staff trouble?

Question

my staffordshire bull terrier is 11 months old and is very tall and muscular for his age (his a long-legged staff)....when he was younger he used to be fine with strangers goin up to him and stroking but since the age of about 6 months he becomes aggressive towards people that want to stroke him by growling and going to bite them...no event happened that could of triggered him to be like this and he is as good as gold with my family and i....why is he like this and does anyone else have the same problem?

Answer 1

sounds like he is protecting his pack. He needs socialization w/ other people, but you may want to muzzle him so he doesn't bite someone. Training would not be a bad idea either. When You do socialize him,just have people starte w/ being in the same room. Allow him to go to them, don't let them stand over him. This is a domanince thing

Answer 2

If you want to muzzle him, I suggest a cage muzzle with appropriate training for him so he will accept it as a positive experience.

What type of socialization did he get? Did you take him out as much as possible to meet different types of people in different places?

My suggestion is to make sure that no strangers come up and pet him. If someone comes your way, you can tell the, "I'm sorry, we are doing a training session and can't be disurbed." Or you can say your dog is shy, and is wary of strangers.

Is he neutered? If not, get him neutered as soon as possible. http://www.friendsofanimals.org for a low cost neuter certificate that you can use at a local vet's office. This may help curb some of this aggressive behavior.

Is he strictly an indoor dog? If he spends any time outside alone, unsupervised, you never know of someone (stranger) provoked, teased, taunted, or hurt him, making him wary. There are a lot of cruel people, and pit bulls are often targets for ignorant people who want to be cruel.

Visit my website and contact me if I can be of help.

http://www.libertydogtraining.com

Answer 3

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Answer 4

Hi you need to take him to a training school to help you deal with this problem as some dogs get to a certain age & start to feel their feet & get aggressive...castrasion can help as these problems usually can relate to a dominance issue...Seek the help of a trainer or animal behaviourist as there are plenty of people that can help you...I am glad that you see this a s a problem that needs dealing with as you are legally responsable if your dog bite anyone & it can turn out to be costly for you if someone claims against you for any injuries..
One thing before that try to get your pet insured with a policy that covers you against that sort of thing...
Regards Jake

Answer 5

They are a protective breed. You need to stop the dog aggression before it gets worse. Watch the Dog Whisperer on National Geographic channel on TV.
http://www.dogpsychologycenter.com/tips/index.php
This is a link you might find helpful also.

Answer 6

he is protective its in his breed its but he probally thinks there going to hurt him or you? try putting a muzzle on him when strangers are around i know it sounds cruel but its for his own safety as u dont want him to bite. if sombody approches him try using treats as then he will see it as a good thing when people approach him give him a treat an loads of praise staffs are clever he will soon learn.just keep at it !!!!! goodluck

Answer 7

I too have a staffy, mine is very protective and very unsure of strangers. I have found that when a stranger approaches him if I gently tap the stranger on the arm a couple of times it settles him because he can see that there is no reaction from the stranger and therefore no threat. Staffy's are just big babies who need to be reasured from time to time, alot of people don't understand this.

Answer 8

first thing first...is he a staffy bull or an american staffordshire terrior? Two different things, I just wanted to check because many people confuse them.

To address his behavior problems, you need to seek professional help immediately before this worsens and you have to deal with him biting someone.

Answer 9

sound like the dog has a very overprotective personality
and this is normal youll just have to be carefull of whom the dog comes in contact with though good luck

Answer 10

Mouthing and biting is a normal part of being a puppy but is clearly unacceptable in an adult dog. Teaching bite inhibition is the single most important item for any pup. The pup must be taught to inhibit the force of its biting behavior so that it develops a soft mouth, and then to inhibit the frequency of its mouthing, so that the adolescent and adult dog learns never mouth or bite any person or their clothing.

The program outlined below is appropriate for puppies (up to about 18 weeks, with their first set of teeth) that have not yet learned to inhibit their playful biting. For this program, it is important that EVERYONE who interacts with your dog, (e.g. ALL family members and ALL other people) follows the same rules. Children should be closely supervised to ensure that they are following the rules too. Your dog must learn that he should not mouth or bite ANYONE.

This program is broken down into three steps, to be followed in order:

No painful bites.
No pressure with teeth.
No mouthing at all.
Make sure that EVERYONE who interacts with your dog follows the rules and that everyone is aware what stage has been reached. It may be helpful to put a sign up indicating what stage you are at so that everyone can be consistent with your dog. Puppies normally develop bite inhibition through interaction with their litter mates. When a puppy bites another puppy too hard, the second puppy will yelp and discontinue playing. In this way the first puppy learns not to bite so hard. When you take a puppy from its litter, humans (you) take the place of littermates, and need to continue the teaching.

1. No painful bites. In the same way you as humans must act like fellow littermate and let your dog know when he has bitten you to hard. You should yelp in order to startle your dog and then walk away from your dog and ignore him for about a minute. Ignore means no looking at your dog, no speaking to your dog and no touching your dog! If necessary you can leave the room for that minute (a ‘time out’) so that he has no chance of play biting you while you are ignoring him.

Dogs vary in their general sensitivity and it is important that you startle your dog APPROPRIATELY when he bites. If when you yelp your dog immediately comes back to bite you again then you are not startling your dog enough: Try a louder yelp or try shouting ‘ ouch’. Similarly make sure that you do not startle your dog too much. If your dog runs away and hides when you yelp then you are most likely yelping too loudly: next time try a quieter yelp.

2. No pressure with teeth (gentle mouthing only). Once your dog has learned that painful bites are unacceptable and has stopped doing them, you can progress to training your dog that any pressure of his teeth against your skin is unacceptable. Use the same procedure of yelping and then ignoring for about a minute.

3. No mouthing at all. Once your dog has learned that he should not exert any pressure with his teeth against your skin you can progress to training your dog that ANY mouthing at all is unacceptable.

Depending on the age and temperament/breed of your puppy, the time it takes to reach step three will vary from a week or two to a few months. Here are some guidelines to help speed the process along:

Never hit your dog (his nose or any other part of him) in response to his mouthing or play biting! Not only is this unnecessary but also it will likely encourage him to continue biting you, either in play or in self-defense.
Do not forget to provide appropriate chew toys and bones for your dog and praise him for chewing on these. In this way your dog will learn not only what is UNACCEPTABLE but also what is ACCEPTABLE in terms of using his mouth.
You may find it helpful to use a taste deterrent (available from pet shops) on your hands or clothing while you are going through this program. First make sure that the product is actually distasteful to your dog. (Some dogs like the taste of taste deterrents; cheap whiskey or Bitter Apple seem to work the best).
Once your dog has successfully completed all stages of bite inhibition you will want ensure that your dog CONTINUES to have good bite inhibition throughout life. Therefore it is a good idea to handle his mouth daily (open it and touch his teeth and tongue) and reward him for being gentle.
Good Luck!
Ms BG