My puppy getting aggressive?

Question

We bought a puppy staff 3 weeks ago. He is obviously very excitable and seems to have settled in quite well. We have a 3 year old and a cat. He tries to play with the cat, and the cat swipes him and he goes away..so no prolems there really. My son plays too and the puppy gets a bit excited and my son sometimes gets hurt, but its only the puppy playing and not understanding his limitations that we have to obviously teach him.

Over the last few days the puppy has, in my opinion, getting a little too agressive towards me. He barks at me and i ignore him, he then jumps up and bites me. I tell him no and i get him by the scruff and put him to the floor. This has no affect at all and he carries on biting me. Jumping up and catching me. I have no fear at all so he cannot sense this. I put him in his cage and it is taking longer for him to calm down and he sometimes comes back out and continues.

We need to make a decision soon as i need to protect my son..
Can anyone help

Sorry did not mention that he is 6 months old and came from the RSPCA. We rehomed him.

Answer 1

You also need to protect the puppy from your son! A puppy isn't a toy. You need to get some information on training. Start first with your vet. Speak to them about what to do immediately so he can properly evaluate the situation.
Also try the book
Raising Puppies & Kids Together by
Pia Sylvani and Lynn Eckhart

How early was the puppy taken away from it's mother and litter mates? It may have been too early and that alone can breed aggression. Get the puppy proper training and a read up on using the crate method succesfully, it sounds as if it's not consistent.

Your son should not be playing with this puppy, it's not a toy and this alone can create aggression. A puppy should be supervised at all times, if you can't be right there into her crate she goes. Or keep her on a short leash and have her follow you in your daily activities.

You need to train yourself as well as train your puppy.

Answer 2

Hi there, thats a great breed of puppy you have there btw.
Far too many people on this site dont have the experience of knowledge about what they are answering,i.e dogs bred for fun??? collies, poodles? These dogs are bred to work and are just as if not more difficult to train and keep as a GOOD pet, no dog is any easier than any other to keep, they all require alot of time. The difference that should be pointed out is that should a staffordshire decid to bite it doesnt let go easily, but i am pretty sure more children have been bitten by collies, its just doesnt make it to the media. Anyway, sorry I do have some advice that might be helpful....
I experienced the same problem with my dog. the problem was actually my attitude towards him, i sort of forgot he was a dog(so did he) I had a number of problems with obedience, but soon after trying some of these handling tips he was the best dog I could have hoped for. MY dog was quite spoilt, he had free run of the house, got given treats for no reason and basically saw himself as the boss of me! Your dog is reaching teenager kinda stage for a dog. He is now trying to find his place in the 'pack' (your family)
Here are a few good ideas so that your dog gets the idea that his position in the pack is below you!
Its best not to talk and give 'rows' to your dog. Only give clear sharp loud NO! and LEAVE! this is much easier for the dog to understand.Also striking him can often be seen as play to a dog with a very very high pain threshold like a staffie.
When you leave or enter a room, make sure you go through first, so that the dog can see you are protecting him, by checking out the room first.
When you eat, do not feed in bits at the table, feed him at set times and if he does something good give him praise, reward him with a treat, one really good tip is to eat a wee bit of chicken for example before him so he can see that YOU eat first.
For his biting what you could try is quite sternly grab his muzzle with both hands and hold his mouth firmly shut saying NO! hold it there for a few mins, he should get the idea.
soon he will see you are the boss, and biting you for attention is not worthwhile.
Give him plenty attention, walks and discipline and he will be an amazing dog, because staffies are!
good luck and enjoy him :)

I can see that some people think the only answer is to neuter a dog that shows some character-NO WAY, your dog will put weight on, and be less active, please dont neuter him for this reason

Answer 3

I think you should get him neutred, that should calm his hormones down a bit.

In the meantime you need to be more dominant towards him, when you are on the floor with him, kneel up and kind of bend over him, so you are bigger than him and am making him lie down, growl at him if he is out of line and if needs be then pin him down on his side, hold him completely still, so he can't move his head and don't let him go until he relaxes, you should notice him 'submit' then let him go and ignore him for a few minutes. Lots of positive encouragement, give him treats when he is gentle with your son, like if he licks him, make a good fuss and cuddles.

A male staff can be really strong and I wouldns't leave him alone with your son. They are famous for getting on well with children and I've had 2 who were very different but neither were agressive with the children, but there is always one who behaves unlike the breed suggests, and god forbid it should be yours, but just keep an eye on him for a while longer, maybe try some obedience classes.

I'm absolutely sure he will be a lovely dog with some training and as he matures. There are lots of good books on dog training and I will look up a website for you.
All the best :)

Answer 4

Ignoring a dog and putting him in a cage can be a bad thing because the dog will continue the act as he gets angry at you for putting him in the cage. If you cant get a trainer, i suggest getting a soda can add a few pennies in it and duck tape the top. when the dog does the "bad" act show him the can and shake it once...hard. dogs dont like the sound, it is very annoying it will take his attention away from the act and as you get his attention say no! it is very important not to over use the can...just use it when you need to. I did this for my 16 month old pit bull who started jumping and biting at my arm... with in three days he knew when i shook the can it meant business. now i just have to show him the can without even shaking it. He hasnt done the act in about 3 weeks. it works like a charm and it is much cheaper than a trainer! good luck!

Answer 5

Did anyone even notice the dogs age? The puppy is still learning how to act with people. She is testing you, what you let her get away with and what she can't. When she bites or any other unwanted behaviour completely ignore her, walk away if you must, even put her in a room and close the door (a room that will be boring for her, no toys, food, people ect. Like a bathroom. Then after a few minutes or after she stops barking, bring her out and play with her, if she continues to bite ect repeat the process. If she sleeps in a crate, don't use the crate as a punishment.

Answer 6

Don't just ignore him as he will feel he's boss. When he does something you do not want him to do he needs to no this. Put him someone on his own away from everyone, when he comes back in tell him to sit straight away and then phrase him if he does, if he doesnt put him back out until he does.
It must be hard as you may not know all his background and should not try loud noises due to that.

I must also add saftey of family comes first but as a puppy he does not know he is doing wrong by playing, tone it down and try be patient.

All the best

Answer 7

He is still trying to play.Staff's by nature are boistrous and can get over excited.If you rehomed him it may be why his last owners got rid of him.Try working this out with him before making any desicions to rehome him again.Every time he does this dont grab him by the scruff just turn your back towards him and say no loudly and firmly,if he comes round to the front of you,again turn your back on him dont make any noise or fuss him for 10mins after he has stopped just continue what you were doing.Supervise play at all times with your 3yr old and never leave them alone,try explaining to your 3yr old not to get exciteable with your dog,and defiantly no rough play this will make your dog worse.How many times is he walked?a dog that is under stimulated will become bored and display unwanted behaviour when you walk him try getting him some real good toys that you can throw a long distance to wear him out more.Keep crate training him as this gives him his time out period.Try phoning the rescue you got him from and ask for any advice.If none of this seems to work,enroll in a good training class.Good luck.

Answer 8

i'm an animal lover. call your vet to find out about obedience classes . start now.....they last about six weeks and you go once a week. this teaches you and your pet social behavior as well as commands. these classes are cheap, usually around 35.00 for the whole session. however during the week you'll be teaching
your new pet what you learned at dog class this week and each week its something new.....sounds to me like this is your best bet.
not only for you but the dog. if you decide you don't want the responsiblility of raising a dog then do the right thing and find a responsible pet owner or a rescue center for that breed of dog.
just look on the internet. usually 3 yr old children are not the best for a brand new pet----as this age can be mean to the dog and then the dog will be ruined. never never yell at the dog----this makes the dog become anxious and will run around and bark--if you have to speak to the dog about his behavior speak in a gentle soft voice......the dog only reacts to your yelling at him.

Answer 9

Learn a little more about dog language. Yes I am being serious. It is clear that you are not pleased with him, or to us anyway. But the dog is obviously growing to feel he can challenge your authority. Stand your ground, stare him in the face and exaggerate your crossness with a frown. Growl at him slowly. When you tell him no, if he does not respond then still in your very stern voice turn your back telling him what a bad dog he is. You are obviously doing the right things, but just make sure this dog understands what it is you are actually telling him.
You are challenging his authority back. You are the feeder you feed the dog, if you don't then start. If the dog does not do what you want then don't feed him. He will soon get the idea about who is in control and then he will respect you and do what you tell him to.
Good luck.

Answer 10

Well I think you should be very careful about rspca dogs as we do not know there full background. It could be that the dog has not been around children and dont really know how to behave. this is not the dogs fault however you have a duty to your child and prevention is better than cure. My friend has 2 dogs from the rspca and they are great