although I can understand your nervousness around her now (we all know those teeth bloody hurt!), you will have to try and stay calm but firm - she will pick up on your nervousness and it will make her worse.

Does she respond to treats? If so, carry a pocketful around with you and if she starts to jump around or get nippy, stand up, tell her "No!" in a deep, firm voice and then tell her to sit in a lighter but still firm voice, holding a treat up in front of you. That way, you're not only distracting her from nipping you or your clothes, but you're also reinforcing the fact that she must do as she's told. That will strengthen the bond between you, and will also increase your confidence.

It might help to keep a collar on her when she's with you and let the lead drag on the floor (only when she's supervised, of course, you don't want her to get caught up on something when you're not there), if she ignores you, pick up the lead, take her out of the room for a couple of minutes until she's calm.

She WILL get there, with patience (believe me, I know that wears thin) and consistency as long as everybody does the same thing.

If you get any problems at all, don't hesitate to let us know - there's always someone here who can give you some suggestions! We're also good at listening to rants, so go right ahead if you want to let off steam!! 

Hello and welcome. Thank you for dropping by. Just echoing what Caryll said really. Please don't give up. You will get there in the end. Lots of hard work, patience and consistency is key. We have ALL been there, so don't worry, you don't have a demon dog. You must be so proud of your son as it sounds like he is trying his hardest, and from what you say it sounds like he is doing a great job with commands etc. We had a terrible time with Lola and her biting. I have a daughter who at the time was 6, and it is a worry. But we persevered, and now it has stopped. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Please drop by whenever, we are always here to help.

Im so happy you've come to chat with us   if you follow caryll's great advice it will get better, my girl darcy was an awful puppy biter, drawing blood regularly   but now with advice from the forum she's an angel. Good luck & come chat anytime.

Excellent advice above, its something many of us has gone through, and it will take lots of time and patience to overcome, just puppies being puppies really! I wouldn't worry too much and its great that you came to the forum Your son sounds as though he is doing a great job

Frankie use to do the leg grabbing and biting and still does occasionally and he's two!! I can normally tell when he's about to start so I now divert his attention. Frankie would only do it on walks when off lead, and nothing would stop him so I know you're frustration!! I found the key was to distract him. He now reacts to a ball, which stops him from diving at my legs. I think partly its an over excitement, and they don't know how to control themselves.
Try doing some basic training with her everyday, so that she learns you are in control. Take high value treats on walks and maybe try a long line, that way if she starts biting you have more control to get hold of her. The hardest thing is staying calm, I've been in tears on walks before. And if all else failed I would lay down, people must of bought I was mad! But so did frankie and he would come over to me to see what I was doing and then I could get hold of him. When she does correct her behaviours really reward her. Then she will know this good behaviour equals attention and tasty treats! Good luck and don't get too dis heartened. You will forget all this bad behaviours when you're be covered in staffie kisses!

Hello again. Had to wait for richard to stop chatting! Always on here now so he is. Its very reassuring to hear you have all been through this stage, i dont want to give up but it is a huge worry as i have grandchildren.
I am proud of richard, he is being very responsible and when children approach in the street he gets her to sit firstly. I will be on again soon no doubt for advice.
Appreciate your help

J

That's the way - distraction & reinforcing obedience commands. She will calm down, but staffords are a lively breed, especially when they're teething which she is right now.

Give her a month & you'll see a big difference!

Great advice from Caryll, she really knows what she's talking about. If you follow her advice you will see progress in the pup. I agree you should be so proud of your son for really stepping up and taking care of this pup. I know what you're going through, those puppy teeth hurt! When Gwen was this age I had cuts and bruises every where! I understand how frustrating it is because it takes awhile for them to catch on and stop nipping but I promise you will patience and consistency it will get better! Gwen is now almost 7 months and all the hard work is starting to pay off..it is an amazing feeling! Please don't give up! Good luck and stay positive!

Hi everyone. I just wanted to say thank you from my mum and i. She really felt better hearing its not just our puppy bein this way. Also thamks for the encouraging words about my work so far.
Just to update we have had a fab weekend with her as we have had no incidents and are both workin together better. Been distracting her quickly when she goes to mouth
yest was great too as i had her at my sisters and she had visitors and there was a lot of sandals and flip flops going on which made me worried by the foot fetish my pup has, but she was great we just kept her attention n had her play with my sisters dog.

That's fantastic! Great to hear that everyone is working together and you are seeing such great progress Keep up the great work!!

Shes also starting school soon lol!

Aww bless! She will do great im sure of it Rocky loved puppy preschool, learnt so much too Would love to see some pics if you can upload any!

Sure will try get some up :-).
I cant wait i think it will defo strengthen the bond and my mum is gonna come too. The instructor loves staffys too which is always a bonus

Sure will try get some up :-).
I cant wait i think it will defo strengthen the bond and my mum is gonna come too. The instructor loves staffys too which is always a bonus

Your mum and you will learn so much! Fantastic that you are both working as a team, and big bonus that the instructor loves staffys! Good luck

That's great news, keep up the good work you & your mum

Very pleased to read that you are making progress. I'm sure the instructor will get on great with her too, keep at it you will get there eventually. You are never alone here, there is always someone here to help.

Brilliant news, so glad things are improving :-)