Any temperament description you see about bulldogs will let you know they’re pretty laid back, gentle, and loving. This is typically true of the adult bulldog. However, this doesn’t account for bulldog puppies, which are energetic. At any rate, you shouldn’t mistake ‘docile’ and ‘laid-back’ with ‘well mannered.’ Bulldogs, like any other dogs, need to be taught how to behave when there are guests around. You will quickly learn that dogs, very much like children, tend to act out around houseguests due to the excitement.

Keeping All Four Paws on the Ground

Dogs have a tendency to jump to meet new people. This is natural, as they want to be level with the guest that’s entering their domain. You may notice that your bulldog is a very intelligent pup and quickly picks up on how you want to be treated. Your bulldog will also quickly pick up on anyone who’s willing to let it get away with anything. In this respect, you will have to train your guests a bit. It’s important for your bulldog to understand that manners are universal with every human, and not just its own pack leader. For this reason, have friends over and instruct them to not be afraid to tell the bulldog no. Also, back them up and say it yourself as well to reinforce the guests’ command.

Walking in The Door

Your bulldog is a great watch dog and can even be a protective guardian over you and your family. It’s important for you to develop a level of communication with your bulldog so it understands to take its cues from you. You want your bulldog to feel threatened when you feel threatened, and also pick up the proper cues on an invitation to walk inside, and properly allow a guest to do so. First you need to teach your pup to back up, sit, and stay. Make sure you have it down to the point where the pup won’t move until told he/she can do so. Then, you want to apply this to a knock at the door. Have a friend come over to help you. When the friend knocks your bulldog will likely run right to the door and maybe even start barking. This is totally normal. You want to tell the bulldog to back up, sit, and stay. He will be excited and may break the hold as soon as you open the door. When this happens, close the door and give the bulldog a firm “no.” The bulldog doesn’t get to greet the guest (its reward) until it successfully stays. Keep doing this until the bulldog understands not to move until you say it’s okay.

Begging for Food

It’s pretty common that those who have houseguests over will eat at some point. For this reason it’s important to teach your dog good manners. First, be sure to always have a bone or toy in the room that your bulldog loves. This will be used to divert attention. Just like with the paws on the ground, you’ll want to team up with the guest to make the rule universal, and not just apply to you. The guest should tell the dog no, and you should reinforce it and then redirect the dog to the toy.  If you really want to be successful set the dining room as off limits at all times. It will recognize this rule when you’re having a dinner party and leave your guests in peace. Also, never feed your dog table scraps when you’re eating. This will help it understand the difference between people food and its own food, so it doesn’t feel entitled to the food you and your guests eat.

Photo credit: Andrea Arden/Flickr