# Scared Staffy please help!!



## Gemificus (Jan 26, 2007)

hi, I'm looking for some advice on my Staffy boy please read carefully and if u can help with any advice at all i would gratefully appreciate it as at the min i'm lost...

Bit of back ground: 
We have two staffs Atlanta is two this month we have had her from 9 weeks old when she nearing 1 year old she became very withdrawn and quiet after speaking two a couple of vets and i think asking on here it turned out she may be lonely so we set out looking for a mate for her. 
After visiting many shelters and breeders we happenstanced upon Triton he was a 6week old red staff living in a 2nd floor flat with three young people and a big white male staff, we were told they had had him 1 week and due too circumstances could no longer keep him, i fell in love and he came home..
from the moment they met Triton and Atlanta have been very close and although like many families they have their scuffles they adore each other.. both dogs were done at young ages we wanted companions not puppies, both are crate trained and sleep in the kitchen at night in their crates side by side.

Triton hits one one friday. 

My problem: 
Triton has always been a shy dog and many things scare him, for example.. 
his collar, his lead, his harness, the car, the dark, water, the rain, wind, spiders, the cats, the fish in our tanks.. people he doesn't know, the tv, the fire, loud noises.. 

most of these things we can handle, like his collar lead harness and the car once he is out and about he doesn't notice them, we don't chase him with water or try to throw him in a bath or do anything to scare him, and in the rain we make sure we are by his side, when its windy we cover his crate and he sleeps with a light on, we turn the light off the fish when he notices them and we make sure to move spiders from his view, once the cats are settled he doesn't notice them, and a small shhh its ok calms him down when hes scared, the fire isn't a problem he stays away from it.. we don't shout at him and i don't believe in harsh punishments if he's naughty he gets told NO! and possibly put in a time out but its rare he does anything that warrants a telling off ( in fact our vets have even said they are two of the best behaved staffs they have seen at their age) 

today i made a devastating mistake i broke up a coconut in front of him making a loud noise, since then he will not come anywhere near me. he wont enter the living room from the kitchen and insists on sitting in Atlanta's crate, if i go upstairs he cries and screams until i come down.. i have tried to coax him out with cuddles and telling him its ok but it wont work i have offered him his fave treat and he came out of the crate for it then went back, i have never seen his so scared and i have no clue what to do to reassure him, its very upsetting, not only for me but for Atlanta she keeps trying to get him to play but he wont.


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## Emma30 (Apr 18, 2008)

Hi, I cant help you too much as I own jack russells not staffs but as you say he was 6 weeks old when you first viewed him and the original owner had him 1 week already, I would say he definitely left his mother too soon! pups learn from their mother and trust their mother to protect them, my pups get use to all sorts of noises like the hoover, washing machine, dryer, kids, bangs of all sorts 2 teenage boys make a lot of noise!! but they begin to get used to them as time goes on, I know he is nearly 1 year old but it sounds like he definitely missed out on the extra 3/4 weeks he needed from his mother, it might be the reason for his behaviour. Hope he comes around soon, sorry I cant help you more


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## EVIEMAY (Mar 6, 2008)

No advice but I hope he settles again soon


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## Gemificus (Jan 26, 2007)

I compleatly understand where you are coming from Emma30 taking him on we both knew we would have some issues with him, when he first came to us he was very hostile, we recently found out his mother was actually a fighting dog her owners bread pure fighters and keep her chained up in the back garden without socialization her puppies are sold on at 4/5 weeks.. we didn't have this info when we got him he has a scar on his stomach from where he has been attacked at a young age. 

if you was to ask me if i had had all the facts when we took him if i would still have him the answer would be yes.. 

he is an amazing dog hes well behaved and gentle bit of a scardy cat but loving he's great with my nephews of 1&3 and although the cats scare him he has never shown any agression towards them, or any other animal. 

we belong to a very good vet who has helped us bring him up to the well rounded dog he is and he seems to have taken to me as a surrogate for the mother he didn't have the chance to learn from. he clings to me looks to me for reassurance and protection and also there are certain behaiviours only i can snap him out of ( like when we give him a bone he will growl at anyone who comes close but i can sit by him and take it from him without issue)

i think that is why its so upsetting it's ME who has scared him, i was breaking up the coconut as a treat for him and Atlanta but in the process i have scared him to a point even i can't shake him out of it..


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## Emma30 (Apr 18, 2008)

Awww I feel for you I really do im sure he will come round soon, you sound like you have done an amazing job with him and im so glad he found you, I wasn't criticising you hun about his age when you got him I would have done the same, poor thing I cannot understand how cruel and nasty people can be it drives me so mad :censor::censor: 

I wish you all the best and im sorry I have no further advice for you, I think all you can do is just what you have been doing already hun


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## vgorst (Sep 27, 2011)

On a previous thread someone mentioned that reassuring a scared dog actually encourages the dog to react in that way. In a way you're suggesting that it's good to be afraid of the loud noise, other animals etc. I'm sure someone more experienced can elaborate on that as I'm no dog owner (or correct me if I'm wrong  )


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## Gemificus (Jan 26, 2007)

you're right vgorst sometimes reassuring a scared dog can promote that behaiviour when i say a reassure him its not like aww who's a good boy here have a treat but more of a small tussle on his ear to let him know i'm close by. i have looked up sites and stuff on dealing with scared dogs and some of them suggest things like saying NO! if your dog barks at unusual noises I've even read that spraying them with water to stop them barking with fear, i don't want him to associate being scared with negativity but i don't encourage that behaiviour either 

so when i say reassure him i mean just a "kick kick it's ok" or a gentle tussle on his ear to let me know i'm nearby 

some of his fears are irrational others are typical for some dogs Atlanta also fears water and rain and the dark when you can hear the wind outside. we don't praise them for those fears but we don't punish them either. and covering their crates and leaving on a lamp when the wind is howling thru the kitchen at night doesn't promote their fear it settles them and also they don't bark all night lol 

please don't take that like i'm having a go cos it's really not meant that way.. also Emma30 i never read your first post as a negative thing


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## Emma30 (Apr 18, 2008)

No worries hun just didn't want you to think I was having a go or anything as some times things can be read the wrong way!!

Your situation is a very tricky one and knowing what to do for the best and the best for triton must be driving you potty, hope you sort it soon : victory:


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## Gemificus (Jan 26, 2007)

i'm hoping he will come out of himself if not i will call the vet in the morning and speak to his vet.. although they only have 3 vets at the center we make sure both dogs only see one vet for their sake nothing worse than never knowing what doctore your gonna be booked in with lol 

i'll let you know how he is tomoz and what the vet says


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## jeweled lady (Aug 25, 2009)

I think you should leave him alone. It may take several days for him to get over this fright but he will given time. I know it's hard but he should be making his own decisions right now. Basically he is acting like a wild dog, fight or flight, so don't push it! He knows you are not a monster but the provider of all good things. He is upset but I am sure it will not ruin his trust of you in the long run.


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## mscongeniality (Apr 15, 2008)

I think he's going to have to come to you. Perhaps try calling your other dog. Give them a treat for coming to you. Make a big fuss of the other dog. If that doesn't peak his curiosity, take the other dog out for a walk. Come back and make a fuss of them. Tell them they're a good dog. Your other dog will hear. In my experience most dogs do not like to be left out. They also seem to learn a lot from other dogs. 
It sounds a little cruel, but the idea is that he'll learn from your other dog that you aren't something to be scared of, you're a source of treats and good things and dogs that hide away don't get lots of treats. You can call him once or twice but I wouldn't make eye contact or approach him. Let us know how you get on.


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## mscongeniality (Apr 15, 2008)

Just to add to that, when he comes to you, give him a treat, tell him he's a good dog. Don't get massively excited with him 'cause he'll still be wary.


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## AB's (Oct 3, 2009)

Sounds like you have a very sensitive dog, I would invest I a bevavioural therapist for him as its controllable now whilst he's a puppy but as stated previous a dog Wil fight or flight and as he ages and gets the urge for dominance you could have real issues.


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## alcopops (Nov 1, 2011)

not a staffy but about 3yrs ago we rescued a Springer Spaniel bitch who was about 6 months old. She wasn't house trained and was afraid of everything, Us, kids, washing machine, cars, tv, music just about anything that moved or made a sound. We didn't know this when we got her, not that it would have made a difference. We later found out she'd been tied up outside at Guy Fawkes with fireworks going off everywhere for weeks on end.

Our male Springer was probably the best help,as time went by she would mimic his behaviour,without him i think she'd still be a wreck.

You wont find an instant cure unless you can afford a Caesar Milan type person but what worked for us, slowly but surely along with the help of our other dog was to reward the good behaviour and ignore the bad. Like people have said when you console the dog to make it feel better the only one who feels better is you. When you comfort them your kind of giving them a reward so they think by behaving like that they're doing the right thing.

When something scared her she'd run off and hide behind the couch or under the kids bunk bed and we'd just do nothing, when she was ready she'd come back and she'd get fussed over for a bit. The time between the hiding and coming out got less and less. she doesn't hide from anything now.

we found having the radio on helped too. We started with volume really low, almost too low to hear. Over some months we increased the volume up a notch until we could eventually have it too loud for us lol we even played a recording of fireworks for a while every so often.

It's hard work to ignore when your instinct is to make a fuss but it does work.
a dog trainer would probably help a lot even if it's just to get advice your doing the right thing.


oh btw she's now nearly 4yrs old and just a normal crazy mental Springer :2thumb: Good Luck


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## Kare (Mar 9, 2010)

AB's said:


> Sounds like you have a very sensitive dog, I would invest I a bevavioural therapist for him as its controllable now whilst he's a puppy but as stated previous a dog Wil fight or flight and as he ages and gets the urge for dominance you could have real issues.


What utter tosh, when will this dominance rubbish finally die? 

Yes of cause a terrified dog will one day wake up and decide it wants to run the household...no why stop there, surely it will go for total world domination!!



alcopops said:


> You wont find an instant cure unless you can afford a Caesar Milan type person but what worked for us, slowly but surely along with the help of our other dog was to reward the good behaviour and ignore the bad.


Gorgeous spaniel, and your post makes great sense, but the only thing people should hope to afford when it comes to Cesar Millan is to afford to ship him as far away from your dog as possible :lol2:


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## *H* (Jun 17, 2007)

Cass my 4 year old Staffy mix has some issues with his nerves, and being scared of random things. He was took away from his mum and siblings at around 2 weeks, so I do think alot of it is down to that. I have found that now he's a bit older, it's not as bad as it was when he was between 9 months old - 2 years old, but we do have moments still sometimes. I don't pay any extra attention to him when he's decided something scares him as it takes him longer to recover from it. More carry on as normal, ignore whatever 'elephant is in the room' but be a bit more calmer and quiet around him, if that makes any sense. 
But wow, I never knew that bit about one morning I will wake up to him taking total dominance over me! Thanks for that, I shall keep one open open in my sleep from now on....


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## Gemificus (Jan 26, 2007)

Thank you all for your advice i'm sorry i haven't been around i ended up giving myself sunstroke so have been very poorly, he came out of himself a little when my partner took over his care and after a cuddle in bed with them both and a couple of days he seems to be getting back to his old self. He just needed a few days.

the vet basically gave us the same advice as most of you, let him settle reassure him and don't make too big of a fuss as he will think its ok to act that way for what he wants. 

here is a pic of Triton for you all to see and once again a big thanks to all of your advice and support  

and Kare i totally agree with the ceaser milan things i wouldn't have that guy near my dog either he'd be more of a nervous wreck, we use alot of Victoria stilwells methods when training them.

and i think i see what AB's is trying to say without proper training his fear could turn to aggression but both dogs know we are the boss it would take a very large change in the house to create an opening for him to become dominant over us. 
I'm top dog, them my partner, the cats, Atlanta then him he's the biggest and bottom of the pack.


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## mscongeniality (Apr 15, 2008)

He's a beautiful dog.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

I agree, he's gorgeous :flrt:


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## Gemificus (Jan 26, 2007)

he is big yes we think he may possibly have mastiff in him, the breeders we think he came from were breading mastiff x pit bulls with staffys, 

we are looking to get him a blood test in the near future to see if we can determine his breed although the vet doesn't believe their is a need to do that we want to do it for our own peace of mind

he was tiny when we got him.


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## Emma30 (Apr 18, 2008)

Awww he is sooooooo handsome and very very cute he just makes you want to cuddle him all day long :flrt:

Im so glad hes back too his normal self, I wish you all the best for the future xx


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## Kare (Mar 9, 2010)

feorag said:


> I agree, he's gorgeous :flrt:


I agree too, I do have a soft spot for those wrinkly foreheads..unfortunately in larger breeds they normally come only on drool machines, and I find drool completely disgusting :lol2:


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## Bab1084 (Dec 9, 2011)

Gemificus said:


> he is big yes we think he may possibly have mastiff in him, the breeders we think he came from were breading mastiff x pit bulls with staffys,
> 
> we are looking to get him a blood test in the near future to see if we can determine his breed although the vet doesn't believe their is a need to do that we want to do it for our own peace of mind
> 
> he was tiny when we got him.


Awww he looks like my old dog Stella  

He is gorgeous!


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## EVIEMAY (Mar 6, 2008)

He is a real beauty and lucky to have found you take care of him :notworthy:


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