I have a nine year female staffordshire bull terrier, I am moving in with my partner at the end of the month who has a 4 year old male staffordshire bull terrier, we have tried to get them to know each other by taking them for walks together, but my female staff keeps snapping at the male staff, and now the male staff has started to retaliate, we have muzzled the famale staff, but she still goes for him if he come near, in three weeks time we are supposed to be all living together, how can I leave them on their own when all they do is fight! At the moment funds are zero, so cannot afford classes, would appreciate any advice, because I don't want to have to get rid of either.

Are both staffies neutered ? Would they do well, separately, in kennels when you are not there, of course, as long as it is isn't an eight hour day for them ? That wouldn't improve their disposition at all if so. Or, muzzle both of them.

Tick

Unfortunately dog aggression is very common in these breeds, as with any fighting dog. You may have to adapt a crate and rotate regimen with them to avoid any nasty fights.

A friend of mine has staffies... she shows and breeds them, they have maybe 10 all together, there are only 2 that can live together, all the rest are in separate pens.

Unfortunately they may never be able to be alone together, you can set up kennels in your backyard for when you are out and cannot watch them.

When they live together they will either lean who is the leader or they will continuously fight for dominance.

Worst case scenario is keeping them separated permanently, you might have to have one in the house for a few hours and then rotate so the other one gets time inside.

That's JUST A BULL FOR YA!

I currently own 2 purebred APBT and a Pit Bull/Rot mix. All Female. I just recently got the second pittie, so the transition is going a bit slow, but everyone gets along great. I only had one bad spat, and that is when my youngster first came. There are still things that need to be worked on, but for the most part, all three pittie girls can be left outside with each other for an extended period.

My trick... I am in charge. Not them. Both your dog and his dog are more than likely protecting their territory, meaning you two. I always tell people my pitties have a 3 mile radius personal bubble. You're going to have to burst this bubble.

When your bullies fight, is it very aggressive? Or does it seem like they're annoyed with each other? From what you have wrote, it just sounds like she is annoyed that he is in her space. Going for walks is a good ice breaker... but they're not interacting with each other. Find a good safe zone that you can take both dogs to that isn't part of their territory. Let them interact. If you feel comfortable with a muzzle then by all means do it. However, if you use a muzzle, get a cage muzzle. If a dog is stressed and scared, confining its only means of protection will just make this situation worse.

Another thing. In dog packs, females are always in charge. Your girl is probably trying to tell the boy that he is no longer in charge. Unfortunately, things could get worse if he doesn't back down, and another unfortunate thing is, Bully breeds do not understand submission. It was bred out of them. Staffies are a bit more relaxed then a APBT, but the gameness is still in them. So always supervise your dogs.

On the human part. Don't act scared or nervous when dealing with your dogs. Your girl will pick up on that and she will protect you if she feels that she needs to. Same with the boy. Relax. Anyone who owns multiple dogs in a home must be ready for a spat here and there. Your dogs may never be aloud to hang out with each other while unsupervised. That isn't uncommon with this breed. Most APBT breeders, rescuers or lovers of this breed actually strongly suggest that the dogs not be together while you are gone.

I'm new to this breed, but absolutely love them. My alpha girl is by far the best dog I have ever owned. So if you have any problems or get stuck on anything, let me know! I'll be more than happy to trouble shoot with you!

Good luck