In need of advice please

I have had Boogs since he was 6 months old and he had 2 other playmates a Rottie and a Jack Russell the Rottie was his best friend he went everywhere with him Sadly in June The rottie (Cooper) passed away while he was at the vets and Boogs never got to say goodbye we had a very difficult time with him while he grieved and slowly he began to pick up but now he has an issue with other dogs some days are better than others but we cannot go near other dogs any help and advice please

Did you sociAlise him with other dogs when you got him? I would work on it maybe starting from stable friendly dogs you know and every time you take him out . What is actually happening when he's meeting other dogs ? Can you give more details about his interactions?

Many staffies or staffx do not get on well with other dogs. Fact. It's a breed characteristic - along with many other things that are generally much more positive: intelligence, loyalty and affection, for example.

Boog's growing dislike of other dogs may (or may not) be anything to do with Cooper's passing. It could be a coincidence, related to the way that Boog is maturing. I find that training manuals can spout a lot of guff about dog 'socialising' and the precious formative window early in a dog's life when it is said that many behaviours can be set. Such information has precious little value if you have acquired your staff/staffx after the time when the window has closed (or even before, in the case of some staffies). The truth is there may always be issues with other dogs and so it's a question of knowing your own and what he can handle and not letting him get into any trouble.

This is not to say that everything is hopeless. There are things that you can do around the edges of the problem to minimise and mitigate your dog's behaviour with other dogs. However, if your dog is seriously anxious/uncomfortable in the presence of others then the techniques that involve diversion, distraction and avoidance are far far better (and safer) than the ones involving habituation and socialisation.