Em and Phil

And as i mentioned before, you'll find she'd be more settled with a male companion.

Although this is not necessarily going to be the case if 'fear' is the cause for the aggression.

Definitely agree with the leadership being important though.

Consultation with a trainer/behaviourist might be the better way to go ..... expert observation is invaluable and often crutial.

I understand what you're saying re 'fear aggression', and i do agree.

However in this instance, i feel that in my experience with staffies, and my current staffy x, that they tend to be aggressive towards other dogs, in particular of the same breed, which are of the same sex. I have been bitten twice, trying to seperate staffies from other dogs, and have actually had to resort to using a tree branch to seperate two staffy boys who would otherwise have fought to the death.

I'm not saying that these examples reflect this situation at all, merely that Staffies have certain tendancies, and that although the right training and behavioural therapy can rectify most problems, there are things you can do to try to avoid the situation in the first place.

Thanks. It's just that she seems like she will be fine some of the time but then out of the blue will snap but will stop when reprimanded. I just don't know what to make of it or how to approach the situation of trying to get her used to other dogs again.

If she stops when reprimanded, she must know she's doing the wrong thing, which is a good start. Just keep on her. She has to know that you are top dog, and it's not up to her to put other dogs in their place. Make sure she knows you won't tolerate it.

And as i mentioned before, you'll find she'd be more settled with a male companion.

I've had sucess using 'drop' and liver treats. I make my dog sit first, then hold the treat in a closed fist at his feet until he lies down. If he tries to move back or stand up, i start again. Sometimes he will try to shuffle back and bend down so i push the treat towards his feet again so it's sort of under him, then he realises he has to lie down to get to it.

Dogs seem to remember hand signals better than voice commands too, so make sure you're consistent with where you hold the treat, and try to place more emphasis on the action rather than the command until he starts to get the hang of it.

Hope this helps.

Staffys and staffy x's have to be socialised from a very early age. Failing that, you're best to keep them with a dog of the opposite sex, especially one that can stick up for itself :rolleyes:

I have a staffy mix, she's one year old and loves my three other boy dogs (All different breeds and sizes), but she doesn't do well with other females.

I love staffies, they're beautiful dogs, but they were bred to fight, and they haven't quite gotten over it.

Well, after work today it seems Max isn't nearly as bad as i thought, although now my BC x Heeler has it too

As does the neighbours Staffy x i was cordially informed this afternoon. Lovely.

So they're all inside, and that's where they'll stay till i go away (if i do).

The first one started just over a week ago but like i said we thought it was something else to begin with. It's entirely likely that this was when he contracted it (i.e from the vet, while his immunity was down). Hope not for their sake. He still has the cough, but it seems to be getting better slowly. Stella has hardly suffered at all - coughing for a day or two, now just a little raspy. They've all stopped making puddles except for the most recent case, poor boy.

Thanks for the encouraging words Puggles. I've been very lucky in the past, so this is all a bit new to me (except the panicking - i had that down already ) , and of course it had to happen while i have six dogs to look after!

I have found the opposite, those who are vaccinated pick up only light symptoms. Those who are not get incredibly sick from it. In my view, it is best to vaccinate against it.

Yep totally agree. My vet said Winston probably would have died if he hasn't of been vaccinated.

Well only Max seems to really be suffering, the other two (they're all c5 vacc'd) have very mild symptoms. I really struggle to keep them apart - i'm supposed to fly to Syd next Thurs - guess i won't be going

Thanks all of you so much for your advice. Fingers crossed!

Max, our lab x poodle has a really rotten hacking cough and he kept me up ALL night making little pools of phleghm all over my floor... (i know, i'm sorry if you were eating while you were reading this..)

He's 2 years old and up to date with his C5 vaccs, so i can't understand it - he doesn't appear to have any other symptoms.

Our Staffy x Kelpie also developed a bit of a cough, but not as bad although she did cough up some food at one point, she seems to be fine now - it only lasted a few days.

The culprit, i believe is Mack, the kelpie foster pup. One week after his first vaccination we rushed him to the 24hr vet because he'd ben throwing up all day, and the last couple of samples had some decent sized globs of blood in them. The vet decided he'd eaten too much (there was a mis-communication....it's a husband/wife thing ) and was throwing up as a result. He stopped after the injections, but has had a mild cough ever since, mostly when he gets excited, very much like he's trying to dislodge something... (little pools of phleghm most likely ) Now it looks like he's getting conjunctivitis.

I'm getting some children's cough syrup for Max tonight to give him a rest from his coughing - hopefully that should settle things down. Any other ideas?

I have a set of Wahl clippers for my OH. They're not all that.. however they work better than the el cheapo Remington set we used to use, which seem to work wonders on our dogs

I'd be careful with baby wipes near eyes. A lot have alcohol or other irritants in them. Ok for babies if you're going to slather them with cream afterwards...

Warm water only or warm water with a little salt if they're really yuk.

Breed and age: Labrador x standard poodle 22mnths, Staffy x kelpie 12mnths, BC x Heeler 11mnths, JRT 8mnths

Product name, size and cost: Eukanuba large breed puppy 15kg $105

Daily amount fed: About that...!!

How long does the bag last: About 3wks

Average cost of feeding/week: $35

Anything to add: Few big marrow bones here and there and the odd porterhouse steak

I'd be happy with a never-ending supply of eukanuba too. i'd sell my soul but already traded it for a winter jacket and some new shoes

Name: Em And Phil (no really)

Age (optional):25 and 26 respectively

Location: melbourne

Rescue Group: new Vic Dog Rescue member

Time in Rescue: Adopted first rescue dog in apr '07

Who can vouch for: Still getting to know people

Preferred Breed: Any really. Prefer bigger dogs though i guess. Big fan of working breeds, especially Kelpies and Blue Heelers.

Experience (if any): Hoping to be fostering some pups soon, and helping out with transport. Otherwise none, unless being proud owners of four lovely mixed breed dogs counts! (1 rescue dog, or 3 if you count pet shop pups past their "sell-by" date).

Microchip yes

Vaccination yes

Desexing yes

Heartworm test yes

worming always

flea treatment where necessary. we use sentinel wormer so not usually required.

vet work if required yes

basic training/teach manners. yes

house train dogs yes

Dogs inside the home or outside. our dogs have their own special outdoor area, and although they sleep outside they are allowed in during extreme weather conditions, if they aren't well (or just been spayed!) and mostly just for cuddles.

Are you prepared to give extra care for a submissive nervous dog.yes, of course.