Hi All,

Just wondering if there are any members out there that have dog aggressive dogs? My boy Harley show's aggressive behaviour to any other dog bar Bella.

I've talked to a trainer and we will be doing to do some training hopefully sometime in the new year which fingers crossed will either help him overcome these issues or at least desensitise him to other dogs around him.

I am pretty certain that the dog aggression is a direct result of my actions when he was a puppy and also possibly some hereditary characteristics thrown in there as well. He was my first pup on my own and other than puppy school he was never around other dogs, although he wasn't really interested in other dogs even at puppy school.

If anyone does have DA dogs, how have you overcome the problem or have you just left it be?

Oh yes, ALOT of people do and alot of people will lie and say they don't.. DA is in this breed and is part of this breed.. You call it a PROBLEM.. I call it this breed.. It use to be alot more common until people try to breed away from the breed and then made alot of SHY and SCARED dogs.. But some would rather have that than a correct breed. You could have socialized your dog and spent 24hrs with him and he could have still been DA.. It is in them. Some don't show it until it something triggers it... Some just don't have it and never show it. But I don't look at it as a problem or a incorrect dog.. YOu just have to learn about it, what triggers it and train the dog to listen well with you. Training will help with that. But don't listen to anyone that tells you that your dog is incorrect, has a bad temperment, or is unstable because it is just a bunch of crap from people that went thru a bunch of dogs that finally got a few that got along.. haha.. Best of luck and just learn and train...

Haha well he never really liked other dogs at all, I remember the first day I got him he was this tiny scared bundle of cuteness. I took him to my Mum's and she has a Rotty cross German Shepard who could have swallowed him in two bites, and here's little Harley barking away at this giant dog. At puppy school all the other dogs would try to play and he would run away to sniff food or jump on people. Bella on the other hand loves everything and everyone.

I can't really think of anything that would have triggered it other than me always pulling him back from other dogs to stop him jumping up and not socialising him with other dogs when he was a pup. I think its more likely that it has always just been there!

Really all I would like to do is be able to take him for a walk, to the beach or out with out him going mental and trying to drag me half way across the car park or road to get to the dog he has seen.

Jadie wrote:
Really all I would like to do is be able to take him for a walk, to the beach or out with out him going mental and trying to drag me half way across the car park or road to get to the dog he has seen.

This is mostly a training matter. No matter how "dog aggressive" you should be able to handle your dog in public without him doing this.
I had a bitch who, I guess, was "dog aggressive" -- she was deadly when invited to mix it up -- but I could show her in a crowd of dogs pressing in on all sides and she would stand there quietly-- ready to go, yes -- but very confident in her ability to handle anything that might happen.

There ARE going to be dogs you can't take out in public -- no matter what you do, that's all they want to do is go get the other dog! They are a pain and although not totally incorrect for the breed, it is MY opinion they are not as "right" as the ones like my bitch. My experience (and I have had dogs exactly like this) is that these dogs DO have a degree of fear in them and want to get the other dog before it gets THEM.

I find that socializing with other dogs (and I don't believe a "puppy school" is the best place to do this as it's too overwhelming for a lot of puppies). Getting to meet and play with as many kinds of dogs as possible when a puppy DOES alleviate much of the curiosity about other dogs and helps the pup gain confidence. He LEARNS about what they are and understands a bit more about those other dogs he sees on the street when he grows up. This attitude will help lessen and better control the "dog aggression" once the dog is an adult.

Carla

I am making a copy of this one Carla and I do agree other then the FEAR part but I agree with you.. Nothing more to say...

Like the others said, dog aggression has always been part of this breed going back to it's history. Different dogs show different levels of DA, and the best thing you can do is train your dog to obey you. Their willingness to please their owner is generally greater than the drive to go after another dog. Even with the best intentions and early socialization, DA can show up anytime from puppyhood untill well into maturity. This doesn't mean your dog will want to always attack every dog it encounters, just be prepared to deal with it if it does. Just like people, some dogs just don't like everyone they meet. My girl gets along with most toy breeds (both sexes) and most male dogs of any size. I do have to be especially careful around large, unfamiliar female dogs - especially if they get up into her "personal space". I can take her anywhere as long as I'm cautious. A tug on the leash accompanied by a firm NO, or LEAVE IT, will generally put her back in a calm state, focusing on me. Good luck and keep us posted. Bob

Thanks guys!

I will book him in for training asap. The trainer said that we will be in a class with other dogs but just further away from the rest of the roup until he gets use to it and the training course will probably start off being 26 weeks long and depending on how far he has gotten in that time longer.

He listens to me most of the time, but he has a long way to go.

it is part of this breed... my dogs doesn't show any aggression to other dogs but all change when other dogs barked at them.

I have been saying this for YEARS and so many get mad over it. It is just funny to me. Gosh, the last time I said it is this breed the attacking began..haha.

Meadowbrooks wrote:I have been saying this for YEARS and so many get mad over it. It is just funny to me. Gosh, the last time I said it is this breed the attacking began..haha.

It's because you make it sound like they HAVE to have "dog aggression" to be correct.

It's all confusing because, what IS "dog aggression"?

Every breed I've had has some degree of "dog aggression"!

Is this breed supposed to have MORE? A different kind from the stray mutt I have sitting here?

I like to emphasize the confidence the breed is supposed to have, BUT which is ALWAYS ready to go if need-be and won't back down from a threat. I think this is the part that is most important. I could care less if my dog shows "dog aggression" at ANY time; EXCEPT I want to see readiness, alertness, awareness and if threatened or attacked, THEN I'd better see willingness and NOT avoidance.

Dog aggression is a made up term for people that can't train their dogs .
It is not a hereditary trait and it is not "part of the breed" it is not anywhere an the amstaff breed standard , it is created by bad training and misunderstanding dog owners!
Lets look at how a wolf pack will kill a strange wolf that stays into their territory without a second thought now they also live in groups of up to 30 so are wolves dog aggressive ??
Dogs have triggers and instinctive behaviors it is up to you to learn what they are and learn how to control them
Educate your self and learn to understand your animal and you can curb any behavior that is undesired and nurture any behavior that is desired.
By accepting dog aggressive behavior as "part of the breed" you unwittingly nurture the behavior

Explain to me how then my other AmStaffie Bella who has had less training than Harley and has been raised similar shows no aggressive tendencies to any other dog?

It is not a hereditary trait and it is not "part of the breed" it is not anywhere an the amstaff breed standard , it is created by bad training and misunderstanding dog owners!

Both of mine were purchased from back yard breeders (in hindsight I would have gone to a breeder), Bella's parent's were family pets who were around kids and other dogs all the time. Harley's mum was a family dog, his dad was there as a status symbol (I never met his parent's but from pictures and what I was told) which is where I believe part of his dislike of dogs has stemmed from. This is not the first time I have seen aggressive tendencies past down from parent to pup.

I know (and have admitted) he needs a LOT more training, but as I have said from 6 weeks old he was barking at dogs that could have eaten him in 2 bites.

Dogs have triggers and instinctive behaviors it is up to you to learn what they are and learn how to control them

Most often he displays this behaviour when he is on a lead, a dog barks in their yard - Harley pulls like crazy to get to the fence. He has escaped from our yard twice recently (thanks to Bella), he went into another dogs yard and tried to attack it through the fence. I also think that he can be fearful of other dogs, which doesn't help.

Sagebrush wrote:

Meadowbrooks wrote:I have been saying this for YEARS and so many get mad over it. It is just funny to me. Gosh, the last time I said it is this breed the attacking began..haha.

It's because you make it sound like they HAVE to have "dog aggression" to be correct.

It's all confusing because, what IS "dog aggression"?

Every breed I've had has some degree of "dog aggression"!

Is this breed supposed to have MORE? A different kind from the stray mutt I have sitting here?

I like to emphasize the confidence the breed is supposed to have, BUT which is ALWAYS ready to go if need-be and won't back down from a threat. I think this is the part that is most important. I could care less if my dog shows "dog aggression" at ANY time; EXCEPT I want to see readiness, alertness, awareness and if threatened or attacked, THEN I'd better see willingness and NOT avoidance.

That is such crap Carla and you know it. I defend it when you and others say it is INCORRECT to have any at all and it means the dog is UNSTABLE. I NEVER said it is INCORRECT not to have it. It is incorrect to be shy and scared more than it is to have dog agg. I have Two dogs here that aren't Dog agg. I don't think they are incorrect at all. But to preach that Dog Agg is unstable and incorrect is a bunch of crap and you and others preach it alot and put wrong ideas in peoples heads and then you get others to believe it and then they think every dog that has lil Dog agg is terrible and incorrect. That is what bugs me because it is this breed and many have hurt this breed by following that crap and now we have a TON of shy and scared dogs and what is funny is now people think that is CORRECT. Like I always has said.. I would rather have a dog that i have to keep right beside me or carry in the ring before one that is crawling on their belly and being dragged into the ring.. I know there is a happy medium and I will agree with your above statement about alertness and so on. Bottomline is that there are ALOT of bad temps out there because people were conviced that DA was incorrect..

It is not a hereditary trait and it is not "part of the breed" it is not anywhere an the amstaff breed standard , it is created by bad training and misunderstanding dog owners!

Sorry Scrapper, I have to totally disagree with this statement. Amstaffs and APBTs WERE bred for fighting and dogs that were not up for the fight were weeded out and killed. Sadly, it is still done today in the dog fighting circles. It may not be written in the breed standard, but as long as the dog isn't out of control, DA is accepted, (even expected) to a certain extent in the show rings. A friend of mine is an elite UKC judge and it is common practice to have dogs win titles (especially in Europe), after having to be pulled apart for "going at it" in the show ring. Not saying don't train your dog, because training will help tone down the DA, but just as a pointer will instinctively point and a herder will instinctively herd, a "proper" Amstaff or APBT will instinctively fight. I have no problem with this as long as owners realize this and keep it under control. Bob

Meadowbrooks wrote:That is such crap Carla and you know it. I defend it when you and others say it is INCORRECT to have any at all and it means the dog is UNSTABLE. I NEVER said it is INCORRECT not to have it. It is incorrect to be shy and scared more than it is to have dog agg. I have Two dogs here that aren't Dog agg. I don't think they are incorrect at all. But to preach that Dog Agg is unstable and incorrect is a bunch of crap and you and others preach it alot and put wrong ideas in peoples heads and then you get others to believe it and then they think every dog that has lil Dog agg is terrible and incorrect.

IF the "dog aggression" you DO have is based in FEAR and insecurity, then it IS incorrect, is it not?

At the same time you preach that you WANT to see a "lil" "dog aggression", *I* want people to know that just because you SEE it, doesn't mean it is always the kind you WANT to see.

I think it's easier to tell people to breed for that confidence in any new situation, that boldness and alertness FIRST because the appropriate "dog aggression" is very likely to follow.
Seeing "dog aggression" and breeding for THAT because you've been told that you always want to see a little makes it more likely you lose focus on the other stuff.