An intro and some questions

[bently2012]

First off, hello EBN! I want to thank you all so much for this forum. It is literally a treasure trove of bully tips. My fiance and I got our first bully on Sunday and he is everything I have ever wanted.

We have run into a few issues though and I'm hoping that you guys can help us through them.

First, Bentley has patches of fur missing beginning on his neck and going about a quarter down his back. These are small patches of missing fur and his skin is not red where the fur is thinning/missing. Any ideas how to treat this? We use witch hazel for his folds, would that work here too? Before ya'll ask, he is still on the food that his previous owner had him on which I believe is nutro source lamb and brown rice. We ordered Earthborn Holistic Great Plain Feast from Petflow and it should be here at the start of next week. Hoping that the spots are just allergies and that they will clear up with the food.

Next, is there any cause for concern about him panting all.the.time.? Im worried cuz I know bullys overheat extremely fast. I give him plenty of ice water and frozen green beans as treats to cool him down but he constantly pants.

Finally, Bentley has a lump on his neck. There's no hair on the lump and it's under the skin. The lump is squishy, almost like you could pop it. The previous owner told ustthat the lump is from his collar and that's why they switched him to a harness. Should I be concerned?

Thanks guys for taking the time to read this. I have learned so much from you guys!!

PS: any tips for training him how to heel? He drags me around everywhere lol.

 

[Marine91]

to the site.

I am no expert but I am sure someone with more knowledge than I will be along soon, but will still pass along my thoughts. How old is Bently? The missing fur could be a number of things. It could be allergies related to the environment or food he is eating. It could also be caused by stress, a bug bite or possibly even demodex mange.

As for the panting... As i don't know his age yet not much I can say other than dogs do pant in stressful situations though. My Harlea rarely pants unless it is after playing hard or running around outside for a bit.

Lump under the skin... Again this could be a number of things but I have never heard of a collar causing it. It could be allergies, a cyst, tumor, fat pocket or even a dermoid sinus that is now infected. I would have this checked out by a vet to really see what it is.

Walking on a leash is a fun one we all have to deal with in the beginning. There are a lot of different ways to work on the pulling including using a front connect no pull harness so that when they do start pulling they wind up turning themselves around towards you. What we did was stop walking and gently pull Harlea back towards us while repeating no pull and we would not continue on until she relaxed. It has taken us months to get where we are but she rarely pulls any more and usually the only time she does is when we go to PetSmart or something. The key to any and all training with a bully is persistence and consistency making sure they understand you are the pack leader.

 

[bently2012]

Thanks so much for the reply. That harness sounds amazing. I'll check Amazon for one.

Bentley is 14 months and weighs 59lbs. Is that a healthy weight?

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Thanks so much for the reply. That harness sounds amazing. I'll check Amazon for one.

Bentley is 14 months and weighs 59lbs. Is that a healthy weight?

 

[Marine91]

Thanks so much for the reply. That harness sounds amazing. I'll check Amazon for one.

Bentley is 14 months and weighs 59lbs. Is that a healthy weight?

A lot of that would depend on how he is built. the easiest way to tell is to take a picture while they are standing looking down over top and if you can see a defined waist line then you are looking good. If there is no waist line you are probably looking at an overweight pup.

 

[ddnene]

to EBN!!! Todd has already given you great advice above, I agree a vet check may be in order to check the hair loss patch & the lump. My Bella had hair loss when we got her as a wee pup, her breeder was feeding her Purina puppy chow. As soon as we got her on a better diet, the patch cleared up right away. My Winston just finished a puppy class, and you may want to consider something for your baby... he learned the basic commands & heel. Good Luck!!!

 

[cali baker]

!!!

Very happy you joined us here on EBN and congrats on your bully Bentley!
[MENTION=8859]Marine91[/MENTION] has provided you with some great advice above. Do you have a good vet who is knowledgable about EB's? The new food is a good one, based on what I've heard from other members here so hopefully the transition to Earthborn will take care of some of the skin issues. It may take some time to see improvement however if indeed the missing fur has to do with some food type allergy. Is it hot where you live? the panting could be due to heat, to stress/excitement, to playing/exercise.

And will you be enrolling Bentley in an obedience class? I took mine to the one that Pet Smart has and there they teach you basic commands like the "heel" command you mentioned. That one is a challenging one...for me anyways! I also recommend the harness that Todd mentioned to you, they help greatly in the pulling. When I walk mine they are to be next to me, either left or right side. If one starts pulling ahead of me I will tug at the leash and say "No" and stop. Then they are "supposed" to sit (doesn't always happen without some prompting), and then after a brief pause, I will tap my leg and say "heel" and the walk will proceed. It takes lots of time and patience but it's still an ongoing process.

I know others will come on board to help with your questions soon. Again, welcome to EBN and looking forward to seeing pics of Bentley!

 

[Lokismom]

Great news from the members above! The only thing I can add is ... Loki suffers from alopecia during the long winter months where his fur will fall out in small patches. Also when he is blowing his coat he starts to look a lot like a cheetah GNC sells a wild salmon oil that will greatly help with their coat and skin. We also learned very early that Loki was extremely food driven so training him with treats was out of the question because he would only do the tasks if food was present instead we turned training into a game and if he did it numerous times then he would get a piece of kibble or an ice cube.
Have you taken him to the vet yet for a wellness check?

 

[bently2012]

We haven't taken him to a vet yet. Planning on doing that next week. The previous owner gave us his vet invoices and the last time he went to the vet was the end of May for his DHLPP and he was also prescribed antibiotics and prednisone. I believe for allergies.
[MENTION=9403]Lokismom[/MENTION] Bentley is the same way! I figured that out real quick. Now after several "sits" Bentley gets his frozen treat it's working though. Daddy is so proud

 

[bently2012]

Sorry for the double post, but here are pics of Bentley. <3 That's me btw; I just got off work when my fiancé surprised me!

 

[Samantha Orts]

June only pants when she plays rough, but we met a sweet bulldog at the vet who pants constantly. The owners said they're not sure if he's ever even closed his mouth haha! They said he's done that since he was a little pup and he's never had any problems.

And if you get any tips/tricks on the heeling situation I'd love to hear them! June is only 25 lbs. right now but will go after any dog/frog/leaf/whatever moves outside. I can only imagine what she'll do to me when she's 50 lbs

 

[2BullyMama]

I read all the posts and the gang sure has you covered! The panting is a concern, so next vet visit ask them to check his palate and nares to see if there is any issue there.

Training... noting in life is free - look it up on the web, GREAT training tool

 

[JennieS]

Welcome! Can't wait to see photos of Bentley.

 

[Davidh]

Welcome to the site and you have some good advise about. He is a handsome bully too. Thanks for joining us.

 

[bently2012]

Welcome! Can't wait to see photos of Bentley.

Look three posts above
[MENTION=2894]2BullyMama[/MENTION] thanks for info. I like knowing exactly what to ask about when we go to the vet. I would like to think that the previous owner would have known about any issues and took care of them but that's just the optimist in me thinking. Lol

 

[bullmama]

Great great advice from everyone above! What a handsome boy he is! Welcome to EBN


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