Please Help!!

Hi,
I'm kind of new to this but want some actually advice instead of being told my dog is dangerous, so here goes. I have 3 dogs, a 2 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback (female - Sasha), a 15 month old Staffy (female - Daisy) and a 4 month old Alaskan Malamute (male - Kai). Today my boyfriend was out walking all 3 dogs. Daisy (my Staff) is great off the lead and since it was just on the fields she wasn't on a lead. The other two dogs were. This is usually how I walk the dogs. A little Westie ended up walking past and started playing with Daisy. She is a very friendly and loving dog and LOVES to play! She is scared of her own shadow most of the time haha. They both were playing happily while my boyfriend walked along with the owner of the Westie. When they came to part ways, Daisy kept following the other dog and owner. At this point she started actually fighting with the little dog, ragging it around and throwing it up in the air. My boyfriend managed to split them up and the Westie was OK apart from being slightly shaken up and Daisy had drawn a little blood. She has played very roughly (pinned down and thrown around) two other dogs in the past 6 - 8 months, both have been very small or little dogs (little terrier type things). She does play rough with both Sasha and Kai at home and they play rough back. I have friends who have a Jack Russel and a Chihuahua and she is fine with these. Apart from these 3 occasions, she is a pleasure to walk, very obedient and will approach a wide range of dogs. I have had her since she was 7 weeks old and she has been very well socialised (with different dog breeds and people). I'm very confused as to why this is happening, I wasn't sure if its down to the fact that she plays rough at home. I want to fix this issue if possible without having to resort to a muzzle or keeping her permanently on a lead as I like to let them all off for a run about and to blow off some steam! Any help or advice or anyone who has been in a similar situation I would be very grateful.
Thank you!  

Hi and welcome to the forum! Do come and introduce yourself here when you get a moment:
https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/f7-new-member-introductions

As for your question, let's start with how long is Daisy walked for each day, what food is she on and has she had much training?

Hi and welcome to the forum from Tip and me. Have you perhaps thought of investing in a long leash? It gives your dog the freedom to explore but leaves you still in control. We live in a farming community and that means I can't really let Tip off lead either.

Oh dear Daisy! Does she have quite a high prey drive in general? Sometimes play/prey can overlap. Biscuit will chase anything that moves and often thinks that little dogs are fair game, though has lived happily in the house with small dogs that I've fostered without incident. I muzzle her for safety around other dogs until she knows them and exercise her on a 50ft long line. Muzzle really isn't a bad thing, dogs are muzzled for all sorts and it doesn't have to be all of the time! I only muzzle bis in heavily populated areas. If there's no one about I take it off. Daisy can still play then but with no risk One false move and the little dog could be very seriously hurt. Does she play with bugger dogs no problem?

*bigger not bugger lol!! Bloody phone!

It sounds like Daisy may be getting a little too excited with her play and goes a little OTT.

The long training lead sounds like a good idea for when she first meets strange dogs, as said she can have a run around and you still have control.

Do these incidents seem to happen more at the start of the walk or towards the end ?

Thanks for your replies everyone! The long leash thing sounds like a good idea. I may give that a go. I'm still kinda against a muzzle as I think it gives off the wrong impression, especially since most people think Staff's are aggresive dogs anyway. She doesn't always "attack" smaller dogs. She can quite happily play with some smaller dogs without an issue. She plays with bigger dogs fine and we have never had an issue.
She is fed on Iams adult food for small/medium dog. Usually and where possible she is walked twice a day for 30 - 45 mins each time, unless its raining as she refuses to leave the house! She attended puppy socialisation parties when she was younger, but I found it difficult to make puppy training classes due to my shift pattern, although she has always been a quick learner and very obedient from a young age so I never really saw it as a major issue.
The timing doesn't really seem to have a pattern, but it is usually around the middle to end of a walk.

The long lead should help and the walks sound about right being 5 minutes or so per month of age. She may need a bit more though as she matures. There are going to be some dogs she just doesn't get along with for whatever reason so it's always best to have her on lead when meeting a dog for the first time. Once they have interacted a few times you will know what to expect.

Proud Staffy-Owner wrote:Thanks for your replies everyone! The long leash thing sounds like a good idea. I may give that a go. I'm still kinda against a muzzle as I think it gives off the wrong impression, especially since most people think Staff's are aggresive dogs anyway. She doesn't always "attack" smaller dogs. She can quite happily play with some smaller dogs without an issue. She plays with bigger dogs fine and we have never had an issue.
She is fed on Iams adult food for small/medium dog. Usually and where possible she is walked twice a day for 30 - 45 mins each time, unless its raining as she refuses to leave the house! She attended puppy socialisation parties when she was younger, but I found it difficult to make puppy training classes due to my shift pattern, although she has always been a quick learner and very obedient from a young age so I never really saw it as a major issue.
The timing doesn't really seem to have a pattern, but it is usually around the middle to end of a walk.

Personally, I think a staffie grabbing another dog and throwing it in the air is going to give off a worse impression than an owner being responsible and keeping their dogs and others safe by muzzling them? She can still interact and play with others, just can't grab them! That dog may have major fear issues with dogs now after being grabbed? I totally understand why you wouldn't want to, I didn't want to with Biscuit either but then I started to realise that I didn't give a damn what other people thought and I didn't want my dog to scare or cause harm to others through my worry of what others thought of me. There is another member on here who has had a stafford from a pup and socialized him well, but he's still turned out to have a few dog aggression issues, it just happens that way sometimes and it's nobodies fault, just unfortunate. Of course it's totally up to you, I can only give advice from personal experience.