took my dog to the vets today for booster jabs she is normally so placid and never so much as growls at another dog well so i thought sat in the vets there was a woman with a cat no problems a woman comes in with another sbt bitch and all hell breaks loose my usually calm dog turned into a hound from hell snarling growling barking going completely beserk and terrified this other poor dog she has NEVER in the 3 years ive had her done this EVER does anyone have any ideas why the vet said they are like people can be fine with most dogs but take a dislike to others any help appreciated as i am still traumatised by the event and scared to take her to the vets again and dont want to have to start putting a muzzle on her

Try not to panic too much about this is my advice.  Maybe she picked up some signal from this dog and really didnt like it and it will be a one off.  Maybe the combination of the vets and this dog.  I would just see how you go in your normal routine - keeping a close eye of course on who is around.  Dont take it from one instance that she will be aggressive all the time from now...

I would think it was a combination of being unsure of her environment and possibly the vibes the other dog was giving off.  Just be aware next time you go to give her plenty of space and try and pick a seat where other dogs will not be walking by her.

maybe its a one-off. it could be a good idea next time you are passing the vets take your dog in just to say hello or maybe get her weighed, get your dog used to the fact that not all visits to the vets are all that bad !! hope it helps.

Hi ashleig08

try not to get upset or over-react :)  If this is a first in 3 years then it's out of character and it could just be she met one of those dogs that set her off - we don't always notice the vibes between them as well as they do!

Over and above which the vet's is usually a pretty stressful place for most dogs and remember many of them going are there because unwell rather than just annual checks or boosters so may be coming across to others attending as less than friendly.

I think muzzles are for extreme cases rather than something we should look to on a single incident (certainly between dogs).

Keep an eye on her general demeanour in normal day to day goings on just in case she herself is slightly under the weather - but most probably it was one of those "something and nothing" scenarios that can't be predicted!

best wishes, Teri

I don't want this to come out wrong. So please don't take it wrong. I'm just trying to help

2 staffie bitches in unusual surroundings, with one of them possibly not feeling very well, could be putting out very different vibes from normal. They would both be strung up and seeing another dog just set things off.

I would go back to the vets when they don't have appointments, just to meet the people there. If you have to take her and there are other dogs there I would be prepared for any interaction and either stand outside with her, once you've been booked in, or leave her in the car if this happens again. It's not the first time I've left a dog in the car and sat inside until it was our turn, though it's usually with a bitch in season ;-)

Don't worry, this is probbably just one of those things as others have said. Your dog could've been having an off day, the other dog may have been sending out signals, the vets is full of all different smells and emotions, it could have been any number/combination of things.

As somebody else said, with an out-of character display like that it will be worth keeping an eye on her for the next few days to make sure she isn't in pain/comming down with something.

Honestly, don't let this get to you, it doesn't mean it will happen again. Stay confident with her, if it happens again you can deal with it as an when, just don't make life hell for yourself over-worrying.

My pup is always getting growled/lunged/snapped at at the vets (I think other dogs are intimdated by his size). Both of these dogs have never done that before, in fact 1 of them was a 9 year old champion Boxer, so not an immature unsocialised dog (the owners were very shocked), but it just goes to show that even the best behaved dog can have a bad day or meet a dog it relly doesn't like.

Same as we people meet people we just cant get on with no matter how hard we try, its the same for dogs!
Dont worry, if its happened just the once it was probably a one off, like the others say take her to the vets even if nothing is needed or wrong, just to get her used to the place.

but it's a staffordshire bull terrier... I'm not saying it's right, I'm not saying it will happen every time your SBT meets another, but they are Staffords after all... something to be aware of is that they don't always see eye to eye!!!

Plus the vets is always a stressful time for some