Aggressive staffy

Ricardo G

Hi all, my three year old Staffy called Max is getting increasingly aggresive with other male dogs, needless to say when i'm out walking with him he is on a short lead. However i had him off the lead a few days ago around the grounds of our local secondary school when he spotted a jack russel, he tore straight after him and caught him but lost grip straight away and i managed to get him on the lead again. He is fine around bitches. Just wondering if anyone has had the same problem? Is there any way of rectifying this as i am petrified he may damage another dog if he ever encounters one again. Please note that i live in the countryside and so do not have him muzzled when walking (I know this may have to be done) He is the most gentle creature around family and friends

toadfly

Is he neutered?

andreac

For starters staffies are meant to be muzzled by law (i dont agree with this btw).
So if your dog is aggressive its even more of a reason to have him muzzled if hes dog aggressive. I would ensure that this dog is not let off the lead in public and wears a muzzle for other dogs safety.

Is he neutered?

Have you had him at socialistion classes at all?
Staffies can be aggressive with other dogs if they havent had the correct training and socialisation so i would urge you to get this sorted asap and if hes not neutered it could be an option to help calm this.

But do not bring this dog out un muzzled as he is a huge rusk to other dogs out walking.

the_syco

Ricardo G wrote: »

he spotted a jack russel, he tore straight after him and caught him but lost grip straight away and i managed to get him on the lead again.

Put his muzzle on if bringing him outside: for the safety of other dogs. Had a friendly staffy run at my westie when I was wallking her, and I wasn't too pleased. Staffy was friendly, so meh. If the staffy had tried what you just said, I'd be looking to get it put down for being agressive. You may see it as a "once off", but that's all you really don't need.

LisaO

My lab can be dog aggressive. He is rarely off-lead unless I am sure there are no other dogs around & we are in a situation where I am certain that:
a. I will see another dog before he does &
b. I know I can get him back on lead if another dog comes into sight.
He has never caused any physical damage to another dog but I do not want to take the chance & I fully appreciate a large dog snarling, barking and lunging can be very upsetting for other dogs & their owners.

We have also done a lot of work on socialisation, in both group & one-to-one set-ups. He has improved but I know he cannot be fully trusted as there is no rhyme or reason (at least, only in his head!) to his behaviour. I use a halti to walk him which I find helps a lot as I have full control of his head.

Would echo other posters - put a muzzle on when out & keep him on lead & seek advice from a good trainer.

morganafay

I wouldn't get the dog put down like someone else suggested. It isn't aggressive to people or to female dogs, just male dogs. So if it isn't neutered, then you should definitely get him neutered, that'd probably help a lot. And just muzzle him and keep him on the lead in public. Make sure the muzzle fits properly though, so he really can't bite or pull it off, which a lot of dogs do.

Xiney

Nobody suggested putting him down - someone merely stated that if they were the owner of the terrier that was attacked they'd be looking for the staffy to be put down.


1) Get a muzzle on him
2) Get him neutered if not neutered already
3) Start training with an experienced trainer ASAP. Like, yesterday.

morganafay

Xiney wrote: »

Nobody suggested putting him down - someone merely stated that if they were the owner of the terrier that was attacked they'd be looking for the staffy to be put down.
/QUOTE]

Sorry, I read that wrong.

EGAR

At three years most behaviour is ingrained. Neutering the dog might not help with dog aggression especially if the dog has already had a "success". Dog aggression is common in Bull Breeds but usually manifests itself in same gender aggression.

Your concern right now MUST be the welfare of dogs he encounters, i.e. as others have already said: muzzled as per law and leashed.

To find a good dog trainer who knows his or her stuff re Bull Breeds will be difficult - I have oodles of people call me every year saying their dogtrainer recommended PTS for their dog as they were unable to rectify the problem.

Where are you located, OP?

mathepac

0) Obey the law - keep him under proper control in public places, preferably on a lead / choke chain

Xiney wrote: »

...
1) Get a muzzle on him
2) Get him neutered if not neutered already
3) Start training with an experienced trainer ASAP. Like, yesterday.

4) If none of the above works, have the owner put down

Ricardo G

He has never been muzzled to be very honest (and yes i am aware of laws regarding this breed) but i never felt the need to until recently. He has socialised with dogs for the past three years as i have a Jack russel bitch also. Never got him neutered and tbh i'm not going to either he is not a hyper dog in fact he is the complete opposite. After speaking with a staffie enthusiast this morning i am somebit wiser as to why he went to attack, when Max was about 11 months old he was attacked by a terrier (that was off its lead) and apparently this could be a factor after 2 years or so. I will take the precaution of muzzling him as much as i hate doing it and get in contact re the training and socialising sessions

Wisco

Ricardo G wrote: »

Never got him neutered and tbh i'm not going to either he is not a hyper dog

Neutering has nothing to do with reducing hyper activity but it does reduce aggression as he'd have less testosterone in his system.
However, like EGAR said, it may by now be a learned behaviour, rather than one resulting from higher levels of testosterone. Just curious, is he more aggressive with non-neutered male dogs or both?
Definitely muzzle and no off lead exercise if you can't control him off lead. Law requires muzzles for staffies (I also disagree with this as I think it reinforces poor breed stereotypes but it is the law) but more importantly, no dogs should be off lead if they're not under the control of their handler/owner.

Ricardo G

Wisco wrote: »

Neutering has nothing to do with reducing hyper activity but it does reduce aggression as he'd have less testosterone in his system.
However, like EGAR said, it may by now be a learned behaviour, rather than one resulting from higher levels of testosterone. Just curious, is he more aggressive with non-neutered male dogs or both?
Definitely muzzle and no off lead exercise if you can't control him off lead. Law requires muzzles for staffies (I also disagree with this as I think it reinforces poor breed stereotypes but it is the law) but more importantly, no dogs should be off lead if they're not under the control of their handler/owner.

Well according to Max's vet getting a dog neutered does reduce hyper activity ! I'm not a vet so i cant comment on that. As for Max being aggresive with neutered or non neutered dogs i have'nt a clue tbh all i know is he is aggresive with dogs full stop, should there be a difference ?

andreac

Ricardo G wrote: »

Well according to Max's vet getting a dog neutered does reduce hyper activity ! I'm not a vet so i cant comment on that. As for Max being aggresive with neutered or non neutered dogs i have'nt a clue tbh all i know is he is aggresive with dogs full stop, should there be a difference ?

Neutering has a lot of benefits, mostly health ones.

The diff between him being aggressive with an entire dog and a neutered one is that 2 entire dogs can be aggressive with each other due to the levels of testosterone in their system so you need to be very careful with 2 entire males being around each other as they will send off a vibe and even more so if there are bitches around too.

Same can be said with 2 un spayed females.
Im not sure if the attack has anything to do with him being aggressive as you have already said hes being aggressive with a lot of male dogs and not just terriers.