English bulldog and housetraining (bite, clean, poop, breeders)
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We have an english bulldog puppy, female, she is 13 weeks and we have had her for 1 month today. We are consistent with her housetraining. I am home all the time so she has been taught to go outside, when we can't watch her, she is in her crate. 1 month and she is still having accidents, today, went and pee'd in her crate. I said no and took her outside. How long does this take? Also, she attacks my kids, I know puppy play is puppy play but she bit my daughter very badly. The little kids she bites their feet and legs, the older kids, she just goes after them. Any suggestions? Once in a great while she will try to bite my socks and I say a firm NO and she stops. I don't know what else to do.
Bulldogs are one of the most stubborn breeds and probably least trainable. Have you had bulldogs before? Have you had other breeds?
Put an end to the biting immediately or someone will get seriously hurt. Its what bulldogs were originally bred for. Your family needs to establish dominance or she will continue to bully you guys.
As for the potty training... how big is the crate? Is it small amount frequently or a large pee? Is there blood in it? Does she have accidents in the same place or all over?
13 weeks is very young to expect much in the way of housetraining, their bladder and bowel muscles are simply not developed enough, would take her out often on a leash (even if your yard is fenced in, you go w/ her so you know what she's doing - or not doing), she's out there to 'go', not to play, she can play later - get her on some type of schedule, take her out after she wakes up, after she eats, when she starts circling etc, she'll prob. give you very, very subtle clues.
As for the biting, it's not acceptable but is it possible she just got wound up/overly excited? Given her young age, she prob. was taken from her siblings early and views your kids as her siblings esp. if they move fast, shout etc. Re-direct her to a a safe chew toy. Would also invest in a big spray bottle of Bitter Apple or Yuck! or something similar to spray on your socks, sneakers etc - those puppy teeth are sharp! Would also look into some positive-method puppy training classes that could benefit her and your whole family, we take our kids to school, why not her - agaon, nothing harsh and you go w/ her to learn the training, you want this to be a positive fun experience for her.
PS Would also use a harness for her, collars can hurt their tracheas and bulldogs can have a lot of breathing problems as they age, a harness w/b the way to go
PPS Not sure why she's piddling in her crate unless she's from a petstore where she had no choice but to relieve herself in one. If she's overly crated and no one's taking her out to relieve herself, inevitably she's going to go inside, take her outside fast when you anticipate her going to go and dont yell if she has an occ. acc. inside, it's bound to happen and yelling will just scare her and make her a sneaky piddler whuch you dont want. Would not overcrate her either or she'll be having acc's in the crate which is opp. of what you want. Praise her whe she 'goes' outside (which is why you need to go out w/ her), would give her a small tasty treat (not a Milkbone, maybe a very small piece of chicken or steak whuch you can cook and cut uo and keep in your freezer). We also closed the bedroom doors etc when ours were puppies (less likely for them to run off and have acc,s) and would keep them in the kitchen to keep better track of them (of course we also spent a lot of time in there to see what they were doing/not doing). Just be patient, you have a very young puppy and like potty training children, it does take time
Last edited by Honeycrisp; 03-30-2011 at 08:58 AM..
13 weeks is MUCH too young to expect her to be housebroken. I never even though of mine as housebroken until they were about six months. Give her time. Continue being consistent. If you do a search on the dog section of this forum there's a fantastic detailed post on how to housebreak your dog / puppy. Follow it to the letter. And then relax!
Bulldogs are one of the most stubborn breeds and probably least trainable. Have you had bulldogs before? Have you had other breeds?
Put an end to the biting immediately or someone will get seriously hurt. Its what bulldogs were originally bred for. Your family needs to establish dominance or she will continue to bully you guys.
Really? And how many do you own? I have 2 English Bulldogs. My first I got at 8 weeks and he is a dream come true. He was housebroken by 4 months (after we realized how to do it properly), NEVER bit anyone or chewed anything in the house, gets along with all people, dogs, kittens, puppies, etc. And was extremely easy to train, actually the most obedient in his puppy preschool class and always listens to my commands.
He is the most easygoing, perfect dog in the world. He was not bred for biting, that is the most ridiculous statement I have ever heard. When you do your research and get them from REPUTABLE breeders, you will have one of the best family companions out there. I love my boy and he is none of the things you mentioned. I'm so sick of these ridiculous stereotypes when I know how my boy is.
OP, take her out every 2 hours, whether she has to go or not. Don't use those puppy pads, it's not ok to pee in the house under any circumstance. It takes some time and getting up in the middle of the night, but you'll have a housebroken dog in no time.
PS Would also use a harness for her, collars can hurt their tracheas and bulldogs can have a lot of breathing problems as they age, a harness w/b the way to go
Harnesses are actually not recommended for Bulldogs. It puts pressure on their chest, which is not good for this breed. If anything, an easy walk harness, that hooks up in the front and not on the chest. We use regular collars, never had an issue with them but then again mine have no breathing issues.
By the way, I dont fully agree, I have had much more stubborn dogs than english bulldogs. I have probably had a dozen dogs in my life, and my english bulldog has been the best by FAR, best behaved and very gentle.
She:
1. Does not need a leash and walks along side of me.
2. Listens to my every command, even if she is off the leash and sees a wild animal/dog/human down the street she stays next to me.
3. I leave the other dog's food out and I have trained her never to touch it, even though she only eats twice daily from her own bowl and the other dog free feeds.
4. Never has she been agressive/biting/barking, etc.
5. She is fully housetrained, goes out about 3 times daily or so.
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Here's is the "bible" from an old-time poster here, ViralMD.
Below is my housetraining post. IT WORKS. But you must follow it TO THE LETTER, as must EVERYONE in the house. It's good for puppies AND grown dogs. And realize that some dogs NEVER learn to signal. Neither of my dogs does.
Housetraining your dog (puppy or adult!)
The first thing you need to do is to remember that you’re trying to reinforce a new behavior. That means that the rewards for this behavior must be WONDERFUL. NOT crap from the store. Wonderful treats are poached chicken breast/turkey breast, cheese and steak. And you don’t have to use big pieces. Tiny pieces (about 3mm cubes) are just fine! I poach a whole turkey breast every few weeks, cut it into hunks when it’s cool enough to handle, wrap them well and store them in the freezer. When I need some, I’ll thaw a hunk overnight and cut off pieces and dice finely, storing them in a plastic bag in the fridge. One hunk will last about five days. Cheese is also popular, so variety is fine.
I carry these plastic bags in my jacket pockets in the winter and in a fanny pack in warmer weather. You HAVE to have these with you, or this method won’t work, because you need to reward as soon as the dog finishes pooping or peeing. It’s not going to work if the rewards are in the house.
Remember that you’re trying to change a very ingrained behavior. Some dogs like to feel certain things under their feet when they eliminate, like fabric, or newspaper. This is called a ‘substrate preference.’ What you’re trying to do is change this substrate preference, and to do that you have to make the treats SO wonderful that the dog will change this very well-entrenched behavior. Thus the chicken, cheese, steak.
I love clicker training, but this can be done without clickers. You just need a way to ‘mark’ the behavior you want to reinforce. Use the word ‘YESSSSS!!!!’ very enthusiastically – that works for some.
You’re going to need to GO OUTSIDE WITH your dog and the dog needs to be on a leash. Yes, even in winter. If you don’t reward IMMEDIATELY after the event (when dog immediately finishes pooping or peeing) and wait inside, the dog is going to be reinforced for coming inside, not for doing its business. So, leash up your dog. STAND IN ONE PLACE. Be boring. Bring a book or magazine for yourself.
Eventually, the dog will do what you’re waiting for. The NANOSECOND that the dog is finished, HAVE A PARTY – lots of loud, high-pitched praise, treats and running around. You want to make this memorable for your dog! You’ll find that once the first event is achieved, the others will come more quickly. Keep on treating (you don’t have to throw a party except for milestones – a milestone = if he only pooped outside but now peed, too, or something equivalent to that) until he’s good and used to peeing/pooping outside. Before you know it, you have a trained dog.
Regarding accidents in the house: NO SCOLDING. Just clean them up. If you scold you’ll get the dog to think it’s bad to pee or poop and he’ll do it in places you won’t see. Until you step in it. Invest in a big bottle of Nature’s Miracle or Simple Solution and use it liberally on accidents.
To quote Patricia McConnell, author of “The Other End of the Leash” and co-author of “Way to Go” (a booklet on housetraining), “Once you face the fact that you just have take your dog out every time you turn around, give them the treat immeditely after they potty, and prevent accidents in the house… well, it usually goes so smoothly.”
With young puppies, remember they have little control of the muscle that holds the bladder closed. This is something they grow into. Just as it’s not expected that a human baby is toilet trained at six months, don’t expect much from a puppy. Patience, patience, patience!!!! The nervous system in a puppy has to mature, and it won’t have much control over the sphincter (closing muscle) at the neck of the bladder until six or seven months. The same goes for the anal sphincter. Until control is achieved, both of these muscles operate on reflex: there are stretch receptors in the bladder wall. When the bladder is full, it sends impulses to the spinal cord and these, in turn, send signals to the sphincter to open and the dog pees.
In the stomach wall, there are also stretch receptors. So when the dog eats and the stomach is stretched, the impulses again go to the spinal cord, but this time the reflex, outgoing, nerve signals are sent to the anal sphincter, so the dog defecates. This operates in people, too – which is why some people rush to the ‘reading room’ after a meal – especially breakfast.
I've had one of each. A very sweet gentle boy and a female that would like nothing more then to be in charge. She can be aggressive in play, which is probably why she doesn't have to many friends. The breed is a stubborn breed but is also very willing to please and most are very food motivated which can make them very easy to train. But they are a very strong minded dog and will take over the house if you let them. Start training now, NILIF is a good place to start.
Puppies like to bite. Biting is normal puppy play, when she does this redirect her attention to something she can chew on. And praise her.
House training usually isn't an issue with this breed as long as your consistent. Take her out every couple of hours throughout the day weather she needs to or not. Give her a yummy treat and lots of praise. She'll get it.
Really? And how many do you own? I have 2 English Bulldogs. My first I got at 8 weeks and he is a dream come true. He was housebroken by 4 months (after we realized how to do it properly), NEVER bit anyone or chewed anything in the house, gets along with all people, dogs, kittens, puppies, etc. And was extremely easy to train, actually the most obedient in his puppy preschool class and always listens to my commands.
He is the most easygoing, perfect dog in the world. He was not bred for biting, that is the most ridiculous statement I have ever heard. When you do your research and get them from REPUTABLE breeders, you will have one of the best family companions out there. I love my boy and he is none of the things you mentioned. I'm so sick of these ridiculous stereotypes when I know how my boy is.
Its nice that you have a dog that you like, but some things are stereotypes for a reason. Because the trait is common amongst the breed. Bulldogs were bred for bull baiting and dog fighting, both of which include aggression and biting. Although today's bulldogs tend to be more docile, it is still in their history and a large part of their make up. I wasn't personally attacking your dogs, but for other people who are inexperienced with the breed the dogs ARE pushy and they learn how to bully their owners if they let them. They can also be the kindest and most loyal dogs out there. It takes a more dominant person to successfully raise a bulldog, which it sounds like you have. They are not for most people. Just because your dog doesn't fit the stereotype doesn't give you the right to jump at me for pointing out the obvious.
I guess I'm the only one that thinks a pup should be fairly potty-trained by 13 weeks (over 3 months). They should know that they should be going outside by that point and be learning to communicate that with you. Accidents still happen, but they should be right next to the door, where the pup knows he needs to be going.
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