Scared bully

TanyaB

Hi all. I got a new puppy about 3 months ago. I got him when he was 6 weeks. He is an extremely scared dog. He is very comfortable with our other dogs but anything else he is extremely frightened. He wont go out when the other dogs are barking, scared of plastic bags, loed sounds, remote control cars, We dont understand this. This is not at all normal bullterrier behaviour. My female bullterrier is not like this at all and very confident like they should be. Any advice?

BulliesofNC

It's saddens me to say this but the reason why he is so scared is mostly due to the way the breeders cared for him and raised him. The most important part of a puppies development within character and temperament is between 6-8 weeks. It is at this time all the playing and fighting they do with their sibblings helps teach them many things to include confidence, tolerance, patience, acceptance, etc. During this important phase puppies should socializing with their sibblings and hopefully with their parents and other dogs.
Unfortunately your breeder was obviously in too much of a rush to get rid of his or her puppies thus robbing the puppies of developing proper character and temperament. Future traits of Dog aggression are often seen within Bully Breeds for those puppies taken prematurely from their litter mates without afforded the opportunity to develop properly mentally.
The best thing you could at this point would be to find a friend or relative who has a docile and well behaved dog that your puppy could interact with. In the event you know of anyone that has a puppy around the same age that would be good too. It is not normal for a Bull Terrier puppy to be scared or timid unless they remained in a whelping box without proper love and attention from their breeder. Your puppy went through a lot of stress and anxiety at an early age of 6 weeks old when he was taken from his mother and litter mates and brought to whole new environment. Feel lucky because it isn't uncommon for a young puppy who's only 6 weeks old to become sick and depressed and stop eating food causing a quick downhill spiral.
As you will find through internet research, taking a puppy away from siblings and their comfort zone at 6 weeks of age can have damaging psychological effects which you are noticing with your puppy now. Take the time to slowly introduce him to other dogs. Bring him for walks. Try to concentrate on things that provide him with more self confidence. My worry would be about ill effects caused from obvious stress and anxiety. One worry would be weakening his immune system which can cause many health concerns. You may wish to provide him with a supplement to boost his immune system.
There's plenty of hope for him if you invest time into him. It's good that he's in your hands now where he can get the attention he deserves.

TanyaB

Thanks for the advice. My female is 4 now and I also got her at 6 weeks. Her behaviour is like a bullterrier should be. The 3 month male and my female get on extremely well and they play a lot. He is very confident with her but scared of the things mentioned in previous post. Even when walking with him he is very bullterrier, showing he is macho when walking past other dogs etc.

BulliesofNC

I'm happy to hear you're older Bull Terrier had no negative effects by being taken from her siblings prematurely. Out of curiosity, how well does your adult female get along with other new and unfamiliar adult dogs? I recall you mentioning her being a little aggressive towards your Fox Terrier and wondered what she might be like to another dog she doesn't even know and been raised with.
I'm confident the more and more you're taking the new pup out on walks the more he'll gain confidence with noises and new surroundings. Just give him some time and a lot of praise for when he does good during his walks. I think it's great he's got a Big sister to pal around with. I would love to see some updated photos of your Bullies.

TanyaB

Hi. I have to admit that I have not exposed my female to any adult dogs as she is very dominant with other dogs since my male passed away. The situation with the foxterrier I figured out. She actuallt tries to play with the foxterrier and the foxterrier os very bitchy so she bite my bullterrier in the face so my bullterrier then bites back. That situation seems sorted now and no incidents again. But this situation with the puppy is unusual as I have never had a bullterrier that was not confident

BulliesofNC

I've seen Bull Terriers that were timid and shy when away from their elements of familiarity. There are many Bull Terrier puppies that will get spooked easily during walks as cars pass by or other loud noises startle them. However, as they grow and mature their fears often go away especially with training and patience.