I need some help/advise please!! My fiance and I just got an almost 2 year old (in May) EB from a lady that didnt have time for him anymore. We went over to her house on Saturday morning and met him, his name is Chaos. He was VERY friendly towards us but they also had a smaller dog that nipped at him when we got there (maybe they were acting out due to strangers in the house) Chaos pinned the little dog down and was growling at him but not bitting him or hurting him...more pushing him around with his paws. Once the little dog was removed from the room Chaos went back to being friendly and playful. The previous owner said that that never happens and Chaos is very friendly towards people and dogs. While we were there we noticied a few different kids coming in and out of the house and Chaos would run up to them and the kids would say hi and pet him and walk off. She said that he does very well with kids also, they had a 7 month old baby that he was very gentle with as well. After some thought we decided to add him to our family. When we went back that evening and picked him up we brough him home and he adjusted almost immediately. At the time my sister and her boyfriend (our roomates), my dad, and my cousin with his 1 year old baby were all in the living room. Chaos went up to each one and gave them all love, he was really good all night and seemed to be fitting in perfectly.....UNTIL....the next day we were in the front yard getting ready to leave and he saw our neighbors dogs, he was sort of puppy barking and you could see he wanted to play with them, it was more of a high pitched squeel and whine. Then we took him to the pet stores and he saw another dog and was growling and barking. We thought maybe he was just trying to go over there and play and as soon as I walked him around the corner he stopped and went back to his normal self...people came up and petted him and he seemed good (someone even had a cat and bent down to pet him and he didn't even bother it). At the next store we walked in and there was a dog right there so he smelt his nose and they seemed ok but the other dog sort of sneezed and then he lunged at him and was barking and growling (no one got bit)...he also did that to a female puppy a couple minutes later. We took him out of the store and left. When we got home later that evening my fiance kids came home (9 year old girl 13 year old boy) he was in the living with me and all of a sudden he went after his daughters feet...I wasn't sure if it was play or aggression but I picked him up and put him in his kennel so we could get a leash on him and slowly introduce them. My fiacne let him out and he went after his son's feet, growing and barking and nipping. We thought maybe it was another dog smell so the kids took showers and changed and he did it again...only while they are walking. The kids sat down and gave him treats and petted him and he was totally fine, he even laid on the couch between them and fell asleep. WE NEED HELP! we want to work with him to correct the behavior but need some advise. Like I said he's almost 2 and NOT neutered...we plan to take him in this week and have that done. Will neutering him at his age help with the dominance/aggression?? Or is he stuck in his ways so to speak???? We can handle the dog aggression and since we have no other pets in the household that would be a simple fix...but the nipping and growing at the kids feet has me on edge...we can't have him on a leash in the living room every day and it's not fair on the kids. Thank you!!
Help Needed! Newly acquired bulldog showing signs of aggression
[MENTION=13806]Kelsey77[/MENTION]
Hi Kelsey - Welcome to EBN, and thank you for taking in Chaos. You will get alot of great advice here... the first thing I will mention is that he is in a new environment, and you will have to go back to basics with him. Alot of members here have used the "nothing is free" technique; making them work for it in other words. You need to establish dominance with him, and if kids will be around often, you'll have to get them involved in the training as well. Its good to start this now, as he is new in the home, and he'll learn... "ok, new place, new rules" - its not going to happen overnight. Will take alot of work, and constant, repetitive action. Do not slip one day, only reward good behavior. Alot of people will tend to give a treat just to redirect the attention, but that won't work for long term. You did good in placing him in his kennel to cool down. If you keep that action after every bad behavior, he will eventually get it. "If I do that, I'll get put up" - Also the kids being a little older is good, explain to them that he is learning, and try to avoid them screaming or running away as Chaos may mistake that as them being playful. The neuter may or may not help. We didn't see any change in Tyson after his neuter... besides him gaining weight, but his personality stayed the same. You will see that once dominance is established, you will have an easier time with other dogs as well. He currently sees himself as the alpha. We had the same issue with Tyson in the very beginning, luckily he picked up quick when he saw we weren't having it. We trained him with small pieces of his own kibble. He used to wanna run up on other dogs, or kids...we would also have to leash him inside as well at first. But once he learned, he learned. Now if he slips for just a second, all he has to hear is one of us say "ahh" and he immediately backs down. Give him some time to settle into his new space, and learn the new rules... he sounds like he's a sweetheart deep down inside there
Post some pictures of him for us, and let us know how he does over the next few works. **Keep in mind, bulldogs are stubborn, so be patient & don't give up**
Hi Kelsey - Welcome to EBN, and thank you for taking in Chaos. You will get alot of great advice here... the first thing I will mention is that he is in a new environment, and you will have to go back to basics with him. Alot of members here have used the "nothing is free" technique; making them work for it in other words. You need to establish dominance with him, and if kids will be around often, you'll have to get them involved in the training as well. Its good to start this now, as he is new in the home, and he'll learn... "ok, new place, new rules" - its not going to happen overnight. Will take alot of work, and constant, repetitive action. Do not slip one day, only reward good behavior. Alot of people will tend to give a treat just to redirect the attention, but that won't work for long term. You did good in placing him in his kennel to cool down. If you keep that action after every bad behavior, he will eventually get it. "If I do that, I'll get put up" - Also the kids being a little older is good, explain to them that he is learning, and try to avoid them screaming or running away as Chaos may mistake that as them being playful. The neuter may or may not help. We didn't see any change in Tyson after his neuter... besides him gaining weight, but his personality stayed the same. You will see that once dominance is established, you will have an easier time with other dogs as well. He currently sees himself as the alpha. We had the same issue with Tyson in the very beginning, luckily he picked up quick when he saw we weren't having it. We trained him with small pieces of his own kibble. He used to wanna run up on other dogs, or kids...we would also have to leash him inside as well at first. But once he learned, he learned. Now if he slips for just a second, all he has to hear is one of us say "ahh" and he immediately backs down. Give him some time to settle into his new space, and learn the new rules... he sounds like he's a sweetheart deep down inside there
Post some pictures of him for us, and let us know how he does over the next few works. **Keep in mind, bulldogs are stubborn, so be patient & don't give up**- Thread Starter
- Thread starter
- #3
Thank you very much for your reply. I have contacted vets and some say to let him get used to the new environment before having him neutered. I think that's a great idea as I would be scared if it was me in his place and everything being new then having a surgery on top of all that. The kids understand it will take time and work and we already love him so much is like he's been part of our family the whole time! We're willing to work with him and hope it helps but the kids safety comes first so I'm crossing my fingers it settles down. I'm planning on taking him for a walk when my fiance goes to pick up the kids in hopes he'll know they were there before we got home and the walk will tire him out
Thank you very much for your reply. I have contacted vets and some say to let him get used to the new environment before having him neutered. I think that's a great idea as I would be scared if it was me in his place and everything being new then having a surgery on top of all that. The kids understand it will take time and work and we already love him so much is like he's been part of our family the whole time! We're willing to work with him and hope it helps but the kids safety comes first so I'm crossing my fingers it settles down. I'm planning on taking him for a walk when my fiance goes to pick up the kids in hopes he'll know they were there before we got home and the walk will tire him out
Yes, I agree with the vets.... let him get settled in to his new home. This is a big change for him. The good news is that since hes shown the lovable bulldog side already, it may be a quick fix that will come once he's more settled & gains his trust in his new home
Yes, a good walk will tire him out! If the kids get involved as well, and reward good behavior, he will come around in no time. Good Luck!! You will find this forum to be a wealth of knowledge, with wonderful wonderful bully parents - Thread Starter
- Thread starter
- #5
Yes, I agree with the vets.... let him get settled in to his new home. This is a big change for him. The good news is that since hes shown the lovable bulldog side already, it may be a quick fix that will come once he's more settled & gains his trust in his new home
Yes, he is sooo loveable...he gets on the couch and cuddles us and likes to sleep right in between us in bed with his head on the pillows
We did decide to wait a week and schedule the appointment for mid next week! Thank you again!!
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@Kelsey77
Hi Kelsey - Welcome to EBN, and thank you for taking in Chaos. You will get alot of great advice here... the first thing I will mention is that he is in a new environment, and you will have to go back to basics with him. Alot of members here have used the "nothing is free" technique; making them work for it in other words. You need to establish dominance with him, and if kids will be around often, you'll have to get them involved in the training as well. Its good to start this now, as he is new in the home, and he'll learn... "ok, new place, new rules" - its not going to happen overnight. Will take alot of work, and constant, repetitive action. Do not slip one day, only reward good behavior. Alot of people will tend to give a treat just to redirect the attention, but that won't work for long term. You did good in placing him in his kennel to cool down. If you keep that action after every bad behavior, he will eventually get it. "If I do that, I'll get put up" - Also the kids being a little older is good, explain to them that he is learning, and try to avoid them screaming or running away as Chaos may mistake that as them being playful. The neuter may or may not help. We didn't see any change in Tyson after his neuter... besides him gaining weight, but his personality stayed the same. You will see that once dominance is established, you will have an easier time with other dogs as well. He currently sees himself as the alpha. We had the same issue with Tyson in the very beginning, luckily he picked up quick when he saw we weren't having it. We trained him with small pieces of his own kibble. He used to wanna run up on other dogs, or kids...we would also have to leash him inside as well at first. But once he learned, he learned. Now if he slips for just a second, all he has to hear is one of us say "ahh" and he immediately backs down. Give him some time to settle into his new space, and learn the new rules... he sounds like he's a sweetheart deep down inside there
Fantastic post/advice.... !!!
[MENTION=13806]Kelsey77[/MENTION] -- as Jessica stated - the whole family has to be on the same page with the training... also let the kids feed him, place the bowl on the floor and then release chaos to his food - this way he knows they control his meals
Best of luck and THANK YOU for giving him a new home
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