Hi, and help.

Hello,new to the forum and desparately need some advice. My staffie, male 18 months not neutered yesterday broke off his flexi-lead and ran off. In the 2 minutes before we caught up with him he had attacked a 2 day old foal, and we found him with the foals nose in his mouth covered in blood. We got him to let go, and put him straight back in the car. We contacted the farmer who came to check the foal, who was on his feet and suckling from his mother. He was very understanding and said he was happy for us to leave, didn't want to contact police or anything.
My question now is what do we do? I have 3 children under 5. Some family members are saying rehome him, some are saying don't worry. I just want some outside advice from other staffie lovers who can see the situation without being emotionally involved in it.
Many thanks if you read this far.

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Hi & Welcome to the Forum from Flo and me

Argh, what a nightmare for you all!

Ok, take a deep breathe and relax. Accidents happen and Staffies can have a high prey drive which is why we as owners need to be really careful whenever there are livestock around as you were, I think we've all had a lead slip or a Staffy escape a collar or harness at one time or another.

Thankfully it sounds like the foal wasn't too badly hurt and the farmer sounds really understanding too

Now to answer your question... What would re-homing solve? Other than removing him from a loving home. Just because he went for the foal doesn't mean he will suddenly turn on anyone else. Staffies are renowned for their loyalty to humans especially children. The sort of comments your hearing about re-homing are knee jerk reactions to the bad press Staffies get. If it were a Jack Russel that had done this then I'm sure nobody would be talking about re-homing & trust me, Jack Russels are as bad at this sort of thing as any other breed.

So to conclude, if he shows no signs of changing temperament and is still that goofy loving Staffy that you've always known then carry on as usual but be mindful on future walks

Hi Ian, and thank you, is there a local section of the forum, or a list of trainers/behaviourists, as I think this will have to be our next stop? We are in Devon if that's any help.

There isn't a list as such, however, one of our moderators lives in your part of the country and knows of such people. I'll point her in the direction of this thread where I'm sure she will be happy to offer some suggestion on suitable people.

Hi! Sorry to hear that you have had such a distressing incident.. Is he usually quite prey driven and is he ever off lead? I don't trust flexi leads as I have seen so many break, so with the right tools would this incident have been preventable (I.E if he hadn't have broken out of his lead is he usually well trained/manageable?)

I can certainly help with a trainer I have worked in rescue all over Devon - which area are you in?

Hi Rachel, we are mid Devon, he's never been prey driven before, no sign of it at all. He's very strong, not the best trained, but is such a loving dog so was totally unexpected and out of character. If I'm honest I can't walk him because he is so strong and pulls, he is not off lead as his recall is non exsistant outside.
I see you trained in dog behaviour, if he has gone for an animal is it more likely he would go for a child? I've had people saying to me that oh, that's it, now he's tasted blood he won't be the same?
We really love him, and really want help, hence why we have joined this forumfor much needed advice. I really hope people won't judge us, we just want to do the right thing.

Welcome from me and Misty. I completely agree with what Ian said just because he has had this incident with a foal does not mean he will be human aggressive. Staffies are called the Nanny dog and the Kennel Club recommend them as a family dog.

No one here will judge you on this incident so don't worry about that. I also want to commend you for contacting the farmer. A lot of dog owners would have taken their dog and left without checking with the farmer. You are a responsible owner and its nice to have you on the forum.

I will also say that Im sure if he wanted to your Staffie could have easily killed this foal. The fact he didn't (and Im sure others will correct me if Im wrong) could point to the fact he was being inquisitive and just wanted to get hold of the animal but didn't want to actually hurt him.

I definitely think training will help - Mistys recall is not 100% so when we are in a park then we have her on a long line so I always have control of her.

Good luck with the training

You absolutely will not be judged on the forum, you sound like a responsible and thoughtful owner and I'm so glad that you sought help rather than Rehome/PTS. Current studies do not show a correlation between aggression to other animals and aggression to humans, so don't listen to myths and hear say.

It does sound like there are a few underlying issues - if you are unable to walk him, who tends to give him his daily walks? Is there any structure to his walks and is he around livestock regularly? Having a think for a suitable, bull breed experienced trainer for you!

I have an idea of how u must feel because I had 3 young children when I got Daisy and it used to make me question her safety around my kids all the time when I read things such as this.

I know that agression to animals and humans are completely unrelated but I know how this makes you feel uneasy. For peace of mind always make sure you keep the dog and kids seperate (which I am sure you already do) when you are out of the room, until you feel you can trust him again.

Hi from me & Katy, what a worrying incident for you You sound like a very responsible owner. I'm sure Rachel will be able to come up with some trainers for you

I wonder if this out of character response was due to the foal's movement. Foals from a very young age will frolic about and might well have been very exciting and drawn a response that's out of character.

I completely agree with Rachel about flexi leads. They're not ideal for many reasons, especially with bigger dogs. So the first step is to get a long training line, not too long as you'll get in a tangle, so 5m max. You can get them on ebay, this sort of thing: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/K9-SOFT-CUSHION-WEBBING-TRAINING-TRACKING-LUNGE-LONG-LINE-13-COLOURS-2-WIDTHS-/262225706542?var=&hash=item3d0ddebe2e:m:myc1Dk8CfL-2ebW_RhjVbng

Training is a must. Further down the line when relaxed walking on lead is possible, training to keep that relaxation near livestock might be an idea. In the immediate, though, it'll provide stimulation and exercise that will mean he's less likely to want to run off.

Hopefully, Rachel will be back soon with some ideas of trainers for you. Well done for looking at your options and not jumping to the worst conclusions.

Hi and welcome to the forum from me and the zoo xx

Congratulations on your rescue! I'm so sorry you've had such an unnerving incident. Well done on how you deal with the situation and especially contacting the farmer which, as has already been said, most people would not have bothered. You're obviously very responsible and very much welcome on our forum!

I wouldn't listen to those people saying "now he's tasted blood he won't be the same". Comments like this really wind me up. People are too quick to come to conclusions based on what they've heard. Staffies are extremely loving and loyal and adore kids. I wouldn't worry about him around your children but just keep an eye on his mannerisms.

Definitely seek training - Rach will be able to help with that

Once again, welcome to the forum - lovely to have you here xxxxx

as already said, I think you need some help in training and getting him to listen to you, i'm sure Rachel will help you there!

Maid23 wrote: I've had people saying to me that oh, that's it, now he's tasted blood he won't be the same?

put this right out of your head - just because a dog tastes blood doesn't mean he's going to change his character - look at all the wonderfully friendly, raw fed dogs around! they eat raw meat & crunch bones every day, but their character is still sweet, gentle and friendly.

if you need any support, even just a shoulder to cry on or an ear to rant into, just come on here - we'll understand!

Hiya from me and Vinnie, sorry you had to encounter this but as Ian said we all have had that one incident that cant be helped,,,, yes flexi leads are a nightmare I use a figure of 8 lead for Vin which is extremely helpful on the pulling,,,,, but as others have mentioned a long training lead is best until you are confident enough of a solid recall. You must also not be listening to opinions of others concerning your children ,,,, the staffy is renowned for their gentleness with humans and children especially,,,, stick with some professional training advice along with confidence building good luck and do keep us informed we are all here to help not to judge xx

I would just like to say a huge thank you to everyone for their advice, kindness and understanding. I am going to be looking hard for someone to help us get the training right, as first time dog owners I think we ourselves need to be trained on how to train if that makes sense.

You are welcome its all about consistency also routine dogs do good at a regular daily routine. They will try to push boundries and not just as pups Vinnie still tries at times although nearly 5,,,, but with all this comes a great family dog whom you will have many good times with xx

Hi from Una and me - sorry I'm late You're doing so many things right by Dexter, contacting the farmer, looking at all your options and seeking out additional training.

I know i can't help but just thinking about you