Any advice for 3 month old puppy
Hi all
Been going through some of the previous comments that have been put on here but really need to ask for any advice please.
My wife and myself got an eight week old puppy three weeks ago and she was quite well behaved to begin with, but over the past week/ten days, she has become a nightmare.
Her biggest problems are walking outside and biting.
The biting has been getting worse, despite doing all the things normally associated with changing the behaviour of the puppy.
You name it, we've probably ticked the boxes. Deflection to a soft toy or chew; saying no; turning our back on her; removing her from our space; placing her in her crate; placing her in another room and leaving her there for a few minutes; bad taste spray. It just doesn't stop her, I understand she will be teething but nothing stops her. So much so, yesterday when my wife was at home, the dog seemed to go into full on psycho mode. Despite trying to stop her and remove her from being on or near her, the puppy got some of my wives hair and pulled it out of her head and then continued to bite without showing any empathy or mercy to the pain and upset my wife was suffering. The puppy just thought it was a big game.
We know about the second inoculation rule planned for next week, but she is becoming aggressive and destructive, so we are talking outside for walks and maintaining a strong look out, so she doesn't sniff or come into contact with anything that might give her problems.
That raises the second problem. She will just sit down and point blank refuse to move. Apart from pulling and dragging her (which we don't do), she won't move. Sometimes we pick her up and move her a short distance away but then sometimes she plays nice and walks, sometimes totally refuses. Last week we had her walking on two separate walks and she clocked up over two miles walked, all perfectly and like the best dog in the world. When we take her out so she can do her business, she will normally work. Sometimes she will refuse to move, but that's been getting much better recently. But she just won't go for a walk that involves going away from her home.
We are not first time dog owners and so are well aware of what looking a puppy/dog is all about, but she is driving us totally mad and it's making us regret getting her, which is so sad. When she is being behaved, she is a wonderful little puppy and that is about 90% of the time. Just that 10% of pure demon makes us forget about the good side with her.
Any comments or advice is greatly appreciated.
Been going through some of the previous comments that have been put on here but really need to ask for any advice please.
My wife and myself got an eight week old puppy three weeks ago and she was quite well behaved to begin with, but over the past week/ten days, she has become a nightmare.
Her biggest problems are walking outside and biting.
The biting has been getting worse, despite doing all the things normally associated with changing the behaviour of the puppy.
You name it, we've probably ticked the boxes. Deflection to a soft toy or chew; saying no; turning our back on her; removing her from our space; placing her in her crate; placing her in another room and leaving her there for a few minutes; bad taste spray. It just doesn't stop her, I understand she will be teething but nothing stops her. So much so, yesterday when my wife was at home, the dog seemed to go into full on psycho mode. Despite trying to stop her and remove her from being on or near her, the puppy got some of my wives hair and pulled it out of her head and then continued to bite without showing any empathy or mercy to the pain and upset my wife was suffering. The puppy just thought it was a big game.
We know about the second inoculation rule planned for next week, but she is becoming aggressive and destructive, so we are talking outside for walks and maintaining a strong look out, so she doesn't sniff or come into contact with anything that might give her problems.
That raises the second problem. She will just sit down and point blank refuse to move. Apart from pulling and dragging her (which we don't do), she won't move. Sometimes we pick her up and move her a short distance away but then sometimes she plays nice and walks, sometimes totally refuses. Last week we had her walking on two separate walks and she clocked up over two miles walked, all perfectly and like the best dog in the world. When we take her out so she can do her business, she will normally work. Sometimes she will refuse to move, but that's been getting much better recently. But she just won't go for a walk that involves going away from her home.
We are not first time dog owners and so are well aware of what looking a puppy/dog is all about, but she is driving us totally mad and it's making us regret getting her, which is so sad. When she is being behaved, she is a wonderful little puppy and that is about 90% of the time. Just that 10% of pure demon makes us forget about the good side with her.
Any comments or advice is greatly appreciated.
Comments
Read, ask questions, familiarize yourself with the breed. Maybe try to meet with other Bull Terrier owners.
Not wanting to walk, nipping and biting, destructive behavior ... you just own the textbook Bull Terrier puppy. And you are expecting results (changes in behavior) way too soon!
I sincerely hope that you will be able to keep up and not end up hating your dog. They are a handful and as an owner you really need to love their free spirit, their hard heads and their independent thinking. And you need to be willing and able to handle that. If you do so using firm, loving and consistent guidance they will develop into awesome dogs.
If you feel really desperate and try to find the help of a trainer FIND one who is familiar with the breed. Or chances are you will hear statements such as "this dog is completely untrainable" - which is absolut nonsense. They ARE trainable. They just need a little longer than other dogs in some cases, which is not because they are dumb. Yet quite the opposite. They are smart and have their own ideas and minds that need to be channeled.
They are also not evil or try to tease or hurt you. Everything that happens that you don't like is because they don't know any better - yet! The owners have to teach the rules with patience and consistency.
Sorry for not providing more detailed advice fitting to your situation. But, honestly, I don't know where to start other than advising you to quickly gather as much info about the breed as you can.
And as you are already in it head over heels ... learn by doing.
Good luck!
Well done
I was so tempted to offer my $0.02 but it would have come out all wrong.
Nice one Djammy.
If biting and chewing things in the house is an issue try to keep her areas clear of anything she could destroy and full of things she CAN have, praising her when she is chewing on something that is hers.
When we first got our girl she wanted to constantly tackle my children and myself. I had to teach my children now to kneel down or bend over around her because that just made her pounce. It is a learning experience for all in the house and it does get better. Take it little by and little and celebrate every success. Nothing revolutionary here, just what worked for us
As far as walking we have an older dog that she follows everywhere (which he absolutely hates). I have had to walk her by herself several times, and I just fill a zip lock bag full of kibble that keeps her attention on me (and lots of coaxing) . Anyway I posted more or less to let you know your not alone. I read gobs of threads to realize this is just the way EBT's are and things will get better (which made us enjoy her more) Best of luck and keep us updated !!
Djammy - You are right, we are first time EBT owners, so we were worrying she was being a potential canine terrorist, it's good to know she is being just a normal bully pup
Strangely, over the weekend, something strange has happened. We have managed three walks outside, for around half a mile (or slightly more) and she has been right up for them. So small changes, something we can be happy to see and can't wait for the changes to continue to happen as she grows older.
It seems that there is a universal line for EBT's. As puppies, there are very hard work but once you get over that time, as long as you have been consistent, they become fantastic, loyal, fun dogs to have.
They are a handful when pups and remember I had twins
But at 17 months besides their continued arguing between the two of them they are a joy and very obedient
In the woods they are very responsive and intelligent and really want to please
Patience and a firm loving hand will rule the day
Nothing in my mind is as noble as to take a dog that needs a home and give it one
Good on you for being that person
As for the fighting you have to stay on it and discourage it vigilantly
Even my boy and girl that are brothers and sisters take turns being real jerks
They will scrap over attention ...bones etc
The only time test there is never an issue is when we are rolling in the woods being busy
Keeping their attention on other things and not each other is always a good thing
Keep them busy and as they mature it should hopefully subside
At the first sight of them getting into it show your disdain for it firmly and consistently
I can stop mine by just raising my voice most times and when they do get in it they sound like Godzilla and it’s rare that one gets bite
A big thank you to @Djammy @JParanee @Neil @kstorck for your advice
Our bully has indeed lived up to the normal bully standard
The biting has disappeared except when she wants to play, but that's a puppy thing and I can go with it. At the time, her biting was very aggressive. As you all said, it's just not knowing the limits and expectations.
The walking outside issue, we have found out what the problem is. She is a fair weather dog. If it's windy or wet/raining, then it's a case of good luck with that. If it's dry and sunny, pack a lunch and be prepared to be out for hours!
She has demonstrated good social skills, both with dogs and people. Cat's are a different story, they don't exist to her. Call it her blindness element
She is now four months old and the difference from when I posted my first message and today is amazing. We can see the potential dog she will become and agree with the comments that they can become such terrific dogs.
For anyone daunted by their bully puppy and think "have we done the right thing" or "will this behaviour stop", with our experiences so far, I can say to you, yes it will. I know we have more to come, teething being the next bit of fun.
To give you an idea, she weighed in at just over 10kilos at 3.5 months.
I've attached a pic of the terror, and yes, she does have a strange thing on her leg. Just after my first message, she decided to try her superman skills from the back of the sofa. Result - Gravity 1 Bully 0. It resulted in a spiral fracture of the tibia. She's back to four legs now, all unbandaged and ready to go.