Help Needed! Need help with an aggresive bulldog

[Vicaroo1000]

[MENTION=7627]stacyh[/MENTION] - remember too that the "terrible twos" are a phase and he WILL grow past that stage. The key is not developing bad behaviors into bad HABITS.

My Bo has a complete and utter fascination -- no OBSESSION -- with reflections. Yesterday on our daily walk, the sun happened to come out for a millisecond (this is Seattle) and Bo went BERSERK; pulling HARD, choking himself to get to a mirror reflection from a nearby homes windchime. There were two mirrors on the thing which means two "shiny spots" where whirling around on the pavement about ten feet from us. The closer we got to it (he's pulling) the WORSE it got of course, because the closer they get to the "target" the more control you LOSE. All my hollaring "Bo! No! No! HEY! BO!" did absolutely NOTHING. (Of course it didn't. "Nose Eyes EARS" right? That's how they see their world) and when the light finally went on for me (I'm an avid Cesar Millan fan), I did what I should have done to begin with; touched him in the flanks. He was indeed surprised and immediately stopped focusing on the shiny thing so I could get his attention and redirect. I have seen Cesar do that a gazillion times on TV. I've also heard a thousand times that yelling the dog's name is the WORST thing you can do. hahahahahahaha LESSON LEARNED (for now anyway).

 

[Vicaroo1000]

[MENTION=7627]stacyh[/MENTION] - How's it going? What's working? What isn't?

We want your success!

 

[stacyh]

It's the two year old. I have to say we are getting better. No episodes. Have gone back to basics and he's doing fantastic. :D

 

[Piamitch]

It's the two year old. I have to say we are getting better. No episodes. Have gone back to basics and he's doing fantastic. :D

Keep up the good work!

 

[Vicaroo1000]

It's the two year old. I have to say we are getting better. No episodes. Have gone back to basics and he's doing fantastic. :D

WONDERFUL!!!! I am so happy to hear this.

There are dozens of others going thru this same thing, right now and can learn from your experience. Don't forget to share with us!

 

[stacyh]

Thank you so much. With time and patience he will be awesome. We are both learning from this experience and I won't give up. Thanks for all the help!!!

 

[2BullyMama]

It's the two year old. I have to say we are getting better. No episodes. Have gone back to basics and he's doing fantastic. :D

Keep that positive attitude... great work. Be sure to keep us posted with PICTURES, please :D

 

[stacyh]

I know I probably say this a lot but this site sure keeps me motivated with all the daily positve feedback. Bevo and I just came back from our walk ( he has always been a good walking buddy). We found a new dog park that we are going to try out. Super anxious to see how he reacts with the other dogs. He does really well at Petco and other outings so I'm excited to take him to meet new friends. Going back to the basics like everyone suggested has improved Bevo tremendously. I really had lost so much hope and after thinking there would be no way out of this and expecting the worst with the aggression, I am a true believer in therapy, basics, NILF and patience. I have never had to deal with a problem dog before so this is a first for me. We will continue with all the training and look forward to a long life with an awesome best friend. No task is too small here. Will definately keep everyone updated on our progress. Thanks again to all my new friends here for your great advice. You have no idea how much each of you have helped in so many ways. Oh, and Bevo says thanks too

 

[Vicaroo1000]

my heart sings....

 

[Sherry]

With all the good news, this is sure to be a happy ending in when it's all said and done

 

[Tooleysmom]

I know I probably say this a lot but this site sure keeps me motivated with all the daily positve feedback. Bevo and I just came back from our walk ( he has always been a good walking buddy). We found a new dog park that we are going to try out. Super anxious to see how he reacts with the other dogs. He does really well at Petco and other outings so I'm excited to take him to meet new friends. Going back to the basics like everyone suggested has improved Bevo tremendously. I really had lost so much hope and after thinking there would be no way out of this and expecting the worst with the aggression, I am a true believer in therapy, basics, NILF and patience. I have never had to deal with a problem dog before so this is a first for me. We will continue with all the training and look forward to a long life with an awesome best friend. No task is too small here. Will definately keep everyone updated on our progress. Thanks again to all my new friends here for your great advice. You have no idea how much each of you have helped in so many ways. Oh, and Bevo says thanks too

Bullies can be headstrong and challenging sometimes but I love a breed that thinks for themselves. The down side is you have to be vigilant when they test you. Looks like you have the terrible 2's in hand. Your calm assertiveness and lots of exercise together are going to deepen the bond your share. It is so worth it. Interested to know how he does at the new dog park?

 

[stacyh]

It has taken me awhile to get back on here and I am sad to say I had to put Bevo down. It has been a month now since he has been gone and not one day has got easier. After all the therapy and time, he had another altercation with my son. There was no skin broke on this altercation but I believe it's due to the fact that my son was able to pin him down before anything bad had happened. I knew at that time that it had to be done. I did everything I possibly could and I will say that was by far the worst day I have encountered. Had I had one ounce of knowing just how hard this was going to be, I can say I may have changed my mind. It's for the best for my family I know, but losing my best friend is overwhelming. I miss him every single day that I wake up. I sincerely pray that some day when I get past this awful hurt that I may be able to add another bully to my family. Im a little hesitant about it now due to I am afraid of encountering the same situation again. The guilt that I felt when I had to make that decision was to unbearable, not sure that I could do that again. I want to say thanks to everyone that gave me feedback on my issues. They were fantastic and worked, I don't think any amount of training was going to take the aggression out of him. This site has been a blessing to me. It took me a month to be able to log back in. I was afraid of seeing all the previous post about him. Although it was hard, I'm glad I did it. His picture here makes me smile. Thanks again for all the positive thoughts and I hope maybe in the future I will be back to show pics of my new bully if I decide to make that plunge again.
Stacy!!