Ask the Trainer - No Clue She’s a French Bulldog!
gollygear May 23rd, 2008
Hi! I’m hoping that you will be able to help me. I own a French bulldog - Lilo, who is now 2 years old. I brought her to the Doggie Park yesterday - this was the first time that she has every been to a Doggie Park. Lilo was a little apprehensive at first and tended to stick close to me. There were other dogs there and she was still okay. However, another French bulldog showed up and also an English bulldog. Both were male dogs - the english bulldog was 3 yrs old and the other frenchie was the same age as Lilo - 2 yrs old. Like I mentioned before, Lilo was okay with the other dogs, but when the other bulldogs came near, she immediately became very aggressive!
I am very concerned with her behavior - I have never seen Lilo like that! In fact, I didn’t even know that she could be that aggressive.
I often bring Lilo to parks, but she is on a very long leash (approximately 150 feet long) and Lilo has encountered several other dogs and was very friendly and played with them - no sign of aggression at all. In fact, every Sunday she plays with a welsh corgi for several hours.
If you can provide an help or suggestions on what I should be, I would greatly appreciate it!
Hope writes -
My immediate reaction when I read your question was - “Lilo has no idea she’s a bulldog!” The reason I say this is because I’ve noticed very similar reactions to my Frenchie Dax from other dogs just meeting her. Many times I’ve had dogs react aggressively to the sounds she makes; breathing, snuffling, snorting, etc. On more than one occasion people have been fearful of her - asking me why she’s growling and steering clear of us!
I realize that recognizing part of what’s going on doesn’t necessarily help solve the problem - I just thought it was interesting. I’m not sure we can convince Lilo she’s a bulldog, but we can get her to react better to dogs of her own kind.
I really, really don’t like dog parks, especially for small dogs. Encounters are too uncontrolled and too many owners are more interested in socializing among themselves than paying attention to what their dogs are up to. And it’s not fair to keep your dog on a leash, feeling trapped, when all the other dogs can run around.
In order to train Lilo to behave appropriately around other dogs, start with a much, much shorter leash (6 feet) and a pocketful of yummy treats - soft, small and smelly is the rule for training. Bits of cheese or hot dog usually work well. When another dog approaches, call Lilo to you, showing her the treat and calling happily. If she growls, or lunges toward another dog, say “eh” and move away from the dog, tugging in short jerks on Lilo’s leash to get her attention. Don’t drag her by the leash and don’t jerk at her vigorously - you’re just trying to get her attention off the other dog and onto you and your delicious treats.
If she’s behaving appropriately and playing nice with the other dog, still make a habit of calling her to you and rewarding her for coming. After treating her and telling her how wonderful she is, you can release her back to her play session. The objective is for Lilo to always have one ear listening for you.
If possible, try to set up a meeting with another French Bulldog. If you don’t know the person at the dog park, try to set something up through a local French Bulldog group. Meet someplace neutral, where neither dog is territorial. At first, keep a comfortable distance away. If Lilo reacts negatively, get her attention back on you and reward her for looking at you. If the two dogs can just be in the same vicinity, making their snorty Frenchie sounds, its a good thing. In time, you’ll be able to bring them closer. Always quit when Lilo is successful - if she’s neutral for 10 seconds the first time, it’s good enough. If 15 seconds at five feet apart doesn’t work, go back to 10 seconds at 10 feet apart. When she’s successful, quit and try again another day.
It may be that you won’t find another Frenchie owner willing or able to work with you this way. If not, work on attention diligently. Don’t wait for Lilo to react negatively. Take charge of a situation before it even starts. Call her attention to you. Reward her for being “good” and remove her from situations you can’t control.
Unless you are absolutely certain that the environment is safe, don’t give up the control your leash gives you. Dogs are faster than us, more agile than us, and really don’t understand English all that well. Stay in control at all times, let her know what you expect and make it worth her while to live up to those expectations!
-Hope
- French Bulldog Training
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