Help Needed! The Stubborn Miss Lily

Obi316

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Apr 22, 2014
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1
Wichita
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Bulldog(s) Names
Lily (my devil dog)
Recently my girlfriend and I adopted a cute and playful Bulldog by the name of Lily. She's about 6 years old from what we are told and has never had much training. We quickly discovered this is a understatement. She knows "sit" and "kennel" (when she wants to) but other than that she runs a muck.
We have had a hard time finding toys that survive more then a hour but we did find a couple that have stood up to her relentless chewing but there's one problem. Now she won't do anything else but chew on her toy and pace. We can't get her to go outside to potty and she doesn't eat as much. She also has a big problem with letting go of something she has grabbed (usually a water bottle still full) she simply won't let go.

Any suggestions?

I should note that she pays treats absolutely no mind
 

2BullyMama

I'm not OCD....now who moved my bulldog?
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Jul 28, 2011
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Gilbertsville, PA
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Chelios (Frenchie), Nitschke (2004-2011) Banks (2005-2014) and Lambeau (2014-2024)
Take her for a walk, seems she has too much energy. Also, find a high value treat... Hot dog pieces, roasted chicken, something only used for her training
 

aprilemari

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Sep 11, 2011
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Boston, MA
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Lola & Fox
She may hang onto things because she is used to having a secret/special place to sit and chew or hide the toys or bones. in a new home she may pace because she can't find her old chewing spot. If she does ever sit down and relax always have this spot available to her so she can call it home. Lola likes the nook of the sectional couch. Lola also never learned drop it properly. You could try tug of war, but this may teach her to latch on even harder.
 
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Obi316

New member
Apr 22, 2014
5
1
Wichita
Country
United States
Bulldog(s) Names
Lily (my devil dog)
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  • #4
I hid her new toys this morning until we figured something out. After she finally decided to go potty with a very short lived walk I gave them back and since she has stopped the relentless pacing. It does seem she is trying to find a place to lay down. I will have to try the treat alternatives.
 

Texas Carol

Texas Carol....put the heart in EBN
Community Veteran
Jul 4, 2012
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Central Texas
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Brutus & Cami live in Heaven
Awwww, give Ms Lily kisses & hugs for me, I got a female rehome
that's 6 yrs old, been here a year. My 1st bully was a rehome too.
It takes time, patience & lots & lots of adjusting & readjusting to
get 'there' with a bulldog. Bless you for giving Lily a home <3

Have you had Vet give her a good, all over physical? She could be
having thyroid, hormonal, etc levels off, can create unbalanced
behavior. Keep us updated!
 

JennieS

Moderator
Jun 25, 2013
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Florence, KY
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Ruthie(died 11/27/18) Brutus & Hazel
Oh my...I understand. We have Brutus we adopted who is 3. He was never told no and has no manners. First we have found...give her time to adjust to her new environment. If she is happy chewing, let her chew. Nylabones are great. What we did with Brutus was put him on a leash and collar at all times and kept him in our presence. He is not allowed to roam with out us. We correct him when he is not doing as we want and when he decides to go wild. Give her time to learn your expectations. Brutus is now in training and he knows, sit, down, wait and a few other commands but only on the leash..without the leash is a work in progress. Give it time and use the leash and collar at all times to help. Good luck!!!! Also walking and getting them wore out with 10-15mins of training a few times a day will help with the energy. You will see a huge difference when you exercise their brains. We use drop it with Brutus when he is hanging onto something..but he's not catching on yet. Lol...also...use something she likes with training a toy, treat...etc. keep the attention focused on you. These are things I'm learning in bruts training.
 

ZuleikaD

New member
Mar 3, 2014
45
4
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Tallulah
Tallulah is a 4-1/2 year old re-home, too. She's been home about 10 weeks now. We've been to the vet three times, had two rounds of antibiotics for different things, allergy pills, a cortisone shot, and more. She's had her nails cut three times. And just about 10 days ago, I let her out one morning, fed her and was in the bathroom getting ready when she rushed in and hid behind me with this really guilty look. Uh oh. I walked into the kitchen and she'd pooped on the floor. She'd been outside just about 15 minutes earlier. She pees in her crate if I give her any bedding. She peed on the new dog bed several times until I took it away from her for a few days. She's ridiculously stubborn about going for a walk, but when we get to the park (the far point of the walk) she LOVES to run around in the grass. She has SO much fun. But getting her there is a nightmare on lots of days. We've been working on "let's go" at obedience school, so I lure with lots of treats. Lots. She's a destructo chewer. She must be watched constantly.

I basically think of her like a toddler and make the same judgement calls I would with a 2-1/2 year old human. It works pretty well.

Treats: She was pretty snobbish about what she liked and that wasn't helping training. But with her allergies the choices were very limited. I finally found a bag of freezer dried salmon at the pet store. The chunks are about 1 inch square and I cut them up to tiny bits for training. She can smell those things from the other side of the house.

Chewing: Miss T chewed through a leather leash in two places during a 15 minute car ride. She had an orange squeaky toy that had a hole in it with the stuffing coming out in 5 minutes. The list goes on. I recommend a Kong (the regular red one has held up for us, but they make a black one for heavy chewers), a very big Nylabone (peanut butter flavored as she's allergic to the others), and a Bionic bone (bright orange, nearly clear plastic). The vet recommended the Nylabone and it's the one she loves best. But I sometimes stick a dog biscuit in the Kong and that gets her interested and excited about it for a few days. When I first did that 10 weeks ago it took her a good chunk of the day to figure out how to get all the dog biscuit how. Now I'm thinking we might be ready for puzzles. The Bionic is hollow and to get her to attack it at first I put a dab of peanut butter in it. She also had one of those pieces of firehose with a crunchy plastic in it, but it was a cheap version and when she put a hole in the hose, the plastic (which turned out not to be an old plastic water bottle) started coming out in sharp pieces. But it lasted a while and I might replace it. I make sure she always has something to chew, or she'll go find something I don't want her gnawing on.

Training: She loses interest in class at about the 45 minute mark, while the other dogs seems to go longer (even very young ones). She's been slow and stubborn. She knows certain things, but we have yet to truly move beyond the "doing is sometimes because I felt like it" stage to really trained. I figure we're going to go at whatever slow pace we go at and she'll get there eventually.

She does love to play and to get constant attention (petting, scratches). When she gets over-excited and "enough" isn't working I just ignore her. Ignore as in no eye contact or turn my back on her. If I left the room, she'd follow me. Usually, this helps her calm down after a few minutes.

Give Miss Lily some time, a comfortable place to sleep at night, a soft spot to lounge during the day and when she hanging out with you, a cool floor to stretch out on, some chew toys, daily walks, good food, and a regular schedule. I noticed it took Tallulah 10 days or so to get used to being in her new home, but only lately has she really seemed to start settling in. You'll get there!
 
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Obi316

New member
Apr 22, 2014
5
1
Wichita
Country
United States
Bulldog(s) Names
Lily (my devil dog)
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  • #8
Sorry it's taken me so long to reply to everyone! Lily is doing a little better, she isn't pacing or being overly protective of her toys now. Sometimes it's difficult to get her to go outside when she doesn't want to but I have learned to take her toy to get her out side and then leave it on the chair next to the door. Now she RUNS to go use the restroom and runs all the way back just so she can get her toy.
I haven't taken her to a vet yet but that is top priority and then possibly obedience school. Rumor is there is a lady here in town that will even come to your home and work one on one with your dog!

I really appreciate everyone's response! They have really helped!
 

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