6 month old male Bull Terrier nipping other dog what is the correct way to stop this?

Bullylover2013

My 6 month old male Bull Terrier has been nipping my female Bulldog. He just started this whole nipping her thing and just seems to like to agitate her even when she yelps at him or growls at him. I give him a loud no and grab his muzzle and hold it shut. Is this the correct way to train him not to nip her? He has completed puppy training class and is enrolled in beginner obedience classes at the end of this month. He is a super high energy Bull terrier So I try to walk him daily which he hates to do especially on the street so I take him to the human park to walk. I want to burn more of his energy off any suggestions? I play fetch with his rope in the yard for a good 20 minutes or until he doesnt want to play anymore. He shows no signs of aggression toward any adults, kids, or other dogs just started this nipping my female bulldog and humping his bed. Thanks

Soapskid

Don't ever think its aggression and don't let other tell you the same. Bullies are just high energy and of course bullies but they are all play. Spud still does this but not as frequent anymore at 8 months. It took socializing him through puppy socials at 3 months and dog park daily from 4.5 months until now. I don't go every day to the dog park now that Spud is willing to walk with me for any amount of miles until he's tired but I do take him 2-4 times a week.

I've been doing a lot of off leash at the beach now and will have pictures tomorrow.

BulliesofNC

At 6 months of age your Bullie is going through some hormonal changes and during this time they can be turds. They know that what they're doing is wrong but they've also found out that the consquences may not be all that bad in regard to discipline. So they will continue to press the envelop and get away with as much havoc as they can raise.
Reading through other discussions in the "Bull Terrier Training and Obedience" section of the forum you may have read about the practice of "Pinning" the dog or puppy to show them your dominance over them as well as them getting a clear picture that you are unhappy with their behavior which won't be tolerated. The procedure is simple: the next time your Bullie gets out of line and doesn't listen to you when you tell him "No" instantly grab him and pin him to the ground so he is on his side. He may and try to wiggle out or get mad but in a short amount of time being held there with you saying "No" so he knows your upset he will soon realize you have out-powered him, he has no way of escaping, and that he is no longer in control. The only he has left to do is submit. Once he settles down and submits let him go and you should see an immediate look of embarrassment on his face as well as hurt feelings. Most likely he will long for your attention by trying to gain your love again because Bull Terriers will have their feelings hurt if they know you're upset with them. Don't give in to the cute face. He needs to learn when he is out of line and when you are very angered with his behavior.
Yes, eventually he will test the waters again but after a repeat incident of being pinned he will soon realize his actions are only getting him into trouble which in turn is preventing him from getting the positive love and attention he strives for from you. It's going to take some time and he's got about another 6 months worth of puppy antics that will test your patience by acts of hyper activity, stubbornness, and just plain rotten acts. However, once he matures you will see him lose those bad habits, with continued training, and become much better behaved, loyal, and obedient.

Bullylover2013

Thanks so much for the advice I will begin pinning him down like you said. I did in the past submit him on his back and hold him down with my hand in a biting manner on the side of his neck until he stopped moving when he was acting out like no other. Is there anything I can do since I am the pack leader and want my Bulldog in the number 2 position and then him in last position? I know he wants to be higher up than my Bulldog how can I prevent this? Also around what age will he start to walk down the street peacefully or are some Bull Terriers never good walkers except in open areas and fields? And he is super picky about eating is this common at 6 months of age? Thanks again

apollosmama

Can't add anything else about the nipping, but if you want to have your bulldog #2 then feed her before you feed your ebt! She has to prove her status though. That's all I got! B-)

philsergeant

Oh! Such perfect EBT questions... Because they are typical of all Bullies....
1) the first rule of fight club is.... There is no other Alpha but you... Both your baby and your Bulldog need to know that, ... There's you and there's everyone else, no favoritism no second place, .. Neither of them must disrespect each other the same way they both must respect you.... If you try and place an order between them that'll just create competition between them.... There's King Henry and then there's peasants... That's it.
[ others will have the opinion that you can create an hierarchy, and I respect that, but don't believe it].
The fact that he is respectful of kids and other dogs is proof that you are acclimatizing him well and he knows the basic rules.
2) if you take young Bullie to the park or fields or wherever he loves to be, he will learn to love exploring, smelling and watering mailbox posts, and after he is seven or eight he'll enjoy walking your neighborhood streets just as much... But don't take away the big outings because he'll get bored.
3) you have to tell us what you're feeding him for us to form an opinion as to whether its "boring"... I'm sure it isn't but we need a starting point on that subject.
4) on the discipling techniques, of course, Steve is the spot-on guru.

apollosmama

Phil, I never quite thought of #1 in that way!

philsergeant

Apollosmama... You mean the King Henry thingy?

apollosmama

Yes. I never had issues with my shepherds and dominance, so I never had to think about it before. When we got Apollo, I was reading an article about dominant breeds. The main thing was feeding schedule. Humans first, oldest k-9, next k-9 and so on. I never thought, "I am the king and no matter who came first, I'm still the king". It's just a good way of looking at it. Like, will dog one try and dominate me because I let him dominate dog 2?

Bullylover2013

Great information I always make sure to eat first then feed my Bulldog and then my little guy. I always walk through the door first and always make them sit for food, treats, my attention, and toys I always practice nilf. I am currently feeding my little guy nutrisource adult chicken and I always have to mix in yogurt fruits or treats to get him to eat all his food which is 2 cups in the morning and 2 cups in the evening. He is just so damn picky about eating his food but has no problems eating anything else I give him. I am just worried since he is so hyper that he may hurt my bulldog that is 8 years old and does not like to play rough.

philsergeant

Okay, on the food, there's Nutrisource and then there's Nutrisource Grain -Free... I hope you are buying the grain free.... Then there's Adult Chicken and there's Puppy Chicken... I hope you are buying the Puppy Chicken.... They should be on grain-free always, and on Puppy until at least 18 months.... But you need to mix it it up ( slow progression) with raw meats and wet food and veggies, and eggs, and cooked chicken livers and fish, etc. etc. [not all at the same time obviously, but with variety].... Then you will have a decidedly NON-fussy eater.

philsergeant

No rough stuff with Grandpa Bulldog, none. You have to get him to see gramps as a child, you wouldn't let him rough up a kid, ... But you need to try and find him some pals to play with ( not beat up on)... Our neighbours have a 18 month year pit-bull / sumpin mix who literally cries on their driveway for our kids to come over and play... They rough house, romp, do backflips, all sorts of fun but NO biting, they don't even want to, they're having too much fun, and domination is not in their mind.... P.S. remember physical alpha-ship is important but with Bullies they can read mentally whether Charles is in charge!

oscar

Grain free for sure, Oscar gets red when I feed him peanut butter sandwiches lol

Bullylover2013

Sorry about no specifying but he is on the grain free nutrisource chicken formula.

Adrian_29

A good food for dogs for puppies and adults is Diamond Dog food...its inexpensive and they love it.

BulliesofNC

@Adrian_29 - You may want to conduct a little more research on Diamond Dog Food. Diamond makes many different brands of food some of which aren't bad at all. However, the inexpensive food called "Diamond Dog Food" is not grain free and not a healthy choice for Bull Terriers.

Here's some detailed information I recommend you reading: http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/diamond-dog-food-dry/