Hi,
I have a 2 year old gsd who is very submissive to dogs he knows,the problem is my daughter has a 8 month old staffi bitch who is very nice when in the house and garden but when we take them for a walk together and let them of the leads for a run she immediately attacks my gsd very nasty might i add.The other day she bit him really hard on his side he did turn round and gave her what for but that didn't stop her, i have had to tell my daughter if she wants to walk with us thats fine but not to let her off the lead unless she muzzles her as i fear there is going to be one big fight and my gsd will proberly come of the worse,any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Are you sure your Staffie pup is not just getting abit over excited and playing roughly with your GSD?  My Staffie mixes well with our other 5 dogs (mixture of large breeds) but she does still at 5 years old get silly and plays very roughly indeed.  I leave it the others to put the my girl in place and she stops or if at home she is playing up she is given the command 'enough' and play stops immediately and they all calm down. 

They can sometimes play very roughly indeed.
However, the ONLY time my two have ever had what I'd call the beginning of a 'proper' set-to, was when they were out walking together.  It was an external influence (a stick - something that I normally make a point of avoiding!!) that was the cause, but even so, I've been careful ever since when it comes to a toy or item they both want to play with.
They play quite happily (supervised) in the garden with a toy each or between them, but they both know when they're at their limit.
If the 'enough' command works at home then perhaps try and practice it whilst out with both dogs too.  Staffords often need to be set limits, they can be pretty full on at times!  :-)

edited to say, particularly as the Stafford is 8 months old, could be just trying to push it a bit?

They play quite happily (supervised) in the garden with a toy each or between them, but they both know when they're at their limit.

Thats so true of staffords, people must hear the noise coming from my garden and think I have a dog fight going on 24/7 lol
If you were really worried about her behaviour you wouldnt let her dog come at all, maybe you are being a lil over protective of your own puppy (we are all guilty of this at some point and yes 2 yrs old is still a puppy!) ) and not letting either of them socialise and learn like they very much need too!
The stafford maybe rough now, but a GSD who isnt used to defending himself in play or interacting with dogs who arent always as soft as **** is a big risk too, both need to know each others limits  and stop at that and thats where the stafford falls short sometimes knowing limits of other dogs which is why us stafford owners learn to live with constantly watching our dogs lol But its good fun too as you are involved in their play and not just leaving unsupervised which is when accidents happen.

My puppy staff (5 months) against my older staff (2 1/2 yrs)  is deffo the ruler in his eyes or so he thinks! he is the ruler until my bitch tells him off and he sulks away to leave her in peace, see the pattern?

Unless their is obvious aggression between them which it isnt I imagine at that young of an age, Look out for lips pulled back, spine being raised, snapping at each other and not being able to pull them apart then I would ban the contact all together as your not willing to take a risk by letting them play together and it isnt fair to have one leashed and one unleashed on a walk and will cause the staffie to become irritated probably, why not just let them get on with it watching close to make sure they dont get too rough and telling them a firm 'enough' when you start to feel uncomftable or seperate them completely and save yourself hassle?

I Proberly am a bit over protective over my gsd the trouble is the staffy dosn't really listen my daughters partner just lets her do as she pleases she has no recall and my daughter finds it very hard as she does train her but as soon as her partner comes home everything is out of the window as the staffi knows she can get away with it.on the other hand my gsd does listen i use the NO command and he does as he is told i take him to training classes every week and he has just passed his silver award. It is proberly the breed which i know nothing about as i have allways had GSDs, i will try and just supervise them and take a toy each to play with.

The Staff is  8 months old in Stafford terms verymuch a baby they don't grow up mentally till 3 or so in my mnd...even more at 6 mine is still capable of being a pup.....but the point is Staffs and most Bull Breeds (exceptions in any breed) play rough......and if you are not used to that then it looks like hell on earth has broken out. The Staff needs to be given limits sounds like  she is pushing limits....may be better to resort to one on lead one off lead. Put your own mind at rest.

GSD's are not a "tough playing" breed I do not think they would appreciate a Stafford play.

I walk once a week with a neighbour who has a 5 month old GSD pup called Leo so he can mix with other breeds/dogs, my Sal is 6 and very good but had boundaries set and lets the pup play so he gains confidence. But not sure I would let my Sal play off lead with a 8 month old Staff (who was not mine) as the boundaries and limits in their heads are diferent to other breeds (non bull) play excited play can switch quite easily you learn to read the signs....your daughter needs to learn to read her dog which will come in time.

Karen

Hi, we have tried 1 on lead and 1 off with both dogs but still the same,so i bought her a recall rope and yet again the same

How can she 'attack' him if she is on lead and he isnt?
Are you sure the GSD isnt taunting her and egging her on and thats why she keeps trying to play rough with him?

I think your daughters boyfriend needs to get a grip....Stafs have a bad press and this down in most part to people who do not understand the breed they are the most willing/attentive of breeds when they have an owner who understands them. Letting her do exactly as she wants (the Staffie) is not the best for any dog. Staffs are far from stubborn however they do need  a consistent hand.

He is not doing the dog the breed or those who come into contact with his dog any favours. Eventually his dog wi do the same behaviour to another dog who will not take i as well as your GSD is doing and then what will he do?

I would not walk with them other than on lead both of them.
Karen

Sounds like both owners of the Stafford need to make sure boundaries are set, if only for basic 'house' rules for a start, let alone the aggression toward the shepherd.  Try and get your daughter and her partner to start some basic obedience to begin with, little steps hey?

Rach sounds like a normal Staff but one with no boundaries, no "training" in effect. I doubt the GSD is doing anything more than being a dog. The fault lies with the lack of training/time quality time the owners (the chap at least) are willing to put in. You know Staffs take "advantage" like most dog will if the training/rules are not consistent, as appears to be the case here.

Karen

Oh meant to say if the Staff has no recall then she should not be off lead anyhow.......AGGGGHHHHHHH...this really irritates me......Staffs have a bad press (caused mostly by incompetent/incapable owners) who have no business having such a wonderful breed...................the owners need to get control you do not have to be harsh with a Staff they are most obliging you just need owners with common sense.

No disrespect to anyone but Staffords are my breed and I wish people would think! think! think! then take a year or so out and think again before obtaining one - if they think they are worth it as owners if not walk away from the breed please.

kazz- so agree with you i have a 2 year old staff she is absolutly golden, never had any problems with her she comes when called, she knows her boundries, she is the best dog we have ever owned,  they are so easy to train with comittment and patience which me and my husband of plenty of.

Echo whats just been said 100%.

If a dog doensnt have a reliable recall it shouldnt even be let off until your are absolutly sure you can call them back when needed!!

I think this Stafford and GSD should be seperated to avoid any mishaps in which the stafford would obviously be blamed for starting and then put down, even tho the poor thing keeps being put in this situation she is clearly NOT happy with, its almost like goading the stafford to do something wrong :(
Notice how the title of this thread is 'aggressive stafford' so already people are blaming the stafford when its such a young puppy it can no way be aggression :(

Our friends male stafford had a run in once and because of that he is now very wary of any dog and we wont let our male puppy meet him incase something happens, Over cautious? Better safe then sorry and I wish more people would think that way and respect dogs boundaries on both sides, if a dog doesnt get on with another dog simply seperate them if your not willing to train very hard with them 100% dedicated which most people arent sadly :(

One of my staffs got attacked by another dog when she was younger, as time has gone on she has been more nervous around other dogs, she wont just attack but if a dog comes bounding over to her she doesnt like it, so for her sake, mine and other peoples and there dogs we started training classes, shes doing brill, she will sit and stay while i walk away from, something she would never do while there were other dogs arounds and she will even let another dog sniff her with out worrying, she needed to learn how to behave around other dogs and its has worked wonders, we have only been going 3 weeks and its been such a good help, maybe your daughter should try the same, it really does help and pepsi is now enjoying our walks rather than looking around for other dogs and sticking to my side.

Thanks for all the response i will take my daughter to the same training classes that my gsd goes to we have a very good trainer and i think it will do the staffi good,in the meantime we will only go for lead walks .

Sounds like the best idea by a long shot :)

Please dont be offended if us staffy owners seem very hard on stafford politics but Im sure you can appreciate where we are coming from :)

Lead walks are best for all concerned if the dog is in training, you'll love the classes, I posted on here a few days ago that the APDT are the best for training classes and theres always one round your area, have fun and let us know how you do! :)

"GSD's are not a "tough playing" breed I do not think they would appreciate a Stafford play."

really????? mine is and so is every other one i have met!!

Not meant as a slight every GSD I have ever walked with is not into the same rough play as Bull breeds.....maybe I have walked with soppy ones....however my own Stafford bitch is not into the rough games either....