I posted something a year or two ago and everyone here provided great feedback. Therefore, I am going to lean on you all again! Here is the current scenario. Mae Belle - Bull Terrier. DOB-12/20/15 - Spayed at age 2 She is generally a very loving, sweet dog. I often take her to office with me, but have avoided it some lately to be sure she does not bark at/scare clients. At office, she is very sweet to me, and to all the other adult staff members. At age 1-1.5 years - She started jumping up and nipping at our young children. Nipped 4yr old daughter’s face causing it to bleed and also bit her arm leaving a mark. This was all while playing but she did not learn that this was inappropriate, even though we tried teaching this. - She also tried attacking a neighbor’s dog and my wife was unable to control her. 3 people had to work to get it to stop. At age 2-3 years - She bit neighbor’s 85 year old father-in-law in their yard after the gate was opened and he was trying to pet her. - She jumped up and bit my 6 year old daughter 2 or 3 times while we believe she was playing, but my daughter was not trying to play and was crying and begging her to stop. My daughter went in the backyard alone to get something when this happened. - She bit a contractor on the leg and tore his pants while he was coming to the house to give an estimate. - She bit two different neighbor’s children on the same day. She shredded their pant leg and bit through the skin. One of the children were taken to urgent care and given antibiotics. Both of these children have been in our yard many times and have even played with the dog. They came through the fence to get a ball they had thrown over. They were in the yard a few minutes with the dog seeing them before she decided to run over and attack them. It was caught on my security cameras. - The last two incidents happened in the last 2 weeks. My other neighbor is 75-80yr old widow. She is the nicest person you will ever meet. When she is in her yard, Mae Belle Belle runs toward her like she is trying to run through the fence and barks at her like she is satan. I am also worried what she would do if there was ever a hole in the fence (which there has been in the past). I cannot afford to spend a few thousand dollars on aggressive dog training. Is this something I can correct on my own or do I need to look at rehoming her? I love my girl and I don't know what to do, but am worried about what she may do to someone next. Thank you for reading all of that and any help you can give!
When I was an agent for a frozen dog food company there were three deliveries that I dreaded. One was a confrontational female Great Dane, another was a Standard Wire Haired Dachshund male who would bite from behind, and the third was a farm which had two English Bull Terriers loose in the yard! These were very happy and playful dogs, but boy did they nip and hard! It was as if they REALLY wanted to bite me, but were trying to do it gently - whatever, it hurt. There was no off switch until their owner came out, but then they would respond instantly to her command. It seems that you need to find an off switch for your EBT before someone gets badly hurt, and I think the best way of doing this is to have a couple of one to one sessions with a behaviourist. It need not cost you a fortune, but you will need to make some changes, and it sounds like improving your fencing would probably be one of them. To ensure that children can play in safety, I would give her a smaller but more secure dog run, and be prepared to give her most of her exercise and training on the lead. I think that unless you are able to find her a kind and experienced handler, it would not be a good idea to pass your dog on to someone else. Unfortunately dogs like this are likely to find themselves in a downward spiral which ends up in a shelter. If you love her, be prepared to make a few phone calls and seek the advice of a behaviourist. If she came from a caring breeder, they may be able to suggest someone, otherwise ask your vet for a recommendation.
You posted about this problem last year and was given advice, https://www.forum.breedia.com/threads/help-bull-terrier-attacking-my-kids.16908/#post-209690 by your own admission you say you don’t have time to train,therefore the behaviours have not got any better, I suggest you find a good training class or get a one to one ‘positive trainer’.
I posted about her behavior around my children last year. I thought things had improved as she grew older. However, it has gone from rough playing to now aggressive biting.
Thank you for the advice. I will ask my vet about a behaviorist. The breeder is from out of state and will not respond to any calls or emails. Thanks again!
I know from experience it’s difficult to ask for advice about your beloved dog who is mis behaving, you are wide open to negative comments, I admire you for asking I’m not in a position to offer advice, but, I always say if my dog was bad enough to get rid off, I wouldn’t let him go to another home, I couldn’t bear to think how he would be punished for being naughty ! I wish you well in finding some positive help
It breaks my heart to hear of a fellow EBT owner (although mine was a few years ago now) going through such a troublesome time with theirs, which i hope gets resolved soon?
You certainly need a thorough assessment of her by a behaviourist who is knowledgeable about the breed. Your children (and neighbours) safety is paramount as, at the moment, you have a disaster waiting to happen. Until you can get a behaviourist in, put stringent management in place that ensures the safety of all. This will probably mean safety gates, securing the garden/yard and making sure that the dog and children are separated during play
Hello, Smithlaw, Please rehome your dog to someone that has the time to train her don't have small children or dogs around. I can't believe you kept her for this long, she is a time bomb waiting to go off and as you stated you put family first. In South Carolina there is no statue of limitations on dog bites, I got sued two years after my dog caused a ruckus at the vet and a woman got bit.
