Help Needed! fear issues in 8 month male bulldog

[bullyboy]

Hey everyone! percy is having really bad "fear stages" and i was wondering if anyone had some advice! He is afraid of EVERYTHING: cartoon animals, candles, flickering lights, wrapping paper, cars........you name it, he will probably try to bolt from it. It comes and goes and now he is really starting to bark at other dogs and lunge. We have done obedience , puppy playgroups, but I am just stumped on what my response should be. He is such a sweet boy! I dont want to mess him up! I have another bulldog who never had any of these issues. Thanks!!

 

[sweetpeasmom2008]

Im not sure what to do here but i will tag some members that may know [MENTION=2]desertskybulldogs[/MENTION]

 

[RaRett]

1st thing I would suggest, if you dont already do this, is to have him in a harness when he is outside of the house. Just because if he tries to bolt, you have a better chance at controlling with a harness than a collar (he could slip out of the collar easier)

Gizmo go crazy over squealing breaks, you know, the Mail Truck, the School Buses, UPS and Fed Ex - They dont seem to bother Hershey -
She is also scared of anything Stainless Steel - which works to our advantage - we put Stainless Steel mixing bowls around the Christmas tree, and she didnt go near it

Hershey on the other hand, doesnt seem to be afraid of much, unless his sister is going ballistic, then its 'OH hold it, she is going crazy, MAYBE I need to go crazy too!'

Best of luck with the situation, I wish I could offer more than just support and understanding.

 

[Vicaroo1000]

When Percy is having a fearful episode, what do you do? Modifying your reaction to his reactions may help.

Most people -- instinctively - go "awww poor baby..don't be afraid.."...and that makes it worse. Allowing the dog to process that the cartoon is NOT going to eat him while being a strong support - perhaps by standing between Percy and the cartoon -- may help? Bea and Bo have both had ridicules episodes of fearfulness and I tend to want to baby them. I must not do that. The neighbor's patio umbrella is NOT going to swoop down and eat them whole - as an example. After we walk past it a few times, they figure out that nothing bad is going to happen and they move on to be freaky about something else. hahahahaha

Bea has SUDDENLY decided that she hates that commercial for the Digital Dyson vacuum. It's crazy. She will stop what she is doing -- or leap up out of a fitful rest - to bark at the TV like she's going to KILL the thing. All I can do is disagree with the behavior I don't like (tssst!) and plant myself between she and the offending Dyson (in my mind I am saying, "Don't worry. I got this.") and she settles down.

 

[mabel lou]

One time I had purchased a baby bully out of state after going and choosing her, the breeder was kind enough to deliver her to me when she reached of age. I noticed she was acting really nervous when they had her here but I assumed it was because of the drive for one and then the new surroundings which would make sense to me. Well as each day went by and I would have to mop the floors or rake the yard or vacuum or move a piece of furniture,she would go ballistic and the one day I got the broom out ti sweep the floor she totally started running in my house and into my son room where she stayed. I went in to see her and she was a wreck and had spit drooling out of her mouth. Awe, so to the vet we went cause she was making me a wreck and he put her on medicine that started with a P ( can't remember the name ) but he said to begin introducing her to items when she was on the medicine. I did this and I cannot tell you how happy I ended up being to see her calm down and wow it was so nice to be able to move things around and just do normal stuff in your home without freaking your dog out. She was so relaxed from that medicine he gave her and it allowed me to show her I am not going to hurt her and I literally could have a broom in my hand while talking to her. I have the name of it in my file drawer but that is packed away but I do know it started with a P.

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

One time I had purchased a baby bully out of state after going and choosing her, the breeder was kind enough to deliver her to me when she reached of age. I noticed she was acting really nervous when they had her here but I assumed it was because of the drive for one and then the new surroundings which would make sense to me. Well as each day went by and I would have to mop the floors or rake the yard or vacuum or move a piece of furniture,she would go ballistic and the one day I got the broom out ti sweep the floor she totally started running in my house and into my son room where she stayed. I went in to see her and she was a wreck and had spit drooling out of her mouth. Awe, so to the vet we went cause she was making me a wreck and he put her on medicine that started with a P ( can't remember the name ) but he said to begin introducing her to items when she was on the medicine. I did this and I cannot tell you how happy I ended up being to see her calm down and wow it was so nice to be able to move things around and just do normal stuff in your home without freaking your dog out. She was so relaxed from that medicine he gave her and it allowed me to show her I am not going to hurt her and I literally could have a broom in my hand while talking to her. I have the name of it in my file drawer but that is packed away but I do know it started with a P.

Probably Pozac. I would try behavioral control and reassurance...I am not a big fan of drugs unless EVERYTHING has been exhausted. To try and work fom the root of the problem in the long run...is much better than masking the symptoms! I do understand the reasoning tho.

 

[Corlando465]

My boy continually has fearful moments, too. Somedays are worse than others but I have noticed that my response to items can help or harm. First do not baby him, as previously stated. Don't make a big deal out over it. I usually just matter of fact tell him that ______ is okay. If he still continues to react then I show him the item when possible - gradually, no sudden moves as to cause more fear. This is usually all it takes, since he trust me. The most difficult things to help him with are things I can't show him - the flock of birds that fly over or the too loud car that goes by or the noisy wind. I just tell him "it's okay" without babying and then continue through with what we were doing - walking, pottying, etc.... And will continue the same actions when the next "fear factor" comes along. Be consistent and be calm.


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[2BullyMama]

Most bullies have some level of 'fear' towards some odd items..... my girl is VERY dominate and needs to be in control, so anything that moves when she is not expecting it sets her off. She HATES the vacuum and will full on try to attack it, but is terrified of plastic bags so to keep her away from the vacuum I tied a plastic bag to it.... she stays in the other room when I do that.

Try to work with her on the items one at a time... some will always be an issue (ie plastic bags), but you may be able to desensitise her to a few of them

 

[thesspa]

Bacon went through a stage of being afraid of the most random things (boxes, trash bags, tissue paper, fake plants) but we turned it into a game at home. In a no pressure, let's have fun set-up... we would take an item of choice and lay his favorite treats in a line leading up to them. Eventually (and usually when we weren't paying attention) he would work his way up to the item. There was usually a lot of barking involved but in part I think that was because we kept it as a play time event. He's been great with most things ever since.

 

[ModernFemme]

When Percy is having a fearful episode, what do you do? Modifying your reaction to his reactions may help.

Most people -- instinctively - go "awww poor baby..don't be afraid.."...and that makes it worse. Allowing the dog to process that the cartoon is NOT going to eat him while being a strong support - perhaps by standing between Percy and the cartoon -- may help? Bea and Bo have both had ridicules episodes of fearfulness and I tend to want to baby them. I must not do that. The neighbor's patio umbrella is NOT going to swoop down and eat them whole - as an example. After we walk past it a few times, they figure out that nothing bad is going to happen and they move on to be freaky about something else. hahahahaha

Bea has SUDDENLY decided that she hates that commercial for the Digital Dyson vacuum. It's crazy. She will stop what she is doing -- or leap up out of a fitful rest - to bark at the TV like she's going to KILL the thing. All I can do is disagree with the behavior I don't like (tssst!) and plant myself between she and the offending Dyson (in my mind I am saying, "Don't worry. I got this.") and she settles down.

This. I make a habit of either laughing at Remi or ignoring him. Just the other day he was barking at I Heart Radio. For some reason he really didn't like Paul McCartney's picture for Wonderful Christmas Time. Like wtf? I would cover his face up, and he'd be fine, and then I'd move and he'd start growling again. I always acknowledge his growling to make sure it's not something legit, then I either tell him no after he's done it 10 times, or ignore it completely. It eventually stops and it's getting much better. Just don't coddle and you should be fine. Sometimes I will correct him on the leash if that is an option.

 

[porkysmamma]

The lunging at dogs......porky had the same issue but her was more excitement but to remedy it we brought her to our friends house who has a very friendly 90 lb rotti, dobi, Shepard mix n once she had enough she put porky down to the ground n made her submit which actually corrected her behavior lol idk if u have vacuum issues but I left my vacuum hose attachment on in the middle of the floor with the vacuum on n b4 to long porky was sniffing it n pawing it n now she lets me vacuum her when she sheds lol!!!!!! Cars I'd actually be happy about the fear of cars if its only when they are moving!!!!

 

[kazzy220]

You've been given some great advice ... all I can do is maybe tag [MENTION=1034]BruceP[/MENTION] [MENTION=983]LariP[/MENTION] and [MENTION=900]KMARINO[/MENTION]. Both Princess gracie and Vegas have some irrational fears so maybe they can help you out!!

 

[LariP]

HRH is afraid of a lot. She has come a long way, but it took us a year to get her to eat in the kitchen. she absolutely will not go outside in the dark, or the snow. Storms are another whole can of worms. Loud or sudden sounds send her scurrying for cover. Sudden movement from certain angles will also send her running for cover.
Mostly we just live with it.
Pick her up and carry her out if she refuses and we think she needs to go.
She was trained and had very good manners for the most part when she came, so often we just reinforce with basic obedience commands and she does ok.

 

[mabel lou]

The way she came to me from the very first day when the breeders came here with her was the first sign something was not right and I agree that one must try other routes however I was causing her much more stress and fear doing things such as telling her "it's ok ect ect, she was afraid of tons of things so I agreed with the doctor who said medicate and introduce her to the things this way. She was at a calm now so it allowed me to introduce her to the items that she was freaking out over. It all worked out and she was a happy girl around all the things that she was so fearful of once she was on medicine. Everybody has there own way of doing things and my doctor felt this is what would be best for her at the time.

 

[bullyboy]

Thanks to everyone for the help! Its so hard with Percy, he is 65lbs of pure muscle at 8 months, so strong! The other thing that makes this so hard is that we live in a huge sprawling condo complex with tons of grassy lawns, (great) and TONS of dogs that seem to, for the most part, be very territorial. So anytime we go out for a walk around to pee, almost always Percy will get rushed by an offleash dog, or there will be dogs on balconies barking like crazy, which makes him so anxious. I practically have to hold his great big paw while he tries to poop-he is so nervous and sure some dog is going to charge him. Now, if he even hears a twig snap-barkingbarkingbarking!!!! It is exhausing.......I have had trainers tell me to NEVER walk him on this property, but that is just a bit unrealistic. Any more ideas or just plain old commiseration will be greatly appreciated!!!!