Trying to understand the becoming more aggressive thing..

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Digbee

Recovering Sock- Eater

Barked: Thu Mar 19, '09 10:59am PST


	Hey all! So we have our new little girl, Digbee, and I'm learning everything I can about bully breeds. I've come to the conclusion she's mostly AmStaff... but whatever she is, we love her! I keep seeing mentions that Pit Bulls and Staffordshire Terriers can get more aggressive as they age and become specifically dog aggressive by the age of two.. I was just wondering what kind of fact is involved in this. Does it mostly pertain to non-socialized dogs, or is it just a part of their breed? Is there anything I should be doing with Digbee now (10 months) to make sure she doesn't get that way? I can't seem to find too much direct answers on the topic, hoping you'll have some insight.. thanks!

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AA's- Ultra-Violet

UKC Super Dog- #60, CGC, TDI

Barked: Mon Apr 13, '09 10:09am PST


	Socialize, Socialize, Socialize!!!! Invest in a good trainer who knows the breed, and take as many classes you can afford. Reliable obdience is must. Never let your pup even think about being aggressive towards other dogs, if you see any of these signs nip them in the bud. You will have to teach her that aggression of any kind is never ok. Do not think that she will out grow it, they never do and will usually get worse. It's all about setting them up for success from the beginning!

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Dosha

It moved! Chase- it, Chase it!!!

Barked: Mon Aug 3, '09 2:27pm PST


	Most definately, never let them see that they can get away with being dominant. You must stay in control of your AmStaff or Pittie at all times. If you don't nip it, it can get bad quick. I adopted my AmStaff at 9 months, and she is DA on first meetings. I've had to make special leads with control loops in it, so that I can control her on introductions, as she is still only 2 1/2 yrs old and trainable. after first meetings, she has been socialized enough that she plays flawlessly, but she is still DA on first meetings, which we are working on and she is improving. It has a tendacy to be in the breed, and you really have to be strong on it, right off the bat.

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Jessie

Throw the ball,- Throw the ball!

Barked: Wed Jan 27, '10 3:06am PST


	I didn't realize that this was an issue with the breed. In my research I never came across this. But have noticed the my 9 year old Amstaff has become more aggressive towards male dogs in the last couple years. I posted a thread about this in Behavior and Training forum. Not sure what to do?

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Peg (In- Loving- Memory)

638454

Barked: Thu Jan 28, '10 3:00pm PST


	Your dog is getting up there in years for her breed at 9 years old. Even with terrier breeds, opposite sex dog aggression isn't that common unless they've been abused in the past or trained for it in the past. I would have a blood panel done, there are so many different health issues that contribute to aggression, especially sudden aggression towards people and other animals as well such as hip and joint problems, hypothyroidism, seizures, distemper, and any kind of problems that cause pain, the list goes on. I know with my mother's dog Peg, a 12 plus year old pit bull mix, when she started getting bladder stones (she's getting treatment for them) she got a lot cranky in general with everyone. Pain management medication can help take the edge off. Edited by author Thu Jan 28, '10 3:00pm PST

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Peg (In- Loving- Memory)

638454

Barked: Thu Jan 28, '10 3:00pm PST


	Stupid double-post. Edited by author Thu Jan 28, '10 3:01pm PST

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Jessie

Throw the ball,- Throw the ball!

Barked: Mon Feb 8, '10 3:41am PST


	Thank you Peg! That does make sense and with his ACL surgery and being diagnosed with a terminal illness I'm sure that it has rasied his irritability level. Maybe the moving has triggered that as well. I did a session with an animal communicator last year when i was confronted with his illness and whether or not to put him down and she said that new dogs made him uncomfortable. I will work on getting the blood panel done...I will be home next month and plan on taking him in to the vet myself and talk with her and see what is going on. I love my old man and just want him to be happy.

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Lacey

1068034

Barked: Tue Apr 6, '10 1:56pm PST


	Hey everyone, I just wanted to comment that I got my am-staff mix puppy at three months and socialized her very well, taking her to the local dog park at least four days a week where she played very nicely with dogs of all sizes and temperaments, never exhibiting any aggression. Then one day at around nine or ten months old, she bit a pug on the neck and refused to let go for several very scary minutes. The dog had to go to the emergency vet and have drains put in his neck and have stitches. Not to scare anyone, but just to make you aware that from what I've read after this happened to me, pittie's really can't be trusted with strange dogs they don't know, no matter how well they may have behaved in the past. Now we just have puppy play dates with dogs she knows well and she comes running with me instead of chasing dogs at the park. I really don't think she minds not going to the park, and I don't want to put her in a situation where that could happen again, obviously for the safety of other dogs but also for her. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if god forbid she killed a dog and had to be put down or something like that.

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Daddy

Changing one- mind at a time - APBT style

Barked: Sun Apr 11, '10 10:13pm PST


	If a dog is going to be dog aggressive or less tolerant of other dogs, generally it happens after physical maturity, regardless of breed. Maturity can be anywhere from 1.5 years to 3 years depending on breed and size of the dog. It's also worth noting that dogs are like people in that they can't be expected to get along with every single dog they meet, or even to get along with resident dogs all of the time. Many behaviorists agree those expectations are very unreasonable. We as humans can avoid people we don't care for, whereas dogs have a fight or flight response and if they can't flee then they will likely fight; their owners decide whether or not they have to interact with dogs they don't particularly care for. It is perfectly normal for dogs to get along a lot better with dogs inside their household than with unfamiliar dogs. Especially for terrier breeds that have seem to have a higher tendency to want to scrap or to have high prey drive as they age. Lacey, although dog aggression was a possible cause (not extremely likely that age unless both dogs were intact and in heat or something), it's also very likely that it was prey drive kicking in. Terriers are notorious for having high prey drives and smaller animals, even other dogs are often considered prey; especially since she refused to let go and the other dog needed to go to the ER. Normal DA isn't killing or trying to kill other dogs, but prey drive can easily lead to that if not in check. If she's never done this again or done that with larger dogs, then odds are it wasn't your everyday dog-to-dog aggression. You were right removing her from the dog park situations. Edited by author Sun Apr 11, '10 10:22pm PST