Biting

[brutus77]

Ok so I just touched on this in Blueberries toy thread but, Brutus has always been very aggressive with his nails getting clipped, but now he is not liking us to put his sweater on when it is cold out. He grabbed my husbands hand the other day while he was trying to get it on him. NOT GOOD. Hubby was not happy. Should I get a trainer in to stop this? Is it even possible to correct this? Help!!

 

[nycbullymama]

If he's biting and you can't correct it- you should definitely get a trainer. I mean it can't hurt.

 

[ddnene]

Hmm I will tag the trainers on this one [MENTION=2894]2BullyMama[/MENTION], @Pati Robins
I would say get a trainer involved, but you may be able to stop this yourself. The bad thing about the trainer is that you end up repeating the commands yourself anyway… would make sense to have someone come to your house!

 

[Davidh]

Usually it can be corrected, just have to go about it the proper way. I would suggest a trainer to help with this.

 

[cali baker]

Is it possible that Brutus might have felt some pain or discomfort when the sweater was being put on him and that's why he acted out that way?

 

[brutus77]

I don't know. I would say I don't think so because I was right there when we put it on him. It seems that he gets really nervous when we do anything where we touch his feet.

 

[cali baker]

I don't know. I would say I don't think so because I was right there when we put it on him. It seems that he gets really nervous when we do anything where we touch his feet.

Just thinking about this...if Brutus gets nervous when you touch his feet then maybe you can desensitize him from this emotion he is feeling. Every day, just gently touch his feet for a few seconds while at the same time giving him a treat when you do this so he will associate being touched there as a positive thing. Prolong the touching of his feet as the days go by, depending of course on how Brutus responds. Always make touching his feet a very positive thing with either a treat or affection and hopefully he will eventually not get nervous with the feet touching.

 

[brutus77]

Just thinking about this...if Brutus gets nervous when you touch his feet then maybe you can desensitize him from this emotion he is feeling. Every day, just gently touch his feet for a few seconds while at the same time giving him a treat when you do this so he will associate being touched there as a positive thing. Prolong the touching of his feet as the days go by, depending of course on how Brutus responds. Always make touching his feet a very positive thing with either a treat or affection and hopefully he will eventually not get nervous with the feet touching.

That's a good idea. At night when we are chillin on the couch I try to touch his feet for a few seconds, but I will try to add treats in so he associates it with something he likes.

 

[mer55]

Bogey went through a period when he was starting to get " mouthy" when we put his harness on. I was concerned because I didn't want it to escalate to a bite. So, I made him sit, gave him a treat, and while he was chewing ( I used a chewy treat like jerky) I put the harness on! Worked like a charm! Now I don't even need the treat. He just got used to it. I like the idea of touching his feet during chilling out time. It just may be a foot thing and with some work, you can get around it. Trainers are great, but you need to find one that knows the bully mentality. My golf buddy is a certified dog trainer, but she does not have a clue of this breed's mentality. She is used to goldens, labs, and poodles. Admittedly, she told me she never trained a bulldog before, but said it should make no difference. WRONG!! A good trainer will know how to work with a bulldog and his or her behaviors and respect the breed mentality. I bet you can do this yourself with patience, praise and treats!!!

 

[2BullyMama]

Just thinking about this...if Brutus gets nervous when you touch his feet then maybe you can desensitize him from this emotion he is feeling. Every day, just gently touch his feet for a few seconds while at the same time giving him a treat when you do this so he will associate being touched there as a positive thing. Prolong the touching of his feet as the days go by, depending of course on how Brutus responds. Always make touching his feet a very positive thing with either a treat or affection and hopefully he will eventually not get nervous with the feet touching.

exactly what I was going to suggest..... also [MENTION=9370]brutus77[/MENTION] Rosalie, make sure he is not in any pain as someone else suggested -- Banks has very sensitive back paws, she only has issue with ME touching them, but she pins her ears and tenses up. Groomer, vet, and Dady can ALL touch them, but when I do she is not happy in anyway shape or form

 

[gobronco]

There are a lot of good ideas here. If it was just the nails I would think it was just out of fear. Because of the sweater issue, Unless there are some paw irritation issues, I lean towards the dog thinks it is dominant. If there is any growling involved I would really think it is dominance problem. Trainer is probably a good idea, but you may be able to solve this yourself if there is growling involved. If he growls, gently roll Him on his side, with his legs facing away from you, and put one hand on his shoulder and one hand on his hips. He should just lay there. If he fights to get up he probably thinks he is dominant. If so, roll him on his back and put your hands on his armpits and gently hold him down (just like you are picking up a skin kid toddler) and he will roll his head to the side. Work with him several times a day. Start with 10 seconds or so and work it up to 30 seconds+. Every member of the family may need to do this. This worked very well for a 75lb rescue bulldog we fostered. If he growls when you try to hold him on his back, Get a private trainer or pm me and I will give you more details of what I had to do with tank the 75lb rescue dog.