Winston's behavior

[Pennview79]

Winston is 7 months old now and he is sooo bad! He gets into everything and he just never seems to stop. Well, actually he does stop...when he plops down where ever he is and immediately starts snoring. He just goes and goes and goes. When he is awake, there is NO peace in the house. Someone is constantly having to yell at him. Is this just a normal behavior in this breed? When he finally does fall asleep its worse than having a new baby in the house because no one wants to move or talk because they are afraid the will wake him. I'm not sure what to do to get him to just behave. Will he ever calm down? He is just so rotten that the joy of finally having a bulldog is quickly wearing off....until he fall asleep that is!!

 

[Sherry]

sounds like he needs a good walk or a play mate. a tired dog is a good dog

 

[Baconator]

Sounds like he has too much energy to me as well. Does he have free reign of the house? Perhaps try getting baby gates and only giving him access to certain parts of the house until he can be trusted more.

 

[2BullyMama]

What a great looking bully... love the avatar!

Yeah -- he is buly all the way -- get him on some walks, he has too much energy

 

[Pennview79]

He does have a friend...our little mini daschund. Sadly though Charlie doesn't enjoy playing with Winston. Winston tries to sit on him all the time.

We have three kids who try to play with him but he is such a maniac that its hard for them at times. He is either chasing them, playfully nipping at them, or jumping on them.

He doesn't have free run of the house. He is only allowed where we can see him, which is usually just in the living room. I don't have gates up but that may help. We were just trying to teach him where he is or isn't allowed but it isn't working well. We have over 3 acres of ground and live in the middle of nowhere but as much as we try to teach him to stay in the yard...it doesn't help. We now have to either put him on a run or just be out there with him. At times, even when we are with him he still tries to run off and I don't want him getting hit by a car.

I was hoping this was just a stage, but at 7 months I would have thought he would have started to calm down. The vet suggested neutering him, which I reluctantly did about 3 weeks ago because my fiance said he felt it would help with the behavior and the wondering. It hasn't!!

We love him to death but he is driving me insane!!

 

[dalmatina38]

Wait til he reaches the terrible twos. It's really go time then because they know the rules but want to push the limits anyway. Seriously, be consistent, patient and persistent with him. It takes some time, Rome wasn't built in a day, lol, but with time it will get better. Have you thought about obedience training? Check in your local area and see what is available and if they have experience with Bulldogs. If not, use his favorite things as training tools (toys, snacks, favorite person, etc). Sometimes our Amber will do things for my daughter she wouldn't learn from either me or my husband. Above all, remain calm even when he is doing something unacceptable, the saying you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar is so true with bullies. Good luck.

 

[cali baker]

I agree with the above posts---exercise Winston daily. That doesn't mean just letting him run loose on your property or in the house, but take him for a good, hearty walk. I also recommend a basic obedience class for him and if you've done one already, do another or some sort of refresher course. Yelling at him isn't going to help matters--he'll just feed off of your frustrated energy and that will make him more hyper.

 

[Pennview79]

Thanks for the advice! Winston is our first bulldog and he definetly has a personality unlike any other dog we have ever had. I am thinking that obedience classes may have to be our next step. He is definetly a high demand dog!

 

[Leatherneck]

My guys are just over 1 year old and also our first EBDs, so we are learning as well. Other things that worked with the other dogs aren't seeming to be effective now. But we are as headstrong and stubborn as they are so we are making some headway AS they said here, it does take time and consistency!

 

[erniesmom]

My first bulldog too...thought they were coach potatoes....when do we get the coach potatoe? Also, how far do you guys walk? I was so worried about over exerting him and his breathing that we do not go far.

 

[TonkaTruck28]

Have you tried something like Daycare every once in awhile? I know a lot of people here aren't fans, but if you can find a place you trust, I think its great. They can run ALL day with other dogs and when they get home, at least in Tonkas case, they plop down and don't want to do anything for two days lol. Win for everyone!

 

[kazzy220]

First of all he's still a puppy so dont' be too hard on yourself or him. He's just a baby and still learning the rules and what is acceptable.

Secondly, after neutering the hormones will stay in his body for a good 30 days/month so there are possibly still some hormones buzzing around in there.

I agree with the walks .. but walks are NOT about tiring him out it's about showing pack leadership. Dogs don't generally exist in a "free-for-all". They like order and discipline, they need to know where they stand in the pack. Now of course he's only a few months old, so it's like teaching a toddler the meaning of a bank account. We know it's necessary .. them, well not so much! So take a big deep breath and realise that you haven't got a dog in front of you. You have a bully who is going to be the closest you get to having a kid. So be patient .. I promise it will happen!

 

[Vicaroo1000]

I agree with the above posts---exercise Winston daily. That doesn't mean just letting him run loose on your property or in the house, but take him for a good, hearty walk. I also recommend a basic obedience class for him and if you've done one already, do another or some sort of refresher course. Yelling at him isn't going to help matters--he'll just feed off of your frustrated energy and that will make him more hyper.

Spot on.

Dogs need exercise. Cesar says, "Dogs need to travel". For us our daily walk serves as both. It is structured; they're not dragging me around. Bo is at an age where he wants to pee on everything along the way, but he's not allowed to do that either. We take different routes all the time to keep it interesting while visiting favorite spots to potty and sniff around. I think your dog is bored and that's why he's doing all that stuff. Too, your kids need to learn how to play with him so he's a good companion for the children. Dogs and kids go together -- he just needs a few manners is all. He shouldn't be jumping on the children OR playfully nipping anybody. He's a pup and he's learning and he's dying for some leadership. Give it to him and you'll have a fabulous playmate for the children AND Charlie. Walk the dogs together. They'll love it.