Question about walks... On leash, of course

spike · 09-02-2006

Well, first of all it has taken a while for me to come up with a dog collar that will not break when my staffy goes out for a walk. We have gone through many.

Have other pit bull dog owners or staffordshire dog owners been through this and have a suggestion?

I guess the real question is this, when Spike sees another dog(usually a big dog) he goes insane trying to get at it. Same goes for if he even just hears a barking dog. Suddenly I am not there, and he throws himself into the air, I've fallen into mud, trying to contain this. Is there a way to get his attention off other dogs? I've tried a dog treat, clicker training.. Everything. He doesn't care.. Just wants at the other dog.

Dollydog · 09-03-2006

It sounds as if he needs a good bit more socialising to me.

I don't know how old he is, but maybe you could take him to training classes?

Unfortunately quite a few may not be willing to have him as he is showing aggressive behavior, but you should eventually be able to track down somewhere.

bandit_starr06 · 09-03-2006

I agree with DollyDog, it sounds as if he needs more socialization. If you can't find a training class that will take him, maybe you could see if a friend or relative could bring over their dog to help him get used to other dogs. You'd have to take precautions so that neither dog got hurt though. Maybe buy or borrow a kennel or carrier to put him in while the other dog visits, or put him in the kitchen with a kid-gate up and have the other dog in the dining room or where ever your dog can see the other dog.

Staffi Lover! · 09-04-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by bandit_starr06

maybe you could see if a friend or relative could bring over their dog to help him get used to other dogs. You'd have to take precautions so that neither dog got hurt though. Maybe buy or borrow a kennel or carrier to put him in while the other dog visits, or put him in the kitchen with a kid-gate up and have the other dog in the dining room or where ever your dog can see the other dog.

I was just going to suggest that, I reckon that woul dbe the best option if your couldnt get him into training classes.

Is he aggressive with the other dog when he gets there? Or is his tail wagging and looks as if he just wants to play?

bandit_starr06 · 09-04-2006

After I posted that I was worried that someone would think I was crazy for suggesting it. But that's how we got two of our dogs used to each other, years ago when my parents were breeding Chinese Shar-Peis.

spike · 09-04-2006

Well he'll be 4 years old on December 15th. I guess that just brings up another question.. If he is pretty dog aggressive, is he too old to learn to get along with dogs? The way I have seen him interact with other dogs, is the way he runs up to them and shoves himself into their face makes THEM attack.

I guess there is no way to just make him pay attention to his owner and not make such a huge scene for everyone around when he sees another dog? =/
It really is embarrassing, and can't be beneficial to a breed that many people already think is vicious.
I will see what I can find out about available dog training in our area. Just seems so expensive

bandit_starr06 · 09-05-2006

The dogs my parents had to socialize were 2 and 3. So I don't think your dog is too old, I do know that the older a dog is, the more ingrained the habits are which makes them harder to break. But that's the same way it is with humans. I wish you good luck finding some help with this, because other than that one flaw, your dog sounds like a good dog.

PitBullLvr · 09-05-2006

Just curious, does your dog growl when he's doing this? My females do that too, but their tails are wagging & they're not growling. My dogs aren't dog agressive at all. They run into each other & play rough all the time. But they NEVER growl. So if he's not growling, maybe he's not trying to be mean.

Dopeydawg · 09-06-2006

I wouldn't take either tail wagging or not growling as a sign he is being friendly.

Some dogs wag away simply because they are looking forward to getting into a scrap.

You could always try muzzling him when taking him to classes. There are some muzzles out there that allow the dog a good bit of freedom without being able to bite.
It doesn't look that great but it would reassure the other people in attendance and also save you getting into scrapes.

spike · 09-06-2006

Well no, thankfully he does not growl when he is doing this. I think maybe he is just overly exciteable by either the thought of playing with another dog, or by getting into a fight or something. Either way, I have never seen him attack another dog. He just antagonizes the other dog to attack. (I guess he doesn't know what to do other than running at the dog and shoving himself into its' face.. That upsets dogs that have never had a history of dog aggression)
And Dopey you are right, I have a dog muzzle for him, but I get the idea he doesn't like it.
I mean, he just falls over onto his face and refuses to move while it's on him. I don't think it hurts him, it's a nylon-like one that's really light and I would never put it on too tight.

And thank you bandit, he really is a good dog. I just don't know what he went through with other owners that caused all his issues. This is my first dog ever, and they didn't warn me about any of this!! Lol