Update on Chase the "OTT" pup

Took Chase to the vets today in hope they could help us get his details sorted (previous owners have cut all ties with us and won't give us his chip info)
He's happy and healthy and not in need of anything apart from his walnuts removing. The vet said that will eliminate most of his jumpy-humpy and nervous dominance that he has no need for and he should be a lot calmer and easier to teach and not so frustrated!
I'm hoping this will mean he can mix with the children and be the family dog and not shut behind the stair gate in the hallway.
Very happy it's not anything psychological, just hoping his behaviour isn't ingrained into him now.
His chip info says he was born in December 2016 making him eight months old but the vet thinks he's probably more like between a year and two years old!

I've been reading up on house line training and wondered if anybody had tried it? Thinking that will be the only option for him to not knock the kids flying but he does like to play with his lead until you walk out the door with him so this might not work.

We're still in two minds about keeping him but he's happy here with us for the time being and we're still working on his behaviour and training.
Also we've changed his food to Dr. John's. It might not be the best but it's far better than what he was on!

When you mean house line training do you mean using a training line to restrict the extent of movement? In which case I have used it and think it can be a great tool used correctly. I wouldn't want a dog tied all the time but as a means of limiting movement in certain situations it's very useful.

We used to have a human aggressive dog (my darling Bobbert) who made progress to the point of us being able to have him in the same room as other people. The training line meant that he could be there without anyone scared that he'd launch himself across the room.

I also think it needs to be part of a training programme, so while the dog is on the line you are actively teaching him how to behave as desired, usually relaxing. You might, for example, want to have Chase on a line with a yummy chewy something (a raw bone for example), while the kids are around. Chewing is a very relaxing activity for a dog. Even though you're not actively training him, you will be putting him in a situation for passive learning.

Neutering may help but there's no guarantee. If the vet thinks he's that old, then it's probably the right thing to do anyway.

I do hope you can get the chip sorted out. That's needlessly obstructive, isn't it?

On the line he wouldn't be tied to anything, it'll just be there to keep him in check and can take him out of a situation using the line instead of running up to him and making him more excited about the situation.
Obviously he wouldn't be on the line of nobody is around him. We don't want an injured doggy!

I've tried to the point of tears to get his chip sorted out. Our last option is to phone the company he's registered with and hope they can change the names for us. A lot of things about poor Chase and exactly what he's been through is very suspicious but I won't go into that now.

Oh and if things couldn't get worse he's now started hug-humping me from behind and nipping my elbows. The only way I can get him off me is to push him off but then that starts the whole push me game and he's relentless at it until I can get a hold of his collar and try to calm him.
I feel so sorry for the poor guy, it's not his fault. I'm doing the best I can for him.

Oh dear, poor Chase. Sadly the 'not as described' fob off on someone else story isn't uncommon. It's so unfair on the dog and on the new owner

The use of the line sounds great. Fingers crossed it helps.

Instead of the 'push off' game, try using a 'sit' or something, or redicting his energy to a tuggy toy (you need a good 'leave it' with that). If you can develop eyes in the back of your head a bit, so a feel for when he's coming, redirect him before he gets started so that he doesn't get a chance for excitement to build. If that doesn't work, then taking the collar is probably your best bet.

It sounds very much as if he's been starved of attention and now realises he's getting that and love and all good things from you. Staffies are very human focussed dogs and are, sadly, prone to this type of behaviour when they have not had good homes. Generally speaking, they do calm down relatively quickly with time, some training, lots of love and possibly a quick snip.

One thing you can think of doing is using his need for your attention to your benefit. Start making him work for it, not in a hard way but he has to do something for you, be it sit, a party trick like give a paw, high fives which is an extension of that, leaving something you ask, fetching something, sitting on a mat, anything you can think of that doesn't involve jumping up or humping. Then he gets big cuddles. Using what a dog wants most in the whole wide world is a very strong reward.

To be honest, I'm getting more hopeful that this will work out. I was a bit dubious but your head sounds well screwed on and you're clearly putting a lot of time and thought into this.

Chase only knows sit and paw and only when he wants to do it regardless of whether we give him the command or not!
This afternoon I've been reduced to tears yet again. I'm so stressed by this situation and I'm not sure I'm able to juggle Chase and my children and give them all the attention they all deserve from me.
I do understand it's not gonna be an overnight miracle and we're gonna wake up to a well behaved dog but I need to put my children and family first and I feel like I'm neglecting my children cos Chase needs 100% attention.

Sorting his chip is proving to be a lot of trouble still. It can take upto a month for his details to change to ours cos the previous owners won't give up the passcode number. Plus we'll have to pay to completely re register the chip again if identibase can't get hold of the previous owners.
I'm feeling so sad right now. It's all a big mess and I feel this poor pup deserves better than this!

I don't know where to go from here now. Even if we decide to give him a new home we won't be able to until he's legally ours.
I just can't see the light :-(

Please take a deep breath! You are doing fantastically well!!! He sounds amazing and I know things are difficult but they will get better. Give yourself credit for how far you have come. Take things one day at a time and try not to let things get on top of you.

Have you thought about a training class? Depending on where you are based hopefully someone in here could recommend a good one.

I'm sorry.

We were in touch with a behaviourist and still waiting to hear from them.

I'm in Somerset UK. There aren't classes any here around us that I'm aware of.

I just want to do what's right for him but there's so much he needs and all at once!

Don't say sorry! You have nothing to be sorry for.

Ok I've had a look at the Apdt website of dog trainers. My trainer is registered there, they are force free positive trainers and I would recommend anyone you work with having been qualified by them. You're in luck, they have a lot based in Somerset so hopefully you can speak to one to see if they do any adult classes or one to one lessons.

Please try not to let everything over whelm you, it's a lot easier said than done I know! You are doing brilliantly.

Try this website.

Www.apdt.co.uk

Then click search for a trainer button.

Re the chip/ownership, remember that a microchip is not the be all and end all. It is simply who the dog is registered to and doesn't necessarily determine ownership.

Do you have any sort of 'audit trail', so correspondence such as emails, texts, FB messages, advert, etc, to demonstrate that this person sought to rehome Chase and agreed to transfer ownership to you? If so, keep it all, every last bit. Also, did you pay anything and if so, is there any proof of that, either actual money trail such as paypal, or that a figure was agreed between you, and better still that they received and accepted it. If they try to change their minds, you may then have a good case to prove that the entered an agreement that you should reasonably expect them to honour.

The chip then becomes more incidental.

I hope the behaviourist gets in touch soon and failing that that Emma's suggestion works out.

This might be the most stupid thing anyone's said to you for a long time but try not to stress and try to relax. The more tense you are, the more tense Chase will be. I'm not sure if that will make you laugh or cry. The former I hope!

There is an apdt in the next village to us!

Yes, I have all messages saved that I've exchanged with the previous owners and have screen shot and sent them to my fiance just in case they somehow get deleted.

My fiance just took our little one year old out his high chair to bring him into the front room and Chase was jumping and trying to bite his feet! Not sure if this is him being jealous or just naughty but I don't like it one bit! He needs some serious training that we can't give him sadly.

I know dogs can pick up on emotions, my old dog always knew when I was down and wouldn't leave my side until I felt better.
I am very anxious around Chase but only for my children's sake.

Dogs jumping up at others being lifted - children or other dogs - is a very common behaviour. It can be because they perceive something as being elevated above them, it can be because something out of reach is fun. Either way it's not great with babies.

I actually had this with Chaos when we first got him, he got seriously upset if someone picked up a little dog (i.e. my dad and his Yorkie). It took very little time to retrain. I started with a squishy toy that he wanted, lifting it only slightly off the ground to start off with, asking him to sit and rewarding him by giving him the toy for not moving. Gradually I increased the height of the toy and, separately, the speed of the lift. Each time, he only ever got the toy for remaining sitting.

I then moved onto a dog and the same thing, but giving him a treat not the dog of course, and with the basic toy training he immediately understood.

So don't panic, it's not unusual and is fairly easily fixed. Especially if you've got and apdt member so close.

And great you've got all the saved messages. Hopefully that means you can relax more about the chip.