Stop bully From Lunging

robramirez007

New member
Apr 28, 2011
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I have a problem with Hank. When I take him on his daily walk and were alone he's always at my side and never pulls on my leash but when another dog or a person comes into view he either stops and lays down until the person is close by or he tries to lunge at them when they walk by. You can imagine how scary it is for them when a stranger's 55 pound bulldog tries to lunge at them. I have to stop, hold him close to me and let the person walk by which works most of the time but he still tries to pull on the leash. How can I stop this behavior? I walk him daily for 45 minutes and as long as were alone his fine.
 
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TheLost

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Dec 28, 2011
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Molly & Kevin (aka Chunky)
I treat EVERY walk as a training session.

We practice 'Heel'... We practice 'Sit'... We practice 'Stay'.. We practice 'Come'.. and most of all we practice 'No Pull'. A good dog will do all of these around the house... a GREAT dog will do these out in the real world with real world distractions.

I would start with teaching him the basic 'heel' command (there are some great videos on youtube to get you started). This will teach him YOU are in control of the walk not him.

Then setting him up to fail will be the fastest way to teach him the correct behavior (I use this for everything.. not just 'lunging').

Have a friend or family member try to get him to lunge as your walking. Do this at a park away from your house/street. Correct him for the bad behavior , praise the good! This is hard with an EB because you don't want to hurt their fragile necks.. normally a quick sharp pull will do the trick with most dogs. A Training harness (aka..no-pull) might work best (Im still learning all the 'nuances' of bulldogs so somebody my have a better idea on that).

Since he is laying down, i would try and make him 'Sit' as soon as you see a victim(i mean)obstacle coming at you.

Repetition, Consistency and Dominance.. If your doing this you'll succeed, If he's doing those your going to fail :)
 
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speechmom53

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Feb 17, 2011
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Tubs
I also agree that you need to work on all of the afore mentioned areas. Sit/stay is a good start to. If he lays down on his own you need to put him in a position that you determine, not him. Tubs gets excited when other dogs come by or when someone or something catches him off guard. For this I use "leave it." All of these areas should be taught first with no distractions and then add the distraction when he knows the commands. We are actually working on not pulling on the leash in the backyard. He does great during class and in the house, but he is pulling like crazy when we go for walks, so I had to decrease his distractions and bring him back in the yard until he gets better at it.
 

Vicaroo1000

"Slug Assassin" and PBS Gardening Dweeb
Jun 23, 2011
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That behavior is "stalking" behavior. And it will get worse.

You've gotten some great advice here. I'll only add this: be consistent. Make him walk in a heel like position. I'd also practice some other leadership excercises. For example, make him wait for your approval to go thru a doorway or gate. Use your happy voice when he does good. You want him to recognize exact what behavior you want! If you are the pack leader and are indeed between him and the other dog, he doesn't have to lunge because you are in control. :yes:
 

xskyzx

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Mar 7, 2012
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Major
i think you are doing great by keeping by you and calm, just need to practice more with yours friends walk by till he calm and dont lung nomore
 
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robramirez007

robramirez007

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Apr 28, 2011
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Thank you all for the great advice. Hank knows a number of commands Sit/Stay/lay down. The heel command is one i need to work on. I'm going jump on you tube and watch a few videos. Do you guys recommend clicker training? is it effective with bulldogs?
 

buffalobabie

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Apr 11, 2011
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Gregory
i have to say ive had the same problem with gregory. after he was bit by another dog while on leash he started getting like that. we use clicker training to manage it. we do not let him meet other dogs on leash that we do not know because we do not know what their behavior will be like. we cross the street or give distance. any time he sees another dog we say yes ( instead of using a clicker) and when he looks at us he gets a treat. this allows us to move past successfully without jumping and getting excited. he does get to meet other dogs off leash at dog parks so he is still socialized.
 

cali baker

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Feb 25, 2011
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I have this problem also w/both Finn and Tate. I worry more so with Finn b/c he bit someone during one of his lunges some wks ago (i posted about that), and w/Tate, he mostly just wants to play and lick people to death but that's a NO NO too. Right now we're in obedience training where we're learning the "heel", which btw, is not easy and takes a lot of practice. I find that when we are out walking and peeps want to say HI to the two, they both get so excited and pull very hard on their leashes. I fear that Finn might nip someone, so with him, I make him sit and I hold on to him, letting the people know that he can be unpredictable and basically, to "back off". With Tate, I can usually get him to sit first, then get petted but it takes a lot of practice and being consistent w/commands.
 

TheLost

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Dec 28, 2011
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Molly & Kevin (aka Chunky)
Right now we're in obedience training where we're learning the "heel", which btw, is not easy and takes a lot of practice.

Free money making idea: pet shirts for bulldogs that say "I am not a border collie, don't treat me like one! Approach with caution" :)
 

Vicaroo1000

"Slug Assassin" and PBS Gardening Dweeb
Jun 23, 2011
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[MENTION=2294]robramirez007[/MENTION] - How's Hank doing? What's working? What isn't working? Other folks can benefit from your experience my friend! Don't forget to update us.
 

Vince00

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Feb 14, 2012
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Kain
Great advice so far, also for heel training and control constantly switch it up, walker faster and slower than him, make him adjust his speed. Go in and around trees make him follow your side only. If he moves ahead stop and restart. Another method is turn and go the other way.

Walk proud and confident, feel your dog is and will listen. Demand it and don't check to see is he there, sometimes Kain is so in sync it feels he fell of the harness lol.

Consistency is everything, confirm pack leader as mentioned you go through doorways first and invite him from a sit, not open door means go.

Once comfortable set up the situation with someone try walk by successfully, if you fail rinse and repeat don't use one time experiences. Repeat and repeat till you get what you want then praise and celebrate it.


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Vicaroo1000

"Slug Assassin" and PBS Gardening Dweeb
Jun 23, 2011
5,775
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Mukilteo, Washington State
Bulldog(s) Names
Beefeater's Buxom Beatrice and Lord Harrington's Bodacious Beauregaard
Walk proud and confident, feel your dog is and will listen. Demand it and don't check to see is he there, sometimes Kain is so in sync it feels he fell of the harness lol.

Consistency is everything, confirm pack leader as mentioned you go ...Once comfortable set up the situation with someone try walk by successfully, if you fail rinse and repeat don't use one time experiences. Repeat and repeat till you get what you want then praise and celebrate it.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Awesome post. Those "leadership exercises" is where I fell off once upon a time. Constantly confirming pack leadership is so important. We use the gate at the dog park. They can't come out until I say so. Of course, if you saw us going IN you'd think I had no control at all. Bo can't WAIT TO GET IN THERE and I often just let him pull me on in..... DUMB. DUMB. DUMB. And not consistent either.

I'm gonna stop that. Dagnabbit.
 

Vince00

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Feb 14, 2012
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Kain
<smile> yep, same here I have to remind my self of the importance. As a puppy we stopped at two doorways every 2 hrs to go outside for a pee. Stop, Sit, Wait, OK, walk through close door and repeat at the other door. Go outside and repeat on the way back in on both doors. I've got no bad signs yet but it's only the beginning if you let it slide and they take charge for you instead lol.
 
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robramirez007

robramirez007

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Apr 28, 2011
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@robramirez007 - How's Hank doing? What's working? What isn't working? Other folks can benefit from your experience my friend! Don't forget to update us.

I've been using the advice Vince recommended and Hank is doing better. I always go out the door first but I need to work on having him sit before i invite him out( I haven't tried it) I live in a large apt complex and Ive been walking him everywhere..in between cars, around the parking lot, in between apartments. So far he's been following me but occasionally he recognizes the path and will try to lead. I stop and turn and he starts to follow again. I'm turning every walk into a training session and its working. I'm trying to get him to sit when he sees someone but its not working. He completely ignores me. Even if i put a treat in front of his nose. he will not sit. He always listens to me when we are home though. Strange right?
 

Vicaroo1000

"Slug Assassin" and PBS Gardening Dweeb
Jun 23, 2011
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Mukilteo, Washington State
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Beefeater's Buxom Beatrice and Lord Harrington's Bodacious Beauregaard
No...not strange at all. I've determined - thru trail and error - (mostly error) that the only thing that trumps a favorite food is ATTENTION from anyone. ha ha God help us if he/she knows WHO the person is!

Bea and Bo have "friends" throughout our complex and oddly enough, many of them have white cars. (including Grandma) Now, anytime a white car drives by, they focus on the car...they want to see who's going to stop and fuss over them.

Seriously though, you might try a different treat. There are these freeze dried peanut butter and fruit treats I use that can even trump a white car or the lawn guy in the golf cart who gives them dog bones. I don't have the brand - sorry - I dump them into my treat pouch immediately and recycle the packaging - but PetPros has them in many flavors now. We used to buy the chicken flavor because that's all there was (we have a chicken sensitivity here) but now there's lots of flavors. The peanut butter / blueberry / banana combo is a favorite here.

Maybe try upping your treat quotient? :yes:
 

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