Confused new dog owner

[Flash1]

Ok - 

 

I need some advice and help. 

You have all been so helpful, so I really appreciate it. 

Basically, I bought Flash my French bulldog 6 weeks ago from a lady selling him on Gumtree. She had apparently had him for a year and she had to sell him as he didn’t get on with her 7-year-old Chinese crest female. The fact that she had Flash for a year and then let him go rang alarm bells, but I ignored them. 

 

I remember asking her if he was good with other dogs and she said ''he should be'' - at the time he was running around with my kids in the park and I figured all was well and that I would be taking him out twice a day, so it wouldn't be an issue socialising him. 

He had no papers and was apparently bought in the Gold Coast. His microchip wasn’t registered. 

She also had no documents of vaccinations. 

I wasn't invited to her house and she met us in a park. Apparently, she had a flood. 

She dropped the price by a $1000 within 4 days. 

Writing this all now I feel so stupid. 

 

6 weeks later I have a dog who won't go out in the garden in the morning to have a pee unless I am with him. He stands at the back door waiting for me. 

He cries outside my door if I am in the shower. 

He has 4 other family members in the house but is only interested in me. 

All this stuff I can deal with, he's new, he’s unsure etc. 

 

The bit I am struggling with is the way he is with other dogs. Today for instance I am at the park, I have chosen a quiet spot, he is off his lead and runs to a male dog. They play like they have known each other for years. 20 Minutes later a female golden retriever comes along on her lead, he loses the plot and turns into a total different dog, and barks (He never barks), growls, tries jumping on her and biting her neck. She leaves, and he continues to sit nicely with the male. 

 

EVERY SINGLE FEMALE HE TRIES TO HURT OR MATE. 

EVERY SINGLE GOLDEN RETREIVER HE TRIES TO ATTACK. 

 

He then comes home and is the sheepish, following dog you could ever meet. 

 

The day I bought him from the lady she let slip that her daughter is a French bulldog breeder. 

A lady at the park today suggested that MAYBE he had been breeding but became too much to handle so they let him go. 

 

We are really trying, I am constantly on the internet searching for advice, asking other owners for advice,  I have booked him in for training that starts in Feb (Obedience training in a field with lots of other dogs) 

He is being desexed in January. He is out twice a day without fail, he is so loved and looked after. 

 

Why is he doing this? 

 

Edited just now by Flash1 
Ps - I dont have $200 an hour for behaviour coaches to come to my house

[RuralPug]

They are a companion breed and are prone to separation anxiety, which is what you are seeing. I suggest asking about separation anxiety in Frenchies on this thread, so that other Frenchie owners can respond.

There is really no need for him to have free play with strange dogs. Stay away from the dogs parks unless they are empty, and leash him if another dog comes in. At this point don't worry about the "why" of his behaviour, just make sure that you don't give him the opportunity to act badly. If you feel that he must play with other dogs, then set up playdates with dogs that you know.

On leash walks are better than dog park play in my personal opinion, especially with a new dog as leash work helps you to bond much more than free running. Once you have  his basic obedience and recall organised then you can look at changing his behaviour with females and goldens. It won't be an instant fix.

The obedience training with a club or group trainer is excellent and you should be able to learn a lot about handling him from experienced people there. It's all early days yet, relax and don't put him into those situations that upset you both!

[persephone]

On 1/5/2018 at 10:50 PM, Flash1 said:

We are really trying, I am constantly on the internet searching for advice, asking other owners for advice,  I have booked him in for training that starts in Feb (Obedience training in a field with lots of other dogs) 

He is being desexed in January. He is out twice a day without fail, he is so loved and looked after. 

 

Why is he doing this? 

 

Hmmm..

internet searches may  unfortunately confuse the issue   Other owners might have never seen this behaviour. 
DOL has many experienced  people  who have seen many many dogs /owners with problems ... BUT .

NO ONE has walked with you and seen your dog's behaviour /your behaviour /the surroundings/other dogs' behaviours.

Honestly , a few hundred dollars on ONE diagnostic visit  may save you and your dog from  confusion /a worsening of behaviours, and or injuries

Finding the correct solution  is so very tricky   from owner descriptions alone ... believe me. 

taking this young man to  

Quote

Obedience training in a field with lots of other dogs

has that niggley feel of him being set up to fail
 

Quote

The obedience training with a club or group trainer is excellent

it can be ...IF the instructor is good at their job, that groups are managed well , and that 'problem dogs' get individual attention /assessment 

I do hope you can beg borrow or steal money to  get professional help . 

 

Edited January 7, 2018 by persephone

[Dogsfevr]

I will be honest and say you are crazy letting a dog offleash that you have had for such a short time ,a dog that isn’t trained,doesn’t know you and has issues ,You are creating your own drama and that was pointed out in your other post about teaching him from scratch and giving him boundaries not opportunities.

He sounds typical Frenchie without manners ,they are full on some more than others .abig dog little dog attitude .

 

I doubt he was a stud dog ,the fact he was sold so cheaply as a Frenchie is more concerning .

Have you talked with anyone from the French Bulldog awareness group or just googled .

Keep in mind googling is great googling is also a receipe for disaster .

 

[juice]

Don’t let him off till it’s sorted , you are setting him up to fail and he is getting self rewarded for his bad behaviour . 

I”m a single mum and money is tight , but over the years a good trainer has saved several of my dogs . Bad trainers are plentiful tho . Get some breed advice and take it . 

[m-j]

On 1/5/2018 at 10:50 PM, Flash1 said:

Ok - 

 

I need some advice and help. 

You have all been so helpful, so I really appreciate it. 

Basically, I bought Flash my French bulldog 6 weeks ago from a lady selling him on Gumtree. She had apparently had him for a year and she had to sell him as he didn’t get on with her 7-year-old Chinese crest female. The fact that she had Flash for a year and then let him go rang alarm bells, but I ignored them. 

 

I remember asking her if he was good with other dogs and she said ''he should be'' - at the time he was running around with my kids in the park and I figured all was well and that I would be taking him out twice a day, so it wouldn't be an issue socialising him. 

He had no papers and was apparently bought in the Gold Coast. His microchip wasn’t registered. 

She also had no documents of vaccinations. 

I wasn't invited to her house and she met us in a park. Apparently, she had a flood. 

She dropped the price by a $1000 within 4 days. 

Writing this all now I feel so stupid. 

 

6 weeks later I have a dog who won't go out in the garden in the morning to have a pee unless I am with him. He stands at the back door waiting for me. 

He cries outside my door if I am in the shower. 

He has 4 other family members in the house but is only interested in me. 

All this stuff I can deal with, he's new, he’s unsure etc. 

 

The bit I am struggling with is the way he is with other dogs. Today for instance I am at the park, I have chosen a quiet spot, he is off his lead and runs to a male dog. They play like they have known each other for years. 20 Minutes later a female golden retriever comes along on her lead, he loses the plot and turns into a total different dog, and barks (He never barks), growls, tries jumping on her and biting her neck. She leaves, and he continues to sit nicely with the male. 

 

EVERY SINGLE FEMALE HE TRIES TO HURT OR MATE. 

EVERY SINGLE GOLDEN RETREIVER HE TRIES TO ATTACK. 

 

He then comes home and is the sheepish, following dog you could ever meet. 

 

The day I bought him from the lady she let slip that her daughter is a French bulldog breeder. 

A lady at the park today suggested that MAYBE he had been breeding but became too much to handle so they let him go. 

 

We are really trying, I am constantly on the internet searching for advice, asking other owners for advice,  I have booked him in for training that starts in Feb (Obedience training in a field with lots of other dogs) 

He is being desexed in January. He is out twice a day without fail, he is so loved and looked after. 

 

Why is he doing this? 

 

Edited just now by Flash1 
Ps - I dont have $200 an hour for behaviour coaches to come to my house

As Phersephone has said internet isnt the best way to get advise as the person giving the advice isnt seeing what is happening. You have identified two situations which are triggers until you learn how to manage the dog in those situations, avoid them or at least keep your dog below his threshold (point where he reacts). I wouldnt stress too much  about him, he more than likely has his reasons that only he will know about for behaving like he is, it will ruin the pleasure that you can have. Good training advice and not allowing to hone his aggression skills (i.e. if there is a Goldie in your group classes stay as far away as possible until you can get that advice) is the best way forward.

[suziwong66]

I would recommend you contact k9-Pro - they have a number of training/behaviourist support options from Skype consults to board and train at all different price points. If you consider board and train, expect a waiting period of 6 months as they're incredibly busy. If you'd like to see some of their work, go to their FB page and watch some of the videos.

 

When we were still in Adelaide we worked with Amy from Advanced Behavioural Canine with some great results and then relocated to Brisbane and our 3yo bitch went backwards and then some. Six months ago we contacted k9-Pro to discuss board and train and she flew out this morning for three weeks of work for her anxiety.

 

I have every confidence in them to help us give her the quality of life that we want for her; we consider the cost an investment in her future.

 

 

** Edited to add:  Laikey arrived at K9- Pro on Monday afternoon. She started training on Tuesday. Today, i was shown a video of her first time training in a room with other dogs. Laikey was walking loose leash and not barking or reacting to the dog that was working less that 2m away from her...She hasn't been in any proximity of another dog (except our other lab) and not been anxious or reactive in over 3 years! I have been working on her anxiety and reactivity for all of that time and haven't had anywhere near the results that Steve and Bec (Laikey's Trainer at K9 Pro, whom is a DOLer) in three days. So, i stand by my original recommendation of approaching k9 Pro.

Edited February 1, 2018 by suziwong66

[corvus]

Most likely, the reason why he is doing it is because learning history. He is getting something out of it that he wants. It is hard to say what that is without knowing how this developed, but you can figure out a lot by looking at what happens as a result. You said he jumped on the GR and she went away. I would bet, that is your answer right there. For whatever reason, he wanted her to go away, and he achieved that. If you start from there, along with the principle that the more he practices a behaviour, the more he will do it in future, then it should be clear what you need to do. Prevent him from doing what you don't want to, preferably with a leash or avoiding those situations. Encourage him to do something you want him to in those situations instead, like coming to you when called. Make the latter very worth his while. He should get what he wants (away from the GR), plus an additional reward (e.g. food). It will be most effective if he doesn't perform the behaviour at all - i.e. you call him away before he does something you don't want him to.

[persephone]

@suziwong66 those videos were a-mazing!!!   

[suziwong66]

7 hours ago, persephone said:

@suziwong66 those videos were a-mazing!!!   

They are, aren't they? They put one up of Laikey of her first week. The change is incredible.