Overwhelming Bulldog Puppy

[sparkyjeep]

My 11 week old bulldog Doobie and I have been working hard for the last three weeks, but I am feeling a bit overwhelmed (I'm new at the whole puppy thing). Am I doing the right things? Is he progressing to where he should be for his age?

Potty training: I am getting up once a night to take him out, just to be safe. He's having about one accident a day in the house. I keep an eagle eye on him, but I'm still not 100% picking up on his 'gotta go' signs. He is a constant sniffer, so I have trouble telling when he is sniffing for fun or sniffing for a good spot. How long does potty training usually take? How can I teach him to tell me when he needs to go?

Commands: He responds to 'sit' 85% of the time. I can't tell if he knows his name, he'll come when I call but he may just be responding to my soft tone of voice. We worked on 'stay' yesterday and I think he'll pick up on that quickly.

Biting: This is our worst area. I know he's a puppy, but my hands and arms look like they got caught in a cheese grater! Is consistency the key for this? I always say 'not bite' and give him an appropriate toy, but I haven't noticed a change yet. When he gets really aggressive, I put him on his back and he'll calm down and submit to me, but when I let him up, he goes right back to attack mode. Any suggestions???

We are signed up to start puppy kindergarten in a few weeks, will this help or am I wasting money? I love him more than anything, but I can't gage if my training is making a difference.

Thanks for any suggestions

[Ritz459]

Well, I'll just answer your biting question, since I've had experience with this.
When your puppy bites you, say "Ouch!" and stop all play. If he continues to mug you, get up and walk out of the room. Stay out for a little bit, and then return. Continue to play with the pup. If he bites agian, leave.
This works because puppies bite in play. So then they think, "Hey, when I bite her, she goes away! The horror! " lol So eventually, he'll stop play biting cause that ends the game.
And actually, doing an "alpha roll" on a dog can make it more aggressive. He may think, "Gosh! I'm just trying to play with my human and he tries to eat me!" (Because an alpha roll is a very dominant sign and doing it to a dog may think they have to fight for their life.) So the dog may get defensive and think humans are unpredictable. So I'd stay away from that.
And, did you get your dog from a Petstore? Because dogs from Petstores are forced to eliminate in their cages, thus making house-breaking more difficult, and they were also wisked away from their siblings and mother too soon, so they don't have a "soft mouth".
Anyways, I wish you luck with your pup!

And I'd definitally go for puppy kindergarten. It provides lots of socialization for the pup and it teachs him and you at the same time. Definitally worth it!

[sparkyjeep]

Thanks for the info. No, I got him from a very respectible breeder. One of the reasons I chose him over the others was his energy...so I should probably embrace it. He hasn't eliminated in his crate since I've had him, I think part of the reason he goes in the house is because he get so excited when we play. I tried the getting up and walking away technique in the beginning and I didn't like it very much because if I left him in a room he would go nuts and bite and rips things and if I put him in his crate he would run himself against the door. That's why I started the more dominant alpha roll, to help him learn that I'm in charge and he needs to take instruction from me. Hence my current dilemma on an appropriate way to teach some bite inhibition.

[Barrett]

I like what Ritz said, that worked great for both of my puppies. Try to yipe really high pitched just like a hurt puppy would sound. Then say 'Don't BITE" and get up and ignore him ( without leaving the room) for 3 minutes. Just fold your arms and turn your back to him and look up to the ceiling. The yiping high pitched, even howling a little when he really hurts you gets his attenion quick. When it's time to play again tell him to be gentle and give him a chew toy and praise when he chews on it. Through out the day look for him to chew on an appropriate toy either on his own or encouraged by you 10 times a day and give him a treat and praise. If he chews on anything else say "Ah-Ah don't bite"...give him his chew toy...and praise/treat him when he chews on it. Stick with this..it takes over a month, sometimes two to get puppies to learn bite inhibition. It is a slow process.

Kindergarten is an EXCELLENT way to start socializing your new pup. The clases are so fun and you learn many commands to teach him. If you are having trouble getting a certain command through to him the trainer can teach the command several different ways until you find a way that works. Your pup will be around many different puppies and people so he is getting great socialization.

[JAE]

I 100% agree on the puppy kindergarten. Most definitely.

I'll try and help with the potty training.

Generally speaking...a puppy should only be expected to "hold it" for as many daytime hours as he is months old. ie...Doobie being 11 weeks old should be able to "hold it" for at least 2 hours (possibly 3 since he's almost 12 weeks)before needing to be taken out....provided he is confined (in his crate) the entire 2-3 hours. This doubles during night time. 4-6 hours during the night at this point.
Also...another rule of thumb while he is this young. Take him first thing in the morning...immediately after eating and/or drinking, after playtimes/rough housing...immediately upon waking...and immediately before you retire for the night.
These are just basic guidlines...every puppy is different and you may find you need to make some adjustments.

You'll eventually get to know his body language...it just takes time. Only 1 accident in the house a day for an 11 week old is EXCELLENT! IMO.

The key to any training is consistency and praise.
CONGRATS and good luck with him! Hope to see some pictures!

[sparkyjeep]

Thanks everyone. Like I said, I've never done this before and I have no way of gageing how I'm doing. So I really appreciate the feedback. I'll try just turning around to ignore him and I haven't been giving him treats when he chews on the appropriate toys (just excited praise) so I will try that as well.

[paramount]

If you think you have an 'alpha' puppy and teach him who is in control I recommend the Nothing In Life Is Free (NILIF) approach. There is a lot of contention over the alpha roll method as an alpha male wolf does not assert himself by rolling others, rather his subordinates do this on their own volition you could say. In my opinion, NILIF is a positive method of achieving the same goal, and is a lot easier if you ask me.

NILIF is a basic philosophy that anything your dog wants (food, game, rubs,etc.) must be paid for by obedience. This means that if he wants his dinner, have him do a trick before it for instance. You can read a lot about it using the search function on this forum or just a regular internet search.

As far as housebreaking, it really varies from dog to dog. Some dogs just click very quickly, while others take more time. Stick to a consistent routine and eventually you will have no problems.

I'm not a bulldog owner but I've read a lot about them as I was heavily considering one and there are two things about bulldogs that you need to remember when combating the biting issue; (or any behavioral one for that matter) bulldogs crave attention and love, and bulldogs are very stubborn. You need to communicate to your pup that biting = no fun/love
As soon as he nips give a yelp/ow!/etc. and walk away for a few minutes. Be consistent and he will eventually realize that when he gets too rough hes going to miss out on more fun.

Overall, it sounds like you really are working hard and doing a great job with your pup. Hes 11 weeks old (Bulldogs are perpetual children, but don't fully mature until 3 years I believe) so you have your work cut out for you. Keep up with it and enjoy the the joys of a puppy.

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

Everyone so far has given you a ton of great information but there are a few things that I would like to add.

Although NILIF does wonders with just about any dog you'll find this difficult at best to use with a Bulldog pup; while bullies are VERY food motivated they are even more bullheaded with the attitude of go until they drop dating as far back as their bulbaiting days, pups are headstrong and have a one track mind when it comes to biting and although they would be happy to pause long enough to do as you wish for that little goodie 50% of the time at 11 weeks he'll take it and go right back to munching on your hand or whatever body part he has decided. NILIF does work VERY well for Bulldogs 6 months of age and up.

Without his brothers and sisters to guide him further along into realizing that when he is bitten back that it hurts you'll have to do the same thing as his mother would but add verbal commands as well. Simply take hold of the back scruff of his neck just as his mother would and pull gently back ( enough to get him off your hand and lift his front feet just off the floor ) while in a VERY firm voice saying NO BITE. Depending on how stubborn Doobie is you may find yourself doing this many times but within days you'll find that not only will he think twice before grabbing your hand or whatever else his little heart desires but when he does do it, in no time you'll be able to no longer physically remove him and just say the command. Making noises or using wording such as "ow" or something like it is usually pretty entertaining for a Bulldog pup and I don't recommend it as most take great joy in making you do it....after all, it was the only way they knew when taking hold of the bull if their actions were doing their job by making that bull sound off.

Yes, there will be times where you will need to just walk away and providing he isn't too headstrong he'll understand soon enough that his actions caused your leaving and he will begin to curb his biting. Many Bulldogs are too headstrong for this option to work but it should always be tried before going to something else. If in fact Doobie is very headstrong you'll find that when you attempt to walk away he'll simply run up behind and try to physically hold you there.

Never, ever, ever alpha roll a Bulldog. I don't agree with doing it with any breed of dog but doing it with a Bulldog is without a doubt a very good way to get yourself bitten once your pup reaches maturity and decides to test you and trust me he will. By alpha rolling you are physically and mentally challenging your dog, the idea is not to challenge but to earn your position as the alpha through respect.

Puppy classes are wonderful and will not only help with basic commands but assist you both in the bonding process. From what you've described Doobie sounds like he is doing excellent for his age! You will pick up on his signals to go outside in time.

Please keep in mind that I am not a certified trainer but am simply owned, loved and handle Bulldogs. These are things that over the years I have found to work for my specific breed of choice.