My Staff is an Irish Staff and he’s very large weighing almost 6 stone and stands 19″ at shoulder, he has never been good with other dogs and I am very responsible with him, but we have moved to a small village and people are scared of him because of the way he reacts to other dogs. I have never encouraged him to be dog aggressive, and he never gets off the lead. I know he is getting on a bit and training may be difficult but does anyone have any ideas? It would make life a lot simpler and more pleasant. He is an absolute teddy bear with people and with our female bull terrier. He is also scared of cats! I am terrified incase he gets into a fight with other dogs as not all other dog owners make an effort to stop their unleashed dogs running over to him, even though they can clearly see me trying to restrain him! I would never forgive myself if he killed someones dog.
I would just like to point out that I DO discipline my dog, he is extremely obedient and well trained however those who know anything about Bull Terriers will agree that when he sees another dog its like a red mist descends he cant see me or hear me its in his blood and he would keep going till he dropped, no ammount of discipline would work when another dog is in front of him, its like he turns into a destructyion machine. And to the person who compared him with a Rottweiler, you are just pig ignorant and shouldn’t answer dog questions as you clearly don’t have a clue……..
I would just like to point out that I DO discipline my dog, he is extremely obedient and well trained however those who know anything about Bull Terriers will agree that when he sees another dog its like a red mist descends he cant see me or hear me its in his blood and he would keep going till he dropped, no ammount of discipline would work when another dog is in front of him, its like he turns into a destruction machine. And to the person who compared him with a Rottweiler, you are just pig ignorant and shouldn’t answer dog questions as you clearly don’t have a clue……..
I would just like to point out that I DO discipline my dog, he is extremely obedient and well trained and can do coultless clever tricks. He is very eager to please, however those who know anything about Bull Terriers will agree that when he sees another dog its like a red mist descends he cant see me or hear me its in his blood and he would keep going till he dropped, no ammount of discipline would work when another dog is in front of him, its like he turns into a destruction machine. And to the person who compared him with a Rottweiler, you are just pig ignorant and shouldn’t answer dog questions as you clearly don’t have a clue……..
I would just like to point out that I DO discipline my dog, he is extremely obedient and well trained and can do coultless clever tricks. He is very eager to please, however those who know anything about Bull Terriers will agree that when he sees another dog its like a red mist descends he cant see me or hear me its in his blood and he would keep going till he dropped, no ammount of discipline would work when another dog is in front of him, its like he turns into a destruction machine. And to the person who compared him with a Rottweiler, you are just pig ignorant and shouldn’t answer dog questions as you clearly don’t have a clue…….. When did you last hear of a Rottie attack? This is 2007 not the 1980s!
MILAN
Comments
My first advice is go to a behaviorist. They should be able to find the center of your dog’s problem and help teach YOU how to handle and correct it.
I can not stress enough to NOT take random advice on how to correct it from people on here. It could get you, your dog, or someone else hurt.
Animal agression, not to be confused with human agression or indirect agression, is a concern for most terrier breeds. Some dogs just simply don’t get along with other dogs, and this seems to be a strong presence in the terrier community. Do you discipline his behavior? Was he well socialized as a pup? Has he been to any obedience training? Is he altered? There are things you can do to manage animal agression and prey drive in a dog. Talk to your vet, and check out this link…it might help.
Aggression is not like housebreaking or some other inconvenient problem. You will have to seek out a professional to help with this. You need to determine the root cause before you can fix the problem. It only took one visit with my dog. I was able to take it from there and the biting stopped.
I agree that you should probably go to a behaviorist, but I´ll give you some random advice that you may or may not want to take anyways. Put some coins in a tin can and shake it whenever your dog acts agressive towards another kanine. (Any noise that´s distressful to your dog should work.)
If he hurts an unleashed dog it will definitely not be your fault. All you can do is reinforce your control and training over your own animals and try to avoid these situations. If the other dogs are leashed or fenced you would teach the LEAVE IT command and not allow your dog to look or acknowledge the other dog, but there is nothing you can do about other peoples out of control animal except haul your dog up and kick the snot outta the other dog.
That is what the breed is/was bred for. You cannot train the prey drive out of your dog. Just keep him tethered and controlled at all times, if the other dogs are loose, then muzzle him, you cannot control the other dogs, but you can keep your dog from latching on or biting them. Stop walking where you have to restrain him near other dogs…, sooner or later there will be a fight, and of course, you will be blamed…er, your dog…
and excuse me, other answerer…rottweilers are not dog aggressive…..
It doesn’t matter how old your dog is - you can teach a dog new tricks!
We had a similar problem with our rescued Ridgeback. She was fear aggressive, but would lunge at other dogs growling and barking when on the lead. Firstly, for your own peace of mind, and that of other dog owners, please do muzzle your dog. It will mean that you can relax somewhat knowing your dog is unable to bite. Then it is a case of desensitising your dog. I did try to do this myself initially but without much success. I then approached an obedience training class and explained the problem to the man who ran it.
He was marvelous - he got us to go to a training session and he waited outside with us as other dogs went in the hall, passing us a fair distance away. He was brilliant at getting the dog to look at him and offering her a treat, but when she lunged or barked he shouted ‘NO’ at her. Eventually we built up to moving closer to the dogs, and now we can actually sit in the same room as the other dogs in the class.
With patience it is achievable. Try contacting your vet and ask for details of dog training classes.
Go online to Cesar Milan. He is a world renowned dog behaviorist. There is a Q&A section on his web site.
If he is not neutered he should be as this does cut down on the aggression.Notice,I said cut down,not eliminate.
Being on a leash is threatening to dogs and they are much more likely to be aggressive on leash than off. The poor thing needs time off leash somewhere, though not when other dogs are around until you find out for sure that that changes his behavior. Is he neutered? That would also help, but I’ve seen dogs go from aggressive behavior to “let’s play” immediately on being released from the leash. Otherwise, help from a professional would be necessary to change the bahavior.
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