[luna]

my boyfriend and i have just moved back to brooklyn, ny with luna. there's this great dog park right down the block - but of course you all understand how hesitant we are to bring her. so we did a "drive-by" last weekend, kept her on leash, and checked out the teperature of the place. of course she started with some dogs, but she really got along with this one dog.

so that got us thinking - can the ability to get along with other dogs be "trained" into bullies? luna, when we were in bc, was going to a play group and she did fine. and one trainer here in ny said that it is possible, we just need to work on it.

so - let me ask you guys - do you think it's possible? can we train our dogs to the point where they are able to play with others?

 

[LifeIsDaPits]

I never heard someone say you could train a dog to that point. Bullies are naturally animal aggressive, it's not something you can just train out of them. Granted some get along fine with other dogs, but it's like a 50/50 chance. Why risk it?

 

[angie7349]

For the most part NO

I think that for those with a very low level of dog aggression it is possible to train aggression out of Bullies...But I think that you would need to be a professional trainer to even attempt to trust a Bully around other dogs.......Ask the guy to show you in person the dogs that he has trained and videos of them before....I doubt seriously though that he has the ability to stop a high dog aggression, it just isn't likely.......And in all honesty do you possess the skills to handle a Bully that is around other dogs that has been "trained" to like other dogs

 

[Chris]

i don't think you can train aggression out of a dog, however, you can have your dog so well obedience trained they will not attack or pay attention to another dog when you have them under your control..


Having said this, dog parks are not controlled environments and I would NOT bring my dog to one. They are contained chaos and a fight or accident waiting to happen. Both my dogs are properly OB trained however I just would not trust them off leash around other dogs. This is aside from the fact that most dog parks won't let bully breeds in.

 

[wizworx]

you will probably hear this from other members of the forum as well... but just when you think all is going well while at the dog park and your pup is playing nice with everyone there will be that one dog that comes up and confronts/challenges your dog, it may nip at your dog, or block your dog, or just stare him down and this other dog will most likely loose to your dog if a scuffle occurs, then you will be the one to blame for the dog fight, and your dog will be looked at the one to blame even tho the other dog started the issue to begin with......so in my opinion you could have the best trained bully in the world but if another dog comes up and starts to pick a fight with it do you think they would turn the other cheek... I know mine wouldn't and he is a sweetheart to all people and dogs for the most part, but I just would not put him in a situation to find out the hard way....I think bullies tolerate other dogs but can not be trained to like or play with other dogs, my Titus is only 13 months old and for now he gets along well with my other dog Zeke and my brother inlaws APBT Sadie but I know in the future I may need to crate and rotate, I am hoping that this won't need to be done but only time will tell.

 

[nanniesrock]

I seem to be one of the only people on this forum who has a different opinion on ths matter, and for the most part, I keep my mouth shut, cuz I don't really want to get flamed. Maybe I'm the exception, but Harley has canine playmates of many breeds, including other bullies. She has met, played with and gotten along fine with at least 5 Bullies I can think of off the top of my head. (2AB's 2 Pit's & 1 Pit/mix) Again, she seems to be an exception, but Harley has never started a fight, or even accepted a challenge from another dog (always small breeds that start with her). Again, I'm leaving myself wide open even posting this, but it's been my experience. Harley has yet to meet another dog she doesn't like.

 

[wizworx]

Nanniesrock,,,,, I agree with you to a point... for instance Titus was in OB school and did great with all the dogs there and they played etc... but my concern with him is that he has had socialization with other dogs he was still a pup and from what they say you really don't know till they hit about 2 years of age or so... my worry with him is mainly that he like to play real rough and if he pisses off another dog doing that I myself can not predict what the other dog will do or even if Titus would retaliate if bitten hard enough... he likes to body slam his playmates and hold them down on the ground and I know that some dogs would definately have a problem with this, but at a dog park where you really don't know the other dogs how do you know how they would react to this sort of play??? That is my biggest worry, now one on one in my yard playing with a new dog or something is a little different cause you have a little bit more control versus say 20 dogs running amock in a park where no one is listening to their owners....that is what scares me....Some of the dog parks in our area are total chaos and the owners are too busy talking amongst themselves and not watching their dogs, I have seen one fight that probably could have been prevented by the owners were not paying attention to the one dog picking on the other one and they were a Lab and some sort of mutt mix (this was at a dog park behind a baseball field where we were watching our nephew play ball, needless to say it was such a scirmish that the damn game stopped for a few minutes to figure out what was going on)

 

[nanniesrock]

We don't have dog parks where I live, so maybe I should refrain from posting in this thread. I have neber had an opportunity to have Harley around 20 dogs, and like yours, she does like to play rough. It's interesting, though, who she chooses to "play rough" with. For instance, cats and dogs who seems scared, she "bows" to. She only gets rough with certain dogs. A HUGE male Pit, whose owners didn't want to let him play, b/c they were afraid he would hurt Harley for one. I assured them Harley could hold her own, and unless they were afraid he would get hurt.... They let him out, and Harley met her first "boyfriend". Harley's still in her adolescence, so maybe I'll still have to eat my words, but I think sometimes we underestimate our dogs.

 

[wizworx]

Believe me you are lucky you dont have dog parks, I am sure if you were to witness some of them you would cringe....lol... no I agree with how they act with certain animals.. Titus does the same thing he will not play rough with our dog Zeke (I think cause Zeke plays the Alpha in their little world) cause he will put Titus in his place but with my Brother inlaws female pit they roll around like a bunch of nuts, now our cat on the other hand is a totally different story, he tries to play with her and she kicks his butt everytime... it is the funniest thing in the world to watch a cat chase a dog....LMAO!!!

 

[Chico.Heidi]

I would steer clear of the dog parks. My dogs get along fine with most dogs but they seem to get really overwhelmed by large groups. If you really feel the need to go to one, it would be best to take your dog on a really long walk first so that she is not pent up or really hyper when you get there. This will help with your dog but there will still be lots of frustrated dogs there. I think most people take their dogs to dog parks as an excuse not to properly excercise them. That is why there are a lot of really hyper, frustrated dogs there that are acting like wild maniacs. The owners just allow their dogs to act this way and don't take responsibility if the dog is causing problems. Everytime I've gone to a dog park (mostly with my cocker spaniels) it's been a negative experience. I usually get into an argument with an owner because they are off on their cell phone while their dog is causing trouble on the other end of the park!

I've had good experiences socializing my dogs in obedience classes. There is a trainer there that can hopefully take control if the situation gets out of control and the dogs are all on leashes. I've taken the beginer class three times now just to get the experience of being around new dogs. We're slow. We haven't advanced to the intermediate class yet! :lol:

 

[dezekiel]

hi, i'm new and trying to figure out how to work this web page, so please bear with me . I have a question on my dogs, i have a 2year old doberman (she's fixed) and a 9 month old english bulldog, they have been getting along beautifully until a few months ago. I've had both since they were weaned, there was an older schnauser who passed away this spring and they looked after him, we wanted a dog who could be buddies with our doberman after the schnauser passed but wanted one that was short squatty, and not run fast. We read that bulldogs fit the decription and were laid back easy going couch potatos, thought that was the perfect dog for us, but now they are fighting, not all the time but since we never know when they will fight, we just keep them separated all the time now, not what we were looking for. Is there anything anyone could suggest on how to keep this from happening again? I was injured the last time they had a fight and that's why we keep them apart, i had to have 7 stitches put in, i know it was an accident, " re-directed aggression" from what i read on aggession sibling rivalry i guess is what happened. The bully has been licking it all the time, sorta like "I'm sorry i hurt you, i'll kiss and make better!" but there are times when i am leery about swatting her butt now when she's bad ( i use the weekly flyer that comes rolled in a plastic bag ) but only if she keeps on doing what's she being punished for, otherwise i just grab her by the harness and tell her she is bad! bad! dog, which is how i got hurt the last time. They had been in a fight and my husb. took the dob. i took the bully and when they were separated, i auto. went to punish her, jerked her harness and told her she was bad, and that's when she got me. I'm thinking she thought it was the other dog and did it automatically. Sometimes they get along like long lost friends and then bam, something sets one off and it hits the fan, so we just keep them apart, it's a pain in the tush, but better than another hospital bill... Any suggestions would be really appreciated !! :!:

 

[Carrie]

Your problem from the start is the fact that you have 2 females. Two females of any breed are at risk for fights, but when you take tow females of dominant breeds, you are asking for trouble. I never recommend same sex pairs in dominant breeds. Sometimes you luck out, but it is rare.

Now that they are fighting, you stand very little chance they will ever get along with each other. You may be able to train them to tolerate each other in your presence, but it would be alot of work and really not 100% reliable..you could never have them alone together and there would always be the possibility of another fight.

When they fight, what are the circumstances? Do you keep toys out they both can access? Often times fights will start over items..they both want possession of the item and it triggers a fight. Other times, you may be petting one and the other takes that as a challenge and Boom..another fight.

As far as smacking a dog when it's bad..that does nothing but make your dog fearful of you or want to challenge you. When a dog is in fight mode, if you yell, the dog feels you are "backing them up" so to speak and it will only encourage them to fight harder. The best thing to do is to stay calm, break the dogs apart and separate them..don't even speak, and forget like it happened. the more worked up you get, the more worked up the dogs get.

I have American Bulldogs and an English Bulldog...my English Bulldog is the aggressor....he's very active and constantly wants to challenge the big dogs. While many English Bullies are lazy couch potatos, the thing to remeber is that they are bulldogs, and the potential for animal aggression is there. I would have to say that from this point you are going to have to separate and rotate your dogs in the home, or rehome one.

 

[Bogart]

I used to take Bogart to the dog parks. In fact he started going as a young puppy, thus he was very well socialized with other dogs. But then I had to stop because he started fighting with other dogs. Also I remember one time, there was a fight between two other dogs-Bogart was nowhere near the fight-but once he picked up on what was going on, he ran over there and started getting involved. So that is another thing to consider. Your dog may be fine with other dogs, but if a fight ensues, regardless if your dog started it or not, she may want to get involved.

 

[OrsonDogge]

I totally agree with Bogart's mom on this one. Orson used to do the same thing!
As a 6 month old puppy, he loved running with the pack at the dog park, and
he NEVER started anything and even let others push him around...but
if there was a fight or conflict going on anywhere, he was there in an instance
to get involved. After he matured and grew strong, i don't dare take
him to the park...he would maul those dogs now! Dogs don't need other
dogs anyways, all they need is you and a long walk.

 

[blittle]

Your problem from the start is the fact that you have 2 females. Two females of any breed are at risk for fights, but when you take tow females of dominant breeds, you are asking for trouble. I never recommend same sex pairs in dominant breeds. Sometimes you luck out, but it is rare.

Now that they are fighting, you stand very little chance they will ever get along with each other. You may be able to train them to tolerate each other in your presence, but it would be alot of work and really not 100% reliable..you could never have them alone together and there would always be the possibility of another fight.

When they fight, what are the circumstances? Do you keep toys out they both can access? Often times fights will start over items..they both want possession of the item and it triggers a fight. Other times, you may be petting one and the other takes that as a challenge and Boom..another fight.

As far as smacking a dog when it's bad..that does nothing but make your dog fearful of you or want to challenge you. When a dog is in fight mode, if you yell, the dog feels you are "backing them up" so to speak and it will only encourage them to fight harder. The best thing to do is to stay calm, break the dogs apart and separate them..don't even speak, and forget like it happened. the more worked up you get, the more worked up the dogs get.

I have American Bulldogs and an English Bulldog...my English Bulldog is the aggressor....he's very active and constantly wants to challenge the big dogs. While many English Bullies are lazy couch potatos, the thing to remeber is that they are bulldogs, and the potential for animal aggression is there. I would have to say that from this point you are going to have to separate and rotate your dogs in the home, or rehome one.

I agree with Carrie 100% on this issue and I speak from experience. I have to kennel and rotate my dogs to maintain the peace.

 

[Stormy]

Storm loves Sam but any other dog she will try to attack so is never let near them.

Tonight a staffy bitch ran out of it's yard and straight into Storms face. Storm lunged straight away and latched onto the dogs muzzle. The squealing of pain and the aftermath is something I wouldn't want any dog or person to endure and I'd play safer then sorry and keep your dog away from other dogs.

I'm concerned now as Sam my golden retriever was thrown out by the attack and started growling and lunging as well. He's never shown any sign of aggression and I don't know if he wanted to attack Storm or the other dog.

Luckily my dogs were being walked on leads so legally I can't be held responsible but personally if your dog attacks another it will effect you.

 

[Kasco]

I'm concerned now as Sam my golden retriever was thrown out by the attack and started growling and lunging as well. He's never shown any sign of aggression and I don't know if he wanted to attack Storm or the other dog.

I think he was probably just reacting to the pack. My Jazzy will go after a dog if Chopper reacts to it. When we're out alone, she could care less about other dogs.

 

[Stormy]

Thanks Kasco, normally he's prepared to meet other dogs getting whiny to want to say hello but I obviously don't allow it as I won't let Storm get close to another animal but Sam.

I'd hate to think that it would cause him long term problems as well. I've contacted my trainer and said I want the follow appointment for Storm, just waiting to hear back from him.

 

[Two Bullies]

Two females will fight as often as two males imo. Our femal and male English Bulls used to fight often for no apparent reason even though they lived together all their lives. The fighting started when they were about two and they would fight at the drop of a hat but never when left alone together. At around four years old the fighting pretty much stopped and they had only occasional battles until the female passed away last year. Since then, we've brought two male puppies into the house and our existing male will not tolerate them at all. I believe he would kill them if given the chance and as a result we re-homed them both. Going to try again in a a couple of weeks with a female puppy and hopefully have better luck. However, we intend to practice a very scripted introduction of the puppy to the household this time using some of Ceaar's techniques. Any additional suggestions from the forum would also be appreciated. :twisted:

 

[threebulls]

I have 3 ABs, two male brothers and a female. None of them get along. Look up some of my previous threads if you want to see pics of the results of their fighting and some of the problems we have had with them.