Close to having to give him up

Well lately Boss has started to get more and more aggressive/territorial with men, about a few weeks ago he was jumping and snapping at my friends face, at first it was playful then he started a growling more aggressivly and snapping to much. Then my dad came over and he wasnt as aggressive cuz he knew him but was snapping more at his hands and I yelled down and Boss did but then started again so I locked him away. Then today my landlord came in and he was really aggressivly jumping and the more nervous the landlord got the more aggressive he got, when I got him off the land lord he then growled at me, I then got his leash and made a makeshift muzzle which i had to drag him to his bed with and when i took it off he launched at me, I stepped into him and he backed off but I am worried about what he'll do when he doesnt back off. Should I consider giving him up or what?

You should not allow any type of aggressive play with people at all. Once the behaviour begins you should put a stop to it by turning around and ignoring him. As a breed they hate to be ignored and crave human attention.
A dog needs consistency to learn what is acceptable. If you allow any rough play with people it is difficult for the dog to understand when it is not acceptable or how far is too far or who they can play rough with and who they can't. If you consistently stop the behaviour by ignoring him he will learn that this isn't allowed IMHO.

I agree with Jstaff, i would try turning round and ignoring him (as hard as that is) and get any visitors to do the same, if the behaviour continues then remove him to a different room until he calms down. The main thing is to be calm and consistent and he should eventually learn what behaviour is allowed and what isn't.

When my dog gets over excited she jump ups and is mouthy, turning around and ignoring her has made such an improvement in her behaviour. Its a simple technique but you have to be consistent, including visitors, which is most difficult!

I don't or don't allow people to rough house with him because of his past(was a bait dog, and without me knowing my old roommate was very abusive to him, which is why its a old roommate now), he doesn't know what someone trying to hurt him vs. playing with him is so he gets more aggressive. I am going to get a muzzle for when people come just for precaution when then they first come in, for ignoring him or turning your back it doesnt work he just keeps doing it. I love him and want to have him stay, its just going to be a matter of getting him to trust more, hes been threw alot of trauma so its going to be awhile.

PoaBoss wrote:I don't or don't allow people to rough house with him because of his past(was a bait dog, and without me knowing my old roommate was very abusive to him, which is why its a old roommate now), he doesn't know what someone trying to hurt him vs. playing with him is so he gets more aggressive. I am going to get a muzzle for when people come just for precaution when then they first come in, for ignoring him or turning your back it doesnt work he just keeps doing it. I love him and want to have him stay, its just going to be a matter of getting him to trust more, hes been threw alot of trauma so its going to be awhile.

That might take some time but it can be done. Since you didn't mention how often he is out and how much exercise he gets I would recommend 2 walks of 45 minutes at least every day. He also needs mental stimulation so teaching him commands is also important. The breed has alot of energy and it needs to be put into positive activities. If you can try to introduce him to new people after he has exercised and away from his yard and home. He should be calmer at this time and won't have to feel that someone new is coming into his space. You could also try to have new people give him a little treat when he meets them. You might also want to tell people he has some issues and allow the dog to go to the person and make sure that the person does not try to pet him on top of the head becuase a dog can take this as a threat as well.

Hope it works out for you and there will always be someone here to give advice if you need it.

This aggression is based on fear, he has had a troubled past and has learnt that if hes scared he should throw himself in guns-a-blazin and then people might leave him alone. No you shouldnt get rid of him, if you do he will probably be put to sleep or will hurt someone as a move right now will unbalance him even more. If he ends up in a rescue centre they will have him PTS as its rare they keep on a dog aggressive case let alone a human one.

Has he ever actually bitten anyone? You say about snapping and him lunging towards people but I think it is all front. You can't let it escalate to the point he actually does bite someone, i understand how frustrating this must be but you cant get violent or angry back at him as it will just confirm what he thought - humans are scary and unpredictable and you must protect yourself from them. Although other people's ideas about exercise and food will go a great deal towards making him easier to deal with you need to address the route of the problem.

This is going to be difficult to deal with, dogs like this cant be trusted when their owner isn't around. You need to be the go-between, you are his owner and he obviously respects you (probably the only reason he lunged for u when you took the 'muzzle' off is because you got angry with him and also made him feel more vunerable by blocking his mouth.).

Before people come in you need to have a collar and lead on Boss, if possible have someone else let them in. Sit boss in the corner of the room you want to work in (furthest corner away from the door) dont sit behind him as then he will feel vunerable and might interpret this body language as you wanting him to protect you. When they come into the room greet them physically (shake hands to start with) with boss still in his cornerand you on the other end of the lead. If he makes a move to get up and get involved a firm 'NO' and put him back where he was. Any low growls or eye rolling get another firm but quiet 'No', every time he tries to get up put him back in the corner 'Sit' 'stay'! When he gets the message you and the visitor need to sit a little way away from Boss and have a quiet conversation without too much movement.

Boss should get bored pretty quick, but having his own corner with noone interfering with him and realising he isn't involved in what you two are doing, pretty soon he should relax or fall asleep. When he chills out your visitor should quietly stand up to leave (be ready to put boss back again at this point as he will probably jump up and go into aggressive mode.) Get your friend to stand still if hes silly and put him back in the corner, when he relaxes your friend can leave.

You need to do this a couple of times a week. As you notice Boss relax more you can up the activity in these visits (I would use a couple of different people so he doesn't just get used to that one visitor being there). When the visitor comes in hug them instead or shaking hands, start to do more physical things instead of chatting (for example play a board game). After 3 or 4 weeks (say 7/8 visits) you can take Boss' lead and allow him to quietly and calmy approach the guest, if he rushes towards them or acts nervy take him back to his corner and get him to sit, if you let him go to them in the wrong state of mind you are taking two steps back. If he walks over nicely get him to sit a couple of feet away from them, let the visitor give him a treat and take him back to his corner. If you repeat this with everyone who comes into the house you will notice Boss will chill and even start to look for visitors to get a treat! Its going to be a long process and there is no quick fix but if you can control the environment and emotions being thrown around when people come into your home you are halfway there.

All of these things will teach him to relax. These are just a couple of exercises which should help to dampen fear-based aggression. However if he has actually bitten I would go to a dog behaviourist. Its all very well giving advice over the internet but I only have your description to go on I cannot read the dog....

email me if you need any more help or follow-on exercises from these - bluemoonkennelz2003@yahoo.co.uk

Nosipho wrote:This aggression is based on fear, he has had a troubled past and has learnt that if hes scared he should throw himself in guns-a-blazin and then people might leave him alone. No you shouldnt get rid of him, if you do he will probably be put to sleep or will hurt someone as a move right now will unbalance him even more. If he ends up in a rescue centre they will have him PTS as its rare they keep on a dog aggressive case let alone a human one.

Has he ever actually bitten anyone? You say about snapping and him lunging towards people but I think it is all front. You can't let it escalate to the point he actually does bite someone, i understand how frustrating this must be but you cant get violent or angry back at him as it will just confirm what he thought - humans are scary and unpredictable and you must protect yourself from them. Although other people's ideas about exercise and food will go a great deal towards making him easier to deal with you need to address the route of the problem.

This is going to be difficult to deal with, dogs like this cant be trusted when their owner isn't around. You need to be the go-between, you are his owner and he obviously respects you (probably the only reason he lunged for u when you took the 'muzzle' off is because you got angry with him and also made him feel more vunerable by blocking his mouth.).

Before people come in you need to have a collar and lead on Boss, if possible have someone else let them in. Sit boss in the corner of the room you want to work in (furthest corner away from the door) dont sit behind him as then he will feel vunerable and might interpret this body language as you wanting him to protect you. When they come into the room greet them physically (shake hands to start with) with boss still in his cornerand you on the other end of the lead. If he makes a move to get up and get involved a firm 'NO' and put him back where he was. Any low growls or eye rolling get another firm but quiet 'No', every time he tries to get up put him back in the corner 'Sit' 'stay'! When he gets the message you and the visitor need to sit a little way away from Boss and have a quiet conversation without too much movement.

Boss should get bored pretty quick, but having his own corner with noone interfering with him and realising he isn't involved in what you two are doing, pretty soon he should relax or fall asleep. When he chills out your visitor should quietly stand up to leave (be ready to put boss back again at this point as he will probably jump up and go into aggressive mode.) Get your friend to stand still if hes silly and put him back in the corner, when he relaxes your friend can leave.

You need to do this a couple of times a week. As you notice Boss relax more you can up the activity in these visits (I would use a couple of different people so he doesn't just get used to that one visitor being there). When the visitor comes in hug them instead or shaking hands, start to do more physical things instead of chatting (for example play a board game). After 3 or 4 weeks (say 7/8 visits) you can take Boss' lead and allow him to quietly and calmy approach the guest, if he rushes towards them or acts nervy take him back to his corner and get him to sit, if you let him go to them in the wrong state of mind you are taking two steps back. If he walks over nicely get him to sit a couple of feet away from them, let the visitor give him a treat and take him back to his corner. If you repeat this with everyone who comes into the house you will notice Boss will chill and even start to look for visitors to get a treat! Its going to be a long process and there is no quick fix but if you can control the environment and emotions being thrown around when people come into your home you are halfway there.

All of these things will teach him to relax. These are just a couple of exercises which should help to dampen fear-based aggression. However if he has actually bitten I would go to a dog behaviourist. Its all very well giving advice over the internet but I only have your description to go on I cannot read the dog....

email me if you need any more help or follow-on exercises from these - bluemoonkennelz2003@yahoo.co.uk

No he has not bitten someone before, he would have been gone if he had, the reason I say this is because where I am located he is a banned breed, my vets made him legal by marking him down as a "grandfathered" one, they said his greyed mouth makes him look older, but even then any misbehaving like that and lots of people are quick to call the bylaw officers. Thats the only reason I actually thought of this is because of the ban. As a dog since I got him he is much better, before he couldnt get around people without jumping all over them. I find the more nervous the person, the worse he is. Thank you and I will try these ideas and see how it goes.

The fact he hasn't actually bitten anyone shows that he can be fixed, he hasn't crossed that line yet. I have had sucess using the above methods on well-known biters before and although I would never 100% trust the dogs or allow them around children they have been good dogs and haven't bitten again.

If he hasn't ever bitten then you shouldnt have too much trouble convincing him people are nice really. Good luck

Yupp, well with him I can 100% trust him around children, he adores them and is so gentle, I ofcourse make sure hes on a lead if we are out and they come up to him but he stands like a gentlemen when they hug and pat him, it is adults he doesnt trust, I believe he can be fixed I'll just need to take more serious precautions in his behaviour change.

PoaBoss wrote:Yupp, well with him I can 100% trust him around children, he adores them and is so gentle, I ofcourse make sure hes on a lead if we are out and they come up to him but he stands like a gentlemen when they hug and pat him, it is adults he doesnt trust, I believe he can be fixed I'll just need to take more serious precautions in his behaviour change.

If he is good with children and shows no nervousness or fear when around them I think he must feel intimidated by men, this aggression is coming out of fear and a need to protect himself. Children are hyper and loud and if he isnt worried by this it points to him being intimidated by adults sheer size and presence. I think the above exercises will work wonders, if you need any more let me know!

Is your dog allright now? Better behaving to men?

At training they told me to grab Saya in her neck and put her on the ground, is that a bad thing? She is a pretty stubborn lady, but very sweet. Every now and than she will try it with my husband tho, while he is the most consequent of the both of us. Should we ignore her or go for the neckgrab?


thanks judith

Judith wrote:Is your dog allright now? Better behaving to men?

At training they told me to grab Saya in her neck and put her on the ground, is that a bad thing? She is a pretty stubborn lady, but very sweet. Every now and than she will try it with my husband tho, while he is the most consequent of the both of us. Should we ignore her or go for the neckgrab?


thanks judith

This is a Cesar Milan move. To pin a dog down is a dangerous thing.

I don't like it at all, as I feel it makes a dog feel anxious & intimidated which could end up in worse behaviour than the one you're trying to stop!

What is it she does that you don't like?

when I went to training first time, she bit my hands. She doesn't do it anymore, only "bites but softly" when she is overexcited, we push her a way now tho.

Pinning a dog down for 'nipping' is actually more likely to get them to bite through fear reaction! You'll also end up with a nervous dog.

Nipping is best dealt with by ignoring & stopping all play/interraction till the dog's calm & then gentle praise. With repetition & consistency it works much better than force.

I dont like that technique with a powerful breed like a stafford but a smaller breed it may work.
To challenge a dog thats challenging you then you are asking for a response and its a fight usually with our breed.
My advice is with a dominant dog you have to treat it carefully and any signs of dominance ,threats ect then walk away ignore the dog no contact that will change its mood instantly only when the dog is in a relaxed mood give attention.

gem wrote:I dont like that technique with a powerful breed like a stafford but a smaller breed it may work.
To challenge a dog thats challenging you then you are asking for a response and its a fight usually with our breed.
My advice is with a dominant dog you have to treat it carefully and any signs of dominance ,threats ect then walk away ignore the dog no contact that will change its mood instantly only when the dog is in a relaxed mood give attention.

Yes, but in this case I don't think it's dominance, just normal puppy mouthing/nipping. If that's the case then there's no need to pin down - normal training will solve the problem.

Caryll wrote:Pinning a dog down for 'nipping' is actually more likely to get them to bite through fear reaction! You'll also end up with a nervous dog.

Nipping is best dealt with by ignoring & stopping all play/interraction till the dog's calm & then gentle praise. With repetition & consistency it works much better than force.

Agreed you don't want your dog to listen to you out of fear because that is asking for trouble. Nipping is very natural for puppies they just have to learn that it is not acceptable.

Up date on Boss, hes doing great, my trick I found was to have him walk with the men for 5 mins before coming in the house and he wont bother them. I am in a new relationship and the man is wonderful with Boss(It is hard for me to find the right one because Boss has to fully approve haha). He has almost stopped his jumping all together, only when he gets over excited.

That is excellent news I'm very happy to hear that things are working out for you and Boss.

I am glad to, now with his changes I could never give him up. He now never leaves my side, and my mum said she hasnt seen our type of closeness in any other dog-person relationship before, so I think I am pretty lucky with him.

wow well done you, so glad things have worked out

That's really great to hear. So nice when something works out well!

Is he getting daily walks?

and how long for & how many times a day?

So happy to hear that it worked out!!

Thats fantastic news! Well done

Ooh so pleased this has worked out for you!

Great news Glad it worked out for you.



.

Same here. Except now the poor pup is sick

PoaBoss wrote:Same here. Except now the poor pup is sick

Oh, no. What's wrong?

Just a cold, has been mr. sneezy for the past week, think its getting better, but oh my does he ever feel sorry for himself .