Good Day all, I am becoming very frustrated with my dog, a 4yr old Staffordshire Bullterrier.He is soft in the extreme sense. He acts like an abused dog, cowering, panting, li0cking his own mouth excessvively. Recently going to the bathroom downstairs.

First noticed this fearful behavior after my older dog has passed on would not like to go in car and if he did it was constant panting.

Contacted the breeder and she said that litter is extremely soft to the point they are very difficult to show and perhaps the dog was gaining his confidence from the older dog. Probably true.
Anyway fast forward 2 yrs and the above has not changed much and he is triggered by loud noises thunder anyone raising there voice..any sort of high energy stimulus.. rambunctious behavior.. have an active 7yr old son.

I got him at 5 months, so I do not know much about his life before that.. came from a very show line conformation oriented breeder.

About me I have a fairly deep voice and can have strong opinions and intense emotions. I value my peace and quiet but am active.

So I am thinking I am part of the problem.

I do want to have a good relationship with this dog,but am having trouble tolerating this type of behavior. He can be very prey driven not sensitive at all in drive then out of drive you cannot look at him sideways..even if the house is in smooth order he he will quiver shake etc. We do get out for daily walks 30 minutes. and along the walk do so sit stays downs sits etc heels.. I does know the basic commands and I used marker training to do this. He is very responsive. He I guess has diplyedthis fear behavior right from day one by darting away the first week I had him when there was a bunch of people around the house and to me that was his first avoidance behavior I saw when I first picked himup. Any how looking for some suggestions on building a more fun relationships the dog can live happily within our family. I did start crating him again when he is not being engaged by one of us. Thanks for reading all comments and suggestions welcome.

If I were doing the fostering of this dog, I would start from square one. Don't have a history, so the dog and I would have to become a team. On some dogs a booming voice can be a teaching aid, though used sparingly, and on others, measured voice and body language is essential in creating a bond. You can get good results with quiet confidence.

I presume the dog comes to you when called, and I presume you lavish praise on it to reinforce its bonding with you. Marker training is the technique best suited for situation you have described.

Then too, you have to come to the realization that the dog may never live up to your expectations but that shouldn't dissuade you from working toward goals, calmly and patiently.

If you use or are reintroducing the crate as a new training tool, it may prove counter productive in that the dog may see it as punishment, and you are trying to develop a stronger bond with the dog to reinforce its confidence in you and its surroundings.

The last dog I lost had an effect on the pack, and in particular the little female GSD. It became soon clear that the little dog had relied on the older female to protect of offer a counter balance in the pack. It took a few months for her to get back into a fully confident member mode.

Anyway, we don't always get the dog we want but I am convinced we get the dog we need. I too value my quiet time but I have come to value the times a dog comes over and seeks a pat on the head or scratch. Makes me feel good and perhaps reinforces our bond.

A new foster in the house is treated like a puppy in that I need to make sure the basics are reasonably solid, such as not having accidents in the house. That is on me to make sure its inners are appropriately voided, and that the schedule to accomplish same is established. New puppy mindset. Food schedule. Walk schedule. Grooming schedule. Training schedule. All stuff restarted with gentle attention to detail. Surround the dog with confident positive reinforcement and very gentle corrections.

I firmly believe, reinforced by experience, you can absolutely teach an old dog new tricks, and develop confidence and bonding.

But then again, what do I know.

He does have a solid recall and yes I have ravishley praised in doing so. For the crate--I was more less trying to give him a "safe spot," hoping that he would go there as a retreat in times of need. It is in the kitchen with a pile of natural light.

I feel like it is nerve issues. I was trying to lay the ground work with him. We have a fairly regular schedule. I am going to spend more time playing relationship building games and keep my expectations low . He has tremendous food and prey drive. Loves hide and seek games.

Do you have someone local who can observe and advise? There could be many things going on in this type of situation.

Personally, if he is that worked up and nervous, I might consider medication along with behavior modification for a couple months to help reset things.

 Quote: Mark Rundle

Good Day all, I am becoming very frustrated with my dog, a 4yr old Staffordshire Bullterrier.He is soft in the extreme sense. He acts like an abused dog, cowering, panting, li0cking his own mouth excessvively. Recently going to the bathroom downstairs.

First noticed this fearful behavior after my older dog has passed on...

would not like to go in car and if he did it was constant panting.

Contacted the breeder and she said that litter is extremely soft to the point they are very difficult to show and perhaps

the dog was gaining his confidence from the older dog...

Would you consider bringing home a new CONFIDENT dog to be his "leader" like your former dog was for him before ??? Maybe get an Adult Rescue dog whose temperament is already set & has been well-evaluated -- It could make all the difference in the world to your Staffie...

Hi everyone, thanks for sharing your knowledge. I have decided to leave the crate for now. It is still upstairs and open. For me, I am trying to be gentler in my approach & interactions, it seems to be working. There have been no accidents in the house but he still reacts to loud noises etc. We have thought about an adult dog and will keep that as a possibility too.