Retaliation

Hi, I have a neutered 11 month old male staffy. He loves playing with other dogs but very recently if a dog shows any type of aggression towards him he has started to retaliate which I can understand in a way as he is only protecting himself in the only way he knows how. How can I nip this in the bud before it gets to an issue with him?
Thanks in advance for any replies ☺

hiya id use a distraction in this case . socialise as much as possible and make all contact with other dogs positive .

Hi, my staffie is the same, she wont tolerate aggression and I believe that there is very little I can do about it. Just protect him and make sure he is not exposed to aggressive dogs and do impulse control exercises so that he doesnt end up looking for a fight himself. If you need help with that let me know and I will give you some games.

My girls lets my other dog get away with murder but if another dog growls she can't be trusted to back off. That said she will happily ignore everyone on walks so it's not too stressful at all.

Come on guys,this is a staffordshire bull terrier we are talking about who were bred and well known for their gameness.Any staff worth their salt will retaliate to aggression from another dog,we don't want that,but who can blame them.It's not in a true staffies nature to turn the other cheek or back away.
By what you have both said,your dogs are not the aggressors so it's not your dogs that need to learn their manners,by what you have said,I would say that you have brought your dogs up correctly.The only thing you can do is try and avoid such situations if possible by keeping your dog on the lead.

This is going against the grain of me sitting on the fence but I totally agree with Kit & CMR, my Flo will react when an aggressor gives unwanted attention or too much attention but she has never bitten. She warns and will tell other dogs off when they are too full on but that's it.

We do also avoid potential flash situations by either walking another route or distracting, this isn't because my Flo can't be trusted but down to me knowing that she won't be comfortable in that situation

Especially with staffies, but many dogs won't tolerate an aggressor. Faced with that, natural reactions are either submission or fight back. If you think about it, no other reaction really makes survival sense. But I agree, staffies generally aren't great with rude/aggressive dogs and it can be hard to train them out of big reactions.

I absolutely agree with using the lead (or long line) as a safety net - for me it's a matter of course that the dogs go on leads when I see another unless we've met before and I know they get on. You can let them off later if all is well but it just gives you the time to assess the situation.

I also agree with the avoidance route. Know your walks the best you can and choose ones that will least expose you to unpredictable (or predictable!) situations. If you see a dog who you feel might cause a reaction, keep as much distance as you can.

One great thing to teach a reactive dog is what I call 'this way!!! ', grin included to make sure it's a happy call. Teach it using toys or a treats, whichever works best, in a completely quiet environment to start off with. Just call 'this way!' with a fun voice and turn quickly, drawing your dog with you for his reward. A tuggy toy is what works for us, Chaos knows that 'this way' means come and play and he loves it. Once they understand it, you can use 'this way' out and about whenever you need.

It works on several levels - it means your dog is interacting with you not the other dog, it takes the face to face confrontation away for both dogs, it increases the distance between you, it gives a positive view of your dog for other owners and shows that you are being responsible. The latter two are really helpful for us staffie owners. And, of course, it gives you something positive to do which is great for confidence.

The other thing to mention is that it is important to keep social interactions going but don't let games get heated. Make sure you can call your dog away from a game (train for this in advance as well). It's better to err on the side of caution, even if you feel you're spoiling their fun, than let it go too far.

GRAHAM.C wrote:Come on guys,this is a staffordshire bull terrier we are talking about who were bred and well known for their gameness.Any staff worth their salt will retaliate to aggression from another dog,we don't want that,but who can blame them.It's not in a true staffies nature to turn the other cheek or back away.
By what you have both said,your dogs are not the aggressors so it's not your dogs that need to learn their manners,by what you have said,I would say that you have brought your dogs up correctly.The only thing you can do is try and avoid such situations if possible by keeping your dog on the lead.

I agree, I love the breed and that's why I didnt waste my time trying to teach her not to be a staffie .  I just did loads of work to make sure she doesnt look for trouble herself and she is perfect.  Even off leash at the sight of other dogs she now comes over to me.  On the other hand, she snores,  farts and steals food but thats for another thread.


All the best,

Calin

He doesn't look for trouble, he loves other dogs and he never starts anything. It is all noise and I do tell him off but don't want it escalating. It has only happened twice and they were with little yappy snappy dogs. When I see little dogs out now I put him on a lead and give him a treat.

I'd try and avoid telling him off. It can build negative associations with other dogs and really he hasn't done anything wrong. Keep everything positive and, as you do, use the lead and treats.

debs0109 wrote: He doesn't look for trouble, he loves other dogs and he never starts anything.  It is all noise and I do tell him off but don't want it escalating. It has only happened twice and they were with little yappy snappy dogs. When I see little dogs out now I put him on a lead and give him a treat.

don't tell him off - he isn't doing anything wrong, just defending himself - but remove him from the point of confrontation & allow him time to calm down. maybe take treats with you to reward & distract?

Nita is the same, she will play with other dogs but if they get too much she will let them know to back off. She has also told other dogs off if they are getting too rough with her walking pals. The people I walk with all agree that when walking with 8-10 other pooches there will be some falling out and we tend to let them sort out their differences. Of course we wouldn't let it get to the point where it turns nasty but in the group I walk with it never has and as we are used to walking the 'pack' we can see when one of them is trying their luck before hand.