Quote: Roanne Rist

She was born here from a champion mom and dad! She is my pick puppy who I would like to show.She has been nervous since 9 or 10 weeks old.

This would have stopped being my "pick puppy" no matter what the parents are. Please don't see this dog as a potential breeding animal. I have an ACD who appears fine now but his weak nerves when younger will guarantee that he is NEVER bred. That's about all I can say without getting myself into trouble. Please be honest with yourself about whether this bulldog is truly going to do good things for the breed.

It's possible that this is all a training problem. That would be really good news but I don't see it with problems surfacing so young.

What do you do when she gets scared of something?

What kind of bulldog is she? I've got a 9 week old American Bulldog myself. Pictures?

Time will tell if she will once again go into the show ring. I need to give her some time and work with her. If I find she is still very nervous after working with her I will not breed or show her but she at least deserves a chance to enjoy herself. I do showing at a very low level and just have fun. I breed maybe one time a year if that and usually keep a puppy and sometimes place one or 2 in a good show home with people I know. She is extremely smart and learns everything very quickly. I have recently taught her to touch and when she is afraid I have her touch the object she is afraid of and she has been calming down. She is an English Bulldog and is 7 months old. I don't know how to post a picture.
Thanks
Roanne

Showing is not my "cup of tea" but I know some people do it for the fun of it.

Have you looked at the BAT or CAT protocol stuff? I'm thinking that it might work well in a show environment where stressors approach and retreat from her.

http://ahimsadogtraining.com/blog/2010/04/08/help-for-the-leash-reactive-dog-bat-cartoon/

http://www.training-your-dog-and-you.com/constructional_aggression_treatment.html

I worked with a lady who raised a Samoyed to be shown. The dog had a bad experience with a neighbors dog and it was all downhill after that. The owner was weak and afraid so it just made things worse. My first order of business was to get the dog neutral to other dogs. Fixing the owner was the most difficult part. Once she became more confident and learned how to read and direct the dog it all came together. I was happy because she was going to put this dog down after she spent thousands of dollars on so-called holistic and CM type trainers who all failed. This woman was a local police chief's assistant. She happened to ask her agency's K9 handler if he knew anyone who could fix this problem. The handler knew I worked with aggressive dogs so she got in touch with me and we got to work. I have to admit that of all the so-called aggressive dogs I've worked with I didn't expect this one to tag me. Well, he did and I thought the lady was gonna pass out. It was no big deal..just a little blood but I worked through it. The dog can now be in the company of other dogs and is still alive the last time I checked. In this case it was a previous bad experience for the dog that caused the problem. If it is in fact a genetic issue for your Bulldog then my advice is just to manage his exposure to other dogs and live with him for what he is.

I will pass on a whole litter if I see one spooky pup in there.

Tells me their could be something hinky even in the good pups and always a possibility of popping up as the dog matures.

Just another one of my hangups.

Probably pure luck but, with one exception I've never had a pup go through any fear periods if I picked it.

I saw it coming but still wanted the dog because of a long line of good earth dogs he came from.

The dog was nucking futs but one hell of a good baying dog in the ground.