Help - Bull Terrier attacking my kids

smithlaw

Please help.  My 1yr 3month old female bull terrier has nipped at and hurt my two little girls (now 5yr old and 3 1/2 yr old) since we have had her this past year.  When she was tiny it wasn't as big of a deal and we felt she would grow out of it.  Now however, she weighs 45lbs and she jumps up and gets their arms, legs and even face.  She doesn't do it as much when my wife and I are around.  However, if we leave her unattended she does it.  She isn't growling and being mean but instead it seems she is playing.  We have tried to keep her from doing this and we do not encourage rough play.  My wife witnessed her do the same with a neighbor's dog and my wife said it wasn't like anything she had ever seen.  It is her high prey drive I guess but I don't know what to do at this point.  We are at a point where we are probably going to have to give her away unless some kind of magic tips or training comes along.  Any ideas?

Djammy

Young Bull Terriers jump - and YES 13 months old does count as young - and they go up on people or other dogs - high, because they have springs in their legs. They don't mind rough play, because of their own high pain tolerance. They have hard heads and bodies and think they are indestructible and invincible when young, they love to "kiss" and "grab" - which involves their mouth. All typical, all usually not hostile/ aggressive - but all a bad combination, especially when unattended, around little kids.

What you can do? For now never leave dog and kids alone unattended. Use a short leash at home in order to be able and grab her, BEFORE she goes up.

Watch and catch her in time!
Second thing: Obedience, obedience, obedience - AND enough exercise or rather diversion.
Plus reward calm behavior, so she gets a chance to learn what's desired.
Do not settle on NOT actively encouraging rough play - restrict rough play by ignoring such attempts and giving her time outs.

I may be wrong, but to me your story sounds like you are first timers with EBT's.
If so, maybe grabbing a good book about the breed is also not the worst idea, for example:
https://www.amazon.de/When-Pigs-Fly-Training-Impossible/dp/1929242441

Bull Terriers usually are lovely around kids, once they have grasped how fragile we humans are. It's your task as the owners to teach her.

JParanee

Obedience obedience

Seek training

Get the entire family involved

You don't have a bad dog you have a dog that plays rough

Jbird

Sounds like my pup.. just playing.

kstorck

My pup was king the same thing when we first brought her home around 6 months of age. We have been consistent with her that if she nips she doesn't get to play anymore. It has been just over 2 months and she has improved so much! The times it does happen now is when she is just so excited with playing and I am not in the room. However, I have taught my children that when she seems to be getting overly excited we stop and tell her "be gentle" or "calm down" and she has learned quickly what that means. And if she doesn't do it then they are taken outnof the picture. Seems too simple but it has worked for us and my kids are 5 & 8.
Oh and praising the good interactions like crazy! Treats, toys, hugs, belly rubs have worked wonders too. She loves it when my children rub her belly. She will often collapse at their feet, roll over and just wait.
We are first time EBT owners too and have learned so much in just.2 months.

Neil

Professional in house training for everyone is a good idea.

Young children running around will always stir up a young dog.

I was in the same boat as you many years ago with a different breed, it ended badly.

Please be careful and get professional help. 

smithlaw

Thanks for all of the advice everyone.  Neil - I am not sure how available someone would be around here for training.  Apparently, I have the only EBT that our vet here has seen in the area (Florence, SC).  I have tried the turning the other way, ignoring her when she jumps up, but it doesn't seem to faze her or change anything over time.  The same dog goes to work with me every day and is fine at my office, other than wanting to jump up all of the time.  She rides home in the backseat of the truck between my two daughters in their carseats and never causes problems.  

I downloaded the "When Pigs Fly" book and started it last night.  I will keep reading and see what I can do.  Thanks again everyone.  

Djammy

The new untrained dog is like an unfinished book: It has instincts and typical dog/ breed behavior written in it, but the pages with rules for interaction with humans are blank so far. And we as the owners have to fill that part in - by training.

And knowing about the breed (for example knowing that Bull Terriers are clowns but at the same time rough players and take a looooooong time to mature) is indeed very helpful.

Yet, the most important thing about a new untrained dog in a home with little children is to understand that while training and consistency are important, MANAGING MUST HAVE THE HIGHEST PRIORITY until that training takes effect.
Managing means to not leave things open for an alternative outcome. At this point - and basically in general - YOU are making the decisions for your dog and you don't leave a choice, because choices would leave room for your dog to make the wrong decisions - with very unwanted consequences.

Training is not something that can be mastered in between the chaos of everyday life. That would be like trying to study for an exam on a party.
Training needs an extra timespan and sessions, where the dog gets a calm environment to learn, consistency and the time to comprehend and draw its conclusions. The dog needs time to bond and build trust and respect.
Once the training starts to take some effects, it can be incorporated into everyday life.

But we need to "survive" that period until our book is finished. Survive with our children, other people and ourselves unharmed. We can't expect rational decisions from the dog. We can't expect it - yet - to know that jumping up and nipping is hurting the kids.
Therefore we need to make the decision for our dog and either immediately interrupt or better yet prevent such actions altogether, without expecting the dog to learn anything from it at that moment.

Learning can be done during the training sessions and with adults who don't tip over when the dog jumps up. This is about preventing injury and accidents.

Not leaving the kids alone with the dog, having a separate room or crate ready for time-outs, keeping a collar and maybe a very short lead (just like a handle) on the dog at home at all times to be able and grab it quickly, asking the kids not to run and scream around the dog and to keep their heads up and not bend down in front of the dog, yet still watching the dog and reacting even BEFORE it can finish the planned action (going up e.g.) - that's all part of managing and will hopefully protect your children from tragedy and you will not end up giving up the dog.

I think it is good that you have decided to tackle the problem by learning more about the breed and follow that training idea. But that can only help you in the long run.
Don't forget to take care as well of the things that really need to be done right now to protect your children.

Sorry that I write again and sound like a teacher. But I am a little worried about your kids, to be honest, and I am truly sorry for every dog that has to pay a high price by going through rehoming or even worse euthanasia for mistakes it made and did not even comprehend, because we HUMANS failed to handle things the way it should be in the first place. I hear such stories all too often.

smithlaw

DJAMMY - Thank you for all of the information.  That is very helpful insight and it certainly makes me think about it differently.  Maebelle (my dog) loves my kids and she is perfectly fine riding in the truck in between their car seats whenever we go somewhere.  It is just the chance for the outside play getting rough I think.  I will definitely be limiting those opportunities or be sure I am able to be there the whole time from here on out.  I love Maebelle and want to do anything possible to keep from having to re-home her.  

Thanks again!

Djammy

@smithlaw
I am happy to see that you are able to accept that advice without feeling lectured.
I know how hard things can become when we are confronted with unexpected situations and then have to deal with them - whether we like it or not.

If not familiar with pups of this breed, all of a sudden it can actually feel like we have invited evil in the disguise of a very nice looking dog into our home.
But Bull Terriers are as far away from being evil as any other dog.
It's the combination of their enormous strength which they are not aware of unless we teach them and their almost insatiable curiosity and hunger for fun and life.

But know that your efforts will be rewarded: Once you have made it through your first months and years with a Bull Terrier puppy - with the least collateral damage one can hope for - you will end up owning the most devoted, loving and yes even compliant dog that you can ever imagine.

Once the corners of those little raw diamonds have been smoothed by consistency and training - at around the age of three years - they integrate into the family in such a perfect way that you could easily get hooked to this breed for life. 

philsergeant

Like JParanee said, obedience, obedience, obedience... no substitute for the basics.

Kf2112

Great advice already given. My boy is the same age as your dog and I have an 8 year old daughter who started out fearful of the dog because he nipped her on his first day home with puppy scissor teeth. It was a trying few months to ensure that she was safe at all times. I 100% agree that your children, particularly given their age, should never be alone with the dog. Ever. Even now, we have a safe area for my daughter to get to if Monty decides to have that run around like a madman puppy burn. He is afraid to go up the stairs so she goes to the landing when he does his run around for two minutes. Your kids are too young for that so you need to be on the dog at all time. We were given the advice of a leash around the house as well. When he wants to play inappropriately, we also move to some training techniques to funnel that energy into more positive behaviour. My husband always jokingly says that he is going to be a great 5 year old dog. lol much luck to you.

Djammy

@Kf2112, your husband is almost right about that figure of 5 years. But you probably won't have to wait that long. Usually, around the age of three many Bull Terriers go through an amazing metamorphosis - well actually they do that the entire time - but at that age, it REALLY starts to show.

Our current girl is in her fourth year now and has morphed from a wild and meddlesome teenager into such a considerate, obedient and cuddly lovebug - a 180 degree turn, it's amazing. Thank goodness, she has still keept at least some of her joker attitudes. I'd just miss her little pranks. I'd never want her to completely lose that.

philsergeant

@smithlaw ... How is she coming on????