Newbie needing guidance....

Asking for help/opinions: I recently took ownership of a (thought to be) 9 month old Staffie, named Smokey, he is now thought to be roughly a year and a half. He was kept caged except for bathroom breaks to be kept away from an aggressive bully pit "brother" dog. the previous owner saw that he was a very friendly dog and thought it unfair to keep him caged and gave him to our family (2 teens, 2 adults) He has never shown aggression/agitation unless another dog attacked him, usually for invading territory. Smokey shows obvious fear of the cage, so i threw it out. He also looks like he is walking the "green mile" and requires ALOT of coaxing to go outside. He is extremely affectionate towards EVERYONE! Only barks when squirrels are in sight or other dogs pass by, and even then its like he wants to go play. He listens to me and seems to see me as his pack leader, I have been able to teach him to sit and lay, although it is very difficult when there are new people in the house and he likes to jump on them coming through the door. It takes quite a bit of effort to get him to stop this behavior and will not listen to commands in this distracted mode. It has been very difficult to train him as EVERYTHING including family members are a distraction. There are times when he has accidents in the house, usually right after being brought in from outside for 20 min or so. looks right at us, while doing his business, if i clap loudly and begin to take him outside, he leaves a trail instead of stopping. The accidents are fewer in number, but still there about 1ce a week now. does not show signs of anxiety when he is left alone (no barking, whining, jumping to look out the window etc) seems to be just chilling on the couch (which he refuses to listen that it is a no no. If he sees a way out of the yard, he makes a run for it, often running into a crowd of kids, other dogs, wanting their attention, but they of coarse are terrified of the pit bull coming at the speed of light right for them, lol, He IS fairly easy to retrieve when he takes off...I took him for pet training lessons through PetCo, but they asked that I have him neutered and brought back when a bit calmer...or take 1 on 1 classes. Tips on training/ thoughts for behaviors? He is amazing with the family and does not display aggression EVER. My ultimate goal would be to have him trained well enough that I trust him in any situation unleashed and he follow command. But good Lord I need to get to a point where he can do that in the house!

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Hi ya, welcome to the forum from Flo and me

It sounds as though you need to do two/three things to start with. First off, toilet training (often the cause of anxiety) take him outside regularly and wait till he does what he needs to do, if he pees when straight back in the house keep him outside for a touch longer and then praise, praise, praise and treat. They learn very quickly.

Second, bonding. Plenty of love and affection from everyone so that he feels included and part of the family, from what you say it sounds like he didn't get a lot of attention and love, just caged.

Third, ensure everyone follows whatever rules you make, this includes visitors. When someone enters the house he wants to jump up, you all need to ignore this and even turn your back. When he has all 4 paws on the floor praise, praise, praise and treat.

You'll here another well use phrase on this forum which is "whenever training set up hem up to succeed and reward" negative training practices very rarely have the desired effect.

I'm sure others will offer good advice when they see your post and I have to say, Smokey looks fab

thanks!!! I will try your suggestions.. Smokey gets plenty of attention and love around here! We all agreed to give him extra special attention because we understood where he came from was not so loving. He is extremely affectionate and loving. We do praise him for doing his business outside when we see it, although there are plenty of times when we hook him up to an outside lead and let him have control of the back yard and he has made friends with the doggy next door and enjoys running up and down the fence line with him, lol. When taking him for supervised potty breaks, we do not bring him in until he goes. I recently scrubbed my entire living room with baking soda and vinegar and borax paste to avoid him smelling his own spots and having repeat offenses, so far so good, but we are only 4 days in, keeping fingers crossed tho.
I appreciate all your feedback and look forward to the wealth of knowledge from this site! Thanks!

Ah sounds like you're on the right tracks already with the toilet stuff and affection, well lets be honest who doesn't love the affection Staffies give.

4 days really isn't long for him to feel completely at home but by the sounds of it, it really won't take too long.

Hi from Tess and myself,and keep up the good work,it sounds like he has the right temperment but may take time and patience.

Hi from me and mine!

Well done for taking Smokey into your home, sounds like he needed a safe place.

4 days is very early, especially given his history. He's craving love and attention, and hasn't been set any boundaries. Plus all this stuff is so new to him, his life in a cage so far has been very limited and he's probably suffering from sensory overload. It will get better.

As Ian says, lots of praise for even trying to get it right and ignore him completely if he bounces. It can be hard to ignore a bouncing staffie so you might need to walk out of the room, count to three, come back and try again.

What can be harder than training your dog is training your visitors. If you have someone who doesn't get the idea of completely ignoring, you might want to pop Smokey on a harness and lead so you can keep a little distance till he's settled down. Don't use a collar and don't make it too hard for him by having your visitor close, just get them to sit one side of the room/garden, while you're the other till Smokey settles down.

I wouldn't let him have access to the front door for now - that's a big flash point for a lot of dogs and it's a confined/defined space. I would pop him in another room when visitors come in. If you can work with your partner or someone, the other thing you might want to do is have one person staying with him and ask him to 'watch me' for at treat (hold the treat to your face with the command), and ask him to sit. That should help bring his focus back to you and give him something to do with his body. You'd need to teach these first when he's relaxed before you do it when he's excited.

The other thing is to secure your yard. I'm not sure what your area is like but most places here if you had a bull breed dog loose running towards children you'd be in serious trouble. Plus of course you'd be responsible for any accident caused.

Fingers crossed, it won't take too long and the worst will be behind you.

Your dog sounds a bit how my mia was when i rescued her. I got my visitors to completely ignore mia and turn their back on her and only when they sat down i gave them a treat to give her even then she had to sit and give paws. It would be good to have a routine as thats important for him and yourself may be an idea you keep him on a lead till your yards secured. When he does the toilet in the house ignore it don't reprimand him that is key victoria stillwell and patricia mcconnell are good trainers and have a wealth of information. Training just takes time and patience you will get there

Can't add to advice you have been given. Welcome to the forum. Smokey looks beautiful, it's very early days. Just keep us being loving, consistent & patient

Welcome to the forum!

sounds like Smokey will be a great addition to your family, he sounds gorgeous.

the only thing I would add is that i wouldn't neuter him yet. He has enough to worry about with a new home, new experiences etc, without scary vets/anaesthetic/surgery.

if you do want him neutered, give him some time to settle in. despite what the trainers said, it's VERY possible to train an intact dog!

hia from me and Sasha