Hi everyone im new to the forum,

I have a 12 week old staffy called Bruno that lives with me and my fiance, I have found that many topics / advise is related to staffies pulling on the leader but i also seem to have found that this isnt a behaviour issue its a dominance issue. (Before everyone has a pot shot at me please let me explain)  Our puppy has been taken outside to his toilet duties since the day he arrived home most of the time i take him out but increasingly this is shared by my fiance. When i have had him outside on the leader (as we live in a flat)  he occasionaly pulled till he was 10 weeks old. On each occasion that he pulled i didnt fuss or stress i simply turned round released some spare lead (hold handle in right hand fedd through my left hand with a loop of slack) and walked in the opposite direction even if i didnt want to go that way. Bruno now walks on a slack lead and watches my every movement.

Where is the dominance ? My fiance seems to have been moved to bottom of the ladder e.g the sequence is myself , bruno and them fiance. as soon as she puts him on the lead he pulls his way through the passage out the front door to the garden then once completeing his business pulls my fiance back to the flat. If this was behavior related why doesnt he do the same to me?

I don't think pulling is related to dominance. Most dogs pull (staffies are well known for it) because walks are the most exciting thing they do all day, they can't wait to get to the park or the woods or even to the interesting smell over there by the wall.

Dominant and submissive dogs pull and although nervous dogs may like to hide behind their owner on a walk if you put whatever makes the dog nervous behind it then it will pull forwards.

It seems as though the reason your puppy doesn't pull or bite you (from your other post) but does with your fiance is that YOU have trained him not to do these things but she hasn't.

My dogs are not dominant but when other people walk them on a lead they will pull because they know they can. With me and other doggy people who know how to get dogs to walk nicely on lead they are wonderfully behaved. Just because my dogs are trained doesn't mean that they don't want to get to where they are going faster or that they don't like to pull. They know which people will let them and which people won't.

Perhaps you should get your fiance to train your dog too, otherwise he'll have no reason to think he can't do natural doggy things. Play biting, pulling, barking, etc are all normal dog behaviours but we don't like any of them so it takes some effort to teach a dog not to behave like a dog.

As Karen says, pulling on the lead is lack of training by each individual not overt dominance - some people will let a dog get away with pulling and others won't, simple as that.

Christine

I would agree with that, our girl won't pull me anymore but if my husband walks her all hell breaks loose.
As i have been the more consistent one and my husband works away then it more than likely is a training issue not a dominance one.

Dogs pull because they can and they are allowed to; it has diddly squat to do with "dominance" (Whatever that is) :D

i agree with everyone, as even a nervous individual may still pull on the lead - i believe it is a training problem, that's all :)

Lindsay

Have to agree with the others here, its got absolutely naff all to do with dominance (which in my opinion does not exist in dog-human relationships), but to do with training.

Simply, dogs do what is rewarding. Its NOT rewarding to pull you, but if it IS rewarding to pull with your fiance, then the dog will do so, end of story.

Take away the reward, behaviour will stop.

If you go into some kind of so called Dominance reduction program however, you are quite likely to start up a whole load of other problems, my absolute and best advice is this 'forget about dominance, it is bullcr*p!'

Dont confuse dominance with other dogs with this so called dominance with ppl. Dogs can and will display dominance, attempted dominance and a whole load of  other things with other dogs. However you are NOT a dog, and your dog IS smart enough to know that.
Sorry if this sounds harsh, but ive spent considerable time reading a forum dedicated to the use of harsh methods and centered around dominance theories.....with the predictable results from treating dogs in this way.

Em

Hello,

Whats the pups name?

I wouldn't think it's dominance  but a normal Staffie baby. Your girlfriend hasn't taught him she won't allow him to pull you have. Simple.

Karen  

Hi everyone thanks for your advice, i guess more baby thinking is needed from my side rather than doggy thinking :-)  i guess your right if a kid can jump on the furniture in grannies house they will but not at home logicical i guess ... propper lead training is starting next friday (had final injection this friday) His name is Bruno vet has advised to move him onto adult food and was very amazed at how lively he was after the injections he didnt stop all day (vet said he should be asleep most of the day) .. good old bruno always re writing the text books

If you think about when did you ever see  a dog walk when off lead.Even when tired they usually jog and so to teach a dog to walk at your pace when doing such an exciting thing as going out for walk needs training
Keep at it
Archer