Archive for July 17th, 2008

Ask the Frenchie Trainer - Barking Bully Boy

gollygear July 17th, 2008

I have a 5 year old male frenchie who is very aggressive with other dogs.  I am having trouble with him even seeing another dog on walks in parks etc.    He will bark and lunge and get very upset.  It is really hard to stop this behavior  We live in the country  and he does not routinely play with dogs a lot but he does like dogs he knows a bit.   We travel a lot and so he does meet a lot of dogs and he is more and more aggressive toward them.      In every other way he is such a wonderful dog.

I am considering getting him a bark collar so he will at least not bark at dogs when he sees them but wonder if even that would work.

Thank you for any advice you can give me.

Hope writes -

From your description, it’s hard for me to tell if your boy is truly being aggressive, or just trying desperately to “meet” the other dogs. Either would fit the “barking and lunging.” Since you call it aggression, I’ll assume that’s what we’re dealing with.

There are several exercises you should practise with your boy. The first is “Leave it.” This one will apply to anything you want it to - delightful smells/trash on the ground, other dogs, people, etc. Sit with your dog in an area without distractions. Have a bunch of yummy treats. One at a time, give your dog the treats, saying “take it” as you give him each one. After a few, close your hand around the treat and say “Leave It.” He  will probably sniff, paw and perhaps nibble at your hand. Be patient. As soon as he looks away from the “cookie hand,” even if it’s just for an instant, tell him “Good Leave It!” and give him a different cookie. Randomize the “take its” and “Leave its” and practise a couple of minutes, a few times a day. When you’re sure he has the idea, you can broaden “Leave it” to anything he’s fascinated by. Be sure you do have a reward handy when he turns his attention away from the object, person, or dog.

Another good exercise is “watch.” Again, find a couple of minutes in a distraction-free zone with your dog. Have him sit in front of you. When he looks up at your face, say “Good Watch!” and give him a treat. We want him to learn that looking at your face will always be a good thing and deserves a reward.

When you’re out and about with your boy, try to be aware of your surroundings and situations that may trigger his aggressive behavior. Before he even knows there’s another dog approaching, have him sit facing you (away from the other dog) and watch! Be prepared with treats. Be sure that your dog is safe - you absolutely don’t want the other dog coming up behind yours. When you ask him to behave, you are asking him to trust that you’ll keep him safe.

The key is to be in control of the situation and to head off problems before they start. If you are fearful, nervous, or apprehensive, that emotion will travel straight down the leash and may cause your dog to become protective and aggressive. Know that you are in control and that your dog will behave. Make it happen.

If these simple, distractive techniques don’t work to control the situation, do seek help from a professional dog trainer in your area. Ask local dog clubs and dog professionals for referrals. Be sure the trainer is right for you and your dog - ask for references and, if possible, watch the trainer in action.

Good luck!
Hope

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Ask the Frenchie Trainer - Bully Boy French Bulldog

gollygear July 17th, 2008

I have a 10 month old neutered male Frenchie who is aggressive with other
dogs. He lives with a 7 year old spayed English bulldog, a 3 year old
neutered male Boston terrier and his spayed sister. The only dog he attacks
is Hannah the English bulldog.

He also attended daycare one day a week for
3 weeks and attacked a different dog each week until I removed him from the
class. The dogs don’t even have to be looking at him but you know when he
is going to do this unacceptable behaviour. He stands still, stares never
taking his eyes off of the other dog and then lunges at them growling and
biting. Even if you try to divert his attention to something else or pull
him back he is determined to get them regardless.

With humans he is very sweet and affectionate but I am not sure what to do with him. His siblings don’t have this aggressive trait. I don’t want to give up on him but he
certainly stresses the household with his behaviour.

Do you have any  suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Hope writes -

Dog aggression is one of the issues that’s difficult, but crucial, to cure.

Because your boy seems to target a specific dog, you can closely monitor interactions between the two. You say that you are able to discern when he’s about to fire up. When you see that “look in his eyes,” intervene immediately to distract him. I understand that you have tried, but it seems a more interruptive distraction is necessary. When you see him go into the stare, try dropping a heavy book, a pot, or other loud, non-breakable item on the floor. When he turns to look, praise him for a “good watch” and get him to walk away from the other dog.

When he’s calm, teach him the “leave it” command. Without any distractions (including the other dogs around) sit in a chair with a pile of treats close at hand. Give them to him, one at a time, saying “Take it” with each one. After a few “take its” hide a treat in the same hand, saying “leave it.” He may try to get it by sniffing, pawing, nibbling or licking. As soon as he looks away from the hand with the treat, say “good leave it!” and hand him a different treat. It may take a while, but a secure “leave it” will apply to anything - icky stuff on the ground, bunnies, other dogs, etc.

If you are unable to control the aggression, do seek professional help from a trainer in your area. It doesn’t sound like your boy is incorrigible, just in need of discipline and control. For recommendations in your area, do ask your veterinarian, local groomers, or go to http://www.apdt.com for the Association of Pet Dog Trainers for a referral in your area. Please do interview trainers carefully, and ask if it’s possible to get references and see them in action.

Best of luck.
Hope

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Update on Frenchie Puppy with Struvite Crystals

admin July 17th, 2008

We’ve had an update on the French Bulldog puppy with struvite crystals –

Dr. Lori,

Thank you for the response. Since I sent the question to you, the following happened, so I thought you might be interested.

We took the local vet’s opinion and put the puppy on canned food and bottled water, and after a week the lab results on a urine sample turned up no crystals. So introducing more water into his died (via the canned food), and taking out the softened water possibility (via the bottled water) solved the problem.

However, it also created a new problem because the puppy started having very soft or completely runny stools. We tried mixing in dry food, and then even rice, but the diarrhea got very bad. So we reconsulted the local vet, and we put him on California Natural for Puppies kibble (which only has lamb and rice, and only 4 other ingredients) to remove the possibility of allergens as the cause of the diarrhea.

Now his stools are fine, and his pH in the urine is around 6.5-6.8 (I tested with a aquarium pH strip). But now he drinks water so much, that I can’t even let him out enough times, so he makes a mess not because of the crystals but simply due to volume. (We live in an apartment in NYC, and I already let him out literally 10 times a day; so I ride the elevator a lot).

Thank you again for your advice, because it largely goes in line with what the local vet suggested, which makes me feel much better.

Thanks so much for the update. As we’ve said before, we really appreciate hearing back from the people who’ve written in, so we can learn how your French Bulldogs are doing. I hope the peeing issue gets under control soon!

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