Phil, I think you are right! I can't imagine life without him. Atiba, you hit the nail on the head. There was a reason we picked this this house without even realizing it. We didn't even know there were dogs behind us until we moved in. My husband was goin hunting one afternoon and when they walked out the door they were met by Rocky. He yelled "Mel, you have to see this dog". Of course I had no idea what he was, but he was a cutie!! one happy, tail wagging boy! I wasn't as depressed when we lost our male shepherd. He had leukemia and we knew his time was limited. It was like we had time to prepare and have it settle in. After 3 pages of blood tests, x rays and every other test under the sun we had no answers as to why Cleo got so sick. She went into pancreatic failure and every one of her joints had swelled from sizes ranging from golf balls to baseballs. She went blind and couldn't walk. We had no choice but to put her down 2 days before Christmas. I made for an awful holiday. Except when Rocky snuck over Christmas eve and stole my son's sneaker!!! We found it laying outside of Steve's front porch!! But like I said, I had my therapy dog. 5 minutes with Rocky did me better than hours with friends. He was so great with my kids, who also needed their own pick me up. Soon Rocky started bringing Deuce over to visit. We called them the "dynamic duo". We've been hooked ever since. Bad, you couldn't have put it better!!!
Just in case anyone's wondering, Rocky rarely leaves our properly and is really good about staying in the area. However, for some reason he was really tempted to cross the creak and go for a quick visit with Melissa and Chris next door. From time to time Deuce will get caught over there as well. We have 5 acres and my Bullies (for the most part) will stay within their boundaries.
I think Melissa was giving Rocky doggie treats when he was still in his older puppy stages and Rocky knew where he could hide out for added attention and treats.
Apollo is the spitting image of Rocky and has the same awesome personality. I'm fortunate to see him grow and progress since he lives right across the creak.
- Steve Gogulski "It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!" www.bulliesofnc.com
Oops, I guess I made it sound like they ran around a lot. :-t They didn't and don't, I promise!!!! And if it helps any it's only about 60 ft away. Sorry Steve, I did make that sound kind of bad. And just like we said it would happen, earlier Apollo sniffed the air and I think he might have taken flight trying to get over your house. The only thing that allowed me to catch him was his little paw got stuck in the mud!!!! Little turd!!! I promise I didn't lure Rocky with treats either, as tempting as it was!!!! hahaha!
If Rocky lived behind me I would lure him with treats!!!! I would love to get my arms around that big guy!!!!!!! No horses asses here just neighbors with fabulous dogs!!!! My Brutus loves my neighbors across the road too!!!! X_X
Your actions speak so loudly I cannot hear your words.
Oh I know Rocky goes to visit next door because he realizes the people their (Chris and Melissa) will show him love and affection. It's awesome having neighbors that love dogs in the same way we do. Apollo couldn't have gone to a better home. I can't wait to see him when he is full grown and strutting his stuff.
- Steve Gogulski "It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!" www.bulliesofnc.com
I really could have explained that better. I know and Steve knows the proximity of our homes but no one else does. Someone new could have came on here and said "what? He lets his dogs run loose?" I'm pretty sure everyone on here now knows he doesn't! They're just good puppies and want to make people happy!!! I have mixed emotions about Apollo getting full grown. I love having him so small to cuddle with now!!!! When he's a big boy we'll exceed the weight limit on the couch! Hahahaha!!!!
Oh! I gottcha! You've done it now! Complained that the breeders dogs are too friendly! Big no-no!, you lose, you'll have to forfeit, and send Apollo over here right now!
In the beginning God created English Bull Terriers, in the image of EBT's, God created all other breeds.
At least you guys made me feel better! I am so paranoid!!! Steve wrote his comment and the first thing I thought was "there better not be any Nevada minions lurking about!" If BNC lost a future owner I'd slather myself with salmon oil and feed myself to the dogs! ) Craig, do you know how many times I went to the grocery store and thought about picking up a bag of treats??? Every time I looked, I would giggle, shake my head and walk away!!! I think I'd be in the dog house! (No pun intended) :-\"
Many terrier breeders remove the dew claws on their puppies. The nail of the dew claw gets thicker and thicker as the dog ages, AND it curves sharply. They can become very difficult to trim as the dog gets old due to that curvature and thickness. As you know, they readily catch on things and become sore; therefore, the dog is chewing it because it bothers him. I assisted in the removal of puppy dew claws in a litter of show miniature schnauzers. It was thought best to do them at a certain age ( I forget how many days old the puppies were supposed to be for the removal). These puppies were having their tails docked as well. They would later go through an ear crop. A breeder was doing these services for a friend of mine. I will not be attending any more dockings or removals. Yuck!
Our Jack Russell had her dew claws removed by her breeder, but Candace is an equine surgeon.
I have never seen dew claws on the back legs.
Also, I begged my friend who was co-owning one of her miniature schnauzer puppies with me to NOT crop Jasper's ears. A lot of docking and cropping is not allowed overseas, so I asked her to give him a try on the show circuit. He actually won several blue puppy ribbons before he tragically died of juvenile renal failure. So some American judges will go against the traditional ways here of docking and cropping.
Hey all, haven't posted in a while so I figured I'd update on how Apollo is doing. I love this little guy so much! He never misses an opportunity to crawl in your lap and cuddle! He loves sleeping with everyone. Or maybe he just uses them to get up on the couch! LOL! Right now he is teething like crazy! Lost a bunch of teeth and has big shiny new ones coming in. I'm proud to report that even with all the teething he's sticking to chewing on his toys. Every now and then, he'll grab someones shoe, but he doesn't chew it. Just sits there with it in his mouth until we remove it and hand him a toy instead. We took him to the dog park on base Monday, and he was content to run around and smell everything. The weather was cloudy with bouts of rain, so he had the place to himself. I was hoping for other dogs. At least now I know where it is and can take him once mother nature gives us SUN! It even has an agility training track! We're still not doing good on the leash. Terrible actually. He even looks depressed when I put the vest on him. If we walk anymore than 50 feet from the house he drops to the ground and refuses to move. Chris and Apollo had a battle of wills a few days ago. Everytime Apollo dropped, Chris would tell him NO and pick him up. They did this at least 15 times. #-o I don't know if it was a good thing or not, but I have stopped walks all together for now. I don't want to stress him out and I've read lots of info saying that when they teeth their attention span goes to nil. And talking with Steve he said "He'll get it. One day it will just click". So for now to expend that energy we play Frisbee in the yard. I also have noted that his energy level is down since he started loosing teeth. Has anyone else noticed this when their EBT's?
He gets so excited when Chris comes home from work. He'll hop up on the gate and his tail wags a mile a minute! I love it and I know Chris is happy to have 4 little paws in the house again!! The last I weighed him he was 33 lbs. We have a vet appointment Monday for our rabies booster. We'll get another weight then. Attached some photos below. Hope everyone is well! Thanks again for all the advice and support you guys give! I'm sure Steve thanks you too, because if it wasn't for this forum I'd be annoying him daily! LOL!!
Okay, so I guess I'm never going to coerce you into sending him over... But can I have my couch back now!!! He's looking just too wonderful! Great job! Hard work.... The walking... Take him somewhere he likes, like long grass, big rain puddles... You won't keep up.
In the beginning God created English Bull Terriers, in the image of EBT's, God created all other breeds.
Phil, I saw you promised to put away the mustard and relish. If that's the case then I will think about sending Apollo down for a sunny Florida vacation! Phil, the problem is he doesn't like to go anywhere. If he had his way, the only place we would go is over the river and through to woods to Grandfathers house. (Steve) Everything scares him. Birds chirping, planes flying over head, cars and most recently, joggers........... Wth!? I really gave up. I walk him in the yard and after a few feet he drops. I'm going to have an Arnold arm by the time he actually walks. Took my son to the library today and while I was there picked up yet another puppy book. Chris came home from work and said "whatca readin?" I said "puppies for dummies". He shook his head, said he thinks we're doing pretty darn good. I agree. I'm just as stubborn as Apollo though!! :-\"
Oh, the stubborn stages of a Bullie! Once they commit to their way and find a way to retaliate they will. In Apollo's case he's just not enjoying the leash right now and associating it with things that still confuse him like cars, strangers, new noises, and different scenery. I think he's just young and nervous about the unknown. A few car rides may even help just to allow him the chance to get out of his comfort zone and see things. As Apollo grows and matures so will his confidence with the unknown. Simple things won't bother him like they do now. Sometimes I think those harnesses are a bit a distraction for some dogs who are quick to realize they are a restraint system and something they may not enjoy as much as you think. Compile their dislike of the restraint system with walk into the unknown and you instantly create a small amount of anxiety. Once a few surprises pop up during the walk and now you have a young dog saying "Ok, enough is enough I'm not having all that much fun and I'm not comfortable." Maybe try looping a thin light lead over his neck while he's outside and letting him wander at will while you're in tow. This will provide him a little bit of self confidence. If you put the lead on and he doesn't wish to move than just stand there with him without even looking at him. If he's so stubborn that he doesn't want to move for a long time, take the lead off, and bring him back in the house. Try it again the next day. Once he gains confidence and realizes he isn't forced on a walk he's going to want to go for walks.
- Steve Gogulski "It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!" www.bulliesofnc.com
I really like the first picture. "No mommy please, NO!!!" LOL. I just took him out a few minutes ago. Haven't taken him on a walk for quite a few days. I did the treat throwing thing again and got him to walk half way down. Actually he more ran down to the treat. Made him sit before he could eat it. Did you hear me yell? "OMG I CAN'T THROW $&)#?@! TREATS DOWN THE STREET THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!!!!! I was close to tears but chose to laugh instead!! I know it is going to take some time. I just want to take a walk so bad. It's what I looked forward too the most. And to note I have used 3 different leashes. One connected to his collar, one connected to his harness and a handlers lead. More than once I thought about breaking down and taking training classes. I don't see the point though because he kicks butt at everything else. You know what the funny thing is too. He loves being IN the car!!!! Steve, I am going to let him chill for a bit and then try your suggestion. We'll walk one day!!! Strutting our stuff up and down the road!!!
Believe me... Been there, done all that... At one stage I was so frustrated I nearly dragged Marco 30ft through the grass and then thought : WT*RUDOING!? Do you have a neighbour,? besides poor Steve, that has a dog he likes? Offer the neighbour free dog walking service, I guaranty you Apollo will go along . We have a neighbour... Not that Marco doesn't like his run now, that brought his boy along a couple of times and now, when we drive passed that house Marco whines and whines, to say, "let's pick him up, let's pick him up! " ( our neighborhood is pretty spread out so I need to drive 1500 yards to get to the "wilds"... He's still not interested in walking down the road itself ... BORING!)
In the beginning God created English Bull Terriers, in the image of EBT's, God created all other breeds.
I have a book called when pigs fly by Jane killion. She is a trainer and owns bull terriers, it goes through clicker training them and also has a section on leash training stubborn dogs and ones who won't walk. I havnt had a chance to incorporate any of her techniques yet but thought I'd share the book title in case your interested in getting it or when I have more time (as we are about to be in route to pick up stoge) I'd be more than happy to jut share the section and how se suggests leash training. But the whole book has been very informative on the EBT breed :-)
Phil, I have neighbors. Can't say I would ask any of them though. We just pretend they're not here!! HAHAHAHA!!! I have thought about asking Steve if we could borrow a dog. LMAO!!! I did do what Steve suggested and let him out with the loose leash. I put 2 6 ft leashes together and let him go. He did fine. When I have him out to potty I always leash him anyway. After a while, I just walked ahead and he followed!!! Not far by any means, but he followed! I didn't even want to test the waters so we walked back in for a treat. I'm going to do the same thing tomorrow but use my son as a lure. That's how I got him to walk down the street before. Maybe we'll make it half way tomorrow. Stoges_mom, we looked at that book. I thought I ordered it off Amazon. I was so excited when it came until I realized I made the wrong dang order. The other book I got about EBT's was informative also. I'll have to look for it again. Do you think the section on leash training is any different from training books designed for all breeds? Can't wait to see you guys get Stoger home!!! I'm so excited for you!!
Oops! perhaps I left out one important detail. We let them run on 50ft long ropes (a tip I got from XChairity Casex), they love the freedom and we can yank them when a deer, a fox or racoon show up, or if they try and get under the horse paddock fences (all I need is a kick in the head), hey, did I tell you Marco loves kissing horses, they seem to love kissing him too... I think he fancies himself as being a small horse. Anyhoo that means they can gallop up to 100ft (back and front of us)... I think it helps.
In the beginning God created English Bull Terriers, in the image of EBT's, God created all other breeds.
I think I remember reading that prior post about the rope leash! I may have to raid the garage tomorrow and start walking back down the other side of the hood. Thanks Phil!! :-bd
Daisy walks well with another dog. It spurs her on to keep up. By herself, she stops and doesn't want to continue. She will even lie down. Some days are more energetic than others
A friend also suggested I find another dog to walk as did the article I was reading today by Cesar Millan. Steve, we may have to borrow Deuce! on a funny note, Apollo ate the stuffing out of his bed today. We was rather depressed when I threw it out. LOL!
You guys can borrow a Bullie for a walk any time. From time to time I will take one for a walk down the road although I prefer them running around freely over here. We have a tad bit of room for them to roam. Deuce is still kind of young and I don't her getting too familiar with walking all the way down the driveway and to the road so I don't bring her out there. Cyra would be a good walking buddy or even Kolohe. They are older females and wouldn't be too distracted by the antics of a puppy. I think if Apollo seen another dog leading from the front his mind would be on following and his confidence would be up while his nervousness would be down.
- Steve Gogulski "It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!" www.bulliesofnc.com
Steve, earlier I put 3 leashes together and walked through the yard. Guess what? We got ALL THE WAY TO THE END!!! I still had the leash, but at 18 ft it was like he barely noticed. The only time he stopped was when a car pulled into the development. He didn't cower away from it either. His ears went straight up and he puffed his chest out. (Quite stunning) I do believe we will get this one day! I'll take any of the dogs for a walk any day!! I usually try to take Apollo out after dinner-ish. (Between 6-7) I'm supposed to walk as it helps with the arthritis and circulatory system. If its too hot my hands swell and I don't want burned puppy paws. I'm goin to start taking Apollo to the dog park on base once the kids are back in school. You guys should come one day too!! Phil, I'll post pics on our first real happy walk!!
I've gotta start a campaign slogan, " the longer the leash, the longer the walk" .... ( Only because I just finished watching a pretty dumb movie from your home state, " The Campaign", what a load of codswallop!)...
In the beginning God created English Bull Terriers, in the image of EBT's, God created all other breeds.
I think I'm the only person in the world that hates Will Farrell. Right now were going to stick it the yard and neighborhood with the 18 footer. Can't chance taking him on the main road with that.
Yes, cars are a problem. Isabella tends to gravitate toward cars as she sees them as people deliverers. Fortunately there are not many cars or roads in our community, so when we need cross one we know pretty well in advance if any cars are anywhere nearby... And it's mostly golf carts that people use around here to run from house to house. Only problem is when the kids take their parent's golfcarts into the wild (mostly to polish off the raided Magarita Coolers) and you don't expect to find them off road.
In the beginning God created English Bull Terriers, in the image of EBT's, God created all other breeds.
Comments
Awww that's an awesome story! I have to say- I've never met any other dog that has been as affectionate and as intuitive as a well bred bully.
I think Melissa was giving Rocky doggie treats when he was still in his older puppy stages and Rocky knew where he could hide out for added attention and treats.
Apollo is the spitting image of Rocky and has the same awesome personality. I'm fortunate to see him grow and progress since he lives right across the creak.
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
I have mixed emotions about Apollo getting full grown. I love having him so small to cuddle with now!!!! When he's a big boy we'll exceed the weight limit on the couch! Hahahaha!!!!
Oops double post.
=:)
Just up dating... 29lbs@ 16 weeks
The rug in the living room used to be nice until we introduced bully sticks! HAHAA!
( take back some of the nasty things you think about me) :-bd
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
Hey all, haven't posted in a while so I figured I'd update on how Apollo is doing. I love this little guy so much! He never misses an opportunity to crawl in your lap and cuddle! He loves sleeping with everyone. Or maybe he just uses them to get up on the couch! LOL! Right now he is teething like crazy! Lost a bunch of teeth and has big shiny new ones coming in. I'm proud to report that even with all the teething he's sticking to chewing on his toys. Every now and then, he'll grab someones shoe, but he doesn't chew it. Just sits there with it in his mouth until we remove it and hand him a toy instead. We took him to the dog park on base Monday, and he was content to run around and smell everything. The weather was cloudy with bouts of rain, so he had the place to himself. I was hoping for other dogs. At least now I know where it is and can take him once mother nature gives us SUN! It even has an agility training track! We're still not doing good on the leash. Terrible actually. He even looks depressed when I put the vest on him. If we walk anymore than 50 feet from the house he drops to the ground and refuses to move. Chris and Apollo had a battle of wills a few days ago. Everytime Apollo dropped, Chris would tell him NO and pick him up. They did this at least 15 times. #-o I don't know if it was a good thing or not, but I have stopped walks all together for now. I don't want to stress him out and I've read lots of info saying that when they teeth their attention span goes to nil. And talking with Steve he said "He'll get it. One day it will just click". So for now to expend that energy we play Frisbee in the yard. I also have noted that his energy level is down since he started loosing teeth. Has anyone else noticed this when their EBT's?
He gets so excited when Chris comes home from work. He'll hop up on the gate and his tail wags a mile a minute! I love it and I know Chris is happy to have 4 little paws in the house again!! The last I weighed him he was 33 lbs. We have a vet appointment Monday for our rabies booster. We'll get another weight then. Attached some photos below. Hope everyone is well! Thanks again for all the advice and support you guys give! I'm sure Steve thanks you too, because if it wasn't for this forum I'd be annoying him daily! LOL!!
He's looking just too wonderful! Great job! Hard work.... The walking... Take him somewhere he likes, like long grass, big rain puddles... You won't keep up.
Sometimes I think those harnesses are a bit a distraction for some dogs who are quick to realize they are a restraint system and something they may not enjoy as much as you think. Compile their dislike of the restraint system with walk into the unknown and you instantly create a small amount of anxiety. Once a few surprises pop up during the walk and now you have a young dog saying "Ok, enough is enough I'm not having all that much fun and I'm not comfortable."
Maybe try looping a thin light lead over his neck while he's outside and letting him wander at will while you're in tow. This will provide him a little bit of self confidence. If you put the lead on and he doesn't wish to move than just stand there with him without even looking at him. If he's so stubborn that he doesn't want to move for a long time, take the lead off, and bring him back in the house. Try it again the next day. Once he gains confidence and realizes he isn't forced on a walk he's going to want to go for walks.
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
Do you have a neighbour,? besides poor Steve, that has a dog he likes? Offer the neighbour free dog walking service, I guaranty you Apollo will go along . We have a neighbour... Not that Marco doesn't like his run now, that brought his boy along a couple of times and now, when we drive passed that house Marco whines and whines, to say, "let's pick him up, let's pick him up! " ( our neighborhood is pretty spread out so I need to drive 1500 yards to get to the "wilds"... He's still not interested in walking down the road itself ... BORING!)
Stoges_mom, we looked at that book. I thought I ordered it off Amazon. I was so excited when it came until I realized I made the wrong dang order. The other book I got about EBT's was informative also. I'll have to look for it again. Do you think the section on leash training is any different from training books designed for all breeds? Can't wait to see you guys get Stoger home!!! I'm so excited for you!!
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
Phil, I'll post pics on our first real happy walk!!