Fritz's aggression towards large dogs (fine with smaller breeds).

Hi everyone,

Me and Fritz are new here. Me and my boyfriend re-homed Fritz from a couple who claimed they were unable to take care of him any more. When we arrived to pick him up we noticed he has two severe scars on his hind quarters and another on his muzzle. When we asked how he'd gotten them, the lady said he had been attacked in the park by another dog (we're not so sure that's the entire story). We took him for his vaccinations/neutering because we had no medical history for him. When the vet saw the scar on his nose, he said it looked like he'd been forced to wear a muzzle most of his puppy-hood and as a consequence it had left him with a nasty scar. Basically, he hadn't had the best start in life.

Anyway, the reason I'm seeking advice is because of his behaviour with other dogs. He seems fine with smaller dogs (smaller than him), but larger dogs - he goes rigid, stares them down, and if they get too close, goes for them. Even if small dogs come up to him yapping aggressively, he'll just ignore them, but if a calm, submissive larger dog approaches he'll turn nasty. We've taken him to dog obedience classes, where he was around other dogs - but he never got to socialise with them properly because we were concentrating on the obedience training (which he was a star at!). I'm not sure where to go from here. We love letting him off the lead (when there's no dogs around) because he gets to really tire himself out and the occasional times when he's played with other dogs (small poodle and springer) was so endearing to watch as he looked so happy, but we have to keep him on the lead most days in case any bigger dogs try to approach.

Can anybody offer any advice on staffy socialisation? I've tried a few techniques; getting him and whatever dog approached to sit and distribute treats between them so he see's dogs as a positive thing - but most dog owners are uncomfortable with me doing this (especially when he's already snapped).

Thanks in advance!

Hi and welcome to the forum from Rocky and me.

I know exactly how you feel, you have just described our dog Rocky there too. We have been through this with Rocky who is also a rescue dog but we adopted him from a rescue centre and have had support with his training from them. Sadly you are not in this position so we will help as much as we can.

One thing we noticed about Rocky is that he will stare at other dogs who will see it as a challenge which is not the intention at all. We try to break his line of sight so he doesn't stare now and get him to sit as other dogs approach using the Watch Me command and keep his attention with a toy or a small treat.

We do ask other owners to put their dog on the lead if possible as he is nervous of some breeds of dogs: GSD, Huskys, ABD and Boxers. Most owners will oblige but there will always be those who ignore us.

It sounds like Fritz is nervous of other dogs because he didn't have the opportunity to socialise with them when he was younger which makes things so much simpler as a dog gets older. If you know anyone with a calm dog such as a Golden Retriever this will makes things easier for you on walks.

Have a read through the link below which may help:

http://staffy-bull-terrier.com/socializing_your_staffords

If you can get in contact with a canine behaviourist in your local area for some professional help and support, you will get there.

Also a long training lead may be of benefit as he can then have a run around while you are still in control. They are availalbe on line from Amazon or Ebay, something like this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/DIGIFLEX-Training-Lead-50ft-Black/dp/B00FG5PODM/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1399054438&sr=8-6&keywords=long+training+lead+dog

Diet and exercise can also be contributing factors to a dogs behaviour, what is Fritz fed and how much exercise does he have each day ?

James Welbeloved is a good quality food that is easily obtainable, Wainwrights is sold at Pets At Home, or anything from the list below would be a good quality food, I can recommend Barking Heads as this is what Rocky is fed every day:

http://staffy-bull-terrier.com/dry_food

We would recommend at least 2 hourly walks each day plus some basic training, just to keep the basic skills up to date ie: Sit, Stay, Down etc.

Also a good daily routine should see an improvement in behaviour too, including feeding times, walking times and play times.

Great advice from Kathy! If you knew anyone with a larger, calm dog that would be happy to go on walks with you it might help to change his perception of them.

Wonderful post from Kathy