Hi. I had no experience b4 I got my dogs a year ago, we were first time dog owners so it came as a bit of a shock! I have been working with a great behaviourist who has helped me a great deal. The biggest problem was that we made so many mistakes from the outset that it was undoing them that caused the problem. If I had the knowledge then that I have now, I wouldn;t have created so many problems. You may find that if you do decide to try to change your dogs behaviour that it will take a while because from what you describe about your other half he allows it and shows a lack of leadership in the way he allows the bad behaviour.

First you need to try to identify what starts the behaviour off. For example mine stems from Lilly being really nervous and Max (the problem dog) being her protector. This puts Max in the position of not trusting other dogs and in his mind he thinks if he barks and charges at other dogs then he is safe. To counteract this I have to walk them seperately if they are to go off the lead. Lilly was not a problem on her own because she would avoid other dogs, without Max to protect her. However Max doesn't ignor, but he would charge and try to chase. He never bit another dog, except a slight nip if they pursued him, but he looked aggressive and he could have easily started a fight!

With Max I used one of those soft muzzles and for the first week he was made to wear it. A muzzle really seemed to quieten him down. I made him walk with me, off the lead and avoided other dogs. If they were coming towards me then I would widen the gap. Then I would reduce the gap and eventually I was able to walk past other dogs with no major problems. If he tried to charge another dog, I would recall him. After a week the muzzle came off and we continued avoiding other dogs. He is not cured and I have to constantly monitor the situation. Some times, if we pass a small dog, I may move away or put a lead on. It depends on how calm he is.

You say your dog gets into scrapes with other dogs, but yet also mention that he has friends. What starts him off? What's his behaviour like in the house? Is he dominent? Is he good on a lead and does he obey simple commands i.e sit, stay etc?
Vicky x

He's quite dominant in my opinion and I have started the demotion process by controlling his access to food and not letting him sit on me. My husband allowed him onto our bed several months ago and I'm now considering putting him back downstairs - where he was perfectly happy before!

He has a multitude of pals of all shapes and sizes including Rotties, GSDs, Spaniels, Terriers, Yellow Labs, one Brown Lab (not sure why). They are a mix of male and female and a mix of neutered and intact. It seems to be large skinny dogs he disklikes and most collies although has one collie female pal. he was nipped by a skinny collie coloured dog when he was little and has since gone on to go for this dog.

I am convinced my reaction is encouraging him and that he's protecting us. He attacks the TV and barks at planes (ever since his first bonfire night at 6 months).

He's not at all scared and runs towards perceived danger, rather than running away.

Someone told me to check my insurance policy as a behaviourist may be covered?? We previously paid £135 to travel 100 miles to sit in a vet's surgery but really need someone to see us in action so to speak.

Hi. I recently had to stop my dogs going on the bed and the sofa. We didn;t realise at the time but Max was becoming very dominent. He began by attacking people in the house, I kept excusing him because it was workmen and I felt I shouldn;t have allowed them near him. However it ended with him attacking my dad quite badly (whom he has known since we got him). Just before we stopped him going on the sofa, he would sit on my husband's lap with his paws on his shoulders, looking down at him. Like I say, we didn;t see the warning signs of his dominence! Now the dogs have beds in the living room and they have to sit in those. (does mean a lot of our time is on the floor giving them a fuss though!). I practiced sending them to their beds at various times and making them stay. They used to go mad at the door bell, but we practiced ringing and ringing it and making them go to their beds whilst we answered the door. Now they bark when somebody rings, but almost go straight to their beds. My behaviourist said that if you don;t have control in the house, you have no hope outside. I guess this has also helped in my letting them off the lead.

What do you do when he attacks the TV? My dogs bark when there is dog barking on the tv. When they do that I tell them no and send them to their beds to calm them down.

If you feel that he only has issues with certain dogs, then why not recall him before he gets to them? that is how I manage a potential situation. That way you avoid it before it happens. You obviously know what dogs may set him off, so you should be able to prevent it. With regards to the types of dogs which set him off. It is more than likely that he is picking up on your reaction. Dogs are so sensitive to our feelings, you may not even realise that you are sending out these feelings.

I guess it is possible that he is protecting you. However, in his mind it could mean that you are not protecting him. If you were truly the pack leader then he wouldn;t feel the need to protect you. I know it sounds harsh, but Max felt that, hense his attacking people in the house. He was telling me that he didn;t feel safe. We haven;t had an attack since we changed the rules and became a proper pack leader. We did the following:
1) As said above stopped them getting on the sofa and beds
2) More disciplined lead walks, i.e them having to heel and us controlling how much "sniffing they do"
3) Practicing the door bell ringing (prior to this they would be trying to control the situation by barking and running up and down the stairs)
4) Sending them to their beds and making them stay, just because.
5) Daily training exercises like sit, stay, down etc. Now I can be out in the park with them off the lead, I can get them to sit and stay whilst I walk off and they come when I call them.

All the above has reinforced us as the pack leader and we are making huge progress not only that but our house is so much calmer!

I would defo not pay to see a behaviourist who would not come to your house. Why not put out a message on here asking if somebody can recommend in your area?

If you don;t already, watch the Dog Whisperer. Most of my learning have been from the show. The guy is amazing, I have most of his books. Your insurance policy may cover it, but your vet has to check the dog over prior to it.

Hope this has helped. Vicky x

My 8 year old Staffie Harvey, loved other dogs as a pup. Then at about 2 years of age started to dislike most other dogs. He still does. Male staffs as a rule dislike other dogs, plus they like to be dominant. So they will generally be fine with females and smaller dogs, but any male dogs that could challenge their authority is a threat. You cant train them out of this, it's in their nature. Harvey is an absolute darling with people and children and all female dogs, but I will never trust him with a male dog.Therefore he is walked on a flexi lead at all times. It has been known for other dogs to actually come and attack him, and I think that is to do with the signals he sends out to other dogs. I have never stopped him from greeting a dog that approaches as that means I am sending out the wrong signals to him, but I can read him like a book and know which signs to look out for which tell me if he's going to get nasty or not. He is more often than not - all mouth and no trousers - but you cannot take the risk with a staff - he could cause severe damage to another dog with just one bite and so to ensure his safety and other dogs it's my responsibility to manage the situation. He is only ever let off the lead, when there are no other dogs in near range and now he even sits to go back on the lead if he spots one in the distance.

He's not an aggressive dog - therefore I will not muzzle him, it's in his make up and that is not his fault, all I can do as his owner is make sure I behave responsibly.

I agree with your post,
I have a SBT bitch she can be aggressive with some other dogs,it's part of her breed,history and make up.I won't muzzle her,I keep her under control onlead at all times and she poses no danger to people or children.
No it's not fun and you need eyes in the back of your head,but we knew this could happen.
I have a 3 yr old entire dog who is a complete pleasure to own,he has never shown any aggressive behaviour towards any other dog,or person.
Give me a dog like him anyday

My sbt is so playful with other dogs and is good with my min jack russell but as soon as another dog growls or barks he turns nasty and will attack the other dog. I can never judge whether or not a dog will bark so do i just let him off or keep him on a lead? is is safe to mussle him let him off the lead? does anyone have any good tips on giving him a good exercise whilst on the lead? many thanks

you may want to start your own thread so more people can get a chance to see it and then maybe you will get the adive you need good luck

Our Cooper was fine even at 14 months he was off the lead playing with an intact boxer but that changed when some daft muppet allowed their jack russel who was well known for going after other dogs to attack Cooper. It hung from his jowels for about a minute befor letting go and I had to position myself in between them for the jack russels own protection. Cooper just stood there and didn't have a clue what went on but the next time the jack russel went for cooper it was a different story. He nearly had him for breakfast. Now Cooper wants to get them (other dogs) before they get him and I had to work hard for the last 8 months to retrain Cooper not to go after other dogs. Still a work in progress so any advice is welcome. He's an entire Boerboel and excellent with the dogs he does know and great with kids. Your not supposed to trust any type of dogs with children and we have owned many but I'd say Cooper is as close to being trusted as any dog I've had or met. Silly thing to say I know but I see how gentle and canny he is round Ryan who is four and very submissive but protecting as well if you know what I mean with him. Take your staffy out at 5 or 6 in the morning on his own so he can get some exercise off the lead and through the day walk him long and hard so he can't be bothered with the other dogs. Too tired to cause any mischief. Expose him to as many dogs as possible so walk him in a busy dog area and plenty of praise and treats for positive behaviour. Consistency is the key. Good luck on transforming your staffy to being a well balanced and loved member of the family. Watch out for male dogs with their tails riding high and walking with the I'm the man type of attitude. Keep a close eye on them ones because they are trying to be dominant over other dogs.

hi a need some advice dono where to start am gutted
i have a lovely 1year 9month staff who has been great up till the weekend just passed my gate was left open by accident an him an a friends dog (a springer) got out an went on to the street an a dog from downstairs was coming out its house with the owner they had a sniff an mine was going to walk away but he never he went for the other for no reason an broke its leg(they used to play togerther when they were pups to)a never seen it happen.
in the garden there is a gate for downstairs to get in to my garden an out they used to bark like mad through but its had a cover over for ages it so they wouldnt see each other why did he do it a cany undestand he is fine wa other dogs when wer out even ones he doesnt know. can anyone help!!!!!

Same for any adult males 3-5 is prime for a male. If he's not done its worth considering. I think dogs need to have off lead exercise otherwise they just end up with a lot of pent up energy so its worth making the effort to take them that extra mile to a quieter place to walk.

We are lucky to have the downs on our doorstep do you have anything local to you where he could have a safe romp without bumping into too many dogs??

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These are my own personal views and opinions they do not represent the WCGB.