Help Needed! Need help with an aggresive bulldog

[stacyh]

I have a 2 year old neutered English Bulldog. I bought him when he was 8 weeks old. My husband has a 9 year old English Bulldog as well. Over the past year we have noticed more aggressive behavior in him. I had him neutered in September after he bit my son (he's 22) for the second time. The only time this seems to occur is when he gets on the couch (where he isn't supposed to be) and he is asked to get down or if he enters a room where not allowed and you try to get him out. He has now bit my son twice, myself once and my husband once. All occasions he drew blood on the hand or fingers. If he gets something that he's not supposed to have, he runs under the coffee table (his hiding spot) and if you try and get it he gets very aggresive towards you. Can someone please help!! I'm at my wits end with this dog. I need my house back to normal!! HELP!!

 

[2BullyMama]

Hi Stacy.... you need to go back to basic training with him and teach boundaries and limits with you being alpha. it may be a good idea to bring a professional trainer into the home and allow them to see his reaction/behavior so they can show you the best way to address the issue.

Has he shown any aggression to your other dog?

 

[Sherry]

I have a 2 year old neutered English Bulldog. I bought him when he was 8 weeks old. My husband has a 9 year old English Bulldog as well. Over the past year we have noticed more aggressive behavior in him. I had him neutered in September after he bit my son (he's 22) for the second time. The only time this seems to occur is when he gets on the couch (where he isn't supposed to be) and he is asked to get down or if he enters a room where not allowed and you try to get him out. He has now bit my son twice, myself once and my husband once. All occasions he drew blood on the hand or fingers. If he gets something that he's not supposed to have, he runs under the coffee table (his hiding spot) and if you try and get it he gets very aggresive towards you. Can someone please help!! I'm at my wits end with this dog. I need my house back to normal!! HELP!!

I have to agree with 2BullyMama start from the basics, even begin feeding by hand perhaps. You go through door first, make him sit to before putting the dish down, no treats, and yes a professional would know best how to handle this, before something worse happens

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

I agree with both of the earlier posts. Does your son tease him at all? Start with the basics..YOU are the Alpha..he follows you everywhere.

 

[Vince00]

You have an interesting situation for sure that has already escalated to where you want to be careful in your actions while correcting him. I agree above that you want to consult with someone that will be able to help you get everything back in order and yes it definatly can be fixed and addressed in the right manor.

You will want to catch each issue you try to correct 'before' it happens, when he is on the couch and already defending it, that is too late and asking for trouble so you will need to be careful with that or people will continue to be bit.

Practicing the alpha roll with all members of the household to put him back in his pecking order is absolutely key here.

Like mentioned above confirm that immediately he eats last, walks out the door last, waits for a cue before going out, take him for walks and burn out his energy level so he is more tired and can continue to be trained easier. I'm only speaking from what my reactions would be so I can't pretend to be an expert by any means but it would be bootcamp 101 until he learnt his position.

Keep working and training him where you can and build on it, take baby steps to not allow him on the couch 'before' he gets in his defense for it and you may be able to nip it in the butt.

At any rate, expert advice may be wise if you or someone in the house doesn't have complete control over him.

Finally, he is a good dog, he can be addressed and this issue resolved. Stay CALM, Assertive, and don't hit, raise your voice, or any other actions that will stimulate him to fight back.

I hope this helps you out some, and a general possible approach.

 

[cali baker]

[MENTION=7627]stacyh[/MENTION], you got some very sound advice above and I hope for the very best for your pack and family.

i just wanted to add that my bully Finn bit a neighbor last year; right after that I sought a behaviorist who did an initial home visit to evaluate him and his environment. She determined Finn to not be an "aggressive" dog but one who was more insecure who may have bit out of fear. We proceeded to have obedience sessions w/this lady (i also included my other bully Tate), and found the whole training experience to be valuable and helpful.

Good luck to you!

 

[Vicaroo1000]

I agree with everyone here on all points. This dog's days ON the furniture are over -- for now. Set him up for success by keeping him out of rooms where there has been a problem. Puppy gates work great. This is all going to take time and be very inconvenient. Remember, its taken him two years to get this way...it's going to take some time for him to be rehabilitated.

Physically moving (or trying to) move the dog after the fact is being seen as a challenge. That's why he's "fighting back".

Bulldogs were bred for "no limits". Strong leadership and patience is the key. The good news: dogs do not want to be unbalanced. He's looking for leadership. Give it to him.

 

[Piamitch]

You have great info from everyone. I'm confused. Are you referring to the two year old or the 9 year old? if its the older one maybe there's more going on then just a dominant/ aggression? Just a thought.

 

[NigelsMom]

Great tips hope you follow them and have success! Please keep us posted and remember keep calm and patience. If you're frustrated he will sense it and react.
He wants to be a good boy really! Good luck!

 

[stacyh]

Thank you all for the great advice. It's the two year old that we are having issues with. My son doesn't tease him, they play together of course with his ropes and balls but haven't ever noticed any teasing. They get along very well. Bevo is a great dog outside of the aggression area. We have taken him to a behavior specialist. We don't have one in the area that we live in so getting one in the home is impossible. We have to drive an hour to take him to her. Her tips and suggestions seem to be working for now. He is responding well. We have now rigged our couch with things so he can't get on them. It's almost as being a prisoner in your own home. Noone can sit on them, if you do then he tries to jump in your lap. He is by far the toughest creature I have encountered. Our 9 year old bulldog is a dream. Never an issue. That's why we decided to get another one. I have met my match for sure. The issue we have at hand now is if he gets something he's not supposed to have, he will run and hide with it and if you try to get it he will literally take your hand off. I have tried treats or his favorite toy to get it, no deal!! He is definately testing me. I refuse to let this dog win this battle. Any and all of your tips and suggestions are greatly appreciated. Reading all your replies gives me hope and keeps my faith up. Thank you all so much for the help and please feel free to continue with advice. I will take it all day long.

 

[cali baker]

Stacy, you may want to have your bully on-leash while inside if you think he's still not obeying your commands. It's okay to do that under your supervision. I do that with Tate when I have people come over nowadays. Tate jumps on folks still and the leash helps me keep him under better control. Once your bully shows improvement, you can taper off using the leash. Always go back to the basic commands when Bevo acts up. Start with the "sit, down, shake (paw)"...gets u and him back on track.
Keep up the good work!

 

[Vince00]

If you use all the advice above when you start making progress on other things, no matter how small, you can capatalize on that and eventually work towards a correction as he approaches the couch, and most importantly when he gets 'too' the couch you can remove him and show him your in charge. Try to be sure everyone else in the family are also working this roll 100% and you should see quick results.

Whoever is the least respected by the dog let them do the feeding, let him only eat when they say it is ok etc etc. Use any and all angles to drop his position on the pecking order and you should be able to eventually reach your son or whoever to remove him off the furniture when needed.

Keep him on some long walks, burn him out, keep him tired and you will succeed. It's odd but as a dog frustrates you more and more, the more time you spend with them and help them the return will be there 10 fold.

Good Luck and keep us in the loop.

 

[stacyh]

Thanks a million for all the advice. Some things everyone have mentioned are things I have tried in the past and have put on the back burner when given new advice. I will definately be trying them again, especially the leash in the house. The specialist had also recomended this as well. I have never joined a forum before and I am so glad I did. All of your replies have been awesome. I will surely be updating as I am sure I will need more help. Thanks again for all the great advice!!

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

Thanks a million for all the advice. Some things everyone have mentioned are things I have tried in the past and have put on the back burner when given new advice. I will definately be trying them again, especially the leash in the house. The specialist had also recomended this as well. I have never joined a forum before and I am so glad I did. All of your replies have been awesome. I will surely be updating as I am sure I will need more help. Thanks again for all the great advice!!

So glad you joined. We all learn from each other.

 

[Tooleysmom]

All of the advice is excellent and does not contradict in any way. You and the family need to go back to the beginning and start with boundaries and limits. He will have to work for everything. All the things mentioned are critical. He has lost respect for the pack and is now privileging himself. The good part is dogs want to have a leader and they can change as they live in the moment. Remeber though Bullies are stubborn and getting angry or aggressive with him is doomed. They NEVER give up to a challenge. My husband Kim found that out the hard way. He tried being stern and aggressive with Miss Tallulah toi show who was boss and she went back at him 10 fold. She then treated him like a chew toy for several weeks. I had to teach him as well as Miss T. Unfortunately Kim was the more stubborn of the two so he was her chew toy until he got with the program. Eventually he relented and started being consistent with my training ( which was with a trainer) when I asked how it was working for him. And it wasn't working. I bring that up because every one in the family will have to be consistent for this to work, It was a bit of a rough go until I got Kim on board. Then things got better much quicker. Rewards, distraction and management are the key principles of training with a firm, calm assertive energy. If you are getting frustrated ( and we all do) just step away and regroup. There is a beautiful Bully underneath that unacceptable behavior that you will have to tease out. Patience will be paramount. Keep us posted and when things get tough come here for support. We all want you to succeed!!