Classic Sharon! :D
Nicky

I don't understand why you feel you can't let him off a lead? I have Parson Russell Terriers and I let them (bar one) free run in the woods etc without too much of an ado.
Next time you meet another dog that behaves aggressively towards Stan keep a close eye on Stans body language he could be giving off the wrong signals. Just because he came from a house full of dogs doesn't necessarily mean he will get on with other dogs either. I have one who gets on fine in the house with my lot but cannot cope when out hence requiring individual training to teach him to cope without the others.

Hi Bec,

Before I got Stan, I asked on this board about letting him off the lead and following responses from other BT owners and advice from his old home, we decided to keep him on the lead! There are a lot of squirrels around at the moment and he can go a bit 'deaf' to call!

Yes, I've been looking for the body language but Stan's seems pretty friendly. That's the bit I don't understand.

Unless he's whispering expletives at them!

x

Yes I know about the deafness bit! One of my girls wont come back till shes caught a squirrel if they are about but she tends to suffer from 'squirrels revenge' if she does!
Not sure what to suggest really. Maybe you can find a dog that doesn't react to Stan and walk with them?

I like the bit about squirrel's revenge! Don't they make a funny noise when they're annoyed?

There is a westie near us called Oscar. He gets on fine with Stan.

Unfortunately I live in London at the mo and it's a weird society. People like to do their own thing and have their own time.

Our plan is to move out in a year or two to the countryside - can't wait!

x

"I like the bit about squirrel's revenge! Don't they make a funny noise when they're annoyed?"

They also give a very nasty bite!

Helen

Oooch.. never experienced a squirrel bite and from the sound of it, think we'll pass!

I didn't get bitten but Holly did. She picked it up and it bit her on the lip.

Helen

Juliet,
Sorry, I can't really help you with anything other than a couple of observations. I have a bit of the same trouble with my westi/doxi bitch with large dogs deliberately going after her and leaving her buddy completely alone.

I noticed at a large Antique market in Belgium a couple of weeks ago, the dogs most likely to have others lunge at them were terriers, specifically JRTs :rolleyes: Now the JRT's were usually walking about 2-3 feet away from their owners (non-velcro dogs) and had this attitude about them. They didn't always start the "conflicts" but they seemed to always be involved with them. They walk with their heads up high and almost seem to swagger. There weren't any Border Terriers there, that I saw. But there were some Westies and A Scotty. They seemed to attract a similar reaction from the non-terrier breeds :rolleyes:

Watching Samma walk, I see a similarity to the confident bounce of the JRTs. She acts as if she "owns" the sidewalk. She will back down to other dogs, but loose dogs haven't even given her a chance. Sometimes, she didn't even see they were there. The dogs just suddenly charge her --- Quite odd since it's my other dog with the docked tail :rolleyes: She's been picked up, thrown around, pinned against walls and it's only because she has a harness on that she hasn't been seriously injured from several incidents.

I really don't know what to conclude from my very unofficial observances. Just that terriers do have an independent spirit about them that seems to annoy other breeds???? Perhaps humans have bred down the original pack instinct to create these independent scrappy go get-the-huge rat dogs so much that other dogs react to the non-submission attitudes????
It could be that their reluctance to give way on the sidewalk to the larger dog creates the "Hey, you're breaking the rules" conflict. The necessity of pack life is conforming to the needs of the group. This independent type dog makes no bones (heh, heh) about even trying to make nice with others just to "get along" :D

I do know that if someone is handling a dog that is not in control (lunging on the leash, tangled leash, being pulled around) both of my dogs react with great anxiety. These dogs are not "in order" and therefore unpredictable.
Horses do the same thing. I found this out last night discussing it with my mom about a horse that had broken free from a trailor. All of the horses under control reacted in almost-panic. :(
jmho and thoughts on the matter.

good luck and I hope your dog manages to discover he likes other dogs again.
BTW, Chienne ONLY likes large dogs when she is off leash and able to freely maneuver. She is very social and likes to meet others that way. If she's on her leash, she feels pinned and usually snaps unless I have her halti on. Would it be possible for you to meet up with friends and just let Stan off leash to see what happens? I don't think an Extend-leash would fool him ;)

best wishes,
toodles

Thanks Toodles.

I like unofficial observations ;)

Stan does have a perky little trot and would weave all over the pavement if I let him (bit tricky in London!)

I just think they could be jealous coz he's such a babe.

It's hard. Unlike most people on this board, I don't have a group of doggy friends to get together with and experiment his off-lead antics.

I just want to be able to go for a walk without him getting the agro!

x

of course there could be nothing at all wrong with stan-----you might just of been unlucky enough to of bumped into aggresive dogs that would of gone for whoever you had with you, :(

Yes Dizzy,

It's a bit sad.

But this morning we met a very happy Airedale!

x

hi i know how you feel my staffy loves other dogs but they dont like him he got attacked by a jack russ a week ago he just stood there while this dog was trying to bite him my friends dog also had a go, george just started screaming and ran to me

Is your little staff OK?

I love staffys. I like the way they're kind of barrel-like!

So many people are scared of them but the right owner makes all the difference :)

yes he is fine i hope it doesnt affect him as he has always been brilliant with other dogs i feel mine has been brought up well he was soicialised from the start with other dogs and small animals,children,and anyone that would fuss him hes such a baby!

I think that neutering will help, once the testastrone levels have dropped the smell leaves them and it is the smell, amongst other factors, which triggers the response in aggresive dogs.
If some other factors stimulate another dog it is unlkley they will attack in abscence of smell.

I am sorry but I have to disagree here. I know several male dogs that were castrated for a variety of reasons, ranging from, routine advice from vet, dog leaving smears on wallpaper and going off food when neighbours bitch in season etc.

In at least three cases completely happy dogs have been made miserable by other dogs after they have been castrated. By this I mean that they have all suffered from being molested by other male dogs, and those who objected have gotten into fights.

Stan may be suffering from the 'must put that lad in his place before he has a chance to get to big for his boots' syndrome (as outlined above). At puberty a male dogs testosterone levels can be as much as 5 times higher than a normal entire males, and this will often trigger aggression in other males, as the adolescent is seen as being challenging. When hormone levels settle down things should calm down, whereas castration might exchange one cause of other dogs aggression for another.

I'm with Brainless on this one, I'm disagreeing about the castration.
I've posted above on this thread about this phenonmena happening to IW's all the time when they are out, but it's certainly not just dogs it happens to, it happens just as often to IW bitches aswell, and that can't be testosterone smells can it?
I feel if Stan is a happy well balanced chap there is absolutley no reason to get him castrated, after all it's not him attacking, it's him being attacked!
Nicky

juliet, it could well be that your dog isn't so confident after your episode and is showing body language warnings to other dogs in order to warn them off. This can trigger the other dogs to go into warning mode too, especially if both dogs are intact males.

As for what you do if you are on your own when it happens, seriously, a walking stick is great. Not for battering a dog over the head but a stiff poke to the ribs will stop most dogs trying to attack yours.

Oh and neutering might well work.