[buknoy]

I don't know what else to call it, but he's not actually dog aggressive. I've never seen him, while walking, growl or give negative signs/gestures at other dogs. If anything, he gets happy and crazy and wants to meet them so bad and hucklebutt around them and do a bit of a bully spin...which, usually, scares the hell out of the other dog owner cause they have no idea what's going on.

That said, I've had a couple of incidents, but most of them have been because my dog was bit first, and he retaliates...and we all know a bull terrier retaliation isn't pretty. He's never broken skin or injured the other dog, but he has grabbed a hold and would not let go...he doesn't bite harder, just keeps a solid lock on the other pup. It was scary, frustrating and embarrassing.

He has recently however, unwarranted and out of the blue, lunged and bit a friend's dog (whom he has played with and been very civil with in the past) and she refuses to bring her dog around, understandably. No harm done, health wise, to either animals. There were no tells that this was going to happen and it has left me uneasy.

Am I being hard headed to believe that this can be changed/trained out of him? I'm no dog whisperer and I don't know where to begin with training. Some of my dog educated friends say he's just a case of a dog that can't hangout with other dogs, especially since I have a bull terrier. It's wierd, cause, he has some dog pals that he gets along famously with, in particular a pug. He'll let this pug do whatever he wants to him, and they buddy around and play, etc...but, my friend's border collie was just standing there and he lunged out and grabbed him by the neck.

Looking for some insight from other dog owners, especially BT owners.

[Hucklebutt]

how old is your bullies? is he intact male? were the fights with girl dogs or boy dogs? my bullie will tolerate other male dogs, off leash, at a dog park wherever. he wont outright attack another dog unless something is happening to him first. but he does not enjoy there company and ignores them. he likes girl dogs, tho.

[buknoy]

My boy is 3, got him when he was 2 though, so I don't really know his prior run ins/socialization, other than what the previous owner has shared (or, maybe even, hasn't shared). He was originally meant to be a show dog, but I guess he didn't fare off too well at that so he was then neutered a bit before 2 years of age. He has incidents with both male and female dogs. Both times with a female though, they attacked him. The cases where they've seen unwarranted and random have been male dogs though. But, he also has both male and female dogs he hangs out with and gets along with famously. I've stopped going to the dog park, but he's only ever had one incident there ever and we used to go there maybe once a week, every other week. I pretty much keep him away from all other dogs, except the ones he's been able to play with nicely.

[Hucklebutt]

mainly males are not often fond of males however some specimens can be of exception with superb temperments. My male was attacked very harshly from a sanit bernard and is a bit more weery and quick to be defensive than he used to be. the saint bernard was a male, he would rather kill them, but he loves me and knows i would not like that from him. I can actually stop my boy mid fight by just giving him a good yell because I am sure he is more concerned for the trouble he will be in from me than defending himself from the other dog... I would say that is some mighty control! I would say your male is classified as a reactive/selective dog agressive bull terrier, meaning he will be fine with those he is okay with, and reactive meaning he is quick to fight and will not tolerate any BS from another dog, most likely a dominant temperment in your boy, which is mostly common in the breed, there terriers mainly. If you really want to control the problem and possibly train it out of him shoot me a PM and I can chat with you. Like I said you cant MAKE him be buddies with other dogs, but you might be able to teach him to have a hire tolerance level.

[mottatron]

Hmm...my boy loved all dogs as a pup....now, there are three or four he remembers from being little who he loves. All other males are a no no. He's good with females though. Sometimes he'll let another male get in his face for up to a minute and either appear not interested or slightly friendly. Then he'll just lose it in a split second. So we stay away from males. Some of them are just like that I'm afraid.

[AmberABCg]

Hi Buknoy!

From your description, I don't think you have an aggression issue, but he may have a problem with large dogs (or something else), stemming from the times he was attacked. This is only based on what little info is presented, but it could also be fear aggression with animals of his own size or larger.
You need to be consistent, and keep his encounters with other dogs brief and positive. Give him treats when large dogs are around and he doesn't react to them. After many many many positive encounters, he will see that other dogs = happiness. You can then lengthen the times of his encounters, and see where you end up. Keep in mind that this can be a VERY slow process, and that is just fine. The end result is more important than quick results!

And that old saying isn't true; you CAN teach an old dog new tricks! I've seen it time and time again in the bull terriers that the BTCA rescues each year who come into our program never having been around other animals, only to make great strides before they go to their new homes. You can't make all dogs get along, but it's worth the effort!

Also contact your breeder and see if they can offer assistance and advice.
Keep us posted and best of luck!!

Amber

[buknoy]

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions, help, and stories of their own bullies. I'm setting up some play dates with some new dog friends and am going to make them very supervised, brief and positive experiences. Hopefully with this baby-steps process, we'll get to a point where he's better. I'm also doing some retraining with recall and getting him to pay attention when he really hones in on something. I guess after awhile, you just forget training is everyday and I've gotten lazy with that. Again, thanks to everyone!