Staffy Pup very bitey

Hi,

Hope I've posted this right, I had a bit of trouble manoeuvering the website!

I need some help/advise regarding our lovely staffy Rosie who is 16 weeks old. At the earlier stages Rosie was very bitey with us around the house but after much persistence things have calmed down and some peace is being restored in our home

The problem we are having is her behaviour around other dogs, we are really trying to get her socialising with other dogs but she is immediately open mouthed teeth out hanging from the other dogs cheek, and there is some growling mixed in with the biting. I'll give some examples - today we had Rosie out on a walk and we met a 9 month old female Pitbull. We got chatting to the owner but in the end I couldn't let her play with the pitbull as Rosie was being extremely nippy and growling at this lovely pitbull who really just wanted to play. The pitbull owner even ushered rosie to stop when he seen how rough she was being.

Yesterday we had Rosie out with our friends american bully, who is female. Now this bully weighs 5 times the size of Rosie but again same thing Rosie was straight in with her teeth and the other dog just didn't want to play with her.

Same thing the other day we had Rosie with our friends staffy puppy who is a male and only a few days younger than her, but again she was being too rough, my friend was even telling her to stop as he nervously observed Rosie hanging from his puppy's cheek and his puppy backing off. I have so many other examples but hopefully I've given enough

I really want her to be good with other dogs as we have so many friends and family with dogs. I myself grew up with 2 staffies who are now 11 & 13, the younger one was never good with other dogs but the older one not a bother.

Any advise on how we should handle her when she meets another dog?

Thanks!!

I think the problem at the moment is that she is now teething & her gums will be driving her mad!

Growling is normal in a dog's play & so is biting - puppies in particular do hang off other dogs' cheeks, necks etc with their teeth! Usually, if the other dog doesn't like it, they growl/snap & move away.

How do you introduce her to other dogs?

What age was she when you got her?

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Hi from me & Katy Welcome to our forum. How big was the litter she came from & how old was she when you got her? She's not being aggressive but needs to learn doggie etiquette! To be honest the best way for her to learn is to be told off by the dogs that she's annoying & biting. I would keep her on lead when introducing her to other dogs & keep the arousal level right down. If she starts getting overexcited take her away from the situation to calm her down.
Would love to see pics of her https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t68009-new-how-to-post-photos-on-the-forum

gillybrent wrote:

How do you introduce her to other dogs?

What age was she when you got her?

Thanks for your reply Gilly, I replied earlier but I didn't hit send.

When introducing her to other dogs I always have her on the lead. I try keep things calm and make her sit and look at me before letting her play. I do the same when she meets new people. Do you think this is the right approach to take? Granted I could refine this further.

We got her at 10 weeks so she spent 1-2 weeks 1 on 1 with her Mam, and I watched her Mam put her in her place when playing too rough!

Jenc wrote:Hi from me & Katy  Welcome to our forum. How big was the litter she came from & how old was she when you got her? She's not being aggressive but needs to learn doggie etiquette! To be honest the best way for her to learn is to be told off by the dogs that she's annoying & biting. I would keep her on lead when introducing her to other dogs & keep the arousal level right down. If she starts getting overexcited take her away from the situation to calm her down.
Would love to see pics of her https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t68009-new-how-to-post-photos-on-the-forum

Hi Jen and hi to Katy too
Rosie came from a litter of 5 and she was 10 weeks when we got her. Can the size of the litter influence their behaviour?
I'm going to refine my approach when she meets other dogs!
She is a really beautiful but my god is she boisterous and determined
As I mentioned we have 2 staffies in my parents house and I was worried about them reacting to her at the start but sure it was her trying to bully them, not the other way around

Will update a photo later on this evening

Ruthmcc90 wrote:

gillybrent wrote:

How do you introduce her to other dogs?

What age was she when you got her?

Thanks for your reply Gilly, I replied earlier but I didn't hit send.

When introducing her to other dogs I always have her on the lead. I try keep things calm and make her sit and look at me before letting her play. I do the same when she meets new people. Do you think this is the right approach to take? Granted I could refine this further.

We got her at 10 weeks so she spent 1-2 weeks 1 on 1 with her Mam, and I watched her Mam put her in her place when playing too rough!

I think she's just getting over excited, to be honest - is she a bit hyper indoors, or is it just with other dogs?

I think your parents staffies may well put her in her place so maybe a little time spent with them will really help! They learn best from their own kind, Katy met her Fur cousin when she was young (cousin was a Westie) one growl from her & Katy cowered! Even when she turned 11yrs Katy would lay below her & not argue. Funny to watch tbh 8kgs scaring 30kgs!

Hello and welcome.

Very good advice already given.
If it can reassure you at all, you sound like you’re describing my Opium when she was a puppy. However Opium would only do this with Nifty, never with other dogs.

I did find that when Opium was a pup with that “puppy smell”, Nifty would grin and bear it but as she got older, Nifty would start telling her off.

Definitely look to keep her as calm as possible and break up the play if it gets too boisterous. I particularly prevent all pulling of ears, that’s a big No for me.

Are you able to get to puppy classes for socializing ? (Might be difficult with covid). That’s where I noticed Opium is actually a worrier outside of her family bubble but introducing her to other dogs with very loose lead, or even off lead helped to build her confidence. You might find your family’s staffies will help educate her and remind her of canine codes.