So, i have a 15 week old English bull Terrier pup, she came from a good breeder who shows and does health testing of mom and dad ect.

now im actually working towards become a dog behaviorlist and understand the cause but what im stumped with is how to stop it.

so heres my issue. my pup came t me from a litter of 3, she was the "alpha" puppy and was/is very vocal and sassy when she wants somthing she makes alot of noise that sound pretty bad she growls, snarls,barks ect. im working on curbing this and give her a firm correction everytime she 'sasses" and only reward her when shes calmly sitting or lieing down. well recently she has begun these same behaviors (growling, barking,snarling) when she wants to meet a person or another dog the second they come near her her ears go back and she is calm and happy to meet them but this is a BAD habit while I know shes not trying to be aggressive OTHERS wont know tht when she becomes a 50 pound bully breed ( who will look quite scary not only being thick and muscular but also because shes solid black w/brindle points)

how im stumped is because she will make alot of noise because she wants to meet people, but then if people come to greet her its only enforcing the behavior

and if there is one thing i dont want to do is enforce the behavior NOR do i want a dog who isnt people freindly, i want her to be a people greeter like my adult male bull Terrier i want to take them in public and allow strangers to come up and touch her,pet her,play with her ect so this is important.

We had one for years. She loved to fight, LOVED IT. When not allowed to fight, eat the cat/chickens/chase the children on their big wheels-she chased her tail,like for hours on end. My yard looked like aliens had landed, there were holes from spinning all around.

The kids loved her. But as an experienced dog person, I was not able to change one single thing about her, from the time she was 8 wks until she was 10 she was the same dog. Beyond housebreaking, she learned sit and here and that was about it.

So I wish you luck! My experience has been they are what they are.
Please post photos --- they are the CUTEST pups.

IMHO, she's a tad young for a "Firm correction".

Sounds to me, JMO,that she needs some desensitization, followed by not allowing her to greet people or dogs if she does make a display, period.

As you continue learning about dog behavior, you will learn that Betty is right; sometimes they are just what they are. This dog may not be a social butterfly. My dog wants to be one, but at 4yo with some aggressive work on reactivity, on top of a very strong bond and leadership program, I'm still not seeing a dog that I can release and trust to interact freely.


ETA; if choosing a puppy for future socializing skills, I would pbly avoid one that has been imprinted with alpha tendencies.

Edited by Duane Hull (09/26/2012 09:04 AM)
Edit reason: eta

"i want her to be a people greeter like my adult male bull Terrier i want to take them in public and allow strangers to come up and touch her,pet her,play with her ect so this is important."



There are a whole lot of dogs of all breeds that this is not ever going to be a possibility. I'd be working on the desensitizing mentioned above and consider the age of this puppy when contemplating "firm corrections."

Do you have much dog experience? This puppy will probably be a joy if you learn marker training and pack structure -- even if not the meet-and-greet strangers-fondle dog you had in mind.

self deleted

 Quote:

now im actually working towards become a dog behaviorlist and understand the cause but what im stumped with is how to stop it.

What exactly, do you think is the cause Kimberly?

@Betty
my guess is that your Bull Terrier came from a poor breeder who was breeding unstable dogs. if there is one thing i know is bull Terriers, Bull Terriers are human loving dogs, they are stubborn,smart and extremly difficult to train simply due to there hard-headness but they are NOT ill temperd dogs. i have owned 4 bull terriers in my lifetime and have been doing research on teh breed since i was 12 years old contacting breeders,owners,handlers from the best of the best kennels. Bull Terriers make excellent therapy dogs due to there love of human contact. so im sorry you had a bad experience with one since i know there true potential.

Chimera LOVES people she is quite submissive towards people and very sweet i can pick her up and hold her on her back for hours without her struggling she turns into a rag doll when being held and begs to be held 9though i dont hold her when she begs) i can clip her nails, clean her ears,look at her tteth no problems.
she is not mouthy or nippy i can have her around toddlars and not worry about her nipping them.

when she came to me at 8 weeks she was sassy but thru consitancy and training she has gone from alpha to just another pack member being very submissive in most situations.

my dogs live in a pack structure, im leader there is no dominace in my home NO toys are possesed by anyone but me, no food or bones are possesed by anyone but me if i reach down to take somthing from anydog they have to let it go and take a step back before i will pick it up.

toys are only rewarded and played with when I say bones and chews are only given when i say food is only given when I say water is only given when i say affection is only given when i want to give it. when we go out in public my dogs can be off lead in public areas and WILL NOT bother other people,other dogs or other animals. and NO i donot use an E-collar i use a vibration collar but not shocks nor do i use prong collars or choke chains.
i use NILF everyday in all situations and i work hard fufilling my dogs needs.

i have 3 Bull Terriers a 2 year old male i have had since 3 months old, a 4 year old female Bull Terrier i have only had since june of this year and my 15 week old puppy who i got at 8 weeks of age.

please donot think i am NOVICE dog owner, bull Terriers in general are a HARD breed to train to even sit much less do the things mine are expected to do every day.

Bull Terriers are high energy breed and need alot of excercise my adult dogs get put on the treadmill for 2 hours EVERYDAY, then we go for a 2 hour off lead run/ play time then an hour on lead walk around the neighborhood working on obedience. then before bed i use either the flirt pole or spring pole for 45 minutes.
plus in the summer we swimm for hours, go for long 3-4 hour hikes thru the woods, play fetch for hours.

Bull Terriers are not for a begining dog owner.

So, if i have anyone respect yet i will answer WHY she is doing this.

she was in a litter with 2 other male pups. the breeder told em she was the "alpha" pup out of the litter, when i brought her home she would snarl,growl,bark make alot of noise towards everyone over everything and the adult dogs would stap back away from her.
i believe she learned to throw such a fuss and make so much noise because it got her litter mates to step back and give in, if she had a toy and her littermate wanted it she would thrown a fuss and he would step back to to her "thretening noises" at the food bowl if she made alot of sound im sure the littermates would step back and let her eat first. she tried to make those noises with me and i DIDNT step back so within a matter of days she quite the noises and has been very submissive towards me ever since and listens very well.

my only question is HOW to not re-enforce the behavior while still socileizing her, if iDONT socileize her then she does have the potential of becoming an aggressive dog and if that happens and she ever bites someone she WILL be put to sleep as i will not tolorate a biter.

AH, forgot some pictures of everyone
Chimera
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj225/xchairity_casex/chimera/012-1.jpg

Cesar-cesar is 2 years old and everything a bull terrier is supposed to be he loves people and is happy-go-lucky gets on great with dogs,cats,kids,babies even small pets as i own rats,tiny birds and cats and he knows to never touch them.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj225/xchairity_casex/fishing7.jpg

Sadie-sadie is 4 years old and i have had her since june, she was given to me by a breeder who was getting out of the bussiness, this girl was basically nothing more hten a puppy machine and was extremly nervous and anxious even threatening to bite people and otehr dogs. since being with me i can take her in publlic and let children come up and pet her safely 9without a muzzle or prong or anything but a hrness) she was also extremely aggressive towards me male and also extremly possesive and obsessive over tennis balls and i have since curbed that and she now plays with my male and hte puppy and will not bite my hand when i take the tennis ball away from her.
she will hopefully be going to her new home in a week to a wonderful family whos owned BT for many years

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj225/xchairity_casex/chimera/017-1.jpg

Edited by Connie Sutherland (09/26/2012 05:02 PM)
Edit reason: un-embed pics

Teach her to lay down.

Your idea of "socializing" is very different from mine. Even if I wanted a dog who was a meeter-greeter with every stranger allowed to touch her, which I never would, this is not the pup I'd have chosen.

Regardless, again, there are a whole lot of dogs of all breeds that this is not ever going to be a possibility.

Basic ob is your friend. Instead of firm corrections, I'd teach what I wanted (as Steve said so succinctly) and stop focusing on what I didn't want.