gollygear March 5th, 2008
French Bulldog zones out around other dogs
Dear Hope,
Wondering as to whether you can help with any advice, tips or tricks with the following. I have a male, fawn frenchie called Swinburne who has just turned one years old and is fine fettle. He is a rather energetic, inquisitive and very social dog who loves everyone to the point of walking off with a complete stranger who shows him the smallest amount of affection. He, like many Frenchies has his stubborn streak but not a Napoleon complex by any means.
When around me, be it in the apartment or on the street he is generally obedient with the majority of commands with the weakest being the recall. He remains at all times on a leash, as we live in a city (Paris, France), unless we are in the forest. He did not partake in a regular group obedience session, but we took instruction from a personal trainer specializing in ‘Molosoides’ which is the more common approach here.
There are many dogs in the local area of all shapes and sizes and Swinburne had never had a problem with socializing although occasionally he was more aggressive in play than the other dog / owner expected. He had a habit of pulling on the leash to go to say ‘bonjour’ to other dogs in the street or on the other side of the road, but we managed (in the main) to break this.
Recently though he has developed a collection of strange behaviours when spying another dog; ranging from charging at the other dog, lying down in the middle of the street until the other dog comes closer and then he seems to pounce or jump on it (depending on size) and continuing the cat style theme he also half lies down and then begins a start, start prowl exercise until eventually the other dog comes closer which will again result in a pouncing or jumping on it. Coupled with the physical behaviour he seems to go into a ‘focused zone’ (non-aggressive) where he refuses to listen to any commands until the dog passes, then back to normal with one very annoyed owner until the next dog appears,……
Whilst out walking, I have tried dog avoidance, which is not easy here coupled with his better sense of smell and sight. I have tried attention grabbing tactics (treats, commands, toys) which he will respond to as long as the other dog is not too close and then back to the same pattern of events. I am seriously running out of training options.
He was leash trained on a fixed length lead and over the past few months we have moved to use a combination of fixed length and a flexi lead to encourage freedom and practise commands from a distance, dependent on the type of walk, as advised. But whichever lead happens to be in use the same behaviour is occurring on a more and more frequent basis, which is removing my / our joy of taking a walk together.
Sorry that this seems to have turned into somewhat of an essay I was just trying to inform you as much as possible about the situation. Any advice would be gratefully appreciated.
Thank you in advance and best regards.
Background: We live in an apartment in Paris, where he is with me all day as I work from home and he takes three 15 - 20 minute walks (morning, early evening and just before bed) plus an hour plus walk at lunchtime after he has eaten. He has not been castrated and our vet also a behavioural specialist sates that he is just a high energy dog and we could just give him some pills to calm down! I am seeking an alternative
Hope writes -
Swinburne sounds like a delightful, high-energy dog. As you’ve surmised - it sounds like he wants to play with the other dogs and, like many another adolescent, isn’t very good at “playing nice.”
I’m not familiar with the training method you mention - the only references I could find online seemed to refer to a type of dog, rather than a method of training. That being said - I believe in positive training and that’s the approach I’d take with Swinburne. I’m not a believer in drugging healthy animals.
First of all - just walking isn’t doing much to burn off his excess energy. Your dog needs to run, chase, fetch, and play. And he needs to do it with you, so that you become the most fascinating feature of his world. For our high-energy dog, we have a special “playtime” timer. When she sees us reach for the timer - she knows she gets our complete attention for her 10 minutes of “fetch.” She has a special ball she only gets during playtime. And when the bell rings after 10 minutes, the ball is put away until the next time.
If Swinburne isn’t a fan of retrieving games, you can play tug with him. Tugging is a terrific, interactive game that keeps his focus on you. Even dogs that are, at first, reluctant tuggers can be taught. Get a (clean) old sock or glove. Put a few treats in it and drag it along the ground, between his paws and in front of him. You’ll engage his instinct to chase and he’ll be immediately rewarded by getting the treat.
When you’re out on your walks, bring his favorite toy or treat. As soon as you see his attention fix on another dog, bring it back using positive means - his toy, his treats. As soon as he shifts his focus to you - reward him! Give him a whole fistful of treats, one at a time, for paying attention to you. Play tug, or throw his ball - reward him!
French Bulldogs are “show me the money” dogs - they seem to need a “payout” for doing something we want. A casual “good dog” often isn’t enough.
Frenchies are also persistent - they want what they want when they want it. You may have to work to get his attention off the object of his focus. Again - give him a reason to pay attention to you. You have to be the most interesting thing in Swinburne’s world.
-Hope
Tags: canine agression, French Bulldog dog agression, French Bulldog training
