General Question Sleeping and Socialization Questions about my Charlotte

Taylor

New member
Jul 10, 2012
237
14
Pittsburgh
Bulldog(s) Names
Miss Charlotte Elizabeth
I've been reading old threads on this forum and I've gotten a TON of information, but I still have two current "issues" I'm trying to solve with Charlotte.

Firstly, for those who don't know, I adopted her about 2 months ago. Charlotte is approximately 4 years old and I have no information about her history. She was at the Humane Society after being found on the street.

So I bought Charlotte a lovely dog bed, the sherpa/sheepskin kind. She doesn't use it. Ever. She doesn't chew it, or look at it, or spend any time near or on it. She often sleeps on the couch, which we allow, and she will lay on various spots on the floor. She doesn't really seem to have a "place" on the floor that she prefers, otherwise I'd move the bed there.
We also have issues with her being in our room. She can't handle being in our bedroom without being on the bed. She isn't allowed on the bed, so she paces around the floor and is quite restless. I tried putting the bed next to our bed to encourage her to sleep in our bedroom, but she ignores it and paces around and tries to get on the bed.
When we shut the door to our bedroom she sleeps just fine in the living room, but not on the bed. I've tried moving the bed around the living room but she has no interest in it anywhere. I know this isn't a huge problem, but it would be nice for her to have her own bed so when we have company or she can't be on the couch, I'd like her to know she has a safe place to lay down. Any suggestions?

My next question is about how your bullies interact with other dogs and her behavior. Everyday we take a long walk through our neighborhood park. Charlotte often meets other dogs. Her reaction is now predictable, but I cannot read her behavior. When Charlotte sees another dog, her ears go up/forward in an excited manner. She tries to pull to get to the dog. At this point I can get her to stop pulling, focus on me, and walk past the other dog with no problems, which is what I prefer to do, because I am unsure if we should allow her to greet other dogs. We have NO history on Charlotte and if she was properly socialized as a puppy.
If we do decide to greet the dog, I get concerned about her behavior. She firsts sniffs the dogs face/nose head on, which I've heard is aggressive posturing. Then she will go to the normal "private area" sniffing, and then she will bark once or give a quick snap of her jaw. At this point if I pull at her or tell her no, she will quickly sit down and look to me for direction. I've tried talking to her in a calm voice to tell her it's a safe situation, but then she will start barking at the other dog from her seated position. Is this something we should work through, or is she just not a dog's dog? I know the socialization period is really important and if she missed out on that, she may never want to play with other dogs, and that's okay too.
 

Davidh

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Mar 21, 2011
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Katy, Texas
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BeBe, Hazel, Lucy Lu, JLO, Hillary, Henri, & Katie
Ok, some bullies don't like the sheepskin because they get too hot on it. I would get her a wire crate and let that be her bed/quiet time place. You can put a pad it there for her if you want. Some of mine do not like the pad, so they sleep on the crate pan. As far as the socialization goes, just take it slow as you said she may never have been socialized. You seem to be picking up on the excitement in her and are doing good in making her sit down. When she barks at them tell her "NO"' so she will know it is not acceptable behavior. Just be patient and consistent with her.
 
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Taylor

Taylor

New member
Jul 10, 2012
237
14
Pittsburgh
Bulldog(s) Names
Miss Charlotte Elizabeth
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[MENTION=2071]Davidh[/MENTION]
We have central air (I usually wear sweats in the house its so cold!), so I didn't even think about the sheepskin being too hot, thanks for that suggestion.

We don't crate her because she's so good (no accidents, no mischief, she doesn't chew), would you suggest crate training a well behaved older dog? I wasn't really looking to crate train just so she'd sleep on a dog bed, but I want to make the best choices for her...
 

Davidh

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Mar 21, 2011
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Katy, Texas
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
BeBe, Hazel, Lucy Lu, JLO, Hillary, Henri, & Katie
[MENTION=5363]Taylor[/MENTION], you don't have to crate train but she may be used to it and some like it. It's kind of their little place. All of mine are crate trained and sometimes they will go in there on their own if they just want some quiet time. She may not like it at all, so if she is doing well with out it then just try a pillow or a dog pad for her to sleep on. We do not use the sheepskin because mine do not like it. Good luck with you bully, somes like you are doing great with her.
 

cali~jenn

..........
Mar 28, 2010
0
419
Southern California
Bulldog(s) Names
Cutty, Miila and Mugsy the pug :)
Nothing more to add but the crate is a good idea to test and see if she does like it. Leave the door open for her and just do like David said and see what she does. You can return them to petsmart etc if it doesnt work. Been there done that. Plus it would give you a safe comfy place for her to go when people come over, if she does like it. ;) Mine sleep in bed with us but Miila mostly chooses the living room by herself. Just recently she is starting to want to come to bed with us.
 

izstigspunks

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Sep 16, 2010
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336
Toronto, Ontario
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Canada
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The Stig Racecar Driver and (Sweet Angel) Punkin Brutus
You can try positive reinforcement for the bed issue. What I had to do when we first got Stig, was act all excited and patted the bed to let him know that it was his. Her curiosity should set in when you act excited, leading her to approach you. When she puts a foot or both feet on the bed, act like she's done something so amazing and give her a lot of praise. Then repeat as needed. It got to the point that when we get a new bed, the boys will fight for it. lol.
 

Vicaroo1000

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Jun 23, 2011
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Mukilteo, Washington State
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Beefeater's Buxom Beatrice and Lord Harrington's Bodacious Beauregaard
I would also put a sheet or blanket over three sides of the crate to create a "den" atmosphere. My dogs are crate trained and love their little hideaway. It's quiet, cozy and safe. When I leave the house, they go in there and often don't come out until I get home. It's their "space".
 

LoveMyBully82

New member
Aug 30, 2011
316
8
Houston, Texas, United States
Yay for rescue bullies! Jackson came to us crate-trained, but he doesn't really like the wire crates (he actually broke his!). We got him a plastic crate and he loves it. It is his own little place in the house. We don't even make him go in there, he just chooses too. We have a down-filled blanket in there, and he'll sleep and just chill-out in there all day sometimes.
 

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