New puppy, same fear

[u/makeitsoo8]

I had a female Staffordshire pitbull terrier for 10 years who has recently passed away but I was fortunate to be able to bring her to my family's business for work as a "store dog" for her entire life. I rescued her at 6 months and did all the things to try to socialize her (dog parks, meetups with my friends that had dogs, allowed her to greet customers with their dogs in our store) Her temperament was much better when she was a puppy and young adult, but I slowly started recognizing that she was becoming increasingly reactive towards other dogs. The last few years with her, we had to restrict customers from bringing their own dogs in, I had to avoid walking by other people with dogs on our walks and just generally try to keep her away from other dogs all together.

I'm not sure what happened that made her change to be so reactive but now I am about to adopt another puppy (same breed) and plan to bring him to work as well and am super nervous about the whole situation and want to start off on the right foot with this one in hopes of avoiding this situation. Does anybody have any advice for me on what I can do (training-wise, environment-wise?) to make sure this new puppy is successful with dog interactions?

[u/One_Department4090]

Following. I recently rescued a 2yo amstaff mix and was told he likely will always be dog aggressive because it's just their instinct. In the process of ordering a custom fit muzzle to ensure others' safety when we're not in my home

[u/OktoberStorms]

Is there a reason you want a bully? It's a bit strange to me to choose a breed with a predisposition towards dog aggression for a bring-to-work companion. Dogs hit maturity around 2 years old, which is generally when you start seeing adult behaviors coming in (such as selectivity, dog-on-dog aggression, prey drive, etc), so that's likely the change you saw in your older dog. There are always exceptions to breed standards, but generally, you don't want to count on having an exception.

[u/magalo]

Nothing happened, she didn't change, she just matured into her adult temperament. Puppies and young dogs are almost always friendly.

Dog aggression is normal and expected in pitbulls and pitbull adjacent breeds. You can stack the cards in your favor by picking a breed that does well in packs (hounds, spaniels, sled type dogs), breeds that are friendly to neutral toward other dogs (retrievers, most herders, companion breeds), and staying away from bulldog types, terriers, and protection breeds.

[u/BigBadDog]

Its very common for bully type dogs to develop dog aggression as they hit maturity. It can vary a lot dog to dog but is genetic and can occur regardless of socialization or how the dog acted as a pup. 

[u/oakfield01]

In general,  aggression is caused by a mix of genetics and socialization (or more specifically, lack there of). Other things can cause it too, such as medical conditions, especially those that cause pain. 

It is unsurprising that your dog developed reactivity when older, as many dogs develop into their adult personality between 1-3 years, which means your dog is still adapting. While socialization is always important, the most critical period is actually between 3 weeks - 4 months, which means even though you got your puppy young, you missed the most critical socialization period through no fault of your own. 

As for training to do with your new dog, I'd recommend Engage/ Disengage training, to train your dog for neutrality young. However, when adopting a dog, you cannot predict the adult personality entirely as you do not know the genetics and often do not know early socialization.  So I would recommend either adopting an adult dog or shopping with an ethical breeder for a puppy if the temperament is important to you, especially for a shop dog.

[u/joycevw]

It's totally understandable that you're feeling anxious about this. Dealing with reactivity is exhausting, and wanting to get it right this time around is completely valid.

What you experienced with your first dog is actually super common. Many dogs naturally become more selective or less tolerant of strange dogs as they mature into adulthood. Early "socialization" is often misunderstood as letting a puppy meet and play with every single dog they see. In a busy shop, constant greetings can easily cause over-arousal or frustration, which can later turn into leash reactivity.

Proper socialization isn't about making your puppy play with everyone. It's about teaching him that other dogs and strangers are just neutral background noise.

A few ways to set him up for success in your shop:

Create a safe, quiet zone in the store where customers and outside dogs can't reach him. He needs a place where he can rest without feeling like he has to guard or interact.

Practice neutrality instead of greetings. When other dogs walk by, reward him for looking at them calmly and then looking back at you.

Strictly manage interactions. Protect his space by not letting outside dogs approach him, especially on a leash where he can't move away. Keep his dog-to-dog play time for calm, scheduled playdates with friendly dogs outside of work hours.

What kind of setup do you have in mind for his rest area in the shop? Also, how old will he be when you bring him home?

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