hey jan,

this is off topis but i need some help my english bulldog is so bad,
seriously he bit me and my girlfriend - he will get in our faces and bark
and bite - the more we i scold him he’s 10x worse.
i need beyond a trainer - and he asks like an angle when i have company
over or we go out. no one belives me

what do you thing about a shock collar maybe he can get to know wrong from right?
what do you think?

Matt

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Hi Matt,

I do not approve of shock collars.

This is a classic case of lack of leadership on your part.
Your dog is telling you he’s the leader of the pack, not you,
he’s acting like a pack dog would act.

When you escalate by yelling or scolding, he responds by
growing and biting.

Most dogs are not true alpha dos and do not want to be the
leader of the pack.  But is they sense that you are not in
control, they will try to take over.

You and you dog need proper training.  You need to learn
to be consistent and set the rules.  I doubt at this juncture
you will be able to do this without a qualified trainer.

I know this from experience with my first bulldog who became
aggressive when she got older (not at me but at others).
Out of desperation I hired a company called Barkbusters.
They had her (and me) trained within a few hours.

If you do not get control of your bulldog, someone will eventually
get hurt because he will keep challenging you.

Barkbusters  is expensive, but to me it was well worth it - it
could save your dog from a much worse fate if his aggression is
not stopped as soon as possible.

Your Bulldog Pal,
Jan

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I just ran across this story about an English Bulldog that
came from a pet store - read that as puppy mill (I just can’t
caution people enough about this topic).

Anyway, an adorable bulldog named Brutus has a
loving owner who cares for him despite a crippling
genetic disorder due to irresponsible breeding.

And to make matters worse, she purchased him from
the original owner who unloaded him for ??? reasons.

Click this link to read the whole article and see
a photo:
http://www.ohio.com/lifestyle/home_garden/19625844.html

It just goes to show how much we love our bullies and
the lengths we’ll go to for them!

Your Bulldog Pal,
Jan

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Hi Jan,

I’m trying to get Winston to walk. He lights up when I play ball with him (he loves pushing his basketball around with his nose and could do it for hours. The second I get him outside, he forgets that he walks - unless I drag him, it takes forever to get him to move past my driveway.

If I pull him or force him, sometimes it can bother his leg, so I don’t force it (he wins, whether he is faking or not…still not sure) I am wondering if they can give him something to help make him more comfortable or walk normally — it is sometimes a struggle when he gets himself to stand up…Anything you can offer, as always, I welcome….

Nancy
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There are a couple things I’d recommend for Winston’s leg. He probably has arthritis.

There are two important treatments: diet and exercise. Keep his weight normal, so you can see his waist when you look at him from above, and you should be able to feel his ribs under his skin. Weight adds discomfort to an arthritic knee simply because he has to lift more.

Exercise seems a bit of a challenge for you in terms of getting him to walk. If you try to drag a dog, they have an instinctual reaction to resist. So it’s better to entice him with a tasty treat to get him moving. Some dogs just don’t like to walk so you can look for alternatives to get him moving.

Since he loves his basketball, you should capitalize on that by throwing it so he’ll chase it. This is pretty good exercise for him.

You can give him a baby coated aspirin (enteric coated 81mg aspirin) daily to help his pain from the arthritis. The coating is a delayed release so it won’t irritate his stomach.

If you take him to a vet they might recommend you give him something like Rimadyl or another NSAID. DON’T DO IT!!!

Vivy nearly died from a Rimadyl shot my vet gave her without my consent. It resulted in 4 days in the ICU and $3000! So I DO NOT ever recommend giving these to a dog. There are too many side effects that can result in death and they are not well reported.

You can also give him a glucosamine and chondroitin supplement - you can find them online at a place like PetEdge.com I like the Osteo Bi-flex brand. Vivy and I took them for a while and it helped both of us! Glucosamine helps grow cartilage and it stays there once it’s grown.

To get him to take his pills you can try putting them in a glob of peanut butter or soft cheese. I think you can also find these in liquid form if that would help.

your bulldog pal,

Jan

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jan

I have an important question for you.
I just got a new bulldog puppy and the breeder said not to use the
intranasal kennel cough vaccine only injectable bordetella, do you
know why the intranasal is a risk for the bulldog? thanks

Melissa

————

Hi Melissa,

I think it’s because it covers more strains, but it does require a booster shot to be effective.

If your puppy is not going to be going to day care or going to be in close quarters with unknown dogs or going to a kennel, I really don’t see any reason to get what I consider to be unnecessary vaccinations.

If you do get it, don’t do all the vaccines at once, spread them out. Bulldogs have enough immune problems without getting a lot of vaccinations at one time.

It’s my opinion that the bordetella treatments are really ineffective because there are so many different strains around. I got it for my Archie (the nasal one) because I had to in order to put him in a dog care facility when I left town and I couldn’t get a dog sitter. He wound up getting it anyway. It’s almost like the common cold for kids.

Dogs tend to get Kennel Cough because they get stressed in the kennel and a stressed dog will have a depressed immune system and be more prone to illness.

That’s my opinion on it!

your bulldog pal,
Jan

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