Urgent help needed

Hello everyone, I,m sorry I haven't introduced myself but I really need some advice. I have two staffies,a dog and bitch. Both are 4 year olds and have never caused any problems other than the usual chewing everything possible. But today my dog (Kaizer) attacked another dog while both were on the lead,this has left me shocked and shaking. It really came out of nowhere,as the other dog walked passed it pulled towards my dog (not in any aggressive way) and my dog just grabbed it around the mouth,it took me a minute or so to get him off and luckily the damage seemed minimal ( it seemed he only got hold by the tips of his teeth,but I still struggled to get him off) there were a few puncture marks around the other dogs mouth but nothing bad. I have never had to deal with anything like this before and would really appreciate any help or advice. Do I use a muzzle from now on? Why has he done this out of the blue?
Thank you in advance

Hi & welcome to the forum  

Welcome to the Staffordshire bull terrier niceboard. We are pleased you've decided to join us, and hope you enjoy your stay. We hope to see plenty of pictures of your Staffordshire bull terriers or any other breed you may have in your household.

We have several information sheets for those of you looking for help with specific issues. You will find them here:

Training and behaviour information

Puppy information

If you can't find an answer to your question, just ask! You'll probably find someone on here has come across your problem too.

This forum is run by the members for the benefit of the users. It's your forum - get involved.

Just one last thing before you look around could you please just have a quick look At This Poll, we would love to know how you found us.

Here are some links that will get you started with the website:-

Please read the Forum Rules before you start posting.
Here are a List of Tutorial & FAQs that will help you around the forum.
You can ask for Help here if you are having trouble doing something on the forum.
How to update your Profile information
See who the Admin, Moderators & Support staff are Here

Hello and welcome from us

Not experienced enough to offer any advice, I’m afraid, but I’m sure someone will be online soon who could help you.
When you say both were on leads, I presume you’re referring to your 2 dogs. Does this mean that the other dog that was attacked by yours wasn’t on a lead ? Also are your dogs neutered/spayed ?

Hi, all dogs were on leads. The other dog pulled towards mine as we walked past that is when Kaizer attacked it. He has not been neutered my other dog Emily has been spayed.
Thanks for your reply.

The first thing I'd say with any sudden change of behaviour is to keep an eye on generally and if you see other changes, pop him down to the vet. Discomfort is a common cause of behaviour changes.

What is Kaizer like with other dogs normally, is he interested, wary, not fussed one way or the other? Does he wag his tail or not even look at them? Has this changed at all over the last months?

Sadly, I think you do need to make appropriate changes until you can get to the bottom of this (if, indeed, you can). Muzzle training is one option - please do take the time to train to make sure he's happy with it. This is a lovely video if you've not muzzle trained before, and the Baskerville Ultra muzzle is a good one for staffies.

You might, though, be able to adjust your walks to maintain more distance from other dogs. Remember that you can always change the direction you take, even turning back on yourself to avoid a meeting. This can be really helpful in avoiding head on meetings, which dogs can find quite confrontational.

Combined with this, I'd make sure you have a good 'watch me' in place (https://positively.com/dog-behavior/basic-cues/watch-me/) and I'd also teach 'this way!!!', which is a fun game call to change direction to come and play. It's very helpful for taking a dog away from you want to avoid (another dog), in a way that he'll do happily and without you needing to pull. Pulling is more often than not counter productive, the natural instinct of many animals is simply to pull against the pull.

Don't ever hesitate to ask other owners to give you space. Ask nicely but clearly, I say 'he's not always great with other dogs' rather than 'he's likely to snap', it makes people less worried. With off lead dogs running up I'm sometimes less polite and have been known to simply yell 'call your!' (Chaos still isn't happy with unfamiliar dogs coming into his space).

Above all, avoid being tense when you see other dogs. By doing the above you should have the confidence that there won't be a problem so keep relaxed. Tension in you and especially tension on the lead will transmit to your dogs and may well make matters worse.

I hope that helps and I also hope this was a one off.

Great advice from Liz.

Please do stick around & let us know how you get on.

Thank you so much for your help.
Kaizer has always been OK with other dogs although a little bit stand offish. I have always kept both my dogs close by when on walks, Emily is a rescue dog I got when she was 12-18 months old (exact age was unknown) she had pups with Kaizer when she was around two years old. Since having pups she has shown some aggression to other dogs but never actually attacked another dog. This incident happened in a matter of seconds I was completely taken aback and shocked.
I am never tense when I am out with my dogs although that is likely to change since this incident. I think I am going to opt for a muzzle but before I do what are your thoughts on this? I can't see Kaizer being very cooperative with wearing one. Also would you recommend a traditional lead or a harness? ( I have them on harnesses at the moment). I have had dogs all my life but have never had to deal with this sort of thing so your words are really helpful.

I think a muzzle's a good idea for you. It'll give you peace of mind and so help to minimize any tension you might otherwise feel. I forgot to give you the training link before

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BjPpXer8IE

You need to train before using the muzzle, so that might mean changing your walking habits for a short while until Kaizer's happy with it. Dogs build up negative associations very quickly, which can sometimes be hard to break, so it's always better to avoid that if you can.

This is the muzzle I'd recommend

https://www.amazon.co.uk/BASKERVILLE-Ultra-Muzzle-Size-5/dp/B00596TFVA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515135937&sr=8-1&keywords=baskerville%2Bultra%2Bmuzzle&th=1

They're slightly shorter and wider than the old style, which fits a staffie nose well. They've also got space at the front to post treats through

The main downside to a muzzle, other than the training, is the look. They don't look very nice and people will automatically view your dog differently. However, the upside is that other dog owners are then more likely to give you space and heed your 'it's best not to get too close' request.

'stand offiish', or maybe not really 100% happy. It's possible that already being at that point didn't take much - an odd look from a dog he wasn't keen on - to tip him over the edge. That's just a guess, but a plausible one.

Harness vs collar - harness every time. If your dog does pull, it's kinder to take a pull on the back than the throat and, regardless of what the anti-harness brigade says, harnesses don't teach a dog to pull. However, I would also think about Kaizer wearing a collar as well. One of the ways you can get a dog off another is to hold the collar from behind (your hands being safer there) and twist. Effectively, you end up making them gasp for breath and so let go. Yes, that sounds and is a bit horrid but it's on of those things you'd only ever do in an emergency, and in an emergency the rules do change.

Please know that we're very much here to support you. I completely understand the shock of seeing your dog behave in such a way and it's not easy to get your head round to start off with.

Gus is walked on a harnes but also has a collar on just in case we need to grab and twist it like liz mentioned.

Thanks again, I will watch the video. I always have their collars on as well as the harness. The only thing I can think that might have caused him to behave this way is that the other dog was very boisterous as it pulled towards him,although it didn't seem in any way aggressive maybe Kaizer was caught off guard? I am worried that now he has reacted this way it may become the norm for him.

Dogs don't generally react badly to a one-off incident unless they were frightened, hurt or both.

Don't 'expect' him to go again as he'll pick up on your worry. Easier said than done, though!

What sort of harness do you use? One with a 'handle' on the back is useful!

Just a standard harness,no handle on back. Hopefully it will be a one off.

Great advice already given, Katy is a reactive dog so we do a lot of the techniques Liz has suggested. Lots of 'this way' goes on. I have her in a Unho harness & have changed the Velcro tags on her side to show others she is a nervous dog & needs space. I must say it doesn't always work & we end up with a loose dog in her face
!!
Sorry it's not round the right way, my laptop is throwing serious hissy fits lately

Does he do it on his own on walks, or only when with your female dog?
Did the other dog pull towards him or your other dog?
Is there a particular reason for the harness being used?
Does he walk next to you, on the outside, or slightly ahead of you most of the time?
When was your female dog last in heat?
There could be any number of reasons for his behaviour.
Could you by any chance film yourself walking with them the way you normally do? There might be a giveaway there as to why he did what he did. Did you ask the other owner what made his/her dog pull your way? How did you yourself feel just before you passed them? Calm, confident, or maybe a little tense?

I think Emily has been spayed, so I doubt it was anything to do with her being in season.

Sometimes dogs will take offense at a strange dog lunging at them, even if that dog is friendly. Really, it's every owner's responsibility to ensure that introductions to strange dogs is done properly. In this instance it wasn't & Kaiser reacted. Unpleasant, but to be honest it's understandable.

But obviously nobody wants it to happen again. It's possible that a 'Give Me Space' vest might be useful?

https://neondog.co.uk/gb/dog-coats/202-space-needed-fluorescent-neon-yellow-dog-coat-jacket.html#/3-size-size_3

Vest is a nice idea but might not be compatible with kaiser’s harness ?

Nifty staffy wrote:Vest is a nice idea but might not be compatible with kaiser’s harness ?

They're very thin & lightweight, so can go on under the harness - you should still be able to see most of the writing on it; enough to make sense, anyway.

Hank lunges at other dogs so now we just pull him closer to us so he cant, and I ask ahead if their dog is okay without dogs etc, if they actually acknowledge me I let him say hello them walk on... he isn't being aggressive when he's done it and still has his tail wagging and smiling his little head off but the look people give me when he's done it without me seeing them.. some people are stupid and think nothing will happen to their dog because they are friendly but no one knows what the other dog is going to be like with them.

If it turns out, kaizer was teaching manners to the other boisterous dog the staffy way - direct without ambiguity.

Paris1990 wrote:Hank lunges at other dogs so now we just pull him closer to us so he cant  

Try to work on having him with you on a loose lead, the fact of you pulling him can cause him to pull away more. Use 'watch me' step back to draw him to you.