hi i hope some one has some advice as i am beginning to get vey frustrated with my staffy. i love him to bits but his behaviour is geting me down. at home he isthe perfect dog, well behaved doesnt destroy anything etc.. the first problem is he is possesive me towards other dogs. he is fine with them till i get near then bang teeth and being a staffy this is not funny. i try and walk him at unsocial hours and kepp very aware of other dogs. he is even getting funny with people he knows. i cant afford for a trainer or behaviorist to come and asses him and i dont know how to try and stop this. please all advice would be welcome he has already bit my next door neighbour who scared him and nipped at members of the family. thanks smotyn

It would be irresponsible of me to give any advice, other than take your dog to the vet to ensure he's not suffering any physical problem which may be making him agressive - he may refer you to a behaivourist which can be covered by insurance.

There may be others who will offer advice on the 'net, but beware that there are so many possible reasons *why* your dog is acting as he is, that it is impossible to advice correctly without observing the dog 'in action'. 

Would have to agree with Digger, it would or could be dangerous to try to help with an aggressive problem over the net, it is imperative to see the problem to try and understand it. So follow Diggers good advice and in the mean time walk your dog in a muzzle, that way you will relax as you may find your dog will too.

not giving any advice! just like to say that we are not allowed to 'play fight' in our house with our staff in the room, she hates it!! she will shout at us and if its the adults she will push you away while she is 'shouting at you'!! she does not bite or growl at all just tells us its not allowed and she does not like it! :rolleyes:

i can relate to you totally i had a weimaraner who was just the same but then he turned on members of the family who came near me,i ad to muzzel him when we were outside incase anyone walked passed me or even came out of their own gates,he couldnt be let off the lead which is quite frustrating for such a large dog because he wasnt getting his proper exercise,i had a staff and they are very similar get all tetchey when they have so much energy but need to be kept on a lead,some people may disagree but they need to be off and use some of that excess energy.I took my weimaraner to a trainer which cost me a fortune but they are such stubborn dogs,think maybe works for some dogs but not others,my advice is its worth a try to see how it goes,sadly the last straw with our weimaraner was he took a chunk out of my little boys hand just missing the tendons couldnt chance that again.Try looking into bahaviour specialist through your vets hope it helps.

Hi, everything you've posted has happened to me with my BT.  Please do try and save up to take him to a behaviourist - it will cost about £70 but I tried it with copper and realised it wasn't only the dog with a problem but me too as I wasn't dealing with his behaviour properly.  Training will train him to sit, stay, down etc but it might not cure the aggression.  It certainly helps though to go to a class as your dog has to deal with other dogs but mine has to wear a muzzle at the class.

I think my dog has improved but it needs a heck of a lot of hard work on my part and constant reinforcement of the training.  I also squish him with a water pistol which stops him lunging at other dogs and barking.

Don't give up, but do get some expert advice as I was going nowhere with copper until I did the one on one training.  Good luck!

CG