dog question?

Question

i have a 16 month old staffy but everyone thinks hes a pitbull..he is very aggressive and he does"nt listen to me he is eating my furniture he eats anything he can with him being 16 month now will he ever grow out of it

Answer 1

Please take some time to look at this ASPCA website. It's full of info. and advice for dog owners like you.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Terriers are really hard to control. Look at the average Jack Russell and the mischief a small dog like that can do. Look at the terriers history and what each terrier was bred for. Funnily enough, the Bull Terrier was bred for baiting bulls. Tough and stocky, fearless, particularly on their own turf. Pit Bulls were bred for the sport of man and lining pockets on the dog that can kill the most dogs. Not that I am against Pit Bulls, the sport is one that I cannot condone.
One or two questions I must raise. Is the animal de-sexed? If not, this will probably help. Did you take the animal to obedience classes? If not, the problem may in fact lie with you not being firm enough with the dog. Sixteen months is probably not too old for you and the dog to go go to obedieance school. After all, it is never to late to teach an old dog new tricks! Goes for humans to!

Answer 3

I have the same problem! He is also a staffy, and around 6 months old. He gets very stubborn and doesnt mind using people's arms as chew toys. When you yell at him he doesn't listen, and smacking him doesn't work either. I try to take his attention off me, and give him a stick or something to chew on. I also have brought a teething bone for him which has lasted for ages, and keeps him away from the furniture. Also teaching him basic tricks and having another dog or something to keep his mind stimulated might help. Show your dominance by your body language and dont let him get away with anything. If you can, keep him outside and give him lots of exercise, as well as establishing a basic routine. It's all you can do with staffy's. They're a pain in the ***- but you can't help loving them! Good Luck!

Answer 4

Have you ever thought about crate training him I've got two English Bull Terrier Pups and they can be destructive so I crate trained them and they go into their crate whenever I go out, go to bed or cant supervise them. They love their bit of space and cry if their crate door is closed and cant get in.
You need to get on top of the pecking order too he is ruling the roost you need to get proper training. If he is naughty tell him firmly No if he doesn't listen then give him a smack. If he is being destructive tell him off for E.G eating the sofa and give him a toy or bone instead he'll SO get the idea of what he can and can't eat. If he is good give him a treat or loads of attention that way he'll learn that he gets nice stuff when he is good. You can try ignoring his bad behaviour too just like you would a child and praise him like mad when he is good.
If you do decide to crate train him though introduce him gradually when he spends his 1st night in there if he makes a racket leave him he'll soon shut up otherwise he'll learn that if he acts up you'll come and shout at him or let him out thus giving him attention which he'll like either way and it will become a habit. Let him out when he is eventually quiet he'll work out that when hes a good quiet boy he can come out. I learnt the hard way!!

Answer 5

Have you tried pet behave spray. Also try putting weight on him as if he is very thin he will be at what is said in book to be his fighting weight which will make him hyper (I had one like this years ago) feed him some pasta inbetween meals. Also buy a dog crate and make this his bed and when you go out or go to bed put him in there or if he is naughty. Then when he is closed in there he can't chew anymore. Also try rescue remedy as this might calm him down. People will also recommend neutering but I really don't think this works and its too late after if it doesn't.

Answer 6

this didn't happen overnight and now through mis-training or no training, he doesn't listen? You have to go back to square 1 and start training, consistent, gain back your ground that you have lost over the time that you had him; whenever there is a dog problem, it usually starts with us, we fail to correct, train, think it is cute as a puppy or he is just a puppy etc and then 1 1/2 later how did this happen ; he needs a trainer, YOU - patiently, consistently with no abuse - it is correctable but needs time investment and your total attention. Seek advice from tapes and books from the dog whisperer ; cesar milan

Answer 7

no i am afraid he wont. You need to training him, do you watch dog borstal on Mondays 9pm BBC3, that might help you. Sooner you start to change his ideas the better. You need to to let him no that's its bad, when you see him do it make a very loud noise and say no!!! Eventually he will learn. You can buy a spray called a pet protector about £9, from good pet shop, when you catch him spay it at him, its only air so it wont hurt him, but he wont like the noise. He will learn when he hears you say no and See's the spray he will change his mind. You also need to teach him that you are in charge not him! Good luck.

Answer 8

my friend has 2 staffordshire bull terriers, and they did exactly the same chewed the carpets walls-anything. they do grow out of it, try sprays, mustard, neuting, a cage-sounds awful but he cant chew in there, training? they are actually very loving dogs.
you are lucky as where we live in Germany any type of bull terriers, pit bulls etc have to be muzzled they are not allowed of the lead and dogs (of that breed) seen off the lead by a police officer will be destroyed on the spot. dogs over a certain height also have to be muzzled and kept on a lead but the lead cannot be any longer than 1metre.

Answer 9

No this is not an age related problem - this is a behaviour problem.
He thinks that he is in charge in your house.
To sort out his behaviour you need to sort out his attitude problem.
First of all, get him neutered. This will reduce the aggression and make him more responsive to you. As he is already aggressive, this is very important.
Next, put in place the following rules:

1. You are in charge of food. Absolutely no begging. Feed him twice a day and always after you have eaten. Put the bowl down and as soon as he stops eating and wanders off, take it away - even if he hasn't finished his dinner.

2. You are in charge of attention. When you come home and he starts going crazy to greet you - ignore him until he calms down. This may take a long time at first but over the weeks you will notice that he calms down much more quickly. Top dogs never greet their pack members until they want to so you need to use this rule on him to show him that you have the top place in your house. When he strolls over and demands attention from you - ignore him completely. Even if he starts barking or snarling or making a mess - ignore him. If you can when he behaves like this, exclude him until him calms down - for at least 5 minutes. Take him into a different room or put him outside. If he is too aggressive, leave the room yourself and ignore him for 5 mins.
You may find all this difficult at first but it you persevere he will give up him dominance and submit to your leadership.

3. You choose the best spot. That means that he can't sleep in your bed or where he pleases on the sofa. Aggression over sleeping areas will lessen as you put all the other rules into place.

Manic chewing is a symptom of stress and anxiety and this is directly linked to his misunderstanding of who is boss in your house.

He will respond to you much better when you put these rules into place. To help with the general chewing of furniture - remove his favourite items and make sure he has plenty to keep him entertained when you are leaving him. Chewy rawhide etc is good for his teeth and will keep him busy. Put stuff that tastes nasty on the areas he likes to chew to deter him.

Be firm and strict but fair with him and you will take back control from this feisty doy.

Answer 10

I would seriously think about getting him to training classes, he is at the right now so don't leave it too late.
I had my puppy trained and it was money well spent.
Also I do believe in getting him a cage for when u go out,I have one and they are so good cos u just don't know what he could get up to..

Gud luck...x

Answer 11

I just recently got an American Bulldog. Everyone thinks that she is a pitbull too. I have joined a group and several people there have pitbulls and other puppies that are very agressive (mine just sits there). The biggest thing I've learned is to repeat and scold. You need to call your puppy and say "NO" Your puppy needs to understand that you are the boss, especially with your Staffy.