My first EBT ( Advice )

glasguy

Hello,

I just recently got an EBT for a family pet, she is under 15,months old. The previous owner decided to re-home her as he found coping with two EBT's a little to much.. Both the bitch and dog were kept in a very small flat. Both dogs very friendly when approaching us at previous owners home.

Having had the bitch ( Sky ) now for around 2 weeks she seems well socialized around other dogs, my two kids and other children. We have a rabbit. Sky doesn't seem to bother with the rabbit in cage, she doesn't bark or show signs of interest or aggression around the rabbits cage.

In the past I owned a Rottweiler, so have experience of dogs. We researched about the EBT personality, at first I thought she was deaf but now convinced she is not, she definitely has selective hearing Has an excellent play drive with toys, my 10 year old daughter loves her.

On her first night with us, she urinated on our bed, on the wife's side of bed. We got the old baby gates from our loft and this is now not a problem, she happily sleeps downstairs on our sofa. Sky seems to be very confident, on a few occasions she displayed dominant behaviour such as randomly growling and barking at me. I'm assuming this random barking / growl is normal terrier behaviour ?

We live in a large home with secure garden, Sky has plenty of exercise including over 1 hour park walk in morning (4 miles ) similar walk in afternoon and an hour's walk late in the evening. After her evening walk she will sleep till the next morning. The walking definitely has a calming effect.










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BulliesofNC

Sounds to me that she has more of a jealousy issue than a dominance issue. Years ago we had a Bull Terrier that was very attached to me more so than my other family members. She always wanted attention from everybody but always remained by my side. Now and then she would also urinate on my bed. I know she did it deliberately too as if she was marking territory and doing it out of jealousy. She would also steal shoes of mine to take into her crate to sleep with them.
I did notice that the odd behavior came only during the times I wasn't giving her as much attention as she was used to. She was the kind of Bull Terrier that really needed a lot of exercise. Her behavior was perfect on the days she was provided ample exercise which did her a lot of good. Eventually she stopped urinating on the bed (thank God) due to the scoldings she received. I'm confident the exercise as well as maturity helped greatly as well.
Right now you've only had Sky for 2 weeks and it's to be expected that there will be some quirks with her while she's transitioning to a new home and under some stress from it all. Give her some more time to adjust. Bump up her exercise regime which is always good for any Bull Terrier.

Brooklyn

It was pretty much normal behavior for a first night in new home. She had a separation anxiety plus she was stressed out to be in the new environment with new people around. She also marked her territory and tried to protect it. Dogs are pack animals and your bully is trying to figure out her place in this new pack aka your family. Growling and barking is a part of it.
20 years ago we rescued a senior EBT(she was lost. We never found her owners so she stayed with us). After inspecting the house she jumped on bed and was growling and showing teeth to anyone who approached it. We got a bit scared since we did not know the dog and what she was capable of. She was playing dominant until my grandma came home. Grandma just grabbed the broom and get bullies ass off the bed. No drama. That was the first and last time bully growled at us. Off course she was making attempts to jump on bed( as a normal stubborn EBT) but was getting off immediately if told NO. She turned out to be an absolute cuddle bug.
I believe your EBT is still figuring out rules of her new pack, you just need to teach her what's OK and what's not allowed in your family. And exercise, exercise, exercise...

glasguy

@BulliesofNC @Brooklyn

Thanks for replying. As a first time owner of an EBT your reply is reassuring and helpful , I was suspecting that Sky was possibly a little jealous and the barking and growling was her way in trying to establish herself in the new home. The walks work wonders , she falls asleep after getting back from her last walk around 9pm and sleeps about 7 to 9 hours.

DaveODonnell

They can also act-out if they don't get what they need. Its a difficult communication. Had one that would shred a piece of paper out of the trash if I didn't leave radio or TV on! Would leave it IN THE MIDDLE of the living room were I could't miss it. The truth is most of them are smarter than you think.