Bulldogs World

There are some things that bully's tend to be skiddish of across the board, one of these is brooms..
weird.
Stella can get skiddish if a loud noise happens directly behind her - however it depends on the noise.

I would consider either doing some training with her that you could do or get a trainer to do.
to acclimatize her to noises.

I am sure others will have advice for you too.

(p.s. Stella says give her "cousin" domino a big Bully kiss)

Tiffany and Stella


http://albertabulldogrescue.blogspot.com/

hi tiff. we have discussed training forsure, but she runs away from everyone. she doesnt come hang out with us and receive affection. she paces and paces around until i put her in her cage where she will just chill and relax. is that normal? does stella run to you for love and affection? dakota comes when shes called and loves affection. im the only one she will let hug and kiss and cuddle. while i dont mind that, michael and the kids also want to love her.

Tanya & Michael

Stella isn't overly affectionate - but she definitely comes when she's called.
I think it depends on the personality of the dog.
Many bullies do not do well in homes with small children, because the energy level is just too high.



http://albertabulldogrescue.blogspot.com/

ya i am figuring that out. when we have cadence her stress level is heightened. we tell her to not to run at domino or make sudden movements. she usuallys stays in her cage or outside and hides behind our tree lol. shes so cute, but we are definately going to get her some training classes. at the very least we need her to come when called. she doesnt

Tanya & Michael

My mom, gets something for Minnie because she is scared of thunderstorms.. I think its called rescue remedy also here's some tips:

Get your dog to lie on its side and give it a thorough massage.
As you massage, let your dog smell lavender oil, which can induce a calming effect. Repeat this practice once a day over a few days.
Obtain a "sound effects" CD that plays noises like a rainstorm or fireworks. Play the CD at low volume while giving the massage and letting your dog sniff lavender oil. Gradually turn up the volume every few days.
The next time a loud event occurs in the neighborhood, such as a thunderstorm, massage your dog and bring the lavender oil up to its nose.
If your dog continues to display signs of anxiety in response to noisy stimuli, don't reinforce the behavior by giving a treat, coddling or reassuring your dog with sympathetic words.

Instead, try to ignore the behavior; act happily and fearlessly. Praise and reward the dog with a treat when it displays signs of confidence and noise tolerance.

Instead of a sound effects CD, introduce a white noise of some kind (a noisy fan, for example), the volume of which you can gradually increase over time to desensitize your dog.
Try counterconditioning: If your dog enjoys a car ride, take it for a spin during a loud event so that it associates the noise with something it likes to do.
Arrange for a play date with other dogs on a day when you know a loud event is coming. Your dog may be so busy having fun that the noises won't bother it.
Consider alternative forms of therapy, including acupuncture and chiropractic treatments.
Forecasting future fears
It is possible for dogs to outgrow these fears of loud noises if you work with them regularly, Lee said. "But the truth is that some dogs will always need some form of medical or behavioral therapy to cope with these issues.''

Tiff


http://albertabulldogrescue.blogspot.com/

great. thanks tiff. im glad we joined this forum. i think it will help us alot

Tanya & Michael

indicate abuse with all that cowering or at the very least a dog who was not given affection. She seems like aybe was not socialized well.

my Ollie is afraid of everything too and we've had him since he was 10 weeks old and he's never been abused, in fact, he's treated better than our kids were lol. He's afraid of aluminum foil being ripped out of the container, afraid of plastic store bags, the vacuum, the mop, the rake, and on and on. God forbid anything is out of place or anything changes in his world. He will bark and charge at it until he accepts it. Sometimes it's just their personality. If she's not aggressive (fear aggression can be a huge problem) I would just try to keep her environment as calm and normal as possible. She sounds like a sweetie.

Kathy, Ollie and Chester

thats the thing. were not sure anything of her last home. we werent given many details but were certain she wasnt socialized all that well. its definately the cowering that concerns us : (


Tanya & Michael

Mine don't do that either (well not all the time). But it has nothing to do with cowering....if I may use the term I hate "It's a bulldog thing". LOL! I have been known to use the treat/cookie word and the clinking of the cookie jar lid to get them to come in the house.

If she doesn't come...go to her with a treat. Encourage her come a few steps to you and give her the treat. Continue to back away and as she comes forward continue to treat her and praise her with happy happy voice. If you are consistent she will eventually trust you enough to start coming.

She is going to need lots of love, kindness, time and patience. I've been around lots of kennel dogs in my life time and I would bet she was a kennel dog. She may never come around completely..but if you have patience she will be so much better off. If she wasn't raised in a busy house with children this is all very strange and new to her.

Good luck and thanks for providing her a home, I hope it is forever.

affectionate, right? That is what worries me about this poor dog...seems very anti-social, as if she has never had affection.

socializaion/life experience/abuse or neglect. Dogs can be born that way. Lots of studies have been done on the genetic components of timid behavior.

Whether Domino's is genetic or caused by life, the behavior modification program to help her would be the same, it's only the long term outcome that may vary. There are a lot of things that you can do to teach her to become braver, less reactive to novel stimuli, create different coping skills etc., but I think its best if you get some one on one instruction with a trainer that uses positive methods. You can go to apdt.com to find someone close to you.

In the meantime, dogwise.com has a ton of books/dvds available on working with fearful/timid dogs.

Good luck with her.

Need any help, you can e-mail me.

Lynn King CPDT

i definately have the patience for her and do not plan on letting her go. while she is a challenge, she is very loved. we did in fact find out some history on her today and she was abused with a lack of socializtion so coming into our household would definately require some patience. she went from a one person affection to a family of ppl who come and go along with kids. with know knowing the facts, i am actually more motivated to help her. she is a keeper : )

Tanya & Michael

hi tiff. well we found out today what we have suspected. domino was abused and left in a bedroom without human interaction. the mother loved her, but the husband was NOT an animal lover. he didnt allow to be present when he was home. she was let out during the day but when the husband got home at 4 she had to be put in a bedroom. i was so mortified but it makes so much sense. now we move forward on helping to socialize and make her feel safe. thanks for all your help.

Tanya & Michael

hi lynn,

thanks for the info. i will definately look through those sites as some one on one training is urgent.

Tanya & Michael

we have such cases fairly often. I will tell you this. It can take MANY months for her to trust you and a lot of work but it sounds like you can and want to do it! She is fairly young so while you cannot erase what has happened you can open doors for her to trust humans and gain confidence.

Once she is confident these problems will lessen!



www.midatlanticbulldogrescue.com

I love to hear it, so much to learn from you!

www.midatlanticbulldogrescue.com