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Getting scared now....aggressive puppy

137 replies

Idunnowhyibother · 07/08/2022 18:46

10 month old Bull Terrier growling at me when at home alone with him and has snapped at me several times. He is usually a happy sociable dog - good with other dogs and people. But just doesn't seem to like me....is fine with DP etc. I work from home so am with him all day but I'm starting to not feel safe around him. He's medically fine but goes into s sulk when DP is out. Today I am trying to relax at home and watch a film while DP is out with friends and his behaviour is just strange - he's slinking around avoiding me and has growled at me while I walked past him with his fur standing on end and lunged at me. Not a happy situation and I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

OP posts:
sunsetsandsandybeaches · 08/08/2022 16:44

What groups are you in with such opinions? I'd be interested to read the discussion .

Multiple groups of professional dog walkers, behaviourists and trainers @stevalnamechanger. I can't link the discussions as you need proof you work with dogs in order to become a member of the groups.

mushforbrain · 08/08/2022 17:02

This thread has made me sad for EBTs - didn’t realise so many people feared/hated them. Mine is such a soft, cuddly thing and a year old. We socialised her as soon as we could and although to be fair she was very chewy on hands while she was teething, (and at several points I was in despair) she grew out of it as other dogs do. I don’t think she’s ugly at all. Sorry, I know this isn’t the issue but some comments are just really generalising and horrible about a dog just because of the way it looks.
Interested in the comments about Southend trainers as I’ve seen them all over FB.

Getting scared now....aggressive  puppy
caramac04 · 08/08/2022 17:03

I’ve had and have staffies who have proven to be brilliant dogs. I fostered a dog who displayed fear aggression but the fear could be triggered by many things and I was unable to predict his behaviour. With time I might have managed this but the day he lunged (and missed thank god) at my dgd was the day he was pts.
You are in danger of being bitten OP and potentially it could become a frenzied attack by a strong dog with a very powerful bite. I genuinely think you should not be in the house alone with the dog. You are probably now giving off signs of fear which will make the dog fearful as he has no confidence in you, it’s not your fault but this is a potentially very serious situation.

PritiPatelsMaker · 08/08/2022 17:18

That's a very useful post Frequency. Thank you.

Indoctro · 08/08/2022 18:06

@mushforbrain I don't think EBT are ugly I love them although I have never owned one , only Stafford's. I've come across quite a few at dogs shows and I always go to speak to them. Lovely dogs.

Your dog is beautiful. Smile

Idunnowhyibother · 09/08/2022 12:09

I've had someone come to the house yesterday to see him/us and offer advice - there are a couple of things we do that (with explanation and hindsight) are giving him mixed messages and are easy to fix. I've also talked it over with my dog walker several times who is brilliant with him and used to big breeds/bull Terriers. We will be looking to neuter him in the coming months as feel 10 months is too young and we need to make progress on his issues first. Luckily he is very good with other dogs albeit in a controlled manner and is not a humper! Doing work on his and our boundaries hopefully will go a long way to settling things down. I'm certainly not rushing to PTS unless I have at least tried with him.

OP posts:
PritiPatelsMaker · 09/08/2022 13:10

Glad you've got someone in and have some things to try.

Indoctro · 09/08/2022 14:51

Please don't neuter before 2 years old otherwise you could make the aggressive behaviour worse.

saddowizca · 09/08/2022 16:28

"there are a couple of things we do that (with explanation and hindsight) are giving him mixed messages and are easy to fix."
interested to know what these things are and how they suggest you can fix them @Idunnowhyibother - just for my future reference.

Idunnowhyibother · 09/08/2022 21:10

saddowizca · 09/08/2022 16:28

"there are a couple of things we do that (with explanation and hindsight) are giving him mixed messages and are easy to fix."
interested to know what these things are and how they suggest you can fix them @Idunnowhyibother - just for my future reference.

Set and strict feeding times (after us) and not leaving food down too long. Sounds simple but we weren't doing it consistently. Restricted access so he sleeps downstairs in his bed while we sleep upstairs. Loving that one! He's a restless sleeper with a deadly fart so more than happy with this. More structured playtime with toys as he is still mouthy and tends to try and force play (usually when I'm knackered and about to go to bed). We'll see how it goes once he's adjusted to these can move on to other things.

OP posts:
Frequency · 09/08/2022 21:26

Oh OP, I hate to rain on your parade when you're feeling so positive but you've found yourself a good old fashioned Alpha Dog trainer. Most of this advice is a good idea for a pup. They thrive off routine but he is not showing aggression because you let him eat first, sleep on your bed and play when he wants to. He is well aware that you are not a dog and he definately is not "challening you for leadership" and he doesn't think he is higher in the pack than you or "in charge".

Dogs when left to go feral don't even have an alpha much less an alpha who gets the best bed and eats before them.

You really need to find youself a behaviourist who can identify the actual cause of the behaviour and work on counter conditioning.

Look APDT's website and find a behaviourist via them.

Your pup's issues are not insurmountable but it is gonna take a little more than eating before him. I'm not even sure where this one came from because it is not what wolves do. In wolf packs the pups eat first.

k1233 · 10/08/2022 04:11

Frequency I tend to agree with you. Dogs don't need to know their place, they need consistency and boundaries. Maybe the changes will go someway towards that. If OP and Partner have different rules then that causes confusion, which could manifest as a nervous aggression, caused by never being able to do the right thing.

My dogs sleep in my room, get fed before me etc My westie, major cutie pie that he is, went through a stage where he decided he wouldn't eat his dinner if I wasn't eating. He'd pick and graze, but would only settle to eat if I was eating.

OP, I'd see how the changes go with his behaviour. As @Frequency said, they're more about routine, which dogs like. If the aggression continues, seek the sort of person Frequency is describing. Don't wait it out thinking it will improve. First sign of aggression you need to be on it.

Don't get sucked in to Alpha / pack leader speak. My observations are it sets up an adversarial mind set. That shows in body language and a need to win mind set, thinking the dog is doing things on purpose etc. Instead, think of communication with your dog as letting him know what you would like him to do. Most dogs want to please. Training is the easiest way to help them with this. It puts in place boundaries. Instead of saying "no" to your dog, instead tell him what you want. Eg if he's jumping on you, No is meaningless. What you want is for him to either sit or drop. Tell him and then praise for being good, instead of "No, naughty dog for jumping."

Training is easily done at meal time. Sit before dish is put down, release word to eat, graduate to drop, then put down dish and add in stay etc All easy ways to start key responses with dinner as the immediate reward. My staffy pup could consistently do this at 4 months old with only meal time training.

None of this deals with aggression but, if you're going down the feeding time etc route, then it's very good training to introduce. Teaching your dog to wait for a command to eat is very helpful in stopping them eating things like baits, dropped medications etc

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