HELP PLEASE....severe aggression...ADVICE NEEDED

meganhicks

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HI All
Dexter is a 2 year old EB...i adopted him from someone else when he was 6 months old so from the beginning he lacked socialiazation but all was fine other than he had sooo much energy...then one day he started to attacking me in bed when i would move...he would be asleep and when i would move he would attack my feet and growl and show aggression this happened here and there and i thought maybe i had scared him so he was reacting..then it started to happen more often so i was concerned he was in pain so i took him to the vets and he was fine. It then got worse and was happening everynight...he would be OUT COLD and i would move and he would lunge at me, he bit me a few times and hurt me. I kicked him out of the bed and thought he was being territorial so i took back the bed and all seemed fine, however now the aggression is popping up in other situations and im scared of him. He is 80lbs and im barely 100, i cant control him when he does this and i get scared so i have to back down which clearly shows he wins. Last night i let him out and he got out without a leash and he wouldn't come in and started to attack me and lunged at me and tried to bite me...i finally got him in house and he would let me in the house without attacking me..it was scary and i was terrified im concerned he will hurt be badly or worse yet someone else and unfortunately he will ultimately pay for it with his life. Im terrified i will ahve to give him up to someone who can care for him better than me.
Please help i need advice....
Megan and Dexter
 

ddnene

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First of all Welcome to EBN… and you are NOT the first person to come on here w/that issue. I want to commend you for taking Dexter into your home, with that being said I can only imagine how frightening it must be for you. He does NOT recognize you as the alpha and that is something you need to nip in the bud immediately. We have some threads here I will tag for you, but IMO since you are clearly frightened of his behavior I would consult a personal trainer. I would find someone who would come to YOUR home and access the situation. I also would advise making him sleep in a crate NOT in your bed… he needs to understand his place and for now your bed is becoming a territorial issue for him.

English Bulldog News Forums - Pack Leader Training: Are You the Alpha Dog?

This is another great thread that helps you with getting back to basics w/your bully
http://www.englishbulldognews.com/f...ioral/33985-life-free-training-technique.html
 

TyTysmom

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I agree with Tracey on the trainer if you feel you can't do it on your own. You need to re-establish yourself as Alpha. You have to make him WORK for everything, especially food. Read this thread below:

http://www.englishbulldognews.com/f...ioral/33985-life-free-training-technique.html

Also, while I hate this method, sometimes (in situations like yours) it works, and its necessary. I would look into a vibrate collar, something that you can send a quick vibrate too him when he's in "attack" mode. I know you mentioned your petite, but once you are on a safer level with him, stand your ground. Stand firm right in front of him, to let him know you mean business. Make him work for everything. Reward good behavior with treats so he starts to associate good actions means "treat" - Also, I would get a good harness, and keep it on him all times so you have more control over him. The Julius K-9 harness we have has a handle on top of the back, its great for control... I really hope you can work through this with him. I know how helpless you feel, but the good thing is that there are options, and hopefully with a little work he can be re-trained.
 
OP
meganhicks

meganhicks

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I would love to have a trainer come to my home, however there is no one in the small town i live in to do this!? are there websites i can look up trainers to hopefully find someone close to me?!
 

brutus77

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Hi and welcome to EBN. I rescued my Frankie when he was 2 1/2 yrs old. he came to us with no manners. While we were able to correct most problems, one we had a very hard time with was him getting over stimulated and he would jump and nip at us. and when I say nip, I mean full mouth on us. Our feet, hands, legs, coats, bags, etc....It did not matter. We bought a vibration collar and promptly put it on him. The difference was night and day. It allowed us to correct his behavior before he got crazy. You have to learn to read Dexters body language. I would have the collar on Frankie and when I saw him getting revved up, I would tone him. He would stop and when he did, I would tell him sternly "NO JUMPING" and put him in a sit/stay and when he was sitting and calm, I would give a treat. It only took a few times, and now he doesn't even need the collar to listen and stay calm. I still put it on him if we are having company because believe it or not, he know when I put it on him what type of behavior I expect from him. The key to it working really though is to correct the behavior as you see him thinking about it. Frankie also likes to jump and steal things off the counters and tables. When I had the collar on him, I would see him thinking about jumping to steal something, I would tone him and tell him no, and he would just walk away without any bad behavior. Good luck, and please follow up with any other questions, we have all been through it.
 

2BullyMama

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He can be sensing your fear or hesitation so he is feeling he needs to protect himself...... you need to establish leadership with him, go back to basics and look into the vibration collar as mentioned above. We also had to use it for Banks as she was overly dominate and once in a zone there was no stopping her, a few months of trasining witht he collar along with 'nothing in life is free' and she was more in tune to listening as well as us being more in tune to her body language and when to correct.

Also, Dexter should not be allowed on any furniture till you get him back in line, not just the bed... all furniture.
 
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meganhicks

meganhicks

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Hi and welcome to EBN. I rescued my Frankie when he was 2 1/2 yrs old. he came to us with no manners. While we were able to correct most problems, one we had a very hard time with was him getting over stimulated and he would jump and nip at us. and when I say nip, I mean full mouth on us. Our feet, hands, legs, coats, bags, etc....It did not matter. We bought a vibration collar and promptly put it on him. The difference was night and day. It allowed us to correct his behavior before he got crazy. You have to learn to read Dexters body language. I would have the collar on Frankie and when I saw him getting revved up, I would tone him. He would stop and when he did, I would tell him sternly "NO JUMPING" and put him in a sit/stay and when he was sitting and calm, I would give a treat. It only took a few times, and now he doesn't even need the collar to listen and stay calm. I still put it on him if we are having company because believe it or not, he know when I put it on him what type of behavior I expect from him. The key to it working really though is to correct the behavior as you see him thinking about it. Frankie also likes to jump and steal things off the counters and tables. When I had the collar on him, I would see him thinking about jumping to steal something, I would tone him and tell him no, and he would just walk away without any bad behavior. Good luck, and please follow up with any other questions, we have all been through it.

this vibrating collar is this different than a "shock" collar...??
this is something i had in mind bc i can see his body language change but if i go to redirect its to late bc he feels im threaten but i thought "shock" might allow me some dominanace....
 

Texas Carol

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Brutus & Cami live in Heaven
Hello, Megan & Dexter, welcome to EBN. Sorry it's a serious
and scary situation you've been dealing with, bringing you here.
Aggression is scary and it controls everything because of never
being to relax in your home, I know you're worn out as well as
broken hearted, it's not supposed to be like this with your beloved
boy ;(

Good for you that you took him in to be looked over, did they do
blood, check his thyroid, etc? Do you trust them to know bulldog
behavior & issues? Do they know your dog? If yes to all these questions
(sorry) than he needs to be seen by an experienced trainer, google this
in your area to find closest one. He may have anxiety (startled during sleep)
or just in the habit now of controlling you, because he can.

Great advice given already, off all furniture, zap collar, crated, etc. I'd keep
him leashed before going out and maybe in the home for more control there.
Reward GOOD behavior with high desired treat especially calm actions and
following commands.

We will do our best to help you and please update us on this situation.
I'm praying over y'all, try to breathe, relax and be hopeful.
 
OP
meganhicks

meganhicks

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he is allowed on furniture when im not home but not when i am...is this enough? or should it be no not at all? and how do you ensure this while im away?
 

brutus77

Skinny-Dippin' Smokin' Tidy Bowl Bionic Woman
Jul 18, 2013
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Brutus, Frankie, and Jack
this vibrating collar is this different than a "shock" collar...??
this is something i had in mind bc i can see his body language change but if i go to redirect its to late bc he feels im threaten but i thought "shock" might allow me some dominanace....
81B06FmXJXL._SL1500_.jpg
This is the one I got. It has both tone and shock. I use the tone button. The green button
 
OP
meganhicks

meganhicks

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Hello, Megan & Dexter, welcome to EBN. Sorry it's a serious
and scary situation you've been dealing with, bringing you here.
Aggression is scary and it controls everything because of never
being to relax in your home, I know you're worn out as well as
broken hearted, it's not supposed to be like this with your beloved
boy ;(

Good for you that you took him in to be looked over, did they do
blood, check his thyroid, etc? Do you trust them to know bulldog
behavior & issues? Do they know your dog? If yes to all these questions
(sorry) than he needs to be seen by an experienced trainer, google this
in your area to find closest one. He may have anxiety (startled during sleep)
or just in the habit now of controlling you, because he can.

Great advice given already, off all furniture, zap collar, crated, etc. I'd keep
him leashed before going out and maybe in the home for more control there.
Reward GOOD behavior with high desired treat especially calm actions and
following commands.

We will do our best to help you and please update us on this situation.
I'm praying over y'all, try to breathe, relax and be hopeful.

they did his blood i thought thyroid and it came back clean....they prescribed an anti anxiety med bc that was my second thinking and they did nothing so i took him off i dont want him on drugs he doesnt need! was curious iof any one can think of other medical issues that can cause aggression? but now i think it might just be hes alpha in my home bc he has been thus far. i looking forward to making some changes and trying the vibrating collar like suggested and hoping for the best! i love hima nd dont want to give up but im exhausted and have never had issues like this with my dogs (had 2 pugs previous that were "perfect")
 

brutus77

Skinny-Dippin' Smokin' Tidy Bowl Bionic Woman
Jul 18, 2013
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Brutus, Frankie, and Jack
they did his blood i thought thyroid and it came back clean....they prescribed an anti anxiety med bc that was my second thinking and they did nothing so i took him off i dont want him on drugs he doesnt need! was curious iof any one can think of other medical issues that can cause aggression? but now i think it might just be hes alpha in my home bc he has been thus far. i looking forward to making some changes and trying the vibrating collar like suggested and hoping for the best! i love hima nd dont want to give up but im exhausted and have never had issues like this with my dogs (had 2 pugs previous that were "perfect")
Megan, just be aware, anxiety meds can take months for full effect to occur.
 
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meganhicks

meganhicks

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81B06FmXJXL._SL1500_.jpg
This is the one I got. It has both tone and shock. I use the tone button. The green button


thanks for this!!!!
have you ever used the shock part? or just always tone? or is tone become the warning and hope to not need the shock?
 

brutus77

Skinny-Dippin' Smokin' Tidy Bowl Bionic Woman
Jul 18, 2013
6,940
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Long Island NY
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USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Brutus, Frankie, and Jack
thanks for this!!!!
have you ever used the shock part? or just always tone? or is tone become the warning and hope to not need the shock?
I used the shock once when Frankie took scissors off of the counter and he dropped them right away. The tone usually works for us. sometimes now all we have to do is put the collar on and he behaves because he knows. Don't be afraid to use the "shock". On this collar it is static so not really zapping with a true shock. If it takes a "zap" to train him it's ok. They are very smart and learn fast. Do what you have to do to keep him. One thing I will caution though, and my husband is soooo guilty of it, is you have to remain calm at all times. Dexter will react from you and it will become a vicious circle. I handle Frankie much better and he listens to me right off the bat because I am calm throughout the episodes. My husband gets upset and Frankie knows it. I always say it is a pissing contest between them, lol, MEN!! anyway, let us know how it works.
 

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