Amstaff Getting Aggresive Towards Me

[chris001]

I've started a topic here awhile back but cant find it, anyway my staffy is now going through his "teenage" years and is starting to get aggresive towards me, he has bailed me up in the corner of the kitchen a couple of times growling and barking. Just yesterday I was in the backyard and he started sniffing my jumper and when I told him no and moved him away he went for me again but I ignored him and went on with what I was doing, that seemed to piss him off more and then he went at me. The only was I can seem to calm him down is by saying his name or go through with commands. This has only just started and it is only towards me and not sure why! Could it be that he's trying to play the dominet role? Or my tone of voice? He is great with my 2 year old child and my other half with aggrestion what so ever. I tested it the other day when he did it by putting my arm in his way to see if he would go to the extreme and actally take a bite at me but didn't? When he gets that way he still listens to my commands and if really abediant and that seems to be the only way I can stop him from doing it, this all started a week ago when I was playing with him and he just snapped, and does'nt like my feet stomping on the ground. Any advice on correcting this behaiver or anything I can change with what I'm doing would be great. I still have trust for this dog and know this can be corrected. I've been working on correcting it by showing I control his food and basically him if that makes any scence.

[chris001]

He was born on the 4.3.13 so around 5 months old

[Aphra]

I think you need to seek some professional advice from a good trainer/behaviorist. No-one over the internet can tell you what is happening. It could be anything from a bored young dog asking for a game (given his age that seems likely) to an assertive, sexually maturing dog seeking more control over his environment, but the only way to get a good answer is to seek out someone with lots of experience who can watch the interaction. In the meantime, if you really believe that your dog is showing aggression toward you, then you should make sure that you don't allow you dog and your child to interact. Without wishing to be unkind, the act of putting your arm in the way of dog who you think might be showing aggression suggests that you don't have quite enough experience to manage this issue on your own.

I'm sure if you tell people your location NSW DOLers will be able to recommend a behaviorist for you.

Edited July 30, 2013 by Aphra

[Diva]

You need professional help. I can't tell from an internet description if the dog is being aggressive or you are misreading him, but either way you need help reading and shaping this dog. As you are in NSW I would recommend Steve Courtney at K9 Pro, but others may have other recommendations. Google for contact details, or Huski on this forum works for him I think.

Edited July 30, 2013 by Diva

[melzawelza]

Without seeing the behaviour no one can say what the motivation is behind it (and therefore how to work on it). It could be just bull breed mouthing/playing/overexcitedness or it could be him trying to control his environment/you. You need to get a pro out to have a look at what's going on, meet him, meet you, and give you a game plan moving forward.

I recommend Glenn Cooke at Pet Resorts Australia if you're in Sydney. He's got over 20 years experience behind him, particularly with aggression issues. It's a small up-front cost to guarantee his future.

http://www.petresortsaustralia.com/training/personal-training-2/

Good luck and good on you again for seeking advice early!

Edited July 30, 2013 by melzawelza

[Salukifan]

You were playing rough with him up until now weren't you? If you're still doing it, STOP.

Get professional help. Get it now. It won't be cheap if its any good but quite frankly, your safety and that of your family is at stake here.

No one can tell you what you're dealing with without seeing it but I will give you one more piece of advice. DO NOT INVITE THE DOG TO HAVE A GO AT YOU. The day you trigger him to bite you is the day you sign his death warrant and potentially the day you end up with some serious physical damage.

This situation calls for a cool head and de-escalation of the situation, not confrontation.

[mixeduppup]

Please don't put your child in between you and a dog you think may act aggressively. I agree that you need professional help and cannot recommend Steve from K9 pro highly enough. Contact Huski on the forum and she can give you more information on getting him to help you. Please keep your child and him separate until this is sorted out.

Edited July 30, 2013 by mixeduppup

[persephone]

Please take the recommendations offered and contact a respected professional as soon as possible .

Well Done for asking for help now , before that actual bite.

Hope all gets sorted soon.

[OSoSwift]

Yep a potentially very serious issue that needs to be addressed now.

[huski]

While no one can give you an accurate assessment of what is going on via the internet there are lots of red flags in your post. Please look into getting professional help ASAP. This can escalate badly very quickly. If you shoot me an email to [email protected] I can send you through some info.

[chris001]

I'll deffently look into getting professional asap.

I keep him and my daughter from distance since the first time hr did this.

Sometimes he will react to eye to eye contact, he was a very quiet dog untill just now, I dont see him as a thret to me but untill I seek professional help and know weither its agression or not, my daughter is not to be around him.

I have also been lacking in keeping him active and he has been on his own for atleast half a day almost every day on a chain indoors (provent more things getting damaged) due to moving houses I hope that could be the issue, but better safe then sorry.

Thanks for everyone's advice and I'll be looking into it and get this sorted.

[Salukifan]

I have also been lacking in keeping him active and he has been on his own for atleast half a day almost every day on a chain indoors (provent more things getting damaged) due to moving houses I hope that could be the issue, but better safe then sorry.

Thanks for everyone's advice and I'll be looking into it and get this sorted.

Can I politely suggest you get a better form of containment sorted ASAP. Chained dogs are MASSIVELY over represented in dog bite incidents because they get tangled and they cannnot move away from kids. How do you ensure your daughter never goes near the pup while he's chained?

A prefabricated outdoor run would be a better, and safer idea.

[chris001]

The chain is placed high, its always above his head he has'nt been tangled at all.

He just done it again it seems like he's being aggressive but he's not he's kept barking and growling then got a stick and wanted me to chase him with it, maybe I've taken it the wrong way I dont know, he came at me jumping back and forwards when I was'nt playing with him, could be his way of saying he wants to play?

Still going to have someone take a look at him just incase.

[mixeduppup]

The chain is placed high, its always above his head he has'nt been tangled at all.

He just done it again it seems like he's being aggressive but he's not he's kept barking and growling then got a stick and wanted me to chase him with it, maybe I've taken it the wrong way I dont know, he came at me jumping back and forwards when I was'nt playing with him, could be his way of saying he wants to play?

Still going to have someone take a look at him just incase.

Although I am concerned that you may have the wrong breed of dog for your circumstance/experience I will give you some advice. Chaining a dog that has not had the right amount of mental and physical activity is the route cause of a lot of aggressive, manic, neurotic and frustrated behaviour (which your dog seems to be exhibiting one or more of) if you are unwilling/unable to give your dog the physical and mental exercise that it needs then chaining it will only make it worse. I suggest getting a kennel/dog run and a behaviourist ASAP.

[chris001]

We didn't have a back fence untill last week, had in in a room with nothing in it at the time but he still managed to detroy the walls, doors, and the floor board skirts in a matter of a couple of hours when we were gone. He was provided with toys bedding etc. I find the chain to be a better option, its around a 20ft chain but I tie it down shorter so he cant reach the stuff we dont want damaged but he still has alot of length left to do his own thing while we're not home, have'nt had any problem since I used this option.

[Rebanne]

The chain is placed high, its always above his head he has'nt been tangled at all.

He just done it again it seems like he's being aggressive but he's not he's kept barking and growling then got a stick and wanted me to chase him with it, maybe I've taken it the wrong way I dont know, he came at me jumping back and forwards when I was'nt playing with him, could be his way of saying he wants to play?

Still going to have someone take a look at him just incase.

The chain doesn't keep your child away from him though. You need to keep a physical barrier between the two.

[Purdie]

While you are waiting for someone to come and see you and your dog ;he sounds a bit bored and wants to play.Does he like to fetch a ball ?

Give him toys and teach him to fetch them.Never play rough games like tug .Walk him every day and most important of all is to establish a routine.Dogs thrive on routine where they know there are set times -where possible- for play eating training and walking.Use signals with him like clap your hands and and say his name out for up and move go out etc .Teach him "enough'' when play ends or it's time to stop and quiet time.A trainer will be able to give you ideas to keep him occupied.Also make sure he has plenty of times for socialization with other people dogs.Keep him on lead in public .. good luck.

[chris001]

He had plenty of exercise and kept active, its just been a couple of weeks while we have been moving and getting everything ready. He has still been played with just about every day just not as long as before and I've only managed to take him on 3 walks since we have been in the new house, so he has'nt been completely ignored and not that I'm meaning to.

And I've owned 3 other staffies before him, a amstaff/english, a english staff and a amstaff pup I had not long ago that was with a family member but has now been rehomed with a new family.

I've had some experiance with this breed but not any problems I think or may be facing at the momment.

[mixeduppup]

He had plenty of exercise and kept active, its just been a couple of weeks while we have been moving and getting everything ready. He has still been played with just about every day just not as long as before and I've only managed to take him on 3 walks since we have been in the new house, so he has'nt been completely ignored and not that I'm meaning to.

And I've owned 3 other staffies before him, a amstaff/english, a english staff and a amstaff pup I had not long ago that was with a family member but has now been rehomed with a new family.

I've had some experiance with this breed but not any problems I think or may be facing at the momment.

Playing is not exhausting and only exciting. For a dog that is already exhibiting excited behaviour it does not tire him out at all. I would exchange current play time for training time. Goodluck.

[corvus]

For curiosity’s sake...

* When he growls and barks at you, is it a monotonous bark with each bark the same pitch and the same space between barks, or does it vary? Does the bark start soft and increase in volume, or does it start loud and stay loud? Does he stand still and straight or does he shift his weight to his hindquarters? Is he wagging his tail? Is the growl coming from deep in his chest or more from his mouth?

* Do these episodes occur at a particular time of day? Or when you are preoccupied with house chores?

* When you moved him away from you, did you push or drag him or do something else?

* It is good that he is still obedient when he’s doing this. Will he lie down when asked?

* Are you doing Nothing In Life Is Free with him or something like it? If not, I think you should start. There is an article about it here: http://www.dogstardaily.com/blogs/nothing-life-free He should know that the key to getting what he wants is to sit or lie down quietly and patiently wait. If you haven't been using NILIF so far, don't start all at once now. Start with basic things when he is calm and only ask for a very quick sit/down. Gradually expand to other life rewards. It's like a sneaky way of teaching him to be calm and polite and ask nicely when he wants something instead of trying to take it. I would move it into play pretty quickly, especially if he's already so obedient when aroused.

* How much chewing/licking does he get to do? Do you give him Kongs or bones to chew on? I would be looking at feeding him all his food he doesn't get in training in Kong form. It will give him something constructive to do with his chompers.