My English Bulldogs want to kill each other..HELP! :(

Tegrant711

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I'm really hoping you can give me some kind of insight on this because I'm puzzled as to why it's happening. I have a 1yr old male english bulldog "Hank". We've had him since he was 6wks old. We currently rescued a female english bulldog "Lola". She is 3.5yr old. We actually are Lola's 3rd home. She was rescued from a puppy mill almost 2yrs ago. The lady we got her from had adopted her and had for about a year. The lady had a french bulldog in the house which was best of pals with Lola. They would lay together and everything. The lady said she never showed any sign of aggression. She also had her crate trained.
When we brought Lola home hank wasn't sure what to do. They kind of tip toed around each other for a week and then they slowly started getting close with one another. Playing and laying with each other. This went on for a few weeks. Hank is not crate trained so I leave them both out when my boyfriend and I go to work. Then all of a sudden Lola flipped like a light switch! She stated jumping on hank for no reason. Nasty fights where their hurting each other and cutting each other up. Their both stubborn so neither want to back down. I've been having to seperate them and walking her on a leash when I take her out. I was so concerned that I took her to the vet because I didn't understand why she changed all of a sudden. Test from blood work and all came back fine. The only thing that showed up was she has a lil hip displaycia and her spine is deteriorating. he put her on some medicine and she's feeling a lil better I can tell. But she only wants to play with me or my boyfriend. She really wants nothing to do with hank now. It breaks my heart. I've been separating them. We have a baby gate in the kitchen where I keep her, but lately she can't stand to hear him and if she sees him walk by she goes growling at the gate and runs into it. So then he runs towards it too growling. Now I've been keeping her seperate in the bedroom where she can't even see him. But it's so unfair!

Please help me to understand why she acting this way all of a sudden. The girl I adopted her from can't believe it. She said Lola never showed any aggression!

The vet advised I should find another home for her. Please tell me your honest opinion. Would obedience training solve this?

Thank you so much!!
 

Davidh

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Well it could have started when she was in pain, and now that they have fought so much she just hates him. Some bullies just wont give up and once they are in that mind set there is nothing you can do to get them out of it. You can try taking them for walks together, you and your boyfriend together, just in case they fight you can separate them. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't. I feel for ya, but you may have to just find her another home. We had a beautiful champion female that a handler let her crate fight and every since then, she hated all other bullies and we had to find her a good home with no other dogs, and now she is a happy girl.
 

2BullyMama

I'm not OCD....now who moved my bulldog?
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Hi and :welcome3: to EBN!

When you first brought Lola home... how did you introduce them? Did they meet out of the house or did you just bring her in?
are they both fixed?
What is the medicine Lola is on for her pain (back/hips)?
 

cali baker

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I'm sorry you're going thru this. I'm glad you took Lola for an evaluation with the vet so she can get the treatment for her hip. Thank you for opening your home and heart to Lola. Did the previous owner say why she gave Lola up? With you being her third home, I really feel for Lola, going from one home to another. She is likely under a lot of stress in addition to her hip issue. I would encourage you to find a qualified behaviorist to work with Lola and the family. It sounds like that is something you are open to doing and I know with consistent training, patience, and time, things are going to get better.
 

Vikinggirl

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Hi, I'm so sorry you're going through this with Hank and Lola, it must be heartbreaking as you love them both. I'm sorry I don't have any experience with this, but hopefully someone will come along with some good advice or suggestions. You could try walking them together as David suggested, or try some professional training, but not sure if this would work. I just wanted to tell you I hope you find a solution, and to send love, hugs and prayers that you can find a way to make it work with both of them. Please keep us posted on how they are doing, and good luck.

I have a male and female EB, they are both 21 months old, but they are brother and sister, and litter mates, so they have been together since birth, they were the last two left when we bought them, and we brought them home at the same time. They have never been apart, so they don't know anything else but being together. They would be lost without each other. They share everything, toys, food, they even sleep the same way.
 
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cali baker

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Also, [MENTION=10403]Tegrant711[/MENTION], sorry if i missed it, but how long have you had Lola now? And it could be that she is still in some pain/discomfort and that's why she is not wanting to be around Hank at the moment. Maybe your bf can have Hank on leash, and you can have Lola on leash and see how they interact together, maybe with some toys, in the room. If you see signs of "aggression" then separate them again. Do this every day for several minutes and each day try to extend the time period they're together (as long as they're not showing aggression towards each other). Make the interaction between the two as positive as possible….using lots of toys, affection, and treats while they're together.
 

JeannieCO

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I'm going to respond more later on this. But I wanted to say that you MUST separate them when you are gone or you can risk having a dead bully one day when you get home. I went through 1 year of constant fighting with Jack and Wilson and it was horrible and I was on pins and needles ALL the time. The last fight mine got into was this summer and it was in the backyard. I ran 20 feet with them trying to grab Wilson as he's the one who will not stop (they started at my feet over excitement) and when I did catch up to him, Jack had his entire head in his mouth. It's Wilson I have to pull off as he's the more aggressor of the two. A tremendous amount of work on our end and lots of wanting to give up (but knowing we'd never ever do that), knock on wood we haven't had a big fight in months now. But we keep them separated at all times when we are gone by using doggie gates. They would fight to the death. It wasn't easy and will require a lot of work on your end. Hope you can get them on track but it will take lots of work. Hang in there.
 

MamaAndi

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Is Lola spayed? I've dealt with some god-awful moody dogs when they are going through heat!
 

Pati Robins

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Im not good at this ,but i can try give you some of my way of dealing with it
im thinking as Hank was the only dog ,it will take sone time for him to get adjusted
As you already pointed out -Lola's behaviour could be triggered by her HD, agree with others she could be in pain and not want to be around Hank
Not sure if i read it or not (my memory is comparable to a goldfish) so i ask anyway have you started the treatment for HD ,is Lola insured -easier to cover the costs
I would try and seek professional help before giving up on her ,not many people will care for a sick dog bully or not
Meanwhile to help you manage the situation. Dont leave them together unattended. Triggers that will deffinately set dogs off fighting are usually are Food, treats, chews,toys, attention,closed spaces, times of hyper excitement like visitors coming -look up for them and try to observe the whole situation ,pin pointing triggers and removing them,or finding solution helps
Feed them separately, soon as finished bowls up and out the way before they can even see each other-when Lily got very food aggressive i gave them both time out after they finished eating not to get them wind up ,as i could feel the tension between them , if they are trained and listen to your commands and when safe (with assistance of another human)try to hand feed them -that is when they are food aggressive ,but it might help with general aggression-but only when its safe to do so if your preparing any food dont have them around you together a dropped bit of food and they both go for it disaster. Watch out when giving attention, in fact dont fuss either dog especially not the new one when they are in sight of each other. Watch them when they are in confined spaces together like narrow hallways, trying to get through doors at the same time, one lying down and the other having to try to jump over to pass or passing by at close quarters.That can even cause fights.
If they are fighting even out when on walks, then walk them together but make sure two people go and give them a margin of space between, so they cant fight or sniff at the same thing together, or go for a discarded piece of food in the street. Walking outside in a neutral environment may help but not if they are close enough for contact and fighting at first.-basically back to basics
I would if the new one isnt already crate train both of them (in separate crates) -but dont use crate as a punishment , If you get one of these and crate train them, then when you are there and can supervise them say in the evening watching TV at least they can get used to it for periods of time in safety and without aggro and you can see if that starts to make a difference. If they start to settle then you can progress to the next step of having both on a lead and if there is two of you sitting say of an evening, having them on leads at a safe difference sharing space, to see if they will settle then.Start with one sitting with one person at one of the room and the other dog at the other end.
If they never been in a crate though and you have never used one ask how to crate train, you cant just put them in and close the door, some dogs will freak get scared and wont settle in one and that will be the end of it if that happens i think fear inflicted aggression due to anxiety is worse to tackle
When Lily was at her worst even tho they where brought up together from a pup - we all pulled in to save the situation before everything escalate looking for triggers and observing dogs -you can be good at feeling the "tension that is just about to blow out" its also the way they standing and looking at each other- at the beginning if i knew Lily wont listen (and Shy being deaf was pointless as she wasn't looking -her eyes where fixed on Lily) rather than shout and set Lily off -i got between them and pushed them away in different directions -then loud and firm Sit -and lily Sitting -Shy got used to a push (it meant for her she need to lie down if not i hold her until she look at me for command down ) i know it sound bizarre but it helped us -girls sleep together ,i know Lily don't like Shy near her when shes eating as Shy finishes first and will claw Lily to give her some food lol) and after eating they have few minutes to calm down
But if everything else fails try dog behaviourists they can asses the dogs ,situation and gave you pointers to work with
Sometimes things cant be worked out -but we got to try to find out
Luckily for me bulldog is a small dog (well it is small comparable to the dogs i had) and i can manage them on my own (hubby is disabled so not much help here ) x
Keep us updated on how things are going for you
 
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Tegrant711

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To give a lil more info on this situation. We had another female before Lola. She was only 2 month younger than hank her name was Honey. We had for a lil over 2 months and when the vet went to fix her they clipped her liver by accident and she bled to death. We were devastated!! Her and hank were inspeperabe! They laid together and played. Never had a problem! But then again she had not been through a bad experience like Lola.
But back to what you asked. We brought her in the door and they ran around the house chasing each other. Playing and all. Then when she would sleep she didn't like hank to get near her. Within a week they were laying with each other. Then one day when I came home. Hank ran up to me and she jumped on him. It was like she didn't want him near me. She's done this more than once too!
 

Manydogs

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It sounds to me like Lolamay have gotten very possessive of you, and didn't want Hank near you, and things have escalated. I adopted a Frenchie one time, who was very sweet at first.She seemed very good with my dogs, and things were okay-- Once she got used to things, she got possessive of me, and whenever my dogs tried to come near me, she would attack them.She would follow me everywhere and my dogs couldn't come near me. Her owner agreed to take her back if things didn't work out, because she had been an only dog. The girl had to move in with her parents, and they would n't let the poor dog in the house. Things did not work out with her, because my dogs began to fight back. I finally found her a home, where she would be an only dog, and she was fine. Perhaps Lola has jealousy issues.
 
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Tegrant711

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Thank you all for shining a lil light on this situation. I know it's selfish but it just breaks my heart to think of finding her yet another home again. I feel she's been through so much already. The lady before me said she had to get rid of her because she was expecting a baby and with Lola had 3 dogs and she felt it was too much. Strangely she tells me the french bulldog they have. Lola and it were best of pals but when my boyfriend and I got there to pick Lola up the french bulldog was outside on the back porch. Correct me if I'm wrong but why would a french bulldog be outside on the porch if they were best of pals??
Would be sending both dogs off to obedience school help??
 

2BullyMama

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Would be sending both dogs off to obedience school help??

Yes, as, both would help... Be even better if you have one home into your home to see the behavior first hand.
 

anatess

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This is a classic case of fighting for pack hierarchy. Yes, this can be resolved but it might not be fixed. The solution greatly hinges on you and your bf's alpha ranking and Hank and Lola's temperament.

In my pack, my husband is a natural at being the strong leader that none of the dogs want to challenge. I'm not. I'm a wimp with the dogs. But I'm the primary caregiver. I have 3 dogs - Gizmo, a 15lb male bichon, is the first dog and thinks he's the alpha but his small size makes him ineffective as a pack leader. Bully a 6 year old 65lb female bulldog is an alpha-type female. She is stubborn as all get and I have a difficult time getting her to do something she does not want to do. But I control her food so tolerates my commands. She used to try my husband but she's learned her place. She growls at Gizmo if she gets bothered by him but Gizmo would just run under the couch to escape so nothing much happens. Angus, a 2 year old 50lb male bulldog is the latest addition to the pack. He's an omega dog so Bully bosses him around. Angus tries to dominate Bully and Bully would growl and get her jaws on Angus neck and Angus would immediately flop down on the ground in surrender. We keep an eye on them and so far we can just let them fight it out. Sometimes if the growling gets too much, my husband calls both their names sharply and that's enough to get them back on their good behavior. They don't play with each other on their own. Bully only plays if the humans are playing too. Angus and Gizmo, on the other hand, are best friends. Gizmo bosses Angus around and Angus thinks it's time to play. So, in our pack, everybody has their place and they stay within its bounds with only a few harmless, albeit loud, skirmishes.

Why this works: All the dogs recognizes human authority because my husband consistently does not tolerate misbehavior even when it's cute. Bully is 4 times bigger than Gizmo - the only dog that refuses to give up his ranking to her. Angus is naturally an omega dog, scared of his own shadow.

In your case, for a few weeks everything is hunky-dory because Lola is new to the place and is still trying to get acclimated. Hank is fine too because Lola is falling in line. Now, Lola gets comfortable and naturally establishes her dominance in the pack. Hank is a puppy in her eyes and so she pushes to dominate. Hank, who has been in the pack longer, resists and tries to put her back in line. It's not working because both are wanna-be-alpha-types so they end up fighting to draw blood... this could easily turn into a fight to death. I don't think the hip dysphasia had anything to do with this. It's just a coincidence.

How this can work: You establish your alpha ranking and put both dogs firmly in omega. That means, you'll have to pay close attention to your dogs at all times. If you're occupied and can't do this out of the corner of your eye, then they both get to stay in their kennels. You can tell when one starts to challenge the other because he will come stiff from head to tail, head down, eyes staring. Every time you see this, snap him right out of it and "put him in the corner". The object is to make both realize, you're firmly the boss of them because then, it will lessen their desire to dominate. Other ways to establish this is for you to control their food. They eat on your say so. There are other ways which can be google'd. Try googling "resource guarding", this would be the same concept.

If this does not work (both dogs remain aggressive in addition to alpha-wanna-be's), then you will have to keep them separate at all times, which may be accomplished by assigning a dog to their own part of the house.

Hope this helps. From experience, my husband successfully raised 2 un-neutered male alpha-type dobermans. Yes, he incurred $800 worth of stitches after both dogs ripped each other's throats out before my husband got them in line but that was their last bad fight ever and both dogs lived to be 12+ years old. My friend, however, could not get her boxer to get along with her other dog (she's a professional dog trainer) so the boxer lived in an outside dog condo.
 
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Petra

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I'm so sorry about Honey, breaks my heart hearing stories like that:*(

We rescued a male (Frasier) and female (Joey) bulldog a couple of years ago while the two bulldogs we already had were still young. It worked great for a while but once our male (Bennie) got older he and Frasier started these crazy fights, and with my husband being away working for weeks at the time we re-homed Frasier to our dog trainer who feel in love with him while trying to help us sort the situation out.

Our females Boeboe and Joey also started to get on eachothers nerve and we found out after taking Joey to the vet she had severe hip dyspalsia which most likely was the cause of her getting annoyed and after a while she just got enough of Boeboe.

While working with the dog trainer our dogs did really good and the peace would last for a while but after every fight we were back on zero again and they couldn't even see eachother without starting a fight. I'm no pack leader and I was stressing all the time while they were together which made the situation worse and unsustainable. We decided to split them up for everyones best and before someone got hurt. It works well for us but it sucks also not being able to have them all together... we live in a house with a big back and front yard and the house is split up in two areas so everyone has lots of space and I'm home all day so no one is alone. If I was more of a leader and my husband hadn't been away so much I think we could have sorted the situation out with some work with the trainer and effort from our side. The time was just not right back then:( I think you can do it:) according to our dog trainer aggression is the easiest behavioral problem to sort out and he did really good helping us. Frasier is now a part of his pack and he doesn't have any issues with Frasier being aggressive, but he's a leader and he knows what to look for and how to work with it. I'm rambling here, lol, my point is it can be sorted out:)

I just think friends or not, dogs should be separated when left alone, one can never know what will happen:unsure: I hope it works out for you guys:heart:
 

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