His hearing is good I always try to sneak up on him and he always hears me. Or when i whistle lightly he can hear me from a good. Its very odd behavior he cant sleep on the bed because when he barks and growls he turns and snaps and might accidentally bite my foot. he will go in a fit of rage and aim his aggression at what ever is near him the bed, his bed,the wall, behind him, his tail, then he snaps out of it. he never attacks me or seems to want to. i get up and close to him and try to soothe him out of it.
Sparky is doing the same behavior. I took him for some blood work and the results were fine the vet said he is a healthy dog and that the problem is behavioral.The next step is to take him for an EEG. Its very expensive so I don't think i"m going to do one just yet. Right now his episodes are unpredictable some days he has more fits than others some days he has very few. He sleeps on the bed with me but he wares a muzzle because one time he slept by my foot and woke up with a burst of aggression and almost got my foot. I firmly believe that he doesn't mean to hurt me or anyone im just in his way of whatever it is hes attacking. just like on that video that dog took bites at the recliner chair he does the same thing. He is still a good dog and very social other dogs or people don't bother him. And after he snaps out of his fits he looks for me to comfort him when we sleep he gets closer to me and digs his nose under my armpit. Thats how i know he is unaware of what happens to him and i can snap him out of it 85 percent of the time.
Well your Vet is correct by stating is behavior. It's Obsessive Compulsive Behavior (OCD). Often OCD like this is passed down as a hereditary and genetic fault. It can be correctly but often takes extensive training and dedication. However, in some situations it unfortunately can get worse. If you research OCD within dogs you can obtain a plethora of information on this subject. Sadly, OCD is becoming more common within the EBT breed.
Last year we had a rescue Bull Terrier that was rendered to us that had a sever case of OCD where he chased his tail with anger and frustration. Seeing the video of your Bullie reminded me of him a little. I was fortunate to find a young man who was willing to work with him and that had prior knowledge and experience with the breed. I was thrilled to hear back from a couple months after his adoption and hear that he was making great strides with him. Within a few months he had claimed that his Bullie no longer had the issues.
Most often Bull Terriers that are born with these issues start showing signs around 6 months of age. It's at this time training can be conducted to greatly improve or diminish the episodes. However, those Bull Terriers which may be crated for long periods of time or neglected from sufficient exercise and attention will often get worse and worse as their stress level increases. I've heard about many incidences where a dogs' OCD got so bad they ended up euthanizing the dog.
My best advice for you is to recognize this behavior problem as something he was born with but can be corrected. Bull Terriers with OCD require a lot more time to exert energy during the day and remain active. They do not do well crated for long periods of time and they don't do well being left on their own. Keep these elements in mind for the success or failure of his challenges with OCD.
- Steve Gogulski "It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!" www.bulliesofnc.com
Before reading Steve's comments I had a few of my own that I'd like to bounce off you anyhow.... In my humble opinion this dog needs a LOT, repeat, a LOT of exercise... I'd take him to a field or park EVERY day and let him run and run until he is breathless. Then, when, if he starts sessions like in your video ( very good video by the way, helpful to everyone concerned ) , I'd stop him immediately and NOT let him spin.. Hold him, pin him, whatever, but let him know that that is not acceptable. He is not stupid he will learn... If you are afraid of getting bit I believe there are "fishing" gloves, long "impenetrable" gloves that will help you control him. Also deny him access to places where he can circle like this, behind the barbecue ? I think... Keep him out in the open. I know two things.... That it is not easy, it will be hard .. AND also, your love can prevail because every Bullie understands love more than anything else... PLEASE, PLEASE, keep us undated on every occurance, we are with you on this!!!!
In the beginning God created English Bull Terriers, in the image of EBT's, God created all other breeds.
Also, regarding a bunch of the videos you posted... ( or got posted as a result of your YouTube posting).. Don't be swayed by these arseholes... Anybody who deliberately encourages a dog to be aggressive and powerful deserves to be put up against the wall and shot 300 times, starting at the groin and working north with 22 caliber long rifle.
In the beginning God created English Bull Terriers, in the image of EBT's, God created all other breeds.
After a long time, I come with some news on Otto. We finally managed to get an appointment with a professor of University of Tokyo's veterinary science department.
Since my last posting, Otto has been the same. Some fits of rage, especially while sleeping, not as often as when he was younger though. Since we have learnt how to "read" him, almost no bite incidents have happened.
What has changed and is a little sad, is that different from before, Otto has been trying to snuggle and be closer to us than before, when he preferred staying in the same room, but not so close. It's a bit sad because as soon as he starts dozing, we have to move away of move him, because he can wake in rage at any time.
So, as I said, yesterday we spent the whole day at the university's lab. First we had a 90minute talk about everything Otto related. Next, he had his blood checked: Everything was in order. Liver and kidneys working as they should. No signs of infection whatsoever. Hormones as they should be - so no thyroid problem.
Then an xray showed us all his organs and bones seemed fine. No hidden fractures to cause him pain, the heart and everything else correct in size and appearance.
The MRI showed his brain also seemed perfect, with no malformation, deformation or weird masses or lumps anywhere. His skull was also fine and we were amazed, though not surprised, at how much muscle these little beasts have on their head!
Lastly, he went through an Electro-Encephalogram (spell?), which finally found out Otto's problem: while under sedation, his brain had at some times some surges, some peak activity points at uneven intervals. Otto has what is called idiopathic epilepsy. Only once before he's had a general seizure, where he got stiff with open eyes for a couple of minutes. What he usually seems to have is a, maybe complex, focal seizure, where only more especific part of his brain is affected, causing him abnormal behavior, more often than not, his aggression.
His observed rage fit patterns also follow text-book seizure patterns, where he starts with some mildly weird behavior like seeking attention more than usually and even tail-chasing, then the seizure (or rage fit) and, lastly, when it's over after a few seconds or many minutes, we can see his confusion, not understanding what has just happened.
Although that is by no means good news, my wife and I are really happy to finally have had him diagnosed. Today we started with his medication. As with humans, it may take a while to get to the right anti-epileptic drug and dosage more suitable for each individual. We started with a low-dosage, low known-side effects, and although we just started, things seem to be going fine.
Let's just wait and see! I'll be sure to keep you posted!
It is great news that your Vet was able to pinpoint the cause of his problem. You don't know how lucky you are because I can guarantee 99% of people would have gotten assumptions from other Vets with the problem remaining a mystery.
I hope the medications help him and his condition dissipates. He's such a good looking Bullie and I sure the poor guy doesn't want to present himself as a threat to you or anyone else he loves.
I would advise you to call your breeder and let them know the findings of the tests your Vet performed. Obviously it is a genetic condition and something the breeder should be aware of. I'm convinced other Bullies that possess forms of OCD are born with the same condition as Otto.
Please keep us posted on his progress. I commend you for going the extra mile to have thorough tests conducted in order to isolate the problem and correct it.
- Steve Gogulski "It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!" www.bulliesofnc.com
Comments
Last year we had a rescue Bull Terrier that was rendered to us that had a sever case of OCD where he chased his tail with anger and frustration. Seeing the video of your Bullie reminded me of him a little. I was fortunate to find a young man who was willing to work with him and that had prior knowledge and experience with the breed. I was thrilled to hear back from a couple months after his adoption and hear that he was making great strides with him. Within a few months he had claimed that his Bullie no longer had the issues.
Most often Bull Terriers that are born with these issues start showing signs around 6 months of age. It's at this time training can be conducted to greatly improve or diminish the episodes. However, those Bull Terriers which may be crated for long periods of time or neglected from sufficient exercise and attention will often get worse and worse as their stress level increases. I've heard about many incidences where a dogs' OCD got so bad they ended up euthanizing the dog.
My best advice for you is to recognize this behavior problem as something he was born with but can be corrected. Bull Terriers with OCD require a lot more time to exert energy during the day and remain active. They do not do well crated for long periods of time and they don't do well being left on their own. Keep these elements in mind for the success or failure of his challenges with OCD.
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
After a long time, I come with some news on Otto.
We finally managed to get an appointment with a professor of University of Tokyo's veterinary science department.
Since my last posting, Otto has been the same. Some fits of rage, especially while sleeping, not as often as when he was younger though. Since we have learnt how to "read" him, almost no bite incidents have happened.
What has changed and is a little sad, is that different from before, Otto has been trying to snuggle and be closer to us than before, when he preferred staying in the same room, but not so close. It's a bit sad because as soon as he starts dozing, we have to move away of move him, because he can wake in rage at any time.
So, as I said, yesterday we spent the whole day at the university's lab.
First we had a 90minute talk about everything Otto related.
Next, he had his blood checked: Everything was in order. Liver and kidneys working as they should. No signs of infection whatsoever. Hormones as they should be - so no thyroid problem.
Then an xray showed us all his organs and bones seemed fine. No hidden fractures to cause him pain, the heart and everything else correct in size and appearance.
The MRI showed his brain also seemed perfect, with no malformation, deformation or weird masses or lumps anywhere. His skull was also fine and we were amazed, though not surprised, at how much muscle these little beasts have on their head!
Lastly, he went through an Electro-Encephalogram (spell?), which finally found out Otto's problem: while under sedation, his brain had at some times some surges, some peak activity points at uneven intervals. Otto has what is called idiopathic epilepsy. Only once before he's had a general seizure, where he got stiff with open eyes for a couple of minutes. What he usually seems to have is a, maybe complex, focal seizure, where only more especific part of his brain is affected, causing him abnormal behavior, more often than not, his aggression.
His observed rage fit patterns also follow text-book seizure patterns, where he starts with some mildly weird behavior like seeking attention more than usually and even tail-chasing, then the seizure (or rage fit) and, lastly, when it's over after a few seconds or many minutes, we can see his confusion, not understanding what has just happened.
Although that is by no means good news, my wife and I are really happy to finally have had him diagnosed. Today we started with his medication. As with humans, it may take a while to get to the right anti-epileptic drug and dosage more suitable for each individual. We started with a low-dosage, low known-side effects, and although we just started, things seem to be going fine.
Let's just wait and see! I'll be sure to keep you posted!
I hope the medications help him and his condition dissipates. He's such a good looking Bullie and I sure the poor guy doesn't want to present himself as a threat to you or anyone else he loves.
I would advise you to call your breeder and let them know the findings of the tests your Vet performed. Obviously it is a genetic condition and something the breeder should be aware of. I'm convinced other Bullies that possess forms of OCD are born with the same condition as Otto.
Please keep us posted on his progress. I commend you for going the extra mile to have thorough tests conducted in order to isolate the problem and correct it.
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com