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Pupforum presents your training questions answered by professional dog trainers.
Ev lives the Lower Mainland of Beautiful British Columbia, Canada where she has been training dogs since 1969. She is experienced in many methods including clicker and motivational training. Ev is an original Superdog Performance Team member and her own dogs have travelled and performed with the Canadian SuperDogs since 1984. She has also served as an A.A.C. judge ans is an original Member/Trainer with the Dogwood Pacesetters Agility Club.
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5/12/2005
I have a 1 year old English Bull Terrier named Rogue. She is desexed and fed a RAW diet (I don't know if this will make any difference). She has ALWAYS barked at people walking past our gate, I have never discouraged it, nor reinforced it. I ignored it. Now recently she has been tormented by some children on bikes, hitting the fence, yelling at her and I suspect also throwing things. She is now VERY aggressive towards anyone with a bike, including my partner who lives with me. People are scared to put things in our mail box and our neighbour, who has known her since she was the size of my hand is now scared of her. This worries me as Rogue use to be very good with children, I am also confused because if she is outside of the property and encounters a bike, she is not bothered. I can trust her with anyone and anything OUTSIDE of the property, but if she's behind the fence she's a whole different dog. I don't want the breeds name to be made any worse by Rogue's actions or my own. What can we do?! Thanks in advance Carin and Rogue (carinbunny, Outside the US)
Before we start, I want ask that you do not refer to a spay or neuter surgery as being desexed. They are still the same sex as they were before, they just cannot breed. (A pet peeve).
You've almost named your own poison, so-to-speak. She has always barked and you've never done anything to curb it, now she is older and feels this has been her job and she's exercising her right as an adult to do her job even better. The barking will take time to curb, especially now that she is older.
The fact that she was traumatized by some children does not help matters at all - as you've already stated. Not only does she think she has a job by barking at everyon
e near her yard but now she's more determined to keep them away because they have gotten close enough to scare her.
What I'm curious about is, you say that the mailman is scared to put mail in the box ... it sounds as though she is outside most of the time - yes??? Why???
Bull Terriers are 'people dogs' and like to be on the couch. There is no need for her to be outside anymore than to do her business. Around here, I'm the first one to bite when kids yell, bark at my dogs, or toss things when walking passed my house. If my dogs are outside and someone walks by, they too bark to let me know someone is there but then I'm out there to see what the fuss is about. If it is neighbours or anyone that should be there, they are told to "Be Quiet." and immediately brought indoors. If it is kids that are teasing, then I will "Quiet." to the dog but also ask the kids to not do that or I'll be talking with their parents. If it is someone that shouldn't be there, like a car casing the neighbourhood, then I allow them to bark their warning for a few minutes and then call them inside. However you look at it, you have a very Independent thinking breed and they will solve things the way THEY see fit unless you are there to supervise the situation and guide them towards proper behaviour.
I don't want to see Rogue creating a worse name for the Bull Breeds either so she needs to be 'part of the family' more and less of an outside dog. Her protection mode will still be there and after such a long period of time with no guidance and now being traumatized by outsiders, she will not cease in the job she feels she has. You can curb it by being with her but you probably won't cure it.
BTW I have English Bull Terriers too. 4 of them at present.
Canine Caretaker Training/Consulting
http://www.k9care.ca
"United We Stand."
http://www.standunited.ca
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