View Full Version : Staffie help needed please! Tail mauling
m_duffell
10-03-2007, 05:01 PM
Hi im new i need some help with my staf ive had him around 6 months now i got him by luck really my next door nieghbour had a friend bring him round. its a long story but basically this boy knew some travelers that where involved in dog fighting apprantly when he went to see them at there camp one nite there was a gang of them beating this dog up with bats !!! he said that obviously they didnt want him so he would buy him the problem was his parents wouldnt allow him in the house so he had to live in a small 3door car living off scraps off food basically what ever the boy could smuggle out from his house but it was obviously better than being back at the camp. when i spoke to this lad i found out they had filed his teeth down flat and he has a scar on his lip so im pretty sure he was being used to train the other dogs to fightwhen we first got his he hated any new men but seemed ok but very weary of women he growled at every one who went close he seemed evil but now ive shown him the life he deserved he has turned out the most soppyest staf ive ever known!!! i mean if you dont let him kiss you he sits there crying then suddenly pounces hopeing to get a kiss he's mad!! its lovely to know ive changed his whole attitude to life he loves everyone now im extra proud as i was never intersted in dogs and i had no idea about training what so ever!!! i just need help sorting one more problem he chases his tail all the time i know the boy i got him off found it funny and encoraged it but i hate it he gets really aggrssive with it and offten makes it bleed. i care about him so much and i would love it if i could finsh the job i started with him ive tried a few things but nothing seems to work
thanks for any help
Ok. Nice work so far! Good rescue!
What methods have you tried to get him to stop with the tail?
skunkstripe
10-03-2007, 05:10 PM
Hi there m duffell and welcome to the forum.
First please let me say that it is an amazing thing you are doing giving this poor dog a decent life. Many people would have given up. And if the only problem you are having after what the poor boy has been through is that he is chasing his tail, well, you can consider yourselves both very lucky.
You are right about being able to change a lot about a dog using love. But I wonder if this dog might be chasing his tail and making it bleed because he got so used to fighting that now the only thing left for him to "attack" is one of his own appendages?
Well probably I should not specualte, better I leave it to the folks who have experience rehabilitating dogs who have seen such extreme circumstances.
Again, bless you.
Aussiepaws
10-03-2007, 05:18 PM
This is a tough one but what I'd do as soon as he even starts to chase his tail is to distract him by first saying "no" and give him a tasty treat or toy to play with. Keep distracting him by saying no or getting his attention in some way and the reward him for not chasing his tail with a game of ball or some obedience work like sit or come or anything you can think of that would be more fun for him.
It's going to take a little time and patience but it sounds like you've done wonders with him already.
Yes, I agree with the above, I too would try to interrupt the tail chasing as soon as possible and distract the dog with an alternate activity / game / obedience cue. If the tail is bleeding and the dog showing signs of aggression it sounds like the tail chasing may have developed into an obscessive compulsive behaviour, a bit like people who bite fingernails or pull out their own hair, or a horse that weaves or windsucks. Sounds like your dog has had a very stressful life prior to you taking him on so it is not altogether surprising that some disfunctional behaviour has developed. If there are other signs of stress, or if the tail chasing proves very difficult to interrupt once it starts and the frequency of the behaviour is high, you may want to consider working with your vet and a behaviourist - medication can sometimes be helpful in severe cases of this nature.
m_duffell
10-04-2007, 01:36 PM
thats great thanks for your support i have tried putting pepper on it but it just made him sneeze and some anti chewing spray stuff they didnt work. i do tell him no but only try getting him to sit or lay down but a distraction sounds like it should work thanks very much. i just dont want him to think he is getting a treat for chasing his tail??!!
when you mention the agression thing he has bitten but it was after we was playing with him he was really excited then my girlfriend huged him thats when he bit we assumed it was due to fear as he must have been held down by some people to file his teeth, would i be right in thinking that?? ive been very carefull with him around everyone always keeping my eye on him and he has never showed any aggression towards them just love all he ever wants is to play, give you a kiss or have a hug!!:)
m_duffell
10-04-2007, 01:47 PM
http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2000815532833423291http://aycu30.webshots.com/image/29989/2000815532833423291_th.jpg
i cant get the picture to upload but if you want to see him click
http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2000815532833423291
he came with the burrberry collar in the picture its long gone now by the way lol
and these aswell
http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2002221621503976000
thats great thanks for your support i have tried putting pepper on it but it just made him sneeze and some anti chewing spray stuff they didnt work. i do tell him no but only try getting him to sit or lay down but a distraction sounds like it should work thanks very much. i just dont want him to think he is getting a treat for chasing his tail??!!
when you mention the agression thing he has bitten but it was after we was playing with him he was really excited then my girlfriend huged him thats when he bit we assumed it was due to fear as he must have been held down by some people to file his teeth, would i be right in thinking that?? ive been very carefull with him around everyone always keeping my eye on him and he has never showed any aggression towards them just love all he ever wants is to play, give you a kiss or have a hug!!:)
My Rottie would growl if you tried to hug him... insecurity thing. Some dogs just don't like to be hugged.
If you distract him from the tail chasing, give him an alternate command, and then reward him for performing the alternate command , he'll be conditioned for the alternate command... not the tail chasing.
It's like... if he was chewing yer shoes... break the behaviour (distract him) and show him something he can do INSTEAD of chewing your shoes.
Roxy n Marlee
10-04-2007, 02:19 PM
My Rottie would growl if you tried to hug him... insecurity thing. Some dogs just don't like to be hugged.
If you distract him from the tail chasing, give him an alternate command, and then reward him for performing the alternate command , he'll be conditioned for the alternate command... not the tail chasing.
It's like... if he was chewing yer shoes... break the behaviour (distract him) and show him something he can do INSTEAD of chewing your shoes.
Good reply > also more exercise, my staffy needs loads, two 1 hours walks a day, and what brand of food do you feed him?
Btw stunning colours :)
Good reply > also more exercise, my staffy needs loads, two 1 hours walks a day, and what brand of food do you feed him?
Btw stunning colours :)
Agreed. More exerscise can never hurt. (Well... within REASON. lol)
Agreed on the colouring too. S'a good lookin' dog.
Just to clarify when I mentioned aggression in my previous reply I actually meant self-harm ie he was actually causing damage to his tail.
I totally agree with Eb4i that the reaction you describe towards being hugged is very much within the normal range for many dogs, including many who have no history of abuse. Hugging is an ape thing, and can be very threatening to canines.
Just to clarify when I mentioned aggression in my previous reply I actually meant self-harm ie he was actually causing damage to his tail.
I totally agree with Eb4i that the reaction you describe towards being hugged is very much within the normal range for many dogs, including many who have no history of abuse. Hugging is an ape thing, and can be very threatening to canines.
Kaos and I agree??!!! I think, that, along with frogs raining from the sky is the third sign of the apocalypse. ;)
lol - yes, I will watch for the frogs....
KatzNK9
10-04-2007, 04:16 PM
Great advice above! I'm just stepping in to give two thumbs up! Kudos to you for rescuing this beautiful dog. I hope you're able to fix this problem. Was bitter apple one of the products you've tried to get him to quit chewing? I find that it has to be reapplied often though. Good luck. Redirecting his behavior is key. All the above advice is excellent so I don't have anything else to add to it.
KatzNK9
10-04-2007, 04:17 PM
Kaos and I agree??!!! I think, that, along with frogs raining from the sky is the third sign of the apocalypse. ;)
lol - yes, I will watch for the frogs....
Priceless!:cheers:
m_duffell
10-05-2007, 03:36 PM
beautifull isnt he!!! thanks he loves his hugs now anyway i think it was more to do with he was so excited at the time then the hug frigtened him.
he's changed alot since then anyway ive taught him when i say 'nicely' he will take food from my lips thats how gental he is now so i dont think im worried about him bitting again.
im doing the whole stoping him then im getting him to find one of his toys ive also trained him so when i say wheres ya ball he goes hunting for one ;-) and it keeps him busy for a while but he always ends up going back to his tail but i know it will take time. i feed him bakers complete biskits the ones with the meaty ball things??? probably not the best i assume but i cant afford anything much more expensive and id probably get the wrong stuff anyway what do you recomend??? and exercise sound like a good idea id love to be able let him run around off the lead but he has gone for another dog before and i felt terible so id hate it to happen again.
beautifull isnt he!!! thanks he loves his hugs now anyway i think it was more to do with he was so excited at the time then the hug frigtened him.
he's changed alot since then anyway ive taught him when i say 'nicely' he will take food from my lips thats how gental he is now so i dont think im worried about him bitting again.
im doing the whole stoping him then im getting him to find one of his toys ive also trained him so when i say wheres ya ball he goes hunting for one ;-) and it keeps him busy for a while but he always ends up going back to his tail but i know it will take time. i feed him bakers complete biskits the ones with the meaty ball things??? probably not the best i assume but i cant afford anything much more expensive and id probably get the wrong stuff anyway what do you recomend??? and exercise sound like a good idea id love to be able let him run around off the lead but he has gone for another dog before and i felt terible so id hate it to happen again.
Good job, nice work. Yer on the right road.
Yeah... keep him on leash... best for all concerned, really. Have a look around for a fenced in place that doesn't get alot of traffic at certain times of the day. maybe he could run there.
Easy to say up here in Canada where land is cheap and people are few... but... maybe you'll get lucky.
Roxy n Marlee
10-05-2007, 04:40 PM
beautifull isnt he!!! thanks he loves his hugs now anyway i think it was more to do with he was so excited at the time then the hug frigtened him.
he's changed alot since then anyway ive taught him when i say 'nicely' he will take food from my lips thats how gental he is now so i dont think im worried about him bitting again.
im doing the whole stoping him then im getting him to find one of his toys ive also trained him so when i say wheres ya ball he goes hunting for one ;-) and it keeps him busy for a while but he always ends up going back to his tail but i know it will take time. i feed him bakers complete biskits the ones with the meaty ball things??? probably not the best i assume but i cant afford anything much more expensive and id probably get the wrong stuff anyway what do you recomend??? and exercise sound like a good idea id love to be able let him run around off the lead but he has gone for another dog before and i felt terible so id hate it to happen again.
If you can get him off Bakers, not a very good food and could be contributing to his hyperness. My Roxy's like a kid on smarties when she has something like bakers.
Burns is a good food :) which I mixed with frozen tripe, I'm on a low budget and this works well. I also add potatoes or rice or carrots, left over dinner (no onions)
Walks we do late at night or early morning. You can muzzle him and have a training lead on him. Ever tried a clicker, i'm new to it, but it helps to get the training off the ground, be interested on more info on that myself.
staffilover
10-05-2007, 09:15 PM
yay for you..thank god you found him...you're in for some fun:)
good on ya..
m_duffell
10-06-2007, 04:05 AM
acctually i do remember a small fenched off football pitch i used when i was a kid thats a great idea he would love it there and it was always empty !!!! thank you:) and ill have a loook for this burns stuff i used to buy that frozen meat from the local pets at home but i wasnt sure if it was mixxed with other crap as it was so cheap?
Roxy n Marlee
10-06-2007, 04:11 AM
acctually i do remember a small fenched off football pitch i used when i was a kid thats a great idea he would love it there and it was always empty !!!! thank you:) and ill have a loook for this burns stuff i used to buy that frozen meat from the local pets at home but i wasnt sure if it was mixxed with other crap as it was so cheap?
yeh it's cheap, forthglade frozen tripe. 1 to 2 mgs of burns and half a mug or more of tripe. You can add left over oil from roasting/cooking.
But to keep it cheap I do cook extra veg for when i cook for the family. And I buy happy shopper rice and add that sometime instead of tripe.
I couldn't afford to feed my dogs on Bakers tbh. It is has a lot of chemicals added, alot of crap, I'm they add something to get your dog addicted.
m_duffell
10-06-2007, 04:17 AM
im goin down the pet shop today as it goes ill have a look thanks
m_duffell
10-06-2007, 04:19 AM
the other thing i wanted to ask was about bathing him?? i was told if i do it to offten he will lose oils from his coat is that when i use the shampoo or even when i just shower him with water???
Roxy n Marlee
10-06-2007, 04:27 AM
the other thing i wanted to ask was about bathing him?? i was told if i do it to offten he will lose oils from his coat is that when i use the shampoo or even when i just shower him with water???
If you do switch, makes sure you do it slowly, by adding the new in small amounts.
Baths, mine are rarely bathed as they dont have a bad doggy odur. But Roxy looks just as shiny after a bath. So I maybe wash mine once a year, unless they do a pooh roll :o
m_duffell
10-06-2007, 07:49 AM
thanks i will.
well mine has a habbit of weeing on his leg so he get smelly quite quick but he has a lovly shiney coat which i dont want to spoil
m_duffell
10-06-2007, 07:50 AM
maybe i could find a lake he can go and jump in lol
thanks i will.
well mine has a habbit of weeing on his leg so he get smelly quite quick but he has a lovly shiney coat which i dont want to spoil
Oh man... there are a MILLION grooming products out there that will work a treat and in NO way take the gloss out of his coat.
Shout out to the dog/cat show folk? 'Lo? Help out my man here? Katz? Borzoimad? 'Lil help?
KatzNK9
10-06-2007, 10:48 AM
I bathe Ozzy every 3-5 weeks (whether he needs it or not). If you use good quality, gentle pet shampoo on a dog with a healthy coat (healthy from the inside out), you're not going to dry out a dog's coat. Most people don't recommend a full-suds bath more than once a month but if you stick to a schedule of every 4-6 (or even 8) weeks for a shorthaired dog & every 3-5 weeks for a longhaired dog, you should be able to keep him sparkling clean, smelling good & in great condition.
If the shampoo you use isn't too harsh & you're not deliberately getting a product that strip oils, you should NEVER be able to dull the coat of a dog with healthy skin. If a gentle shampoo is stripping oil from your dog's coat & making a visible difference, you're not bathing your dog too often, your dog's skin/coat aren't healthy & that needs to be addressed with either a better diet or supplements (or both!).
Call a few grooming shops in your area. Ask them what specific shampoo "they are going to use" when they groom your dog. Find out the product name of the most popular & order some for yourself. Give that doggie a proper bath & you'll be glad you did.
Also, just hosing or wiping your dog with water alone as often as you need to isn't going to do any damage at all. My labxgsd gets hosed and/or swims daily during very hot weather as he doesn't enjoy being too hot and loves water. His coat is shiny and healthy. I shampoo less often of course.
bright eyes
02-09-2008, 02:02 AM
i av a staff book by john .f gordan and he says the reasons for tail chasin is a follows............... no 1 cud be psychological where the dog as been left 4 long periods and its boredom........... no2..... there cud be a mite living in the tip of the tail and needs 2 be seen by a vet.............. it says there could be an irritation anywhere in the dogs nether region and needs to be investigated by a vet to eliminate it also hes anul glands may need to be emptied . if once seen by a vet and he as none of these syptoms then it is boredom and needs to be distracted from the tail because the tail chasing is very distressing for the dog. hope this is of help
bright eyes
02-09-2008, 03:07 AM
if after taking him 2 vet it aint an health problem . get sum stones in a screw top plastic bottle and every time he goes for his tail shake the bottle and firmly shout no. remember these dogs are strong willed and u will av 2 be very firm with him. the noise of the stones and u saying firmly no should distract him from his habbit . after a while of doing this he should stop and show him u r displeased with him wen he does it. wen he stops on command really praise him. also get him sum dog toys and strong dog bones 2 chew on