Help with aggressive 3 month old mini english bulldog/1/4 pug

Submitted by masswildcat2007 on October 13, 2014 - 1:39pm

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We need some guidance as our pup is showing aggression with hard biting, lunging and growling. We have had dogs our whole lives and never have had this. This is our first bulldog.

My husband has his alpha respect, but he is more aggressive with me. I am home with him 24/7 as I am home based. I also have multiple sclerosis and wonder if he senses my nervous system causing him not to be calm. We just had him neutered last week. I am at my wits end and it is causing me some MS symptoms.

I have tried to show alpha status, but he stares and lunges into the air.

I lost my last 2 senior dogs to cancer in the last year. I have loved dogs my whole life. Then this happens to us at the age of 53. Can someone tell us if it the bulldog willfulness or something else.

Terri

PS to my previous post

Submitted by masswildcat2007 on October 13, 2014 - 1:51pm.

I forgot to add that he does show affection to me if I am sitting in a chair or on the couch daily, but it is like a "switch flips."

This seems to be more than normal puppy biting/teething behavior. He has lunged and bit me in the face as well, which left a small scar. I am starting to actually become fearful of him, which is not me at all.

Thanks for your help!

terri

I would think about getting him into a beginning good manners

Submitted by Janis and Nugge... on October 13, 2014 - 3:43pm.

class ASAP. He needs to learn what is acceptable and what is not. You can start working on sits and waits for his food, nothing comes free. Timeouts are also acceptable. Good luck and really look into some training classes.

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Also most bulldogs are food motivated. Make sure you reward him

Submitted by Janis and Nugge... on October 13, 2014 - 3:47pm.

for being good.

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Thank you, Janis. We are

Submitted by masswildcat2007 on October 13, 2014 - 6:48pm.

Thank you, Janis. We are definitely going to do that. I cannot have my granddaughter over to babysit until we get this under control. I would be afraid to. I pray this is not due to whatever breeding history in this pup. We have had dobermans, rot ties, Akita, etc. this is why I cannot comprehend what is wrong. I appreciate the time you took to respond.

Terri

Interesting

Submitted by trafficman337 on October 13, 2014 - 7:13pm.

Hi Terri,

We are on our fourth Bulldog and the characteristics you are mentioning are eye opening. Our new puppy, Jake, is thirteen weeks old now and he is just starting to get rid of some of those behaviors. He does quite a bit of chewing, especially when he is need of attention. However, I submitted a entry similar to yours, and many of the same responses you received worked out quite well. I am also a big advocate of the time out and also holding out of the food for better behavior. Although I never attended a puppy class, there are many people that are big believers in them. I guess this type of behavior is expected with puppies (as my wife has reminded me repeatedly), as they are just babbies trying to find their way. Try and hang in there with the little baby, it will be worth it down the road! Hope you are doing well.

Mark

Thank you

Submitted by masswildcat2007 on October 14, 2014 - 10:38am.

Thank you, Mark...

I greatly appreciate your input. I am glad to hear that I'm not crazy after all. I love dogs and have deeply loved all of our dogs that have passed on.

I thought I could never be able to get another dog until a month had gone by after putting down our dog Duke that was 12 1/2 years old with mast cell cancer. Prior to that, I had to put down his buddy Jerry Lee (borderline/rotweiler mix) with cancer as well at the age of 10. I was truly so heartbroken over losing my dog pals.

Then, about a month after putting Duke down and being without a dog, I KNEW that I could not live without a dog. My husband then said the same thing and talked about an english bulldog. We did a lot of searching and found an Amish person close to us that had 1/4 pug - 3/4 mini english bulldog. He was so cute and I picked him up right away.

In the beginning, he was absolutely fine and such a sweetheart. Then, he started teething with normal puppiness, which then turned into lunges and clamp down biting. It then was more and more and he (wanted it his way), started growling, too. We just got him neutered last week, hoping that this will help calm him down.

We are going to now get him socialized with other dogs at PetSmart puppy daycare and then we are going to Florida for one week, and we are putting him in a kennel, which also has an obedience trainer. We are going to partake of that definitely.

I truly do believe that for some reason he is feeling my multiple sclerosis (nervous system) as NOT being calm. Maybe this could be why he is trying to ALPHA me. I pray he grows out of this like your pup. I did not know bulldogs were so WILLFUL and bully-like, but this is the breed my husband wanted. I love any dogs, so it did not matter to me.

Once again, I appreciate your comment and it is great to have a website like this for the english bulldog.

bye, Terri

Mick

I remember when...

Submitted by Kathy Chester N... on October 14, 2014 - 10:33am.

Oscar was a puppy and I reached down to pet him and he bit my nose. Took hours to stop the bleeding and I seriously thought he was turning into a monster. It's just puppy behavior (and sharp little puppy teeth). We did take him to obedience classes and had a crate for him, lots of safe chew toys and bitter apple to spray on our hands and feet. He turned out to be the sweetest boy, I still miss him every day.

Sorry for your loss of Oscar, Kathy

Submitted by masswildcat2007 on October 14, 2014 - 10:43am.

It is so hard to lose our little fur babies. So sorry for your loss... We just lost 2 dogs to cancer in the last 1 1/2 years. I was so sick over it, but time does heal our wounds.

I greatly appreciate you sharing your experience with Oscar as a pup. I pray and look forward to Mick being that way too getting older. I know I just have to hang in there and not let this exacerbate my MS. Sometimes it is hard to defend myself when he lunges and bites. So far, I have not fallen. I am trying to be an alpha right now and limit my affection for the time-being, letting my husband take over the affection. I have been looking at Cesar Millan's website and actually I think his techniques are helping.

Thanks again for sharing......

Terri

Amazing, miracle update to my post on our mini bulldog

Submitted by masswildcat2007 on October 16, 2014 - 8:26am.

Big things have happened and a quick unexpected reverse in Mick's behavior.

The other day I used just a couple of Cesar Millan's techniques on being the alpha of the pack with Mick, i.e. holding the scruff of his neck and my growling back at him while looking him in the eye; also standing him up in front of me until he calmed for 45 seconds.

Also, my husband put a few coins in a can for me to shake and tell him "No" when he would lunge and bite me.

Oh my, after just doing the above, it is like he is a "CHANGED PUP." Cesar Millan techniques must have shown him that I am the ALPHA. He has been calm and submissive to me. I was even able to sit on the couch last night and he jumped up to lie down without biting me or anything. I think it is somewhat of a miracle.

I was becoming exhausted with him always coming after me especially due to my MS.

I am quite the happy camper now....

Terri

Wonderful!

Submitted by Stephanie and David on October 22, 2014 - 3:32pm.

I'll bet he'll be a sweet love now.