SUDDEN DOG AGGRESSION- PLEASE HELP!!!

Hello guys and gals.
I would really like some advice regarding my parents female Staffy ( who has been spade ). Here's the low-down....

She is approx 3 yrs old and my parents rescued her when she was about 9 months old. She has had contact with my female, 7 yr old Lurcher ( who has been spade ) pretty much every single day for the entire time my parents have had her, including going out for walks together, staying over etc etc.

About 6 months ago my parents adopted another staffy mix who is now about 10 months old. ( She has an appointment in August to be spade also )

All three bitches have got on very well and have been walked together every day. All three are very well socialised and up until now have had no problems and have been given health checks by the vet.

Anyway, about 5 weeks ago, the 3 yr old staffy had a scrap with another dog at the park causing minor damage. Apparently it was unclear who started on whom...

5 days ago, my lurcher was in my parents house and all three had been given a titbit each ( normal occurrence) No more food was being offered and all was calm until the 3 yr old suddenly leapt on my lurcher and bit her causing a small puncture wound. It all happened very fast but according to my mum it was just after my lurcher had sniffed the 3 yr olds bottom area. My lurcher is very timid and was called 'neurotic' by the rescue centre we got her from!!

This nearly happened again yesterday when they were both in my garden and once again my lurcher went to sniff the 3 yr olds bottom. The 10 month old has never got involved in any of these scraps and comes across as very docile.

The 3 yr old has only started showing this aggressive side since the puppy was adopted but she has never been aggressive to her and they sleep in the same bed etc.

I don't understand why my lurcher ( who the 3 yr old has known the longest ) is getting the brunt of this aggression.... Is the presence of the new pup creating all this??

Since these incidents, the 3yr old has been muzzled in public to avoid any further damage and kept away from my lurcher.

We're all very confused as to why this has suddenly started happening as the 3 yr old has previously been very good with other dogs!!!! It's sad because we normally have all the dogs together but this has put a stop to it.

We feel like the 3 yr old has become very unpredictable around other dogs and with one stranger's dog she will roll on her back and let them take the ball out of her mouth but the next she will have a pop at!!!

If anyone could shed some light on to why she might be behaving like this, then we would be very grateful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hiya and welcome.

I have never experienced dog aggresion, and have only ever owned one at a time, so I am pretty unhelpfull. Could be many things, three bitches togeher (spayed or not) can ask for problems and will always need to have monitered playtime. Maybe its the packing order, bringing in a new pup is going to affect this, so maybe they are finding there own herichy and putting each other in there places.

Hope you get it sorted Xxx

Hi and welcome from us and Suki. I think it could be alot of things. In my opinion as a breed they start to show their true personalities at about 2-3 years of age. Sometimes a dog that has never shown agression will suddenly devolp that tendancy when they get to be that age. On a whole they have been breed for fighting so there is always a possibility of aggression issues that may not show until later in life regardless of how well they have been socialized. There will also be dogs that simply can not get along with certain other dogs no matter what you do.

In general it is less likely that dogs of opposite sexes will behave aggressivly towards one anthor regardless of whether or not they have been spayed or neutered. A new pup can be stressfull on an older dog and can manifest in aggressive behaviour as a result of jealously. I feel that a muzzle while making the handler feel comfortable can make a dog feel unable to defend themselves.

Now I realize that none of that is exactly advice and that all dogs are different so there are no exact truths that can never be broken or methods that will work for all dogs every time. The best thing I can advise is to try to have the two dogs be allowed to interact on leash for short periods of time after being exercised. Increase the amount of interaction time gradually and then if this goes well and you are comfortable allow them to interact offleash for gradually increasing periods of time.

Hope it all works out and there are numerous forum members that have multiple dogs that will be able to offer advice as well.

Hate to say this, But sounds like this dog may need to see a dog behaviorist, Its only professional person who could help It, Else If It keeps showing these signs of aggression, The dog could need putting down, But try and work at all possible options before gets to that stage! Good luck!

Bringing a new dog into the mix has made the 3 year old unsettled in her place in the family she is confused as to her position and now is displaying issues with the lurcher as she feels she is holding the most threat to her position as the younger is no threat at the moment.
Even if you thought that the lurcher and 3 year old got on very well you might not have noticed but one would have been higher in dominance than the other even just visiting, and its not the lurcher even though its her home.
All dogs need to know there place and when introducing a new dog its a major thing most of the time all sorted soon but sometimes as in your case its a battle.
You can get through this take the lead and if you need to have the 3 year old on a lead at your parents and any signs of the dog being dominant or aggressive (tail straight, hackles up, growls step in and sort it)
Take the muzzle off when she is out there is no way she could defend herself if she were attacked by another dog, if you feel confident with other dogs to let them mix do so if not then dont , they dont have too.
I have the most loving girl she has no aggression and is brilliant with other dogs she was 3 years old when we got our boy a puppy.
My hubby and his best freind walked our girl and he had a girl both every morning together they were best freinds , our boy was around 4 months and he took him along he tried to hump the other bitch and she growled showing her teeth to tell him off my girl then floored her pinned her had her by the neck now they were best freinds it just shows how you can never underestimate your dog .
So good luck and let us know how you get on

Thank you for your replies. I most definitely wont consider putting a pet down that has shown absolutely no sign of aggression at all to humans as if the worse came to the worse, we could live with her being dog aggressive......

Gem, you are right about the dominance in the past as the 3 yr old def knew how to get the lurcher out of a spot on the sofa etc without growling etc... she would just 'give her the look'....

The trouble is that the 3 yr old didn't growl or raise her hackles when she attacked, she just launched herself with no obvious warning!!

On a legal note, I don't feel it's right to take the muzzle off her when in public as if she does bite another dog we will end up with the vets bill again and a possible criminal investigation. Even if she is on the lead and bites another dog that comes over to us that isn't on a lead, we are legally responsible......

Maybe it is something that we will just have to learn to live with......

IMO dogs dont subbenly become dog aggression maybe you letting he become a pack leader or you not correct her.

I'm not sure where you are from if you from the uk and you have your dog on the lead it would be the other owner fault,

madeira264527 wrote:Hate to say this, But sounds like this dog may need to see a dog behaviorist, Its only professional person who could help It, Else If It keeps showing these signs of aggression, The dog could need putting down, But try and work at all possible options before gets to that stage! Good luck!

putting a dog down becasue he doen't like other dogs

I'm from the UK. I've looked up case history's and it's said that although your dog may be on a lead when it bites another dog, you could still be ordered through the courts to muzzle it too.........

i dont where you read that it would be dog on dog and the police cant do anything & if you had your dog on hte lead then its the other owner fault.

I would like to see that website, someone who live down the road to me his 3 dogs kill a collie the police went around said he cant do anything because it was dog on dog.

It would be deemed as Criminal Damage as dogs etc are 'property' according to the law.

No it's dog on dog, if it was dog on a human you would get in trouble.

i cant add anything to the advice as only ever had the one dog but i just wanted to sympathise as you mjust be heartbroken at the moment to see this change. i must agree with you and steve in that this is no reason to have a dog euthanised - woodys best mate is dog aggressive apart from with my boy and she is lovely, we just have to muzzle her if another dog approaches and her behavior indicates she may not be happy. its baby steps one at a time and watching the behaviour to notice any chnages and then acting upon it. hope things improve

Steve, I'm in law and if your dog attacks another dog / cat then the owner of the injured animal can sue you in a civil case for the act of Criminal Damage. This wouldn't mean putting the 'aggressive ' dog down however. This would only be the case of your dog attacked a person according to the dangerous dogs act..... where upon a dog is conceived as being dangerously out of control in a public place if it attacks a person or is likely to attack a person.

Nicola, yes it's ridiculous to suggest putting a dog down if it's dog aggressive.... she is the biggest softy ever with people so wouldn't even entertain the idea...

The 10 month old is being spayed at the end of the month so see if that helps the situation.... :-<

If you have the dog on the lead and another dog come to you there no way of getting sued the other owner should have control of his dog.

When you have more than two dogs they become like pack, if you dont become the pack leader the dogs will fight it out, You should learn to know your dog body languages to predict it so you can stop it before it starts.

spaying isn't the answer.

Steve for starters , I said TRY ALL options , Before It gets to stage of putting the dog down! Like go see a dog behaviorist! But If that dog Is a danger to people or other dogs , What else should you do ?! Because sound now all options were tryed dog behaviorist /dog trainer , And dog was still showing signs of aggression , And ended up attacking somebody or somebodys dog , The owner would be prosecuted , And the hassale It would cause would be horrible , BUT I STATE again TRY ALL OPTIONS FIRST!

But end of the day , If all options were tryed , Dog still showing signs of aggression , Is It worth having a dog whos a danger ?! ,

my sam doesn't like bigger dogs, but i can control him and i wouldn't think about getting put down because of it, but hes been like this all of his life,

dog on dog isn't a crime and if you have your dog on lead you have your dog under control so you cant get sued.

madeira264527 wrote:Hate to say this, But sounds like this dog may need to see a dog behaviorist, Its only professional person who could help It, Else If It keeps showing these signs of aggression, The dog could need putting down, But try and work at all possible options before gets to that stage! Good luck!

Nosipho wrote:

madeira264527 wrote:Hate to say this, But sounds like this dog may need to see a dog behaviorist, Its only professional person who could help It, Else If It keeps showing these signs of aggression, The dog could need putting down, But try and work at all possible options before gets to that stage! Good luck!

quite agree nosipho

How on earth can u even contemplate putting a staff down because it doesnt tolerate other dogs?! MOST staffs dont like other dogs its in thier genes, they love people but generally arnt great with other dogs, your lucky if u have a staff that IS good with dogs. At 3 she has just hit maturity and may now just not like other dogs, yes its a pain but hey its not the end of the world. Keep her on a lead around other dogs, only let her off with dogs u KNOW she is good with or when no one else is around. Keep trying to safely socialise her ie. quick hellos and sniffs on lead with treats etc. It is completley obserd to even think about putting her down over the dislike of other dogs, if she had a problem with human aggresion then yes i would say if all other methods had failed PTS might be the only other option..............dear dear

Right everyone calm down!! No the dog doesn't need to be put down, what a stupid thing to say! I know you come out with some opinionated thing madeira but thats kind of extreme. The OP is obviously upset that the balance has been broken in her pack and saying things like that isn't going to give he hope or confidence. Of course you are wrong but even if you were right theres nothing to be gained from saying things like that so early on.

To me it looks as though all of this comes from the incident in the park with your mum's dog when she was walking her. You say that your mums 3yr old and another dog had a little scrap in the park and you dont know who started it. Your mums bitch obviously felt scared by the incident and now doesn't feel too confident in herself. The anxiety caused by this and the younger pup gradually maturing are making the older bitch feel a little nervous and anxious. In most dogs anxiety is shown as fear or aggression. Unfrotunately in staffords due to their tenacity it usually displays in growling, snapping and lunging.

She feels confused and unbalanced and as the pup grows older unsure of where everyone stands in the pack hierarchy. Your stafford is probably only going for the lurcher as she feels threatened by her presence (as others have said) the pup doesn't pose a risk at the moment. I think all of this has been brought on by the problem your mum had in the park, I have worked with many staffords who have 'suddenly' become DA and there is always one incident (however small it may seem to us) which has changed their mind about other dogs and caused the aggression.

I would reccomend what others have said, keep the staff on a lead (your lurcher will easily be able to get out of range then, they are quick on their feet!). Keeping them away from one another is never going to fix the problem, be ready to correct her if she attempts to bite or shows any aggression to the lurcher. Though given that this aggression is coming from anxiety and a need to protect herself I would be gentle with your corrections a firm 'NO' and make her sit at your side. Training classes on her own might help the staff as she will be away from her immediate pack and it will help her become confident again around other dogs.

Yes I must reiterate, she has shown absolutely NO SIGN of aggression to humans at all!!!!!!!!! NONE, NADA, NEVER EVER!!!!!

roxybear wrote:Yes I must reiterate, she has shown absolutely NO SIGN of aggression to humans at all!!!!!!!!! NONE, NADA, NEVER EVER!!!!!

ummmmm ok haha seriously though she sounds like a bog standard staff fantastic with humans and not so great round dogs, its no biggy! x

Thanks blaze! I would be really worried if she was was aggressive with humans but thankfully that's not the case at all

Im absolutly sure that if your dog is approached by a off lead dog and yours is on a lead and a fight broke out then the off lead dog is at fault and yours could not be to blame. One of mine is dog aggressive always has, I dont muzzle and the reason for that is if a dog comes over its challenged by mine and if the off lead dog takes up that challenge then mine cannot defend itself. Im not to blame my dog is on a lead and under control the law says if you cant control your dog it should be on a lead so the out of control dog is the one with no owner controling it.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1991/65/contents

My parents still paid the vets bill for the dog that was injured by their 3 yr old. Felt it was the decent thing to do.... even though both were off lead..

People calm down I was only giving my opnion , I know staffys arent great with other dogs, But great with humans, And yes I am opinionated thats what forums are for right ?! , But people I said try all options first! , And now Im getting murdered on here , But people dont want to hear other peoples opnions dont put the status on here, For people to comment on, Its commen sense really, Dont mean to be rude, But quite p**sed off to be honest , You say your opnions then get made to feel 5 again, Not good , Come on people everyone on this forum has right to there opnion , Its funny how nobody commented on the dog behaviorist bit I put, But comment when I said about putting dog down, I said If ALL options are tryed, And dogs still showing signs of aggression , It probably should be put down, Because end of the day you cant have nasty dog, Thats a liability to people and other dogs , And as for someone who said on here you cant get sued, Youd be surpriced, People sue people everyday In this country for stupit petty things, Thank you have good day everyone .

Sorry only Just say shes showing no signs of aggression to humans bit!

madeira264527 wrote:People calm down I was only giving my opnion , I know staffys arent great with other dogs, But great with humans, And yes I am opinionated thats what forums are for right ?! , But people I said try all options first! , And now Im getting murdered on here , But people dont want to hear other peoples opnions dont put the status on here, For people to comment on, Its commen sense really, Dont mean to be rude, But quite p**sed off to be honest , You say your opnions then get made to feel 5 again, Not good , Come on people everyone on this forum has right to there opnion , Its funny how nobody commented on the dog behaviorist bit I put, But comment when I said about putting dog down, I said If ALL options are tryed, And dogs still showing signs of aggression , It probably should be put down, Because end of the day you cant have nasty dog, Thats a liability to people and other dogs , And as for someone who said on here you cant get sued, Youd be surpriced, People sue people everyday In this country for stupit petty things, Thank you have good day everyone .

I wouldnt say this forum is all about offering your opinion, especially if its so negative! This forum is about offering useful information and help to people who are having difficulties with their dog or just want to share some positive moments. All im saying is if your opinions involve telling someone that their dog should be destroyed then keep em to yourself! I would never tell anyone that their dog may have to put down, anything is managable if you can be bothered to put in the time. If it was a dog which bit people I would recommend lots of behaviorual work and a muzzle for time being, lots of staffords have issues with other dogs as they mature and if their situations change. They cant help it its been bred into their nature, how can we produce a breed, fit for what we want it for and then when it does what we bred it for have a head-fit!

madeira264527 wrote:People calm down I was only giving my opnion , I know staffys arent great with other dogs, But great with humans, And yes I am opinionated thats what forums are for right ?! , But people I said try all options first! , And now Im getting murdered on here , But people dont want to hear other peoples opnions dont put the status on here, For people to comment on, Its commen sense really, Dont mean to be rude, But quite p**sed off to be honest , You say your opnions then get made to feel 5 again, Not good , Come on people everyone on this forum has right to there opnion , Its funny how nobody commented on the dog behaviorist bit I put, But comment when I said about putting dog down, I said If ALL options are tryed, And dogs still showing signs of aggression , It probably should be put down, Because end of the day you cant have nasty dog, Thats a liability to people and other dogs , And as for someone who said on here you cant get sued, Youd be surpriced, People sue people everyday In this country for stupit petty things, Thank you have good day everyone .

Your opinions are contradictary and very very wrong. You say u no that staffs are not dog dogs yet u still say a staff that is agressive to other dogs should be killed if all other options have been tryed because "at the end of the day you cant have a nasty dog" What complete and utter crap! I work in a rescue centre and i would say a good 60% of our dogs have to be walked separatley and kept away from other animals as they are agressive and they are not just staff types. Do will kill them all??? of course we dont we make sure they are safe and the other dogs are safe when they are with us, make sure the new owners are aware of the situation and make sure they are rehomed with no other animals. No one in thier right mind would put any dog to sleep, staff or not beacuse it dislikes other dogs. The OP just needs advice on how to cope with a DA dog which she has been given by some very helpful members. Dont tell members asking for help and advice there dog should possibly be destroyed.........Thankyou

Also the way you have been writting your posts has been sounding quite confrontational and not always very friendly. Please could you try to keep your postd nice as everyone just wants to enjoy thier time on the forum and keep it a happy place to be

I think it's ridiculous to PTS a dog aggressive Stafford! You can't fault them for dog aggression, it's what they were bred for!

Just want to say a big thank you to everyone on this forum that has made me feel loads better about the situation and that we can manage our 3yr old with a bit of forward thinking and savvy-ness!!

She really is as soft as they come with people and the thought of ending her life because of her dislike of other dogs, gives me chills!!!

I will definitely take all the helpful advice on board and also enjoy the peace of mind that she isn't some devil dog and is in fact, very normal.
x

Glad you got some good advice and are feeling better. Good luck and keep us posted.

Thank you!! I took the 3 yr old and my lurcher out today on their leads for a walk around the block and there was no aggression shown at all..... very calm walk

roxybear wrote:Thank you!! I took the 3 yr old and my lurcher out today on their leads for a walk around the block and there was no aggression shown at all..... very calm walk

Brilliant news, just keep working at it they will accept one another again in no time. I would also like to say it might be a good idea to take all three dogs out no some long walks together to give them time to mreally get a feel for their positions in the pack and work out any differences away from home. Being somewhere neutral can sometimes eliminate other distractions and jealousy and can be really beneficial!

Thanks Nosipho, I will definitely do that

Listen people calm the hell down! Your all getting wrong end of the stick , Im saying the ONLY time a dog should ever be put down, Is It Is a danger to people! I repeat that for some people who arent very clever and dont get what Im trying to say, ONLY A DANGER TO HUMANS! THEN AND ONLY! Should a dog EVER be put down, And NO Im not looking to have arguments with people on here , And as for the expert who says he works In a dog rescue centre, Glad you help dogs well done think you deserve a pat on the back , DOESNT MEAN YOU EVERYTHING! I dont proclaim to always be right with my opnions, But PLEASE dont belittle me and tell me my comments are crap , Because I dont think much to your comments , You know who Im about , I find this quite rude and Insulting , Yes you Blaze I think you should become a dog behaviorist seen as you think your so god dam clever , And dont respect peoples views , That you have to turn to rudeness and Insults , Nosipho another expert who thinks hes the next ceser millan , People get a grip all due respect , Im on here to help and share Information , Im NOT on here to cause trouble , But when people gang up on myself , When I share my opnion, Thats not right , Thank you experts Im sure I be seen you 2 soon with your own tv show, Seen as your so clever and know EVERYTHING about dogs, Thank you and good bye .

*DOESNT MEAN YOU KNOW EVERYTHING!

Please dont speak to me like that and insult our supporting members. I have warned you about the tone of your posts before, now im giving you a warning, please try to act your age and speak in a respectful way. Thanks