experience bull owners advice needed

[staffs riffraff 1,068]

Good post moll

[Guest chook]

Chook I agree with most of what you say but to go and get a treat to coxe the dog off the settee when he threatening/warning that he will bite is not a very good idea at all it's reinforcing bad behavior that's what the guys trying get away from if the dog is nervous mate and you got kids and you going away get someone in to sort it mate asap as a nervous dog CAN be very dangerous as most bites are from nervous dogs so good luck hope you sort it mate don't want nothing bad to you family n involving this type of breed as they got enough bad press

 

By the time you have gone and got a treat, the dog will have carmed down,and wont be growling

i dont mean the second the dogs growling to give it a treat, by changing your voice and

encoraging a dog off, insted of forceing it - will change how the dog is,

one the dog is off the couch - you reward it for doing the action of getting off,

unless its growling at you whilst its getting off the couch, you wouldnt be rewarding for the growling behavour,

 

if you chalinging the dog to get off the couch, that will be when you get the growling,

so by not chalinging, getting a treat and rewarding the dog for getting off, you will reward the action of getting off the couch.

[bradaz2009 9]

either man up pal or get rid do you feel sorry for the dog because its a rescue(im gonna say yes)thats the problem when he is with you he aint bin mistreated so dont treat it like it has and beating it up wont help he wants 2 be top dog so you start fighting with him thats his chance to do you and get there plenty of exercise is a must and your bird needs to start being tough with it my missus is same if it comes from a bad background then they mardy it but the best bet is practice grabbing his collar and whatever else sets him off and do not back down dont hit him if he growlin go towards him just make him move away from you not othe way round and atb let us know what happens

[bradaz2009 9]

either man up pal or get rid do you feel sorry for the dog because its a rescue(im gonna say yes)thats the problem when he is with you he aint bin mistreated so dont treat it like it has and beating it up wont help he wants 2 be top dog so you start fighting with him thats his chance to do you and get there plenty of exercise is a must and your bird needs to start being tough with it my missus is same if it comes from a bad background then they mardy it but the best bet is practice grabbing his collar and whatever else sets him off and do not back down dont hit him if he growlin go towards him just make him move away from you not othe way round and atb let us know what happens

[tinytiger 840]

you mention that you are away a bit,maybe the dog is jealous of attention you get from your missus or to put it another way when youre at home maybe the pack structure is upset or something.Does it give your wife problems when you are not there.

[brunty29cdo 5]

thanks everyone for there opinions some usefull some bullshit macho talk shite.

its not a dominance problem as hes very submissive and does what hes told.

problem is he on rare occasions seems nervous and thats where the problem lies because hel growl when he thinks hes bein threatend.

some usefull information by some people which i will apply(most of which i do anyway)..

hes not a nervous dog at all most of time,just a random rareity.like i said before hes the perfect dog 99% of time but has a bit of jeckel and hyde personality 1% of time.me and wife will be keeping a very close eye on his behaviour and will see what triggers this for future reference.

thanks again for the help,appreciated

[Moll. 1,770]

Sorry Brunty, your first post did not read like that.

[Millet 4,497]

thanks again for the help,appreciated

The help you have been given was invaluable by many members, especialy from experinced dog owners like Moll and many others,but i see there help and time been very much wasted by you not explaining the correct situation to start with.

[littlefish 586]

You say in your first post that you had to intervene in a dog fight. What dog was the fight with? Was it another dog of yours? How many dogs do you have? If you are going to be away, it may be unfair to expect your partner to deal with this situation. I hope you can sort it out. Maybe a consistent five minute one-to-one training session several times every day may help the dog to feel more confident and respectful. As the settee situation is causing problems, it could be a good idea starting with that. Encourage it to get off the settee, with a treat, only giving it the reward when it does as it is asked and sits in a mannerly way. This can be done without grabbing at the collar. I really don't think getting physical would help, it may cause the dog to become nervy and thus more unpredictable. Good luck.

[brunty29cdo 5]

You say in your first post that you had to intervene in a dog fight. What dog was the fight with? Was it another dog of yours? How many dogs do you have? If you are going to be away, it may be unfair to expect your partner to deal with this situation. I hope you can sort it out. Maybe a consistent five minute one-to-one training session several times every day may help the dog to feel more confident and respectful. As the settee situation is causing problems, it could be a good idea starting with that. Encourage it to get off the settee, with a treat, only giving it the reward when it does as it is asked and sits in a mannerly way. This can be done without grabbing at the collar. I really don't think getting physical would help, it may cause the dog to become nervy and thus more unpredictable. Good luck.

hi,i have 2 dogs.a lurcher pup and they are the best of friends.the dog fight was with another dog which snapped at him first(my dog was at heel,so i know this to be true).it lasted only seconds as i was there to intervene...il put the growling as being wired up that time.thanks

[Casso 1,261]

your getting a lot of advice there bud,,but 1 thing i would say to ya, biting and tugging and those actions which are common with bull breeds are how a dog releases stress from his system

a direct natured dog such as yours needs to be able let his prey drive flow through regular bite work can become a calm and trusted mutt

not just exercise like running round , dogs are really orally fixated, especially terriers, running round will only tire him physically it wont destress him

and if you become the channel through which he gets to become high in drive, your bond with the dog will increase

i might be yapping on a bit now, but remember this ,a dog is happiest when in drive, he is in total harmony with his nature, nothing can make him feel better , no treats , no petting ,nothing

Had a terrier before , f*****g bonkers, got him mad bout chasing and killing a tennis ball , in the end wouldn't leave my side when out, because only through me could he get to be in drive,,

[Moll. 1,770]

your getting a lot of advice there bud,,but 1 thing i would say to ya, biting and tugging and those actions which are common with bull breeds are how a dog releases stress from his system

a direct natured dog such as yours needs to be able let his prey drive flow through regular bite work can become a calm and trusted mutt

not just exercise like running round , dogs are really orally fixated, especially terriers, running round will only tire him physically it wont destress him

and if you become the channel through which he gets to become high in drive, your bond with the dog will increase

i might be yapping on a bit now, but remember this ,a dog is happiest when in drive, he is in total harmony with his nature, nothing can make him feel better , no treats , no petting ,nothing

Had a terrier before , f*****g bonkers, got him mad bout chasing and killing a tennis ball , in the end wouldn't leave my side when out, because only through me could he get to be in drive,,

 

Brill post

[Mac 30]

like i said before hes the perfect dog 99% of time but has a bit of jeckel and hyde personality 1% of time.

 

You dont want a bull bred dog to be 99% some of the time, you want a 100% all of the time when it comes to aggressive behaviour ontoward his master(s) you and your wife. Some sound advice here (especially Moll's), take on board and try and eradicate the behavioural problem ASAP, plain and simple he is being dominant it needs to end before he will follow through from his growling at you(s). Just my opinion, not a personal dig. Goodluck.

[Dan37 6]

Hi, I'm no expert but here's my tuppence - some of which I know other people have said already

 

At two he is entering his 'hormonal' teenage years and is trying it on a bit. In the pic there is another dog, is that yours as well and is the staffie top dog out of those two? He is, at this age, trying to work his way up the pack hierarchy and as you are at the top you are the main target.

 

What you need to do is consistently assert your authority. This doesn't mean whacking him every time he growls it means showing you are top dog.

1) At feeding times lift his bowl from its usual place, fill it with his food then, where he can clearly see you take food out of it and eat it yourself (mime this, obviously, unless you like his kibbles ) then get him to sit and wait, put the bowl down but do not allow him to the bowl until you have stepped away and have given the release command (i.e. he sits and waits until you say he can go and eat) do this EVERY time he is fed

 

2) If there are no go areas in the house (such a the settee and bed) then he must NOT be allowed on these areas unless you permit him, and here you MUST be consistent. If is not allowed on the settee - then his NEVER allowed on, not allowed on every now and again, this will just confuse him and make the situation worse. If he goes into any of the no go areas then loudly, firmly and above all authoritatively tell him NO and put him outside, in the basement, garage, wherever he can be isolated from his pack (i.e the family), leave him there for 15 mins etc then allow him back in

 

3)Doors - when you bring the dog in from a walk, from the garden etc he ONLY enters the house BEHIND you (or, later once his training is a bit better, ahead of you WITH YOUR PERMISSION) you shouldn't let him just barge in in front you in an excited manner, the same around the house as far as possible

 

4)Walks - correct any leash pulling (by stopping or stepping back as soon as he does so that the lead runs out and he get a firm tug) and don't let him stop and sniff and pee whenever he wants - he need to realise that on a walk you are the pack leader and he's allowed to sniff and mess around at your discretion only - if you don't want him to then he doesn't

 

5) Don't allow him to jump up (or stand and put paws up) on your or members of your family - this is often (though not always) dominant behaviour. Push him down with a firm down command and ignore him for a minute or two.

 

6) Aggressive behaviour. This is more difficult to address directly. By you (and your missus) doing the above it will OVER TIME re-assert your authority over him and reduce aggression (once he's sure of his place in the pack he'll stop questioning if he can get higher up in it). Any display of aggression, growling, staring etc needs an immediate and firm reaction from you - a firm NO and putting outside etc, anything else (particularly you or a family member giving in to him) will only teach him that aggressive behaviour is rewarded.

 

7) Do no play tug of war type games. All this really does is teach the dog to work against you, and if he wins (and lets face it a full grown staffie is a powerful dog) it teaches him that he can physically beat you. Instead play training type games where he is rewarded for doing things you ask (as simple as fetching a ball and dropping at your feet)the important thing is to reward him for doing something good. Which brings me on to;

 

MOST IMPORTANT reward positive behaviour. When he does what you want (gets off the sofa on command, allows you through doors first etc etc) reward him, and be over the top. Use a high pitched voice (lower pitched voices are often a signal of aggression) praise him and pet him and treat him. Imagine you are talking to a small child and be as over the top as possible. Dogs often crave positive attention of this kind, and it is much, much easier to reinforce positive behaviour than it is to break bad.

 

9) Almost as important - lots and lots of positive exercise and play - with you and your family members at the centre of it. If you dog can find positive outlets for his physical and mental needs less positive outlets, such as aggression are less likely. You should give him as much physical exercise as you can, but at the same time wear him out mentally - make training, and reward for the training a big part of the play. A good training session which makes him use his brain will often wear him out more than just running around. And keeping you and your family at the centre of it will re-enforce your positive role. You might want to consider classes (such as a local obedience class)

 

Sorry for the length of this - but I hope it helps. Some points seem a bit draconian but often a dog of this age showing aggression is usually questioning his place in the hierarchy and you just need to help him establish it. He won't mind where it is just as long as he KNOWS where it is. Being consistent in your behaviour to him, and in enforcing the rules you set him, is very important, also note that throughout this I say you need to be FIRM with him - not aggressive or harsh.

 

Unfortunately if things get to the point where he actually bites then it is often very difficult to fix the situation (particularly without professional help) and you may have to consider re-homing with a more appropriate owner or even pts

 

hope the above helps

 

Dan

Edited January 18, 2011 by Dan37

[hickymick 37]

You say in your first post that you had to intervene in a dog fight. What dog was the fight with? Was it another dog of yours? How many dogs do you have? If you are going to be away, it may be unfair to expect your partner to deal with this situation. I hope you can sort it out. Maybe a consistent five minute one-to-one training session several times every day may help the dog to feel more confident and respectful. As the settee situation is causing problems, it could be a good idea starting with that. Encourage it to get off the settee, with a treat, only giving it the reward when it does as it is asked and sits in a mannerly way. This can be done without grabbing at the collar. I really don't think getting physical would help, it may cause the dog to become nervy and thus more unpredictable. Good luck.

hi,i have 2 dogs.a lurcher pup and they are the best of friends.the dog fight was with another dog which snapped at him first(my dog was at heel,so i know this to be true).it lasted only seconds as i was there to intervene...il put the growling as being wired up that time.thanks

there is two experts on tv its the man from usa you want to whatch his programs ,he deals with bulls nd has loads of them running free,carnt remember his name,but he will wow you on bullbreeds,thinck he is mexican :blink:its better to watch it he explains dogs better than i can put into words his skill is second to none...