Looks to kill

[paul-dafney]

Hi there everyone... I have a 3 year old female staffy dafney she is amazing but when out on lead she stares at other dogs as if she wants to rip them apart but once they get close the tails are going happy to see everyone there aswel as each other BUT when you go to walk away she'll have a snack at the other dog for no reason at all if she's of the lead she's fine if a walk away she will follow but keep looking back incase she's been followed by other dogs..... anyone any ideas ?

[Nettle]

One has to be careful of tail messages - wagging tails have as many different meanings as the human smile.

In general, Staffords far prefer human company to other dogs. I'd say unless you know a particular dog is one she likes, keep her away from them. It can all go wrong terribly quickly, and she is telling you that she is not happy about these other dogs being near you both. Just walk briskly past with her on the furthest side from the other dog. When you are well past and she is relaxed, give her a treat. The aim is that she associates other dogs with you taking her to a safe distance and then treating her. That's a positive experience and should in time make her more relaxed around other dogs. But she is not of a breed that is dog-friendly, nor is she the only breed that loves people but not dogs. We have to live with the dog we have, and need to accept that our ideals are not necessarily theirs. You are her best pal and her whole world.