Help with Wild Bulldog Behavior
Submitted by goatheaven on September 21, 2013 - 9:57amNeed some advice. My Riley is now 5 months old and this is the wildest bulldog or dog that I have ever owned. Don't get me wrong, I love her but she is wearing me out. I have owned 2 other bulldogs in the past as puppies and none can compare to her. At night she races around the house in a "bull run" for over 5 hours. She finally goes to bed and will only sleep 4 or 5 hours and she is ready to go again. My husband and I are sleep deprived. We get up at 4:30 in the morning to give her 2-3 hours of play time before work. We don't leaver her in the crate anymore because she is house trained. We thought it would help tire her out and it has not helped. I have never seen such an active dog. We took her to puppy class and she knows commands but she has boundless energy. We have considered getting her a pal, a rescued dog that is older. Any suggestions? We walk, play etc but she is never still. Thanks,
No suggestions but,
I have no suggestions on how to cope. Usually, this would be sloved by a couple of long walks a day, but it sounds like you are already doing this. This is unusual for bulldogs. Your dog might grow out of the energy phase and slow down after your dog is a year (or two) old. I'm sure there are other people who might have a better idea of what to do for now.
She is a puppy! Some of them are very hyper!
But give it time, she will settle down. What are you feeding her, and how much? She may be getting too many carbs/sugars or something! Might try her on a grain free diet if she isn't already on adult food.
Amy and Sophia
Food
Actually she gets a home cooked diet of grass fed beef, green vegetables and a little pumpkin for digestion. She gets yogurt or fruit for a snack. We limit her carbs as I do not want any yeast issues. I think she is just a hyper dog. Night time and first thing in the morning is the worst.
Not all couch potatoes
She is a puppy and they come in all different personalities and activity levels. Depends also on her lines (pedigree). If a breeder is not breeding with temperament in mind and not raising the litter in a home environment then I've seen some pretty crazy puppies.
My youngest is a my wild child. At 3 yrs he is becoming more of a couch potato (tg) but he will never be laid back and lazy, neither is his mom. Her dad and the dogs on that side of the family are quite the characters w/lots of energy.
She just needs lots to do, lots of toys to keep her busy and exercises to stimulate her brain. Just like a 2 legged child.
I have a wild child, too!
Your post had me laughing (even though I know it wasnt meant to be funny). My husband and I got an English Bulldog because we were hoping for a low-energy dog to fit with our lifestyle. Boy, were we wrong! Our bulldog is now a 1.5 years old and has showed no signs of slowing down. He can do laps around my parents' Border Collie. Luckily he sleeps well at night, but we definitely have to work at keeping him entertained. We've done swim lessons, lots of long walks, and a lot of obedience training. I'm tempted to start agility training, because he's our "little athlete."
Good luck!
Kelly, Brian, Otis & Pippa
No advice here but I love it.
I love wild puppies. Sorry, I'm no help haha
Fatboy aka Stinky :)
Re
Is there any dog parks in your area? Nothing tires out a pooch who likes other dogs like running, playing and wrestling with each other.
Hello Tim, it's nice to see you here:-)
How have you been? Hope you are eventually going to bring home another beloved bully babe to share with us all...we all miss Doyle.
Amy and Sophia
I also have been blessed with
I also have been blessed with a super active bulldog! :) I find that play with other dogs tires them out not only physically but mentally as well, they get to use their brains to figure out how to interact with other pups. Also, there are other ways to tire them out mentally. I believe Cesar Millan may have a few ways in his books or maybe on his webiste. Games in which they use their senses and tap into their instincts!
My pup is now three years old and with maturity, has slowed down a bit. I used to wish for the day that this would happen but now it makes me a bit sad to think that she is getting older. Try to embrace the energy :)