Help Needed! Desperate for help

TLindstrom

New member
Oct 12, 2013
14
1
Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Country
United States
Bulldog(s) Names
Spartacus
I don't know what to do with my bulldog. He is 8 months old and he when he plays he is so mean to my other dog. When I try to stop him he bites me. My arms, hands, legs , and feet are covered in bites, scratches, and bruises. Once he gets in this mode I can't get him out of it until he finally just wears himself out. By that time I am at my wits end and crying and in pain. I have tried everything to stop this that I can think of and many things I am not proud of and this makes me feel so bad. I dread coming home to what I have know is going to happen to me. I can't have my feet showing because he grabs on and won't let go. . I have tried water bottle, bitter apple all over myself, yiping like his mom would do, pinning him to the ground, shock collar, smacking his butt with a magazine, putting him in his kennel to calm down, nothing phases him. I am at a loss and don't want to give up on him but I can't live this way and it's not fair to my other dogs.
 

Sherry

New member
Jan 15, 2011
5,183
477
Denver PA
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USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Jack , Dolly, Grizz, Peggy Sue, and Scrimps
Have you tried to tire him out. lost of exercise, a tired dog is a good dog, at least to get through this stage. and lets keep things calm, always calm.:cool: your excitement , whether good or bad, trickles down to the dog's actions
 

Lokismom

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Jul 22, 2013
1,569
65
Prescott, Wisconsin, United States
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United States of America
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Loki Beans
I would say not to let him get excited as Sherry mentioned make sure that he is worn out all the time. Also you can try a cone of shame when he is naughty biting scratching put it on him. No play till he can control his temper. Is he neutered?
 
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TLindstrom

New member
Oct 12, 2013
14
1
Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Country
United States
Bulldog(s) Names
Spartacus
  • Thread Starter
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I try to wear him out by taking him outside and playing. When he first came to us he would run all over and wear himself out. Now I can't seem to get him to run around like that. IT seems like it takes hours to get him to the point of wanting to rest. We have had him only a little over a month. How long does it take for a bully to get past this biting puppy phase?
 

aprilemari

Well-known member
Community Veteran
Sep 11, 2011
1,853
101
Boston, MA
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USA
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Lola & Fox
you might also consider doing some things that convey that you are the leader of the pack, and as such you will be able to control your bullys reaction using your own demeanor. try feeding him by hand and making him do commands before food or entering rooms.

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Davidh

Head Pooper Scooper
Staff member
Mar 21, 2011
13,407
848
Katy, Texas
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USA
Bulldog(s) Names
BeBe, Hazel, Lucy Lu, JLO, Hillary, Henri, & Katie
Let him play for a little while and before he gets crazy stop his play time and give him a time out. Put him in a crate if you have to. Let him rest for awhile before he gets to play again. Then repeat the process over again. When they get tired they get rougher and crazy.
 

anatess

Well-known member
Jul 26, 2011
1,758
398
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US
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Bullie (RIP) & Angus (RIP)
Sorry to hear about him biting you! That's a tough thing!

A combination of crate and plenty of exercise may help you out here. Crate him when you can't supervise. When you get the time to spend with him, either do jogs or teach him to play fetch. Keep an eye out for overheating.

Calm but firm is key in correcting behaviors. Getting too excited in the correction could send the wrong message. Do you know if he has any resource that's important to him? For example - does he like treats or does he like ear or butt scratches or does he have a favorite toy? Use these for rewards. Does he have free access to his food? You may be able to control his behavior by controlling his food. Let him wait for the other dog to finish eating and then hand feed him slowly so that he will have to be on his best behavior before he can get fed.

Please keep us posted on how he's doing.
 

2BullyMama

I'm not OCD....now who moved my bulldog?
Staff member
Community Veteran
Jul 28, 2011
48,581
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Gilbertsville, PA
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USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Chelios (Frenchie), Nitschke (2004-2011) Banks (2005-2014) and Lambeau (2014-2024)
you might also consider doing some things that convey that you are the leader of the pack, and as such you will be able to control your bullys reaction using your own demeanor. try feeding him by hand and making him do commands before food or entering rooms.

Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk 2
[MENTION=10064]TLindstrom[/MENTION] ... he is feeding off of your energy, you need to be calm and firm with him. Look up the training tool 'Nothing in Life is Free' it will help you establish pack leadership as aprilmarie states and be sure to do as Sherry stated... walks if you can't get him to play will help tire him out

The stage will stay if you do not establish pack leadership, but most do pass it at about a year
 

Pati Robins

I'm Polish what did you expect! A lady like person
Community Veteran
Jun 12, 2013
2,888
238
Cardiff UK
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UK-Cardiff
Bulldog(s) Names
Lily (British Bulldog) & Shy (American Bulldog X)
I would say back to basics!- positive reinforcement,teach your dog to leave (leave another dog,or a thing) ,drop, stay ,down - if his excitement is getting out of hand give him time out , loads of walks and excersize -its a great advice ,it helps to channel their energy ,also divide playtime so you spend few minutes each day playing with one dog

Can you please explain me what do you mean that when they both playing hes mean to the other dog?
What is his trigger?
Does he hurting the other dog? Do other dog runs away?
Im also thinking that his last owners didn't teach him manners that is why i said back to basics, giving paws and doing all the tricks in calm environment its easy to do ,but when dog is "busy" or in busy environment then it is hard to get him to respond to your commands
I started training my girls at home separate, then together,then moved to the backyard, then front of the house, quiet spit in the park and so on until i was sure they will listen in a busy environment
Sometimes my girls play rough -with all the noises they can give each other -but they are best buddies

When i read about use of shock collars i would quite happily put one on the owner who uses it! -sorry dont mean to be rude

If everything fails you need to seek professional help , it can be costly from what i heard but it is part of owning a dog

I hope everything works up for you
 
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Jennifer Clark

I can handle the whiskey, if you can handle the nu
Community Veteran
Apr 16, 2013
2,872
117
Searcy, Arkansas
Country
United States
Bulldog(s) Names
Sheldon A.K.A Shelly Bean (06-12-19); Duecy (9-13-14); Maddie (4-16-19)
I'm sorry I am of no help here just wanted to say I am praying for a positive resolution to your problem. The one and only time Sheldon really bit me hard enough to break the skin and hurt hurt and I bit him back without thinking about what I was doing and it was hard enough to make him yelp and he never bit me again, but again I am not telling you to bite your dog just saying what happened with us. Now he doesn't bite unless we are playing and he only mouths. Something else was mentioned up there that worked really well for establishing us in the hierarchy was he was really bad about lunging for his food or jumping on us for his food so he was made to sit and wait for the command to eat. He couldn't eat unless given the command to do so. Now he automatically waits and doesn't move until his food is put down and we step a way.
 

dalmatina38

The Stripe Wearing, Broom Wielding, Voodoo Prieste
Community Veteran
Jul 13, 2012
1,145
66
Sierra Vista Arizona
Bulldog(s) Names
Amber and Ruby
Bully puppies are rough and tough and love to play with anything and everything. They really don't know they are breaching boundaries when they get rough so patience, extra play time, and consistency are key. Amber and Ruby are both rough tough bullies and they are very enthusiastic about play time. Now that I have two of them they rough house with each other instead of me but they still get a littel over zealous at times so I have to put them in time out. Usually what helps is to have a special antler they don't get except for quiet time, I redirect their energy by giving it to them then and they go lay down and knaw on that which also relaxes them. Just remember the main key is patience, patience, patience; they are just like toddlers, they know no boundaries until you teach them and they will relapse and forget, just like children. So just be gentle and consistent in guiding them and with enough work they will respond. Good luck!
 

s5nelson

New member
Aug 28, 2013
230
5
Gaithersburg, MD
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Winston
Just my 2 cents, but he could be really lonely during the day while everyone is gone and gets SUPER excited when you get home. Maybe getting someone to walk him / play with him during the day while you're at work would be a good way to start to wear him out while you're at work.

I'm assuming that you adopted him? He's still adjusting to his new home after a month, so as long as you try to stay calmer, he'll react to that (given some time).
 

Jennifer Clark

I can handle the whiskey, if you can handle the nu
Community Veteran
Apr 16, 2013
2,872
117
Searcy, Arkansas
Country
United States
Bulldog(s) Names
Sheldon A.K.A Shelly Bean (06-12-19); Duecy (9-13-14); Maddie (4-16-19)
Just my 2 cents, but he could be really lonely during the day while everyone is gone and gets SUPER excited when you get home. Maybe getting someone to walk him / play with him during the day while you're at work would be a good way to start to wear him out while you're at work.

I'm assuming that you adopted him? He's still adjusting to his new home after a month, so as long as you try to stay calmer, he'll react to that (given some time).

Great advice!

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk
 

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
Let him play for a little while and before he gets crazy stop his play time and give him a time out. Put him in a crate if you have to. Let him rest for awhile before he gets to play again. Then repeat the process over again. When they get tired they get rougher and crazy.
This is the absolute best advice you could get. I speak from experience. When they get overtired they are like babies except they can't cry so they act out. Brutus could get down right mean to my other dogs and Brutus does not have aggressive bone in his body he just gets beside himself. Soon you will be able to tell when this behavior is escalating and like david said immediately remove Sparticus to his kennel. This is not a punishment, it is simply telling him this behavior is not allowed or acceptable and he will stop. I don't know what kind of dogs your others are, but with bulldogs they have to know you are in charge. The most important thing is to stay calm. He will feed off of your reactions. Good luck and keep us posted with any progress.
 

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