Amstaff Getting Aggresive Towards Me

[Runamuk_AST]

ALWAYS !!! If in doubt seek a reputable trainer that "know's" the Amstaff. There are many Trainers around but not many have had experience with breeds such as the APBT/AST. !!

Chriss i cannot emphasise the above enough !!!

I have seen many SO-CALLED Trainer break Amstaffs and Pit's in minutes, and it's mainly due to the breeds reputation that people think these breeds need hard/harsh training methods and they will completely chrush your dog.

The biggest threat to the Amstaff breed It's people commenting in a negative way on a breed they know "nothing" about, it's no wonder it's in trouble with BSL!

You CAN NOT assume that because a dog is a particular breed, it will have a particular temperament, triggers or traits

lol...Haredown you cant be serious !! all dogs where bred/designed for a purpose, and that meant possesing a "specific" temperment, trigger or trait. That's EXACTLY how we get a "BREED"

[mixeduppup]

ALWAYS !!! If in doubt seek a reputable trainer that "know's" the Amstaff. There are many Trainers around but not many have had experience with breeds such as the APBT/AST. !!

Chriss i cannot emphasise the above enough !!!

I have seen many SO-CALLED Trainer break Amstaffs and Pit's in minutes, and it's mainly due to the breeds reputation that people think these breeds need hard/harsh training methods and they will completely chrush your dog.

The biggest threat to the Amstaff breed It's people commenting in a negative way on a breed they know "nothing" about, it's no wonder it's in trouble with BSL!

You CAN NOT assume that because a dog is a particular breed, it will have a particular temperament, triggers or traits

lol...Haredown you cant be serious !! all dogs where bred/designed for a purpose, and that meant possesing a "specific" temperment, trigger or trait. That's EXACTLY how we get a "BREED"

But saying that, dogs are individuals. I've met kelpies bred to work that don't have a hint of herding in them. Temperament traits vary widely and by describing a temp without the dog breed said you would get hundreds of breed suggestions from individual personal experiences with individual dogs of that breed.

Edited July 30, 2013 by mixeduppup

[minimax]

ALWAYS !!! If in doubt seek a reputable trainer that "know's" the Amstaff. There are many Trainers around but not many have had experience with breeds such as the APBT/AST. !!

Chriss i cannot emphasise the above enough !!!

I have seen many SO-CALLED Trainer break Amstaffs and Pit's in minutes, and it's mainly due to the breeds reputation that people think these breeds need hard/harsh training methods and they will completely chrush your dog.

The biggest threat to the Amstaff breed It's people commenting in a negative way on a breed they know "nothing" about, it's no wonder it's in trouble with BSL!

You CAN NOT assume that because a dog is a particular breed, it will have a particular temperament, triggers or traits

lol...Haredown you cant be serious !! all dogs where bred/designed for a purpose, and that meant possesing a "specific" temperment, trigger or trait. That's EXACTLY how we get a "BREED"

And if this dog is a cross of unknown origin, then what?

[corvus]

The behaviour and body language descriptions paint a picture of a playful dog, but having had a playful staffy mix decide to play tug with my arm, I don't find that completely reassuring.

I don't share your confidence in the descriptions being accurate. I've watched a room full of dog trainers puzzle slides of canine behaviours put up for discussion.

I didn't intend to express confidence. Words can paint a picture, but as you point out it's not necessarily an accurate one. The bow may have its roots in prey testing behaviour in wolves for all we know. I've seen it used in some pretty obnoxious ways, and associated with social conflict. I was just addressing the most likely interpretation. I don't think there's any sense speculating, but not knowing the cause of the behaviour doesn't preclude all possible treatments. Some things might help for a broad range of problems. I tried to stick to those ones.

[Salukifan]

lol...Haredown you cant be serious !! all dogs where bred/designed for a purpose, and that meant possesing a "specific" temperment, trigger or trait. That's EXACTLY how we get a "BREED"

And that folks, is EXACTLY how BSL is justified. Some Pitbulls are aggressive to people. Therefore all Pitbulls are aggressive to people.

There is "typical" or desirable breed behaviour but not all individuals of a breed display it. You improve the odds of a particular trait by line breeding but you don't guarantee it.

Are all AST's dog aggressive? Do all German Shepherds have the capacity to be police dogs? Will all Whippets chase prey? Will all gundogs retrieve?

Conversely, are no ASTs human aggressive?

Nope. And to assume otherwise is to assume wrongly.

We're probably not talking about a purebred dog here anyway.

Edited July 30, 2013 by Haredown Whippets

[persephone]

Oh Dear

The professionals recommended on here are usually those recommended by well experienced dog owners and trainers .

the professionals named on here, and the professionals who have contributed to this thread , as well as all posters have absolutely no desire to 'break/crush' any dog., esp a 5 mth old puppy !

Please do not give an unsure puppy owner such a dire warning.....without some positives .

Unsure puppy owners need to be recommended to experienced and good trainers , for sure - and that is what is being done here.

Chriss- you have been given someone to email, and also others to contact - I'm sure you will appreciate what they have to offer :)

[Runamuk_AST]

Oh Dear

The professionals recommended on here are usually those recommended by well experienced dog owners and trainers .

the professionals named on here, and the professionals who have contributed to this thread , as well as all posters have absolutely no desire to 'break/crush' any dog., esp a 5 mth old puppy !

Please do not give an unsure puppy owner such a dire warning.....without some positives .

Unsure puppy owners need to be recommended to experienced and good trainers , for sure - and that is what is being done here.

Chriss- you have been given someone to email, and also others to contact - I'm sure you will appreciate what they have to offer :)

Oh Dear

The professionals recommended on here are usually those recommended by well experienced dog owners and trainers .

the professionals named on here, and the professionals who have contributed to this thread , as well as all posters have absolutely no desire to 'break/crush' any dog., esp a 5 mth old puppy !

Where have i said anything bad about the professionals recomended on DOL,..PLEASE point it out ????? all i have said is make sure the trainer KNOWS the Amstaff breed. PLEASE POINT it out where i have specificaly said the Trainers on DOL !

Please do not give an unsure puppy owner such a dire warning.....without some positives

The possitives will be finding a trainer who know the breed! i have had, and have seen the breed crushed by so-called trainers before ..so i will give the same advice evertime someone is wanting advice.

[sandgrubber]

And that folks, is EXACTLY how BSL is justified. Some Pitbulls are aggressive to people. Therefore all Pitbulls are aggressive to people.

There is "typical" or desirable breed behaviour but not all individuals of a breed display it. You improve the odds of a particular trait by line breeding but you don't guarantee it.

I would be equally wary of a behaviour expert who thinks breed explains everything and one who thinks breed is insignificant. Of course there is a lot of variation in any breed.

AmStaffs have some very strong inclinations. They also have extremely high rates of getting into trouble for behavioural reasons (eg, the Finnish KC database shows 10% of pedigree AmStaffs dying due to euthanasia for behavioral reasons, at an average age of around 3 years, and another 10% dying of accidents, also at a young age).

It's as much of an error to assume all behaviorists are alike as it is to assume all dogs of a given breed are alike. I've watched miracles from a behaviorist. I've also watched a bunch of people getting fleeced with consults that did absolutely nothing to improve the dog's behavior or the owner's understanding of the dog's behavior.

The pup in question is a pup. Worth noting that it's a good time to get behaviour on track, cause the problems at 5 mo can escalate significantly in the next couple years....and the powers that be aren't very tolerant of misbehaving AmStaffs.

[sas]

I think this should have ended on page 1....."See a behaviourist" - there is nothing anyone else can nor should say.

[persephone]

Runamuk .. and Chris - apologies if my post was misunderstood .

I understand there are many 'trainers' who can do damage .. my post was meant to reassure you about the folks here ,

[melzawelza]

ALWAYS !!! If in doubt seek a reputable trainer that "know's" the Amstaff. There are many Trainers around but not many have had experience with breeds such as the APBT/AST.

Any trainer that would deal with a particular dog's behaviour by attributing it to its breed would be one I'd run a mile from. You deal with the specific behaviour in the dog in front of you, not any generalised notion of what you think you might "know" about the breed you're dealing with.

There are plenty of atypical dogs around and plenty of trainers who've learned the hard way that dogs don't always behave in ways you might expect. Assumption is the fast track to trouble in my opinion. Observation is how all experienced trainers commence dealing with a dog.

This sort of thinking is how we got BSL in the first place. You CAN NOT assume that because a dog is a particular breed, it will have a particular temperament, triggers or traits.

Genes make up only a part of how a dog behaves. You need to factor in all the other issues before you have an accurate analysis of the dog you are dealing with.

I agree with Runamuk_AST. From what I've read this sounds like a confident, maybe a little boisterous puppy but not aggressive or dominant. He really is only a baby at 5 months and will behave like one too for a while still. :)

Anyone game enough to make an assessment of a dog's behaviour based on owner description and not direct observation is playing with fire. I don't care how well you think you know a breed peeps, you do not know THIS dog.

Have a care about the reassurances you're giving here. I hope you both realise that the dog's breed is by no means certain anyway.

lol...Haredown you cant be serious !! all dogs where bred/designed for a purpose, and that meant possesing a "specific" temperment, trigger or trait. That's EXACTLY how we get a "BREED"

And that folks, is EXACTLY how BSL is justified. Some Pitbulls are aggressive to people. Therefore all Pitbulls are aggressive to people.

There is "typical" or desirable breed behaviour but not all individuals of a breed display it. You improve the odds of a particular trait by line breeding but you don't guarantee it.

Are all AST's dog aggressive? Do all German Shepherds have the capacity to be police dogs? Will all Whippets chase prey? Will all gundogs retrieve?

Conversely, are no ASTs human aggressive?

Nope. And to assume otherwise is to assume wrongly.

We're probably not talking about a purebred dog here anyway.

All brilliant posts. Said it better than I could have.

Chris, you've shown more than once on here that you're a conscientious owner that wants to do the best by your pup. He's lucky to have you. Best contact one of the pros suggested on here and get that added help that will set you guys up for a wonderful life together. Let us know how you go.

[mita]

I would be equally wary of a behaviour expert who thinks breed explains everything and one who thinks breed is insignificant. Of course there is a lot of variation in any breed.

AmStaffs have some very strong inclinations. They also have extremely high rates of getting into trouble for behavioural reasons (eg, the Finnish KC database shows 10% of pedigree AmStaffs dying due to euthanasia for behavioral reasons, at an average age of around 3 years, and another 10% dying of accidents, also at a young age).

It's as much of an error to assume all behaviorists are alike as it is to assume all dogs of a given breed are alike. I've watched miracles from a behaviorist. I've also watched a bunch of people getting fleeced with consults that did absolutely nothing to improve the dog's behavior or the owner's understanding of the dog's behavior.

The pup in question is a pup. Worth noting that it's a good time to get behaviour on track, cause the problems at 5 mo can escalate significantly in the next couple years....and the powers that be aren't very tolerant of misbehaving AmStaffs.

Very sensible, balanced, evidence-based post, SG.

With a positive ending note for Chris, that it's a good time to get the behavioral assistance for the AmStaff. The pup is still young.... & has the benefit of plasticity in learning.