Evan Barke

New member
Jun 16, 2015
2
0
Hi all,

This is my first post and I'm sure not my last. We have an English Bulldog bitch called Margaret-Rose that we absolutely love. But she is driving us crazy and breaking out hearts! She exhibits behaviors that are not good and she does not accept discipline or learn from it in any way. We are convinced she has some form of animal autism because she hates cuddling, can't sleep on soft surfaces and does not respond to any commands. She also hates going for walks and doesn't react to other dogs at all (which is quite nice but still strange).

Anyway, we have managed to deter her from chewing things or getting up to other nonsense by using a spray bottle of water (she also hates water). That is the only thing that works for disciplining her. However she is still not housebroken and is about 15 months old.

Before you think "must be bad owners" I beg to differ. We have a French Bulldog too and training him felt like we actually put in ZERO effort compared to her. He was clean at 4 months and listens to commands. But he is open to social interaction and actually cares what we think.

Anyway, like I said, there are lots of things to sort out but I would like to start with the most pressing of them: We live in Bangkok, Thailand. It is very hot here all year round. So we keep the air-conditioning on and have a doggie door for them to go outside when they like.

However, Margaret is causing us great difficulties when we try to leave the house in the car. She gets super worked up and overheats almost immediately and the car AC doesnt seem to cool her down (even after 3 hours of us freezing our bums off).

This is obviously VERY stressful and ruins the trip every time because she really overheats and we worry about her heart!

Does anyone know of a good anti-anxiety drug we could give her for this type of occasion?

Thanks in advance.
 

Cali Doll

Well-known member
Community Veteran
Nov 20, 2014
1,845
71
Northern VA
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Bella
Wow, I'm sorry you're dealing with this. I don't have an answer, but I'm sure someone here can help.

Welcome to EBN! I'd love to see pics of you're girl. :)
 

TyTysmom

Moderator
Nov 4, 2014
5,474
392
Katy, TX
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Tyson aka "Ty-Ty"
Sorry to hear about your baby. I have tagged a member who gives her baby something for anxiety. Hopefully she can chime in with some suggestions!
 

brutus77

Skinny-Dippin' Smokin' Tidy Bowl Bionic Woman
Jul 18, 2013
6,940
593
Long Island NY
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Brutus, Frankie, and Jack
Hi Evan, first , Welcome to EBN. Have you had Margaret evaluated completely by a vet? My Brutus has anxiety issues also. He gets super stressed out and was acting out aggressively to our other dogs. After a visit and discussion with my vet, we put Brutus on Doggie Prozac. It has made an immense difference in his life. He is no longer acting out and seems to be able to handle stress or unforeseen situations better. It did take approx. 2 months to achieve the full benefit of the drug so you have to be patient if you try this route. Have you tried any kind of formal training? This might also help. As far as the car rides, is it absolutely necessary to bring her? I have two bulldogs and I always take Frankie with us because he is happy go lucky and loves to visit and go in the car, and we leave Brutus at home where he is perfectly happy to nap in his crate until we return. He does not mind the car, but I know he is only going to be able to handle being out for about an hour before he stresses to be home. It is super important to know and understand your bulldogs personality and then adjust accordingly. First and foremost, always start with a vet visit and discussion before trying any kind of meds or training. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.
 

Donnam

New member
Nov 5, 2014
1,433
60
Dallas, Texas (Richardson)
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Winnie
You got great advice from Rosalie. I empathize with you because we had a bully (named Rosie) that acted just like Margaret-Rose in the car. She loved to go in the car, but once in there she panted and drooled and stood on the console looking out the window. She just never calmed down! We took her on a 3 hour trip one time and it was miserable. We never took her on a trip again! I don't have any advice really, but a visit to the vet and doggie Prozac might be just the thing. Good luck and keep us posted.
 

2BullyMama

I'm not OCD....now who moved my bulldog?
Staff member
Community Veteran
Jul 28, 2011
48,581
3,673
Gilbertsville, PA
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Chelios (Frenchie), Nitschke (2004-2011) Banks (2005-2014) and Lambeau (2014-2024)
Hi Evan, first , Welcome to EBN. Have you had Margaret evaluated completely by a vet? My Brutus has anxiety issues also. He gets super stressed out and was acting out aggressively to our other dogs. After a visit and discussion with my vet, we put Brutus on Doggie Prozac. It has made an immense difference in his life. He is no longer acting out and seems to be able to handle stress or unforeseen situations better. It did take approx. 2 months to achieve the full benefit of the drug so you have to be patient if you try this route. Have you tried any kind of formal training? This might also help. As far as the car rides, is it absolutely necessary to bring her? I have two bulldogs and I always take Frankie with us because he is happy go lucky and loves to visit and go in the car, and we leave Brutus at home where he is perfectly happy to nap in his crate until we return. He does not mind the car, but I know he is only going to be able to handle being out for about an hour before he stresses to be home. It is super important to know and understand your bulldogs personality and then adjust accordingly. First and foremost, always start with a vet visit and discussion before trying any kind of meds or training. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.


advice does not get much better than this! ^^^^^ My girl, was also on Xanx for car rides... she HATED being in the car and did as your girl does. 1/2 a Xanax 20 mins before ride settled her enough that she did not pant. Also, keep in mind, it is her personality so you may have to learn to just treat her as you need to. Our girl was a 9 yr training session, it never ever stopped because if we laid off at all, she would push the envelope. Our Frenchie on the other hand... is almost impossible to train on certain things - he is 4 and still does not get 'stay' :facepalm:

Best of luck [MENTION=14362]Evan Barke[/MENTION] .... your babies are too cute!

;welcome3: to EBN
 

betterxthanxnew

Active member
Apr 21, 2015
179
50
Virginia Beach, VA.
Country
United States
Bulldog(s) Names
Effie (EB), Oliver (FB) & Annabel (FB)
I would really leave her at home, if being in the car gets her that worked up. Effie usually lays down in the back seat and snoozes the whole time. It's been 103 degrees here the last couple days and I wouldn't dream of even taking her in the car anywhere. I can't stand the heat in my car- and I wouldn't want to put her through that, unless I absolutely had to take her somewhere, and then I would be sure to start the car up and run the air for a while before bringing her into it. I would definitely make an appt with your vet and talk about the issue, there may be something they can prescribe for her. But, I would keep the car rides to the bare minimum if it's that upsetting to her!
As far as your housebreaking issue goes....what have you tried? Crate training really helped with Effie. As well as having a set routine schedule- and regular potty breaks.
I'm sure she isn't autistic! LOL. But, what I've learned is that they are MIGHTY stubborn. I thought I knew stubborn because we always had beagles growing up. But Effie has set a whole new standard. My cats follow commands more regularly than she does! And, that's not to say Effie isn't smart...she's almost too smart. She likes to make her own decisions. We just have to stick with it and keep showing her that we are the alpha! Sounds like you'll definitely need to do the same with Margaret.
They all have such different and unique personalities :LMAO:
 
OP
Evan Barke

Evan Barke

New member
Jun 16, 2015
2
0
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #8
Hi all,

Thanks for your lovely replies.

I will definitely consult with the vet ASAP about what we can do about her nervousness when we go on holiday. We don't force her to go around town with us. It's only when we go away. We make sure the AC is nice and cold and that she is relaxed before putting her in the car so it must be a mental thing that gets her all worked up.

About the housetraining. Crate training is not possible. Unfortunately her unscrupulous breeder kept her in solitary confinement in a crate from a very young age. We presume without her mother and none of her siblings survived the birth. We think that is the root of all her strange behavioral problems. So, in any case, because she was forced to pass her first 3 months alone in a crate she finds nothing wrong with peeing where she sleeps. That is why she openly pees and poops in front of us inside. She even pees in her bed sometimes before sleeping. We think her terrible lack of socializing when she was a baby also led her to not care what others think. I am definitely the alpha and she understands that but she doesn't seem to care what I think.

Do you see why we have begun to think she has some form or autism? She is like a recluse.

We found the spray bottle trick so we'll stick to that and see how it goes.

Cheers,
Evan

P.S. You can see more photos of our babies here :) https://instagram.com/margaret_and_cousteau/
 

Manydogs

Well-known member
Community Veteran
May 2, 2013
13,637
2,025
Tennessee
Country
U.S.A.
Bulldog(s) Names
Maudee,MarthaKatie,Lizzie,Bro.Mini
Just as a very young baby left without human contact, has bonding problems, her first 3 months of being caged with no normal "childhood" could( and probably is) the root of your problem. It will take time and patience( and possibly the drugs) to help her with her issues. Best of luck to you.
 

betterxthanxnew

Active member
Apr 21, 2015
179
50
Virginia Beach, VA.
Country
United States
Bulldog(s) Names
Effie (EB), Oliver (FB) & Annabel (FB)
Oh my gosh, yeah....I would think that her behavior oddities are definitely related to her childhood. That is just so sad!! :*(
She is a beautiful bully though, and she seems happy to be in your family :) I do hope that over time, and maybe with some new medications- her behavior will improve!
 

Manydogs

Well-known member
Community Veteran
May 2, 2013
13,637
2,025
Tennessee
Country
U.S.A.
Bulldog(s) Names
Maudee,MarthaKatie,Lizzie,Bro.Mini
Autism is a possibility in dogs-if so, it is something that they are born with. You might want to keep a journal of any habits that she has that are repetitive.Then maybe you can figure out anything that works best with her,could be a reason as to why she was kept in a cage. Just a thought that I forgot to mention before. If that is the case-she may never get "housebroken" and you might need to diaper her.
You may have to look up Tinkle Trousers,for the future. @Evan Barke You may have to adjust to her and see what works best.
 

Donnam

New member
Nov 5, 2014
1,433
60
Dallas, Texas (Richardson)
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Winnie
Hi all,

Thanks for your lovely replies.

I will definitely consult with the vet ASAP about what we can do about her nervousness when we go on holiday. We don't force her to go around town with us. It's only when we go away. We make sure the AC is nice and cold and that she is relaxed before putting her in the car so it must be a mental thing that gets her all worked up.

About the housetraining. Crate training is not possible. Unfortunately her unscrupulous breeder kept her in solitary confinement in a crate from a very young age. We presume without her mother and none of her siblings survived the birth. We think that is the root of all her strange behavioral problems. So, in any case, because she was forced to pass her first 3 months alone in a crate she finds nothing wrong with peeing where she sleeps. That is why she openly pees and poops in front of us inside. She even pees in her bed sometimes before sleeping. We think her terrible lack of socializing when she was a baby also led her to not care what others think. I am definitely the alpha and she understands that but she doesn't seem to care what I think.

Do you see why we have begun to think she has some form or autism? She is like a recluse.

We found the spray bottle trick so we'll stick to that and see how it goes.

Cheers,
Evan

P.S. You can see more photos of our babies here :) https://instagram.com/margaret_and_cousteau/

I have just spent the most enjoyable 15 minutes looking at your Instagram pics and watching your videos! Margaret looks like she interacts very well with your family and her Frenchie brother. They are both adorable!

I have recommended tinkle trousers so many times lately, I must sound like I'm some kind of advertising plant in the forum! Not true, I just think they are a good product, and I think they might help you with the house training. There would be some work involved, but if you went back to square one with taking her out every couple of hours, give her treats and praise when she poops and pees, and then diaper her until the next time you take her out. You should also diaper her when she is in her crate. In reading the reviews on the tinkle trouser website, there are some reviewers that had their housebreaking and marking issues solved using the tinkle trousers. At least go to the website and check them out.
 

Most Reactions

📰 Latest posts

Members online

No members online now.
Top