8 month old barks at other dogs

juanc

Hello, I recently adopted talco when he was 7months old, hes been doing mostly fine, like any other regullar ebt.. he pees and poos outside and is already very dependent on me (only owner), i leave him alone in the house (inside) when I leave to come back and find him the couch with his toes up. He sleeps on my bed somedays but will do ok if left outside for the night (first 10 days he cried outside), he eats well i feed him raw chicken wings, sardines mixed with his food. Im starting to takenhim to the mountain and he enjoys it, i take him to the park and friends house where he runs in the grass, but also some times he can spend 2-4 days with little excercise since incant take him,,

The only problem seems to be with other dogs, at first when i introduce him to other dogs he does fine, always submits to other dogs at first, even to small dogs, he tucks in ears and lowers head, to my friend stafy and sheperd, then they start playing the ball and my dog seems to not pay attention to the game perse but only to the other dog, following him instensely and smelling their parts, then sometimes tries to mount with no stop, and other times he would start looking very sharply to then start barking directly at the other dog very intensely... he barks barks barks jumps around the other dog (being older) tried to punish him runs over to talco and he goes back, back again bark bark bark.. he even did it on a 2 month puppy once,

Pleae let me know what i can do, i know more socializing and i will keep doing, but he has met 5-7 dogs in this month and same barking proboem with all ????

Djammy

Well, in this case I would probably not really think about even more attempts of socializing but rather facing the fact that some Bull Terriers are not very compatible with other dogs.
And I would maybe draw some different conclusions than exposing other dogs to this hostile behavior over and over again.
At eight months he is probably still figuring out his relationship with other dogs.

When my girl was a puppy none of the other dogs in the dogs park wanted to play with her even though she tried so hard and was so sweet.
When she grew older so grew the interest of other dogs in her. But by that time she seemed to have tried enough and start to no longer care about other dogs.
This stage has solidified until today, even though we went to the dog park a million times.
Today, I am very careful with every dog she meets (no more dog park, I usually find the situation there very chaotic and hard to control) because besides a short and hasty greeting she is just no longer really interested in other dogs. And she can become a little bitchy very quickly when feeling bothered by that kind of dogs that just don't know any distance and go all over her in an attempt to play.
It is what it is. She made that decision despite lots of socializing - and I accept it.

Maybe your dog is just one of those Bullies, who are Bullys.
But, even if the case he can lead a happy life! Bull Terriers LOVE people! They don't necessarily need other dogs as long as they get enough of YOU. Maybe, think about that, even better BEFORE your dog comes to different ideas than just barking at and mounting other dogs.

Bull Terriers can be very patient around other dogs and then "out of the blue" snap. The problem is, when they do, things often get serious very fast! Bull Terriers don't retreat. If the other dog fights back things can get very ugly. Even if the other dog tried to evade the situation some Bull Terriers in rage would still go after them.
Usually every dog - your Bull Terrier included - show clear signs before they snap. But it will easily catch you by surprise if you don't pay nonstop attention every second when around other dogs. Exhausting, I know. But necessary.
Your dog may be either insecure or very dominant. Either way, this is not the best precondition for being around other dogs you do not even know (and neither the attitude of their owners) in a dog park or so. It does not help a single bit that he first submits when after that he starts behaving like an a**.
In addition to not exactly knowing what your dog will do you do not know what other dogs will do.
Bull Terriers do have a VERY special way of playing and can just get too rough during play even for other dogs the same size or larger. Many dogs feel alienated by their freakish behavior.
Maybe your dog does not like or misinterprets the resulting hesitation of other dogs.

But this is all wild guessing and "could be". I have not seen your dog in the situation.

I think there is still a chance to work things out in case your dog is going bananas even when just passing another dog without direct contact. But that will take time and training.
Reward every calm behavior and when he starts making a fuss, just remove him from that situation as quickly and calmly as you can. Don't let him feel that the situation upsets you by just not letting the situation upset you. You being upset will translate and make things even worse.

If he gets the chance to mount another dog interrupt immediately and leave. Continuing the situation is reward and confirmation of the bad behavior. You don't want that. The fun needs to end once the starts going over the top.

He thinks he's got something to tell the other dog? Well, YOU don't think so. End of story! Because you hold the leash. Just leave the scene.
Under no circumstances I'd let him run free among other dogs with this attitude.

I would just try to be a calm leader, get him out of the turbulence without punishment or scolding.
If I'd want make it a training situation by giving it another try ... I'd try it from a greater distance ... reward calmness, but keep the situation under control with a leash. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat .... you get the gist. Shorten the distance as he progresses. Make the distance larger when realizing that we took things too fast and he is not ready yet. I would not allow direct contact until I am sure he will be friendly.
It may be successful to show him which behavior is preferred.
Another try could be distraction ... with a ball or some other game. But that will depend on how much he focusses on other dogs.
Also, important!, I would not bring toys to a dog park! That can ignite fighting. I would only use this method around dogs that are out of reach and can't come over to try and grab the toy.

And if at some point you want to continue the socializing, I'd let him be around the other dog as long as he is submissive and does not bark or show any other hostile behavior. The second he tips, I'd leave the scene.

There is a great training book for Bull Terriers by Jane Killion "When Pigs Fly". I don't really remember if it deals with excessive barking and incompatibility with other dogs. It has been a while since I read it. But I loved it! It is a great insight on Bull Terriers (good books on that are rare). And it shows you the principle of training your dog by positive reinforcement.
You may like it.

If you feel overwhelmed by the situation, I think the best idea for you would be to find a trainer who is EXPERIENCED with Bull Terriers (!) and work things out together.
A trainer who sees your dog in the act will be able to tell you if your dog's problem is insecurity OR dominance. Each behavior should be tackled differently. But it is hard to tell over the internet what the case of your dog is about. Because even insecure dogs can seem very dominant at times.
While dominant dogs need very firm guidance and rules, an insecure dog most of all needs to develop trust in the owner and to learn that it does not need to handle every situation on its own, because the owner will do that for the dog.
So, everything I wrote here is basically to give you an idea of some approaches. But after all I think the first step for me would be to find out what causes the dog's behavior, insecurity or dominance and then develop my strategy around this knowledge.