Hello

Drewqi

New member
Sep 28, 2022
1
1
Country
United States
Bulldog(s) Names
Mack
Hello,
My name is Cory, my wife Keri and I have an English bulldog named Mack that just turned 2 years old. Around the time Mack was 1 maybe a little younger we began to notice him developing aggression towards other dogs. There are 2 dogs with which he is perfectly fine because they are family members dogs and he is familiar with them. Now every other dog he encounters his reaction is growling and full on aggression/attack. Because of this we are forced to keep Mack separate from all other dogs. Around the same time we began to notice his behavior around small children. He does not growl or anything like that but will sit and allow children to pet him and then with no warning will jump up towards their face. I believed it was harmless but there has been a few times now it seems as if he was snapping a little at the children. Because of this risk we now have to keep him away from children. Thankfully he has never hurt a child but we do not want to find out the hard way. On 2 occasions now he has showed signs of growling and aggression towards adult females. (both short maybe similar to the height of a child???) The difference with the 2 adult incidents is unlike the jumping up at children, Mack was growling and showed signs of snapping. Now obviously we are concerned about him being a risk and unpredictable. This is so difficult for us because around my wife and I and our family and friends he is familiar with, he is a perfect dog and so loving and harmless. Our main concern, my wife is pregnant with a baby boy due October 30. Obviously there is a problem with this and i was hoping Mack could be trained by someone and fixed of these problems he is having but I am not so sure now. A professional trainer which we had a consultation with recommended that we should find Mack a new home with people like us that would take care of him show him love but do not have children. At first I was very dead set on absolutely no way will I give up on this dog whom I love just like a human, but now I am questioning myself. We purchased Mack from an Amish family in Ronks, PA which I believed at the time was not a puppy mill. But going through all this and doing a lot of research, I believe Mack was neglected from the time of birth to 12 weeks when we got him and not socialized properly. I think the breeder is doing this for profit, not the love of dogs. I believe this is what lead us to these problems Mack has. He has always been very scared around things he is not familiar with (power tools, loud noises, large items etc.). I believe all of these problems we are having are fear related. I write this in hope of some professional advice and possibly there is a similar scenario someone else has been through with a bulldog. I truly hope that Mack could be fixed of these problems and we can keep him in our home which i believe he is very happy with us, but the unknown possibility of something bad happening I am not sure what to do. Some peoples advice is that it is just a dog, but we have a mentality toward Mack as if he is our baby.
 

benny

Well-known member
Staff member
Jan 9, 2022
510
787
Country
united states
Bulldog(s) Names
millie vanilly, beth anne (guest member)
I am so sorry you are going through this. I know too well how it feels. My last bulldog, Vada, started with dog aggression after being attacked on a walk. This eventually progressed to aggression against females. That progressed to aggression toward my wife and then toward our 6 month old. The whole process spanned a few years from the initial attack to the baby aggression. I tried all kinds of things that whole time and she just kept progressing. Frustrated and heartbroken I called up my breeder who took her in. It took us a long time to feel comfortable with another dog. My daughter is now showing our bulldog, Millie. The years of avoiding situations stuck in our heads so much, my wife and I couldn't believe how easy walking a well behaved dog through a dog show could be.

As difficult of a decision as it is, I agree with the trainer. I would recommend finding a reputable buildog rescue. They will be able to vet rehome situations to find the right place for Mack. There are some folks on this forum who will help for sure.

Congratulations on your upcoming baby!!
 

2BullyMama

I'm not OCD....now who moved my bulldog?
Staff member
Community Veteran
Jul 28, 2011
48,560
3,653
Gilbertsville, PA
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Chelios (Frenchie), Nitschke (2004-2011) Banks (2005-2014) and Lambeau (2014-2024)
Welcome.. have you had a full exam done by your vet? Also, you bought him in PA are you located in PA? I know a very good trainer in Malvern that would be straight up with you if he can be trained or needs to be rehomed
 

Members online

No members online now.
Top