Walking, the cold and growling

alexandruv

Hello Everyone,

Umbra is my 6.5 months miniature bull terrier. She's quite well behaved now, biting seems to have calmed down, I make sure she doesn't jump on people and she's good at that, no aggression issues for now although sometimes she growls at my kids for no apparent reason, when she's trying to fall asleep this tends to happen, although nobody is touching her or anything, she just lies there and growls - not sure what's that about.

I've been reading around on this forum and I see plenty of non-walkers here

It's clear to me this is a BT characteristic of being super stubborn and I am trying to make peace with this thought but at times I am super frustrated because I really need to get somewhere and she's just not in the mood for walking.

So the choices I have are to either turn back and put her in the crate then get on with my chores or drag her around the city which brings me no pleasure whatsoever.

I guess, what I'm asking is:
1. How do you make a bull terrier tired if she doesn't want to walk? (yes we play tug and fetch in the house, this seems to make her tired but probably not as close as a long walk would)
2. Is pulling her around will 'teach' her that she needs to walk or else she will be uncomfortable? I am having her on a martingale collar now. Is it too early to put a prong collar on?
3. I noticed that when's cold outside (under 8 C / 46 F) she's shivering and any activity outside is not an option. Is this normal? (I have ordered some dog clothing, I hope that would fix this problem).
4. Did any of you notice the growling while falling asleep? Should I be very categoric with her (pin her) or a simple NO would suffice while she does that?

Thank you so much
Alex & Umbra

Brooklyn

I would move her bed/crate to the quieter part of the room. She probably feels insecure or disturbed/annoyed by kid's movements and noises. Suppressing the growling by scolding or punishing the dog is never a good idea. By teaching your dog that growling isn't acceptable behavior, you're taking away its ability to warn you that it may bite.
Most young EBT don't like walking. It might change with age. Our bully hated going for the long walks until he turned 4 yo. Now he loves them and actually asks to come with us every time we leave the house. BTs have very short coats so they need winter outfit when it's really cold outside. Our dog does not mind to wear his 32 degrees puff vest - it's warm and does not restrain movements.
Playing fetch is a good way to make your dog tired. In the park off leash or on the long training lead (available in different lengths from 20 to 50 ft). No bully would refuse to go to the park to play. Even non-walking one. The trick is to teach them that Park = play and fun.

alexandruv

Thank you so much for your answer! Much appreciated