General Question Surprised, should I be?

[xsubsailor]

I have had my pup for about a week (she is 11 weeks old) and I realized that she is very smart. She is my first EB and I was wondering if this is common in the breed?

I have been trying to litter box train her for about a week and she does a decent job but to my surprise she loves to go out in the back yard and she alerts me when she has to go. Could be the treats she gets when she comes back in? Since yesterday she started going in the backyard she has had only one accident inside and it was by the back door - Daddy was not paying attention and was busy in the other room. And she learned how to climb the stairs to get back in from the yard after I showed her once, however, she will not go down them yet.

I am pleasantly surprised by how quickly she picks things up, I'm not saying she is the smartest or that she is reading yet but as a pooch she makes me happy.....so far. Smart and squishy I should have gotten a EB a long time ago. Thanks to the EBN and all the members for such great advice to help me start her off in the right direction.

 

[bullmama]

Sounds like its going great! EBs have a "rep" for not being smart. But it's because they actually make decisions instead of following commands 100% like other breeds.

For example, if you tell your bully to get off the couch, they look at you and you can tell in that moment they are choosing weather they want to or not. Usually they just look at you, them lay back into a comfy position. And say NOPE!!!!


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[anatess]

Yep, Lisa is spot on. Bullys are smart with an independent streak. They analyze everything to determine if it is to their advantage. This is great but has its drawbacks. As you have experienced, the intelligence definitely shines through. The drawback is that you will have to constantly find that motivator that would tip the scales in your favor for those things your dog is not too keen on doing. It's different for each bulldog. I found Bullie's weakness - sliced bread. She'll do anything for a piece. The difficult thing is to continue the desired behavior without having to keep sliced bread in my pocket.

 

[Ashleym]

Sounds like its going great! EBs have a "rep" for not being smart. But it's because they actually make decisions instead of following commands 100% like other breeds.

For example, if you tell your bully to get off the couch, they look at you and you can tell in that moment they are choosing weather they want to or not. Usually they just look at you, them lay back into a comfy position. And say NOPE!!!!


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I totally agree. My other dog is a Labrador easiest dog to train he lived to please us . With Fergus he just looks at us and I can actually see him thinking about what we asked him to do and then actually decide not to do it he is a real bull headed bully pup with an attention span of a gnat . Luckily he is really food motivated so he is getting trained in spite of himself :D

 

[dozersmama]

They are actually pretty brilliant. Dozer had a basket of toys and I could tell him to go get a specific one like vo get your ball or go get mr squeeky and hes get it right every single time. Beware though as others have said there is a reason you won't see to many ebs with obedience titles.

 

[2BullyMama]

They are amazing... and as desertskybulldogs stated... they make decisions and determine if they want to do what you are asking .... typical toddlers

 

[Alice Kable]

That stubborn, independent streak keeps Bulldogs from scoring high on doggie IQ tests--and that's exactly how they want it! They don't give a rip about IQ scores!

 

[Davidh]

They are really smart and it's funny watching them think about what you tell them and whether they are going to do it or not. But food usually wins out every time.

 

[porkysmamma]

We potty trained with treats after about 2 weeks she picked up on the fact that when she pottied shed get treats soooooo she started squatting multiple times n then sitting at our feet "waiting" n when she didn't get anything she'd walk around n hunch up to fake a #2 n she'd even grunt n everything lol I took her to the vet thinking she had a uti nope just a smart little bully they r very intelligent but can be stubborn too


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[xsubsailor]

We potty trained with treats after about 2 weeks she picked up on the fact that when she pottied shed get treats soooooo she started squatting multiple times n then sitting at our feet "waiting" n when she didn't get anything she'd walk around n hunch up to fake a #2 n she'd even grunt n everything lol I took her to the vet thinking she had a uti nope just a smart little bully they r very intelligent but can be stubborn too

That's way to funny

 

[sweetpeasmom2008]

EB's are very smart! Getting them to act on their smarts is a totally different matter! They are very stubborn and will do what they want and I have learned because of this I always have to stay up on training and making sure im the alpha.

 

[sstewart2010]

Yeah my Leroy is the same way! He chooses what he wants to do & he catches on very quickly. It took me a matter of minutes to teach him how to "shake" for me Yes I still need a motivator in my left hand (treat, kibble, etc...) but he follows my command every time. It's funny too b/c now every time I tell him to "sit" he lifts up his paw to shake to get a treat. Gotta love Bullies!

 

[porkysmamma]

Yeah my Leroy is the same way! He chooses what he wants to do & he catches on very quickly. It took me a matter of minutes to teach him how to "shake" for me Yes I still need a motivator in my left hand (treat, kibble, etc...) but he follows my command every time. It's funny too b/c now every time I tell him to "sit" he lifts up his paw to shake to get a treat. Gotta love Bullies!

Lmao same here n if she's being bad n I make her sit she waves at me like "hello mom I'm doing it give me a snack "


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[Tooleysmom]

They are smart and wonderful. I am not surprised by what is going on. Bullies ARE smart. But the dog world for the most part seems to want dogs that instantly obey. You can see a Bully thinking and deciding if it is a good idea or in their best interests. I would much rather have a Bully than a dog that is blindly obedient. With an obedient dog that is bred to please it is a monologue. With a Bully it is a dialogue.

 

[Noyes27]

We potty trained with treats after about 2 weeks she picked up on the fact that when she pottied shed get treats soooooo she started squatting multiple times n then sitting at our feet "waiting" n when she didn't get anything she'd walk around n hunch up to fake a #2 n she'd even grunt n everything lol I took her to the vet thinking she had a uti nope just a smart little bully they r very intelligent but can be stubborn too


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So funny when its really cold outside sometimes mack fakes a #2 as well bc he thinks then he gets to go inside

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