Help Needed! Just adopted/rescued

[saggyface]

Hello everyone I am just going to jump in here and ask for you to share your wisdom with me. My family has typically gotten our dogs as puppies since we have kids that sort of thing. But since we have been researching the old English saw health concerns and prices we figured it was best to try to adopt one in need. We just brought one home and he is wonderful as can be with just a few concerns. He has some health issues we have being treated, Obesity, double ear infections, so far not severe hip dysplasia . With those things in mind he has shown food aggression once yesterday, he is very stubborn about going out/ anywhere when he doesn't want to, and I want to know how is the best way to handle leaving him home alone when we have to go out keeping in mind he was left in a crate for days from the owners he was removed from. He does not show any aggression towards other animals , kids, men or women other then the one time when he thought we were taking the food bowl away he growled and did a jump towards us. Any advice is welcome as of now I am doing the typical stuff I do with puppies getting him on a routine, watching him , messing him.

 

[bullmama]

I wonder if teaching to hand feed would help? Let's get some others here to help, thank you for rescuing and we love pics! [MENTION=2614]Vicaroo1000[/MENTION] [MENTION=4305]Vince00[/MENTION] [MENTION=390]cali~jenn[/MENTION]


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[GatorRay]

I think having him work for his food may be productive. Give him a command that he knows (sit or something) and have him perform the command before you put his food down. After a while, he will understand that it is YOUR food and by doing what you ask, you are allowing him to eat it. If he is already growling, I don't know how comfortable I would be with hand feeding but you can try. Same principle as above but feed him a few pieces from your hand after he has performed the command.

Even though he is only showing food aggression right now, I would reinforce your leadership in other areas as well so that he understands that you are in charge. Believe it or not, this will likely help him to relax because then he won't feel responsible for the pack. The best place to start is basic obedience. I use rewards for performance or you can take him to a class if you prefer.

Also, if you don't feel right crating him, try an x-pen. Then he can have more room to move around and not feel as confined. Once you feel that you can trust him, you can get rid of it. I prefer to keep them confined when I am not home for their safety and not necessarily the safety of the stuff in the house! I worry that they will hurt themselves or chew something that would make them sick.

 

[2BullyMama]

Look up... Nothing in Life is Free (NiLF). And, as Betty suggested us an x-pen or gate him in room instead of a crate

 

[Vicaroo1000]

[MENTION=5620]saggyface[/MENTION] - How's your pup doing? Update?

 

[Dubbiedog]

I think having him work for his food may be productive. Give him a command that he knows (sit or something) and have him perform the command before you put his food down. After a while, he will understand that it is YOUR food and by doing what you ask, you are allowing him to eat it. If he is already growling, I don't know how comfortable I would be with hand feeding but you can try. Same principle as above but feed him a few pieces from your hand after he has performed the command.

Even though he is only showing food aggression right now, I would reinforce your leadership in other areas as well so that he understands that you are in charge. Believe it or not, this will likely help him to relax because then he won't feel responsible for the pack. The best place to start is basic obedience. I use rewards for performance or you can take him to a class if you prefer.

Also, if you don't feel right crating him, try an x-pen. Then he can have more room to move around and not feel as confined. Once you feel that you can trust him, you can get rid of it. I prefer to keep them confined when I am not home for their safety and not necessarily the safety of the stuff in the house! I worry that they will hurt themselves or chew something that would make them sick.

This is an interesting Thread to me as we are in the process of adopting also. I am surprised that the food agression situation was not addresed before you took your puppy home or maybe it didnt' come out before??? you are in the right place for the best advice. Just look at the wonderful advice here from GatorRay. There are days that I have been so sad from reading some posts here and days that lift my heart up and cause me to laugh out loud, but I have never been disapointed by the outpouring of support and advice. I am personally always greatful for that.

 

[ChanelnBrutus]

Great advice from [MENTION=1906]GatorRay[/MENTION]

Thank you so much for giving him a second chance at a happy life I have learned bulldogs may take a little longer than any other breed. They can tend to be stubborn...We would love to see pictures of him

 

[luvdogz]

first thing - work on his weight. He's probably food -aggressive because he's learned to really use that for his "comfort". If you can afford it - get a weight-loss food from your vet. The ones from the grocery stores are "weight management" - i.e. worthless but better than nothing.


We got a 3-year-old that was way overweight. I dropped her quantity right away - she'll eat fruits luckily. Started mild, short walks. We still fight to keep her from eating anything she'll find but she's at a dgood weight now.

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

Congrats to you and may I say You sound like you are approaching him with all the right concerns. I too, agree with Gatorray. As far as obesity...I honestly would stay away from the foods sold at the vets. What they lack in nutrition, they make up for in chemicals. I would find a good high rated food and just feed less of it. Give him frozen green beans as a filler. As he loses weight it will help in all areas with him. Are you able to walk him? And i also think an xpen is the way to go. Can contain him without being confined to a crate. Good Luck and please share your experiences with us!