As some of you know I have 3 Staffs, adult bitch (Lily) and her 2 sons now 17 wks old (Beetle and Marmaduke).

I'm concerned about Beetle's submissive behaviour.  I'm pretty sure he is the lowest ranking in the pack ie going through doorways last; giving up his toys to his sibling and mum etc etc but he's also hugely submissive with me and my partner.  So much so, he will sometimes crawl on his belly whilst wagging furiously when he greets us - it looks like he's been beaten senseless and its really distressing to watch sometimes.  Once he's crawled for a bit or dropped really low to the ground, he'll then be really bouncy and outgoing and revert to "normal".  Neither his brother or mum behave like this and all are treated the same.

The other odd thing is with Beetle is that he is far more adventurous when out walking than his brother (who is the more dominant at home of the two) yet as soon as Beetle gets home he reverts to his ultra submissive behaviour.

I'm concerned that he's not a happy pup and wonder if there's anything I can do.

Juliet

Many Staffies (as well as other breeds) are like this - try ignoring the silly behaviour, teaching him to 'sit' to greet his family, as well as other 'tricks' to help boost his confidence and build your relationship.

Also you can try helping him to feel a bit more confident by often letting him win when you have tuggie games - instead of keeping the toy yourself at the end too, let him have it :)

Lindsay