My Staff Terrier

Question
Hello, About 8 months ago I adopted my dog Caine he was approx. 10 months old.  Since that time I have had horrific issues with him.  He bit someone while on a walk in the park. I had him on a leash but when I bent down to tie my shoe two bikers came along.. long story short he got away from me.  There was barking then the woman proceeded to scream hysterically and wound up with a three punctures on her ankle. Then about 2 months later he escaped my yard a neighborhood senior was taking her daily walk I was told by a witness that Caine ran at her furiously and snapped at her pants,then turned around and ran back to my yard.  Last but certainly not least abut 3 weeks ago on a walk in his frenzy to see (perhaps attack?) another dog my knee gets in his way and I wind up getting bit, no broken skin but 3 pretty ugly black and blue marks. Now I walk him with a muzzle.

I feel the need to mention that I am by no means a push over.  Caine must work for every "reward" in his life.  He must sit and wait for food allowing my other dog to eat first, he never enters a room before I give the OK. I do not give affection to him unless he earns it. The list goes on.  I love him and do not want to give up.  I've even tried contacting experts but I think when they learn of his breed they don't want to help me.  If there is another incident I know I will be forced to put him down.  I'm becoming desperate.  

Also, another thing worth a mention is that he is overly sensitive to corrections I give to him.  Sometimes when he gets corrections (ALWAYS verbal) he will go hide in his bed and sulk for hours.  I have two other dogs one a pit bull/lab and and Argentine Dogo and neither of them have ever behaved this way.

Answer
Your dog appears to be overly fearful (bites you describe seem to be fear bites: go at the object of fear, bite, run).  The incident with the bicycle may have been a combination of fear and prey drive.  In any event, if your dog intended aggression toward these victims, they would have been much more seriously injured (if not killed), given his breed (AmStaff or American Pit Bull???)

It's not at all true that a credentialed expert will refuse to treat a dog of this breed.  I have seen many AmPitBull, Staffordshire Bull, and American Staffordshire Terriers in my practice.  Although breeding heavily influences behavior (many Pits are bred by miscreants for nefarious purposes and what you breed is what you get), there ARE many good dogs of these breeds among us, those who never demonstrate aggression.  Your dog has insecurity issues (his low rank is demonstrated by his behavior when verbally corrected) and has most likely been very poorly (if at all) socialized.

First, get rid of the muzzle.  This doesn't solve one thing and doesn't teach the dog one thing.  In fact, when the muzzle is removed (as in when he got out of your yard) his anxiety, fear, or whatever else is driving his behavior will have been heightened by the fact that he is physically restricted on leash outdoors with you.  Use a Halti, but do so with a leash both for the Halti and for the collar (and DO NOT USE a choker collar or any method of coercion, use a strong martingale made of chain and heavy duty nylon.)  Change direction, using the Halti to lead the dog ONLY for these few seconds, whenever you perceive your dog is about to react to anything in his environment (observe his body language very, very closely.)  Teach him to follow your change of direction by taking him places where you are not going to encounter anything or anyone (empty parking lots, etc.) with a "come along" signal, followed by a food treat (small) popped into his mouth the moment he changes direction.  Repeat this many, many times until you have formed a conditioned response to "come along": the dog knows if he immediately follows you in the opposite direction he will get a juicy tidbit.  You must have ten out of ten successful events before attempting to use this signal anywhere where there are distractions.  if he fails ONCE, go back to square one for a few days.

Next, ease up on your dominance.  Your dog is overly submissive at this point.  Give him some free attention, invite him to approach you for a pat once in a while, and use positive reinforcement training to give him several behaviors (one at a time) that he can be rewarded for every time (with praise and a tidbit.)  Learn about positive reinforcement training by reading Ian Dunbar DVM, Patricia McConnel Ph.D., Paul Owens, John Fisher or Karen Pryor.

In terms of the aggression, you absolutely must find a certified applied animal behavior expert.  Given the prejudice against this breed, the likelihood that your dog will be forcibly seized by authorities is high.  Call veterinarians in your area and the veterinary school in you geographical area and get a referral to a Ph.D. or DVM with a strong experience base in active dog to human aggression.  Do NOT go to a dog trainer! Avoid at any expense anyone who will use any aversives (choker or pinch collars, E collars, etc.).  Find a real expert.