My staffs behaver growling issues please help

Hello im new to this form I have my staffy just under 2 years he is a male and his name is blue. He is the most soft loyal dog and hes brilliant with my 6 year old son. The problem im facing at the moment is he is very timid now hes been timid since I got him and pees with excitement like all the time lol this is ok its nothing I can't cope with buh 2 weeks ago I left him for a week my partner and child was here to look after him and my mother. When I came back he started to growl ........ It's happened a few times now it's only me... first it was when I came back he was really excited he started this growling now bare in mind I have a cage for him in my house will a loudly bed lol I think this to some people think it's cruel but it is only used at bedtime and when im out because he eats everything in site when we went there its like party time for him lol well I just thought well hes just huffying so I didn't think anything of it then he done it again at bed time he went into this cage and I called him to come out he just sat there starring so I sat down beside his cage and called him to come out he done the same just starred again and shaking like he was scared hes never done this before only since I came back he even growled at my while I was in the bath for no reason after I was petting him ....so one morning i got up siad goodmoring as I always do and opened his cage he just sat there shakes and starred and again when I went near him he growls now I don't think it's aggressively as his lips don't rise and his furr doesn't rise ether and then this morning I was going to work and let him my front for air and called him and petted him again and same thing .... other than this he great he plays normal and mostly a happy dog its just seems to be bedtime and morning times he does this shake and his bees down and then the growl start all this while im petting and talking calmly to him to reahure him hes ok and he pees too evrytime. Does anyone here know what i can do or what can be wrong with him ?? MY mother was thinking it could be him coming into adulthood and he might need nuterd ???

Hi and welcome

I'm very new to staffys and canines in general but I remember when I went to fetch my pup, she made a sort of growling noise but breeder told me it was a contentment noise.
Maybe yours is so happy to see you after your absence that it's what he's trying to communicate ?

A more experienced person will be by shortly

Hi and welcome from me and misty. To me it sounds as though something has happened while you have been away. Have your mother or other half said anything happened while you weren't there? The shaking does sound like he is very scared. I'd do as you are doing and keep being very calm around him. Hopefully some of the others can comment soon.

Hi & welcome to the forum.

i would also think something has happened to frighten him. It could be something really silly in our eyes, but a huge thing for him. Could it be that he was 'forced' into his crate when he didn't want to go? Or maybe he's been teased (inadvertantly) when he was in his crate?

I wouldn't think of neutering him yet. Neutering a nervous dog can leave him nervous for life!

Liz is the one to advise on behaviour, though, and I'm sure she'll see this soon!

It doesn't sound as though its aggression at all so wondering if it's just a throaty noise he's making, maybe take a vid and post it here for us to see.

Suggestions of him being scared by something sounds a possibility but odd that it's only with you. I'm wondering if he's got it in his mind that you'll leave him again in which case give him plenty of attention and cuddles.

As mentioned above, Liz might have a better idea.

Welcome to the forum by the way

getting him done is a good idea ..if your not going to show him etc...with out actually seeing how he reacts to his cage...does he see that as some sort of punishment..?..he could also just be trying it on..showing alpha dominance perhaps..?...what he like on walks with other dogs..?..how does he react..?...as for the chewing..its down to you to show him what to chew and what not to..when he chews on something he's allowed encourage it..when he does bad tell him off...but don't use the cage as punishment... stagbars are excellent dog chews...they don't smell or go slimy and 100% natural...and last for ages.

Sorry, I missed this!

My gut reaction is that there is possibly more going on here that we can really understand without being there and seeing, and I would strongly advise you to seek the help of a professional behaviourist/behaviour trainer. I would not dismiss the growls simply because he isn't showing teeth. A low growl can be just as much of a warning as a full on snarl.

I'll confess I'm not that happy with how you're describing the use of the crate (cage is a good word). If Blue is being destructive in the house, it's not because it's party time, it's because that's how he copes with a situation he finds stressful (in my opinion) or that he doesn't otherwise know how to cope with. Dogs don't have parties! Destructive behaviour in adult dogs is often a sign of frustration, stress, unhappiness.

One of the common causes of destructive behaviour is separation anxiety. It's more common in less confident dogs and to me you are describing a dog that is lacking in confidence. If this is the case (if, it's only my guess), and Blue needs company, then locking him in a cage overnight and when you are out is, indeed, unfair. Sorry if this sounds harsh but the misuse of crates is a big thing of mine, I don't mind them as long as the door is open and the dog can go in and out as he likes. Forgive me if I've misunderstood, but it sounds like this is not the case here.

I appreciate that you can't have your house chewed to pieces all the time but there are other solutions. They may mean some hard thinking and hard work, but they will lead to a happier dog.

To the growling... my guess is that it's somehow linked to the crate and to you, and that it is meaningful and not just a noise he's making. It may well be that he's perceiving something you're doing as worrying/threatening - it is almost irrelevant how you intend something, it's how the dog perceives it that counts. Whatever the cause, I would absolutely take it seriously. And ignored growl can turn into a bite.

I would ask around, maybe at your vets, to find a positive method only behaviourist who can come to your home, meet you and Blue, and see for themselves what is going on. Two things are important - that they see you both (ideally the whole family) in situ as that is where the problem is, and that they are positive method only. Blue needs his confidence building up and someone who belives in dominance theories or similar old school punishment methods may well make matters worse.

If you can't find a local recommendation, this is a good place to look:

http://www.apbc.org.uk/

It's not a 100% certain guarantee of someone being brilliant but it's a good starting point.