Teenage bulldogs...
Submitted by Henrys mom on October 27, 2012 - 10:18pmI hope some of you will have some advice. I'd be so grateful.
we are having some worries over Henry,our 10 month old English bulldog. We have done a couple class types with him and I do training times every day. We go to the dog park frequently and play outside tones. He loves to roughhouse and be crazy with out other bully. He was neutered 3 months ago. There is never enough exercise for him. He would be happy to run at full speed all day,lol.
our worry is that he will randomly bite us,including our kids. The lates incident a few minutes ago. He was on the floor falling asleep and my 11 yr old reached over and started petting him. He never gives a warning,just turns quickly and bites. It's not hard enough to break skin but it hurts and I know its not appropriate. He also gets NUTS if you're playing fetch and try to take the toy. Sometimes he will drop it but if you try to take it he gets very crazy. The biting feels so random, never for the same reason. He only growls when he's playing with our other dog.
Also, he's very aloof. Our other bully is our shadow, always staying close or checking in with us,playing with us. Henry would rather be doing his own thing and will not acknowledge us unless we are in a training session and there are treats.
Ok sorry for writing a book. I appreciate any thoughts! Thank you
Jen
henry and Pipkin
He's still a puppy and will continue to bite. And it sounds
like he marches to the beat of a different drum (his own drum that is). Being aloof and doing his own thing is just a part of who he is. Our Fatboy was a biter until a little over a year old. I remember getting upset knowing he was a year old and still biting my hands whenever I tried to scratch his ears or pet his head. I thought he would never let me show him affection. It really worried me because the kids loved playing with him and he got so excited that he would start nipping at everyone. In his mind, he was playing. But in reality he was leaving war wounds.
Yours will eventually grow out of it if you are consistent with the "discipline". Firmly saying "NO BITE!" and then walking away. He'll get the picture that he is being ostracized from the group due to his behavior. Good luck! :)
Fatboy aka Stinky :)
I really appreciate your
I really appreciate your response. You're right, he's his own dog,lol. I have to keep that in mind.
glad to know another bully was a biter for awhile too. Gives me hope. Ha. Thanks!
the bully in your sig pic is gorgeous,btw
Jen
henry and Pipkin
great pics -esp of the 2 of
great pics -esp of the 2 of you sitting together,love it!!!
smoochies the scrunchy face
I really love the 1st one. I took that pic when my husband had
just sat down to relax; Fatboy went to join him. It looks like they're having male bonding time :)
Fatboy aka Stinky :)
We have a biter too
Our guy will be 1 in about a week and he will do the play biting as well. Someone told us to go to Petsmart and get bitters. I think it's apple bitters and it's a spray. Once he starts biting we put in on our arm or hand or where he is biting and it only took a few times before he realized he didn't like the taste and stopped biting. Now he bites only once in awhile and if we even hold the bottle of bitters he stops biting for the night. It really made a difference for us.
Thanks for your response! We
Thanks for your response! We did that when he was little and chewing us constantly,too! He doesn't bite repeatedly now,it's just like how he tells someone to leave him alone. I'm not sure how to teach him to give a growl or something if he wants to be left alone. I guess it's going to come with age! Thank you, and your little swimmer is too cute!
Jen
henry and Pipkin