General Question Training a bully vs training another breed, such as a lab or Poodle?

[bulldogs4me]

I doubt anyone felt that way ... it's just always nice to hear what others do so you can kinda of go into it with knowing how others have gotten through to their dogs during training ... if that makes sense. Anyone who is owned by a bulldog knows how awesome they are and part of their "awesome" is how smart they are, but we have all heard at one time or another that bulldogs are stupid or too stubborn to be trained ... we bulldoggers know the truth

 

[kazzy220]

I think that if you approach it with the knowledge that they know EXACTLY what you want them to do almost immediately then you are off to a good start.

BUT ..... then you need to accept that even though they know it, they may not necessarily feel like doing it at that time.

Acceptance of this is the first step in becoming trained by your bully!

 

[Hstead]

I have had a few German Shepards that were all pure geniuses. All four of them, and the current one we have, are incredibly smart and learn so fast it isn't funny. Spielman is nearly as smart, he just doesn't like to show off I think lol. He is very stubborn. The treats work great for him too, but one other thing I have found that really motivates him when he is not wanting to do something, I yell for the kitty.

If I want his attention, I am better off yelling the cats name than his. I can give him commands to come when he is outside etc, and he will turn around and just stare at me like if he waits long enough I might forget that I asked him to come. But if I start yelling for the cat, here he comes as hard as he can. He is a tad jealous.

Last night my wife wanted her back scratched. He wasn't too happy about me scratching anyone's back but his. It was hilarious. He loves my wife and kids, but he wants top be the only one that gets his back scratched by me.

 

[ModernFemme]

There was a very smart person here ( @desertskybulldogs ) that placed it in the best words possible about training a bully...... 'they are not stupid or dumb... they are thinking and deciding if they want to or will do what you are asking."

This is sooooo true. When Remi chooses to listen, which he does at least 75% of the time, the first time, my chest swells with pride. Like, I'm such a badass that a bulldog chooses to listen to me.

Then you have days like yesterday... he just engaged with an older couple at the park and he just went bananas with excitement/anxiety. And then he found some gross dead thing on the ground, which made him TOTALLY ignore everything I was saying. I tried to get him to come with me, practically dragging. I had to sit him down, make him look at me and whisper in his face, "Omg, Remi, you're embarrassing me in front of these people. They probably think I'm the worst dog owner ever! Please, let's go!!"

I know Caesar Millan totally would not have approved, but Remi eventually was like, "Fine, but you owe me."

 

[ModernFemme]

The only other dog I've really trained (or helped train as an older teenager) was a husky, and to be honest, both breeds need a firm hand at times and can be huge clowns. I have found that with the husky, I would sometimes need to submit him on his side, but with Remi, that is literally the worst thing you could do. I've found you have to be a bit more sensitive with bulldogs, but other than that, the training is pretty much the same.

 

[Rural mystic]

Any dog can be trained, I have had several, some breeds are easier to train than others and within a breed some dogs are more tractable than others. Brutus my Amstaff was relatively easy, we kept him outside so housetraining was never an issue, he would always come and I had him leash trained to walk without pulling in a couple of days. He wasn't around a lot of other dogs or people other than family much so in a way he was never put to the acid test but I never had any aggression issues with him. I despise BSL that targets pitbull type dogs, its a big bunch of bullshit. Blame the owners not the dog. When it comes to training I was spoiled by my first dog, a cocker spaniel, we also named Ace. I don't recall him ever being formally trained but he was a quick learner and would always, and I mean always come when you called him and he was put to the acid test many times, was around lots of people and dogs when I was growing up and we never had an issue with him. To me the recall command, that a dog will come when called is the most important aspect of obedience and having a well mannered dog. If a dog won't come when you call, no matter what else they may do on command, it's not a well trained dog. Ace the cocker spaniel would always come, when there were other dogs around, strange dogs and strange people even when a female was in heat and other dogs followed her around vying for attention, I could always get Ace to come and stay with me when I called.

 

[Rural mystic]

Today, unlike it was in the past, when you look into dog training on the web and elsewhere there is primarily it seems the push for positive reinforcement training such as clicker training. It's seems to me somewhat faddish and you will have some that insist that it's the only humane way to train. I disagree completely. I think you should use a variety of methods including positive reinforcement but positive reinforcement is not always necessarily the best and/or most humane way to train. I'm not against clicker training and use it some myself but I think one should be open to other methods and what works and what continues to work over time and under various circumstances not simply to obey when its convenient for the dog to do so. I would never purposely injure my dog when training or any other time for that matter, nor inflict pain or duress. I won't consider my bulldog Ace well trained until he will come when called at all times. I don't care if he will jump through hoops or roll over or do tricks. But to come and to sit on command and to walk on leash in good manner is the most important and all else will be icing on the cake for me.

 

[2BullyMama]

but Remi eventually was like, "Fine, but you owe me."

along with a

 

[BarbaraDavis]

Bullies are different from a lot of other breeds, for sure. Labs, goldens and shepherds, for instance, have been bred for centuries to work closely with people and be responsive to them. Bullies have been bred for independence and tenacity, so once you figure out how to properly motivate your bully, training becomes easy! They will not respond the same way as a sporting breed dog, who may work for love alone! Bullies want a great paycheck!

 

[DaisyBulldog]

Have to say, opposite of what many seem to have experienced, dogs are dogs and if you understand what motivates them, you can train them. I have trained my dogs from pit bulls, to mixes, to pekingese, and now to Daisy. All have become certified therapy dogs, and all have passed their Canine Good Citizen tests. Daisy will be taking both in the next month, and I have no doubt she'll pass both with flying colors. Treat the dog with respect and love (instead of domination and fear), reward the behavior you like (with whatever THEIR motivator is.... food, play, petting, play), and ignore/discourage (not PUNISH) behavior you don't like.

 

[Tooleysmom]

Positive reinforcement training works best for Bullies I think because they are food motivated and respond so well to kindness. And they will never back down from a challenge because their instinct is to never give up. They really do think for themselves and are not like eager to please working dogs. But loving! oh my! and funny!!! And Bully puppies are THE most adorable little puppies. Lots of positive training info on the web and on uTube. I had Miss T at Puppy Manners 1 and 2 and she was as teachable as all the other dogs. But her laid back little shuffle and grunty noises made her the sweetheart of the class. Everyone wanted to kiss her shmoshy little face. Beware The sharp needle teeth are the worst!!!! Just consistently keep substituting chew toys for your flesh. The nighttime zoomies make them look like little demons spinning out of control. Better than TV. It is SO worth it.

 

[anatess]

I didn't mean to imply that I didn't think they are smart. Looking back on what they were bred to do, you realize they had to be smart, or die. But they wernt bred to look constantly to their humans for advice, and that's where people usually get the idea that they are stupid lol
I was just wondering how to go about the training, see if their was any specific differences in training a English Bulldog. Better to know and be prepared lol Have a game plan so to speak lol But I'm not above changing up the game plan if it needs it lol
thank you everyone for sharing your tips and tricks. I hope I didn't offend any one.

@DaisyBulldog is right on!

You use the same training principles on all breeds of dogs and tailor it to the specific dog. I've had many different dogs in my life - all of them have their own quirky personalities. Some are aggressive and would challenge you, some are super omega dogs that are scared of their own shadow and would pee themselves when you give them a stern tone of voice, some are always eager to work for the sake of pleasing the alpha, others will work only when rewarded with food.

Labs are generally the "work for the sake of pleasing the alpha" types so a lot of them will respond to training just because you're spending time with them - no reward necessary. Bullies are generally more indepent so they need some kind of motivation. But, the end result is the same - they will respond to the right training.

And just so I can do some bragging... (hardi har har)... with Bullie, she learned her silent commands with the help of sliced bread. After conditioning over and over and over with the sliced bread, she will now respond to silent commands without the motivator - yes, she still has the tendency to think if she can get away with not doing it, but unless she's about to snooze, she usually decides she needs to do it.

 

[PsychoPixie]

I have found that little Ella is very stubborn lol But, she caught on to sit right away lol I was impressed and my boyfriends mom is disbelieving lol
I made her sit toget the toy she wants, and since she wants what ever I have, she sits....Most the time lol Leash training isn't going as well, and she insist on walking between my feet lol I hate to say it but she has been kicked and stepped on =(