Hi,

Newbie here, I joined specifically to ask this question.
Do I have a dangerous dog? Or one in the making?

We have just taken on a Staffordshire Bull Terrier from owners who had her two weeks and then decided they did not want the trouble of a pup.
The vet we took her to on Monday believes she is 10 weeks now.

We made the classic mistake, not seeing the mum and dad staffie, we paid £180 for her, the previous owners paid £250 for her.

Since getting her to her new home she has displayed some behaviour I do not like.
She is LOVELY when she wants to be, sleeps through the night, seems to be getting to grips with toilet training, greets you like an old friend and is as cute as a button.
But - I first became alerted when she would chase after my trouser leg and attach herself vigourously.
At first this was funny and amusing, but when I tried to stop her I became alarmed at how defiant she was.
Not only this but the more firmly I pushed her away the more aggresive she became. Eventually I felt I had to protect myself from her now manic jaws.
I am not at all sure she would have tried to savage me, in fact so far even in this state her 'bites' seem restrained, even though that can hurt!

Further on from this, behaviour in the house took on similar pattern.
She wants to get on the sofas, we say no - she gets more and more worked up until she does appear to be attacking us, leaping up and snapping her jaws.
Again, not 100% sure that this is entirely aggressive and maybe some kind of manic play, but it can be scary! And if your not careful she can catch you with those teeth.

Looking at her objectively I see a lovely dog, which makes me wonder if this re-homing pattern she is locked in presently has un-settled her, perhaps combined with teething and a new routine.

I contacted the previous owners and gave them total freedom to tell me anything about her they may have originally with held. I believe them when they tell me that their experience of her was that she was adorable and was excellent with their baby girl and had no concerns about passing her on, their reasons sounded justified and authentic.
Furthermore when questioned about the 'breeding' they confirmed that she was a staffie, not a cross. They had seen the parents and the paperwork when they first got her.
They are now involved in finding the breeder for me to get the paperwork passed on.

I am conflicted. We got 'Molly' because we have a child on the way and wanted the characteristics of this dog - that is the Nanny characters they are often quoted as having.

Does anyone have an opinion on what is going on here?

We have a behaviorist on standby to come vist (£160!!!) but I've not gone ahead yet as I want to see if she settles down a bit first. The previous owners admit to being soft on her - allowing her to sleep on sofa, go where she liked etc, our regime is different, she sleeps in the kitchen and is not allowed on the sofa.
We give her plenty of exercise and are trying to find a reliable pattern for her.
I think this could have conflicted with her previous owners.

We have only had her 6 days today, considering her movements, I guess we should see if another week or two does not improve things.

Anyone had a similar experience?

Thanks for reading
Jon

It sounds to me like normal puppy behaviour with respect to biting and playing. I wouldn't worry about her being a dangerous dog based on this sort of behaviour - she sounds like a nice girl who has lots of energy.

I don't think you need to be concerned about her breed and this behaviour either.

My experience, with just one pup, is that probably the pushing her away and stopping her getting up on the couch is interpreted her as play/wrestling, and quick shoves etc may be just triggering prey drive. That is how my pup would interpret it, and it would just intensify his biting/excitement. Legs - my pup saw (and sometimes still does, he's ....20ish weeks now - sees the moving legs as prey. They're exciting and fun.

I think you have to accept that this is what puppies do. I'm trying to do FR w/my pup, so I don't discourage the behaviour, but there are things you can do to teach your pup bite inhibition so it isn't as much of an issue. One thing I do is have with me a toy that I can redirect onto when he's biting/excited. Keeps things positive and teaches that objects/toys are for biting, not people.

Must be careful with pups who are filled up with themselves.

When grabbing your pantlegs (or legs or body parts) is is essential you have an abundance of toys to redirect immediately (and I bet you'll still get messed up a bit from the sounds of her!!)

As for the couch, tether her and work on marker training and focus. Make sure she has been exercised and tired out when you do this, as she won't be so full of the puppy spaz. If she's too wound up, crate her with a kong filled up with peaunt butter, or tether her out of your reach with a bone.

Have fun with her. Post pics!

Sounds like a nice pup to me, pups bite, they're rambunctious, and the more you push any dog with any amount of drive away from something they want to do, the harder they come back. There's tons of articles on raising puppies on this site, start reading, you have a long way to go. I wouldn't worry about breed generalizations at this point. You have a blank slate to work with, so do it right and you won't have to worry down the road.

As everybody has pointed out already this sounds like perfectly normal pup behavior. There are tons of articles and threads here that talk about redirecting and stuff. Since you are expecting a child, I would also read up on children and pups as well as dogs. This pup/dog or any other dog I would not trust to be a "nanny" for a small child.

In the meantime, have fun with this pup - this behavior does not last long. So, put away your nice clothes and prepare to have shredded pants and by boxes of Band-Aids. :-)

You have a normal puppy.

My dog is 12 months, he is still mouthy when he gets worked up but I don't have kids and didn't discourage this behaviour enough.

He is just now starting to settle nicely into a calm dog.

A 10 week old is a baby, a toddler really, they get into everything and biting is their way of playing. You pushing him away is an invitation to play and that's why he gets even more worked up (puppies are very physical). If you don't have a dog crate for him, get one. When he gets too worked up, put him in his crate with a nice chew toy. The more you touch and push him the worse it gets. Either redirect to a toy and play tug or ball, instead of hands or pants, or ignore him till he settles down.

Here is some reading to help you.
http://leerburg.com/articles.htm#workpup
http://leerburg.com/articles.htm#qapup

You have a normal, happy, bouncing baby - not a dangerous dog. You just need to learn to channel his energy. It will get worse as he gets bigger, but better as he matures. The hump will be teething age (5-6 months).

Nice pup. Sounds like it'll be a quick study when it gets older.

Redirection has been mentioned by a few people, and I agree wholeheartedly.
The other half of that is, when the pup latches onto your pant-legs (or anything else for that matter), cease all movement.

Dead "prey" is not much fun. Then redirect the pup onto something that is moving and "live".

 Quote: Jon Griffin

We have a behaviorist on standby to come vist (£160!!!) but I've not gone ahead yet as I want to see if she settles down a bit first.

I would look for a trainer, not a behaviorist. Your dog just sounds like she's being a pup. However, a trainer can help you direct the dog's energies into more productive things, plus make sure you know how to handle the dog and not let the dog learn to walk over you when she is not a pup anymore. However, with a baby on the way, you will want to make sure your dog learns good manners, yet also let the dog be a dog. Based on what you wrote, I agree with the sentiment that you have a nice energetic pup, not a dangerous dog (unless you mean to your wardrobe a/o favorite pair of sneakers).

-Cheers