Velcro Dog
So it's day 5 of having Icarus home and things are going pretty well. I was expecting him to be a little more aloof and not really care what I was up to because he would be busy getting into trouble on his own. It's actually been pretty impossible for him to get into anything because he spends all of his time when I am home staring at me, or being in my lap. I am not sure if being clingy is something that's common with this breed, or it's a manifestation of some separation anxiety (which I know can be common in shelter dogs). It's very hard for him to do anything else if I am not within sight, or if I leave (and by leave I mean walk away to sit down or do something else in the same room). Even if I put his food down he'll stop after a few bites to check where I have gone, and sometimes I have to even lead him back to the bowl and put my hand in it for him to start eating again because he'll just stare at me. I don't mind him following me around, but it just seems weird that he doesn't want to play or eat if I walk away.
We're working on clicker training (with a flashlight) and I know in the When Pigs Fly book she talks about treating dogs for being calm around the house. I was thinking when he does take it into his head to go play with a toy without me, or go lay down and not stare at me I should treat him. I just want to encourage him and let him know he doesn't have to stare at me all day. I don't mind him being attentive if I get up and walk around, but I am a student so I will have to study and I would hope that during that time he would be able to go do his own thing and not be bored just staring at me. With him being deaf I do want to encourage him to look at me frequently and check in, but I also want him to be able to go play on his own. This isn't me wanting to be able to ignore him, I take him out a ton and do try and play with him. I am just worried that this is anxiety and not just normal dog attentiveness.
The second thing is barking. Overall he is a very quiet dog, even when he sees people and dogs on walks he doesn't make a sound. However, if I am not paying attention to him and he is getting excited he will start barking (to this I just ignore him until he stops, then I will go interact). I do have a baby gate up so he can't go mess with the cat box or get onto my bed. This is also the area that has my closet and where I get dressed so I'm going to have to be over there without him (I'm not sure that I'll ever let him in that area honestly too much stuff to chew). When I go over there he'll generally start barking, then start chewing on the baby-gate, and then try and crawl over it. I know that the advice is to ignore behaviors you don't like, but it's hard to ignore the chewing or crawling over. How do I address this properly?
I was also thinking of trying to work on treating him for interacting with his toys. His favorite toy seems to be my hands. I have been good at redirecting him on the couch to a nylabone, but I would like him to start enjoying playing with actual toys. He'll occasionally chase a tennis ball around, and will sometimes play tug with me. Those games usually only last about 3 minutes tops. So do y'all think clicking and treating him when he does mess with toys is going to be helpful?
We're working on clicker training (with a flashlight) and I know in the When Pigs Fly book she talks about treating dogs for being calm around the house. I was thinking when he does take it into his head to go play with a toy without me, or go lay down and not stare at me I should treat him. I just want to encourage him and let him know he doesn't have to stare at me all day. I don't mind him being attentive if I get up and walk around, but I am a student so I will have to study and I would hope that during that time he would be able to go do his own thing and not be bored just staring at me. With him being deaf I do want to encourage him to look at me frequently and check in, but I also want him to be able to go play on his own. This isn't me wanting to be able to ignore him, I take him out a ton and do try and play with him. I am just worried that this is anxiety and not just normal dog attentiveness.
The second thing is barking. Overall he is a very quiet dog, even when he sees people and dogs on walks he doesn't make a sound. However, if I am not paying attention to him and he is getting excited he will start barking (to this I just ignore him until he stops, then I will go interact). I do have a baby gate up so he can't go mess with the cat box or get onto my bed. This is also the area that has my closet and where I get dressed so I'm going to have to be over there without him (I'm not sure that I'll ever let him in that area honestly too much stuff to chew). When I go over there he'll generally start barking, then start chewing on the baby-gate, and then try and crawl over it. I know that the advice is to ignore behaviors you don't like, but it's hard to ignore the chewing or crawling over. How do I address this properly?
I was also thinking of trying to work on treating him for interacting with his toys. His favorite toy seems to be my hands. I have been good at redirecting him on the couch to a nylabone, but I would like him to start enjoying playing with actual toys. He'll occasionally chase a tennis ball around, and will sometimes play tug with me. Those games usually only last about 3 minutes tops. So do y'all think clicking and treating him when he does mess with toys is going to be helpful?
Comments
Despite all of those astounding similarities between Bull Terriers, they still do have different characters, energy levels and different amounts of “mischief genes” in their blood.
Also every owner is different, which is why there’s no such thing as a patent rule on how to train a Bull Terrier.
Only one thing is for sure, they DO thrive with consistency, training and education, because they want you as a role model to look up to and rely on.
He is probably partly watching you a lot, because that’s just what Bull Terriers do. They study us to learn our ways.
Another part may be the fact that he is deaf, so he has to rely on watching his environment.
I consider it a good sign that he is paying so much attention to you. I guess it makes it a lot easier to get his attention during training even though he is deaf.
I really love the book “When pigs fly” and it has helped me big time, when Djamila was a puppy. Also I really love the principle behind education through positive reinforcement.
Yet, I am pretty sure that you will probably figure out soon that Clicker Training is not the answer to everything - especially not when you own a Bull Terrier.
Sometimes a combination of several different methods, also measures causing a little more immediate effects than the “simulated way of experiencing and learning” with a clicker, just proves to be more effective in everyday life.
I your case, for example, you may find that physical measures (e.g. pinning) combined with the appropriate facial expression may be helpful now and then, when he gets nippy and doesn’t seem to be able to calm down on his own.
Bull Terriers go through a looooooooooong phase of adolescence and your cutie is right in the middle of it. He is still a puppy and his rambunctious runs and ways of playing will probably last a while longer. If I were you, I’d try and use every single one of those undesired behaviors as a chance to not only show him what I like, but also what I don’t like.
Ignoring them is a way, indeed. But also actively showing your disapproval will fall on fruitful ground and may shorten the time until he understands, I can promise you that.
Bull Terriers are roughnecks, even when they are just in a good mood.
Especially when it comes to bruises and broken skin from his sharp teeth, quicker ways of learning than just ignoring the behavior will also help you to not look like you got into a street fight all the time.
Regarding the toys and playing on his own, if you did not figure this out already, I can tell you that Bull Terriers are very “interactive”.
Many of them tend to destroy toys (chewing for example) when left alone with them. Or they will not touch the toys unless one of their humans engages, too. Living in an apartment adds limitations to your possibilities of providing diversion to your dog he can entertain himself with. Also some dogs just don’t like toys that much.
All this leaves you with a chance that your dog may just not start to play on his own.
You can try and steer things in a certain direction with reinforcement and providing toys. But the decision whether he likes to play with toys or not will ultimately be made by him.
Djamila did play on her own with toys when little. But I had to teach her not to destroy them and after a while her playtimes on her own shrunk to just now and then, while she became more and more ready to interact with us and became really demanding with that.
I consider her a very hyperactive dog. Until today (now 2 1/2 yrs) she sometimes needs help with calming.
Trying to just exercise her enough until she is really drained and tired does not help at all, because it will only lead to her wanting more after a brief break.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying a Bull Terrier does not need exercise, they DO need a frequent outlet for their energy!!!
But in some of them also their overactive minds need additional measures to get those to calm down.
Therefore I have started early to focus on rewarding her for calm behavior and introduced calming games.
Also I have established a very steady routine of 40-60 minutes us playing together outside with her ball. During this time she gets my full attention and she is looking forward to this time every day.
I have a feeling like this routine is helping her to accept that - despite working in a home office - I cannot be available for her entertainment all the time.
Dogs love to know what’s coming and they love routines and schedules. “Marker events” make it easier for them to go through their day. For example, once playtime outside is over, Djamila knows that she will not that easily be able to engage me again in any other activity.
On some days she tries a little harder and becomes very demanding.
I then order her to sit down on her bed and make her wait. Only after she did that for a while without bugging me, I will play another short round of tug o’ war with her, cuddle or do a little training (she loves that!).
After that her “program” is done for the day and she will likely stop bugging me or at least be easier to stop in case she tries again.
I also do a lot of trick training with the clicker, which I find very beneficial to challenge her mentally and balance her in a calmer fashion than the ball games.
Providing her with chewy treats - in our case rawhide - helped a lot to redirect her energy and drain it a little when she was younger.
Barking
When Djamila started to bark excessively - either to get attention or at the tiniest noise outside in the evening, because she was still overexcited and could not calm down, I decided to teach her to be quiet on command or a hand signal.
First I had to teach her to bark on command, which actually was the harder part, because triggering it on purpose wasn’t such an easy task.
She has now settled a little with the barking, is not that overexcited all the time anymore.
Also when she starts barking, thanks to the training it has become a lot easier now that I can tell/ show her that I don’t want her to bark. It’s not a complete “off-switch” - does not prevent her from going off again - but it helps to shorten the barking.
In another post of yours I read about a vet talking to you about “problems” this dog will have. Which kind of problems did the vet refer to?
If the vet was referring to health problems, sure, there are a few things to consider.
The most important thing is to have your little one on good quality nutrition (grain-free plus supplements) in order to strengthen his immune system and give him a chance to fight all kinds of internal and external influences.
This will reduce the risk of allergies and other skin ailments. There are also some other weak spots, such as the kidneys, for example. But I guess he has been checked thoroughly by a vet and if nothing suspicious has faced right now, everything else only time will tell. Still, just because he is a rescue that does not necessarily mean that he will develop any health problems under proper care.
As for behavioral issues, maybe the vet referred to the strong mindset of the Bull Terrier. Sure, they are challenging. But I think to tell people that they are “problematic” just sends the wrong message. Because with proper education and a consistent owner, who has the will to stay on top of things, these dogs will grow into the most wonderful, devoted and loyal pets.
Welcome to the forum and all the best for you and your little guy!