Bulldog becoming aggressive to other Bull Breeds ?

[Zedsded]

Would like to hear if anyone else has been through the same problem we are having at the moment with our bully. He's 16 months old and still "intact" and quite a big boy 68lb, just recently (last 6 weeks or so) he has become aggressive towards some other Bullys and French Bullys and occasionally a random other breed!. Its not all Bully's and its not just Dogs that are or are not "intact" but he has also had a pop at a bitch.
We are hoping at this point its a hormone thing he's going through and may grow out of it as he gets older ? We were really hoping not to have Dudley "done" purely because we would prefer him not to have any surgery if at all possible. If we did go ahead with the operation is there any guarantee that it will cure the problem ?
Really appreciate any help or suggestions.

Simon

 

[2BullyMama]

Neutering MIGHT settle him down somewhat, but at 16 months, he has hit the 'teenage rebellious' stage. I would go back to basic training with him... use 'nothing in life is free' technique and make sure all humans in the home follow the training cause if it is inconsistent it will not work and he will know who is the push-over.

With nothing in life is free.... he does not get to do anything without working for it or being invited. Example would be in the photo you share.... he is on the furniture ABOVE you, which in his mind is alpha so, until he is back inline and settled into the pack order, I would not allow him to do this.

 

[helsonwheels]

If this is new get a qualified trainer asap to nip it in the butt. I use to train dogs many yrs ago and trust me get on it immediately. Bullies are pig headed. The longer you wait the longer the brain escalates then its going to be harder. You don't want to be dragged by a 68lb bully in the middle of a fight. My GS was trainednand always had a sprong choker on walks. I swear these chokers are life savers. But ONLY for walks or going anywhere. Older he was getting worst he was. And yet he was a big suck with humans. His new targets at 8yrs old was small children. There are dogs are trainable and some no matter what you do, 24/7, always on a mission, scanning calmly and breathing while walking you will get that 10% you can't fix them. I saw an interview with Cesar once he's a good trainer but sometimes his shows are like a reality show. That's why he came out with Cesar 911 to go on a different path. Anyway in his interview he does mentioned some dogs you just cant fix. Rare but it happens. So I would look into a good trainer cause your dogs is only 16months old n not fix.

 

[Zedsded]

Thanks for the advice guys, we do have a good trainer that we used for a while when we first got Dudley and were thinking of getting him round again. He does know he is NOT alpha in our family though and does not get away with anything with me but as I am sure happens with a lot of family's it turns into a "good cop, bad cop" scenario between me and his mum and Dudley does know who is the soft touch!

 

[helsonwheels]

There is an older movie out there called "bon cop bad cop" bon means good in french.. really funny.
Two policemen (Colm Feore, Patrick Huard) from different Canadian provinces must work together to solve*murders.
Im from Montreal and can relate to the movie. Quebec are so easy going down to earth people comparing to Ontario. No offense my Ontario neighbours I still love ya. all this to say I have No clue why im posting this

 

[cefe13]

Neutering is no guarantee regarding changed behaviour, so training seems like a safer bet. If you do consider neutering, perhaps you could discuss chemical castration with your vet - no surgery, but a shot that I think has to be renewed every six months or so.

 

[ddnene]

I'm having similar issues w/my male Walter. He is 2 years old, and I have a new behaviorist involved in his case. His started as a severe anal infection, and that has turned into unproved aggression towards anyone sitting near him while he sleeps. We are having him neutered soon, BUT my trainer said that this will not solve ALL of his issues. There are SO many things going on w/him that I've started several threads...

My best advice is hire a professional to get involved, and also clear him medically from the vets. We have done extensive blood work, labs, and x-rays w/Walter and are still awaiting results. You want to rule out anything medical first before you determine it's a behavioral issue.

 

[Zedsded]

We realize neutering might not solve anything which is why we really don't want to do it unless absolute necessary. I do think it is purely a behavioral issue though and not medical just because of the times it happens. Its probably only about 1% of all the dogs he meets that he has become aggressive with, even when most of the other dogs will show some slight aggression towards him! as i said it seems to be Bull breeds but by no means is it all Bullies, he happily plays with some.
We have got back in touch with our trainer and will be seeing him soon. In the meantime me AND my wife are taking onboard the other "nothing is free" technique that was mention and are making him work more for toys, playtime, food and treats so hopefully this will help too.
Thanks again for all the advice.
Simon

 

[helsonwheels]

Thanks for the advice guys, we do have a good trainer that we used for a while when we first got Dudley and were thinking of getting him round again. He does know he is NOT alpha in our family though and does not get away with anything with me but as I am sure happens with a lot of family's it turns into a "good cop, bad cop" scenario between me and his mum and Dudley does know who is the soft touch!

Im going to say something but please don't get me wrong. As some knows ive trained and breed doberman long time ago. As [MENTION=2894]2BullyMama[/MENTION] said your dog is above you/person sitting in the photo. Even though you say he knows he's not the alpha in the house, he's still standing above on the photo. A dog is a dog it's instinct n nature like wolves. Another example people think it's cute is their dogs sitting/sleeping on their feet. That's a sign "you belong to me" it's controlling without the owner noticing it. If a dog lays on it's back on your feet for a belly rub that's different. All dogs should never be above you unless they are in training like we do for our K9 training on ladders, climbing etc. Just a thought

 

[nubonics]

I really feel it's sometimes difficult to be open minded when people give feedback on what we think is a playful/cute behavior.

I recently had issues with my bully Curly who essentially became overly aggressive towards our Great Dane puppy resulting in the puppy arm being broken and over $5K in vet bills. I had posted a video of Curly and Jawnie "playing" when Jawnie first joined our household which I thought was friendly and welcoming but members here were able to pick up signs that curly's play was trying to dominate Jawnie (tail up, small hops) i.e. These were early signs that there would be a problem that we didn't catch.

That being said, that is a super cute picture of Dudley but also is a sign that he is trying to change his rank in your household/he may have you fooled in thinking you're the alpha. Dog behavior is a funny thing and it is about that age where he is testing the waters.


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[Zedsded]

I think I need to explain the photo, maybe a bit too much is being read into it. I totally agree with everything said about dominance and I am sure Dudley IS testing us to see what he can get away with and hopefully we are going to nip it in the bud! So back to the photo, I did post it because as was said it is a "cute photo" of Dudley but I am not sure its dominance in this case, Dudley stands on the arm when he is in the room by himself, he gets a better view of the garden �� he also has a "thing" about edges and will constantly try and walk along the edge of our garden wall in a similar way which does not put him in a dominant position above us at all, it's just one of the things he does.
Is it considered dominance if your dog lays on your lap? �� As I am sure most of us allow this to happen ��

Thanks again
Simon