A few questions....

ChurchillJohnson

New member
Feb 2, 2011
13
1
Ontario, Canada
Bulldog(s) Names
Churchill Johnson
Hi,

I removed a bulldog from a rather poor situation last night. I have every intention of keeping him as part of our family. I know general dog health pretty well, but, I have a few questions.

I know that the adjustment period can cause a few "accidents" but, I feel as though this young guy (3 years old) has some house training issues. We are doing the walks every 2 hours or so to give him plenty of chances to go outside and do his business, but, he doesn't really like it too much as it's -20C out at the moment and we're dealing with the biggest snowstorm of the year. He was also from the best of my knowledge, kept in a crate for almost his entire life, another reason why we think he might not have the best house training.....

My first question is, any tricks to encouraging your bully to go outside without a fight? he locks up and doesn't want to go now... we use liver treats to encourage...but, is there anything that anyone on here has used that has proved successful without the stress on the bully itself?

He's never seen kids before, but, he's great with mine... very relaxed and gentle, which is a plus, he's fine with my pug and great with the cats? - weird -


He's very active, but, underweight. I use Fromm currently but, are there any homemade diets that I can use to feed him? he doesn't seem to like kibble and was fed scraps and poor quality dog food and I would like to get him onto a homemade diet supplemented with Fromm.

All in all a great dog, we're happy to have him in our home... Any help that you can provide would be appreciated. You can either answer this post or e-mail me direct through my profile.


Thanks!

Mat
 

izstigspunks

Moderator
Sep 16, 2010
5,939
336
Toronto, Ontario
Country
Canada
Bulldog(s) Names
The Stig Racecar Driver and (Sweet Angel) Punkin Brutus
Welcome fellow Canadian! Do you have a name for your bully yet?

It's really cold here in Toronto as well, so we're avoiding taking my bully, Stig, out. I guess time and patience is key, give a lot of encouragement as well. I know a lot of bullies who work for treats no problem. He also most likely doesn't like the weather, so you may have to keep on doing what you're doing until it gets better. There are a lot of bullies here in the forums where they avoid snow and the cold altogether and rush back to the house whenever possible! :D Because my bf and I work full-time and sometimes have to leave Stig alone in the house for 7 hours, we trained him to do his 'business' at a corner in our house, which he does really well on. We don't mind the clean-up, but you may prefer the alternative.

A lot of owners here also prepare the bland diet for their bullies. It consists mainly of boiled chicken and rice. It's easy on their tummies and they all seem to like it. Fromm's a great choice, by the way! You can also add in healthy treats such as frozen green beans, carrots, etc. Yogurt and canned pumpkin are favourites as well. They're great for digestion issues.

Thank you for taking him in. And by the sounds of it, you're already a great owner! As you may read from other posts, we love pics!
 

bjsfarm

New member
Jan 12, 2011
107
20
Narvon PA
Bulldog(s) Names
Butter Cup, Ellie, Double D & CJ. Jr., Max, Doc & Willie
I would not take him outside more then you have to.... chances are if her was in his crate most of his life, he doesn't have a good winter coat and he might get a chill.

Potty Parks are great for house breaking dogs that hate going outside, and easy clean up as well.

Good for you for giving him a good home! :)
 

cali~jenn

..........
Mar 28, 2010
0
419
Southern California
Bulldog(s) Names
Cutty, Miila and Mugsy the pug :)
First off, welcome and thank you for saving your baby. It does sound like he is more than lucky to have such a caring owner already. I am not much help in the house training bit but like was already said, have patience. This is all so new to him it will be a while before he figures out the rules and with cold weather wont help. All I can say is bribery works for my boy for the most part. As stubborn as the bullys are they love their food usually. If you have a pug tho you already know this. ;) Supplements for your food are any veggies or fruits mostly. Yogurt, cottage cheese and yes canned pumpkin is a great one. I know a lot of the rescues use the pumpkin to get their bullies to gain a little so that will help. Also my boy gained weight since on fromm so maybe just eating the fromm will help him get some meat on his bones also (since they dont need as much of it as other foods)

Please share some pics of your new baby, we love them. :)
 

TessaAndSamson

New member
May 7, 2010
4,260
162
Southern California
Bulldog(s) Names
Samson
Welcome and thank you for saving this poor bully! My best suggestion for getting him to go out is bribery, which I know is what everyone else said but I really don't know anything better. Maybe try a more enticing treat like a piece of meat or cheese. Things I would add to his food to make the kibble more appetizing is cottage cheese, fish oil, plain yogurt, those are things that would coat the food so to enjoy those things he would have to eat the kibble. Glad to hear he is doing so well with your kids and other pets. Remember patience is key, bulldog are very stubborn!
 

bullmama

Owner/Administrator
Staff member
Community Veteran
Jan 28, 2010
24,756
1,251
Tucson, Arizona
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
The Home of the Desert Sky Pack
Cottage cheese (whole fat) will also help gain weight :up:

Thank you for saving your new baby!!! :luv:
 

kazzy220

..........
Jul 31, 2010
8,556
441
Grafton, OHIO
Country
England
Bulldog(s) Names
Maggie (My Angel Baby 5/31/2012). Daddy (2 years). Linus (1year). Bella (4 years)
I haven't got anything more to really add to what has already been said before. I do agree that the key to any bullys heart is through his stomach so just keep rewarding with some really delicious treats. But, frozen green beans, frozen blueberries, fresh baby carrots, chunks of cucumber, banana, and apple all work with my furry pack!!
 

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