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French Bulldog Causing Carnage


Jackie77
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Hi all, newbie here so I hope I am posting in the right section.

I have recently bought a retired bitch from a gorgeous local breeder, she is two years old. I have had her for a month.

I was warned she came with issues and am trying to work through them, however would really appreciate some expert advice.

Our little girl is a "Velcro dog" as you guys seem to call it on here lol...and very timid. Whenever we leave her at home on her own with her friend (a Yorkshire Terrier)she causes havoc. She literally runs over tables/bench tops, whatever she can get into...She brakes things, she chews things, and actually pees on things e.g: washing after she has chewed it....all of it, remote controls, shoes anything.

I have had to leave her inside as the elderly neighbor is afraid of her as she barks and throws herself against the fence until she knocked the little timber fence down (new fence going in next weekend).

My question is: Is crating this girl a good idea? she is human-less three days per week but sometimes I guess we do want to go out during weekends lol....without coming home to absolute carnage lol...so if i crate her on those days it will be for 8 hours or more. Is this not cruel?

I am fairly sure she is used to a crate as she doesn't seem to mind jumping in it (i have borrowed one) but haven't been game to use it yet.

I have tried rescue remedy and exercising her in the mornings it didn't really work.

I am wondering if you think this behavior will settle or do we have to work around it?

Thanks so much for reading this far.

Jackie x

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...it will only settle if you try hard to catch up with the missing 2 years of socialisation and training - the dog was likely kept for 2 years in a small cage without any further human interaction, socialisation and training. Didn't you talk to the 'gorgeous local breeder' about those issues and where they might coming from?

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It sounds like fairly run of the mill separation anxiety tbh not that the dog was kept in a cage for years.

Great Dane rescue nsw used to have some pretty excellent pdfs on separation anxiety and how to start to address it.

A good trainer would be pretty helpful too. Good luck separation anxiety can be hard to get a handle on.

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It sounds like fairly run of the mill separation anxiety tbh not that the dog was kept in a cage for years.

Great Dane rescue nsw used to have some pretty excellent pdfs on separation anxiety and how to start to address it.

A good trainer would be pretty helpful too. Good luck separation anxiety can be hard to get a handle on.

Hey Jackie - the resource Mackiemad mentions is still around. It's here & is a good place to start: http://www.greatdanerescue.com.au/Docs/Separation%20Anxiety.pdf

First question is Have you spoken to the breeder you bought her from?

We live with something kind of similar - our dog destroys things if left unattended - usually the carpet. He also howls and carries on if left in the back yard. As we rent - this is entirely unacceptable (as it would be if we owned). I'd say ask around for some suggestions for good a behaviorist local to you.

Don't go it alone - I wish we'd acted a lot faster and with more gusto than we did when we realised what we were dealing with - and as our old dog (quickly) ages his behavior becomes harder to manage. To be brutally honest - we had signs of this being a problem within a month of bringing him home and we decided to keep him. But having lived with SA - if I was ever offered another dog and was told it had "issues" I'd be very wary and if I realised (or was told) it was SA - I think i'd probably decline to take it on. I'm not telling you to return your dog (but that is an option you can consider) but I am saying living with it is really hard and not something I'm likely to knowingly do ever again. Edit:Jules posted while I was - I do agree with her. As I said - not something I am likely to knowingly do ever again!

As for the crate - it's do-able. We do it but I do hate it. :( We try to have someone come home at lunch to give him a break. Lots of work goes into the dog - but especially when he's got to be crated - he's walked at least twice a day, has a treat to chew on an has extra games to help tire him out mentally - he has music or an audio book left on for him (even now he's basically 100% deaf). Even with all of this extra effort it's still hard - especially on the days (or weeks) when he doesn't want to be in there. This week he's chucked a "wobbly" every day. & after only 2 or 3 hours of crating I have had to come home to a full bedding change and clean up 3 days in a row (his latest trick is to knock his water bowl off the hook)

The other things I'd consider if I were you - would be restricting her access to parts of the house - so locking her in an almost empty kitchen or laundry (you can put pee pads down if you're worried about toileting). Point is - if she can't access the washing to chew and pee on then she can't chew or pee on it! But just be prepared for her to maybe destroy other things (when we moved into a house with floor boards I thought we were sweet. But our couches were next on the list of things to dig at!)

Baby gates, kiddy play pens, fencing panels are your friends if you can't simply close the doors. We even went to Ikea and bought two bed heads from the discount section which fit perfectly in our door frames - they were lovely and solid and fit really well & it didnt matter if he scratched at them. Then our boy realised he could jump them! :(

You could also look at giving her access to one part of the house and some of the yard (into a run or pen away from the neighbour) via a doggy door.

Also google / search here for "nothing in life is free" or NILF - I was against the idea for a long time but we finally implemented a wussy version of it and it really helped. As a good mate said - its not about "being dominant" or bossing your dog around but it's about letting them relax and having you make the decisions for them - showing them that "it's alright mate, I have this" and when I took that on board it helped a fair bit.

Good luck - keep reading - find a person in "real life" to help you out - and make sure you "click" with them - not all trainers or training styles suit every family or dog - there is nothing wrong with trying a few before you find someone who suits you.

Edited by Scottsmum
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We rescued a bitch with pretty much the same issues - except that she also had Pica and used to chew and eat whatever was in sight - I seriously considered putting her to sleep her anxiety and Pica was so extreme. It was only a matter of time before she killed herself, after numerous dashes to Emergency to make her vomit ...... Every day when I came home from work I didn't know what to expect.

I used the Great Dane Rescue training program, walked her with lots of obedience thrown in every morning, and taught her to be away down the hall from me as "basket - stay". My vets recommended Clomicalm which we used over about a four month period during "reprogramming" her, and then weaned her off. She also had two other stable dogs for company as well. I closed off as many doors as I could during the day so she only had the back of the house and yard.

It was a long haul, but the lovely calm dog I have now was well worth it.

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Johah had pretty bad separation anxiety when we 1st got him. He would cry all day even thugh he had a buddy, clomicalm worked for him. I weaned him off after 3 or 4 months and he has been fine since There was also a lot of training inbetween that as well.

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3 months ago i got a 3 year old ex kennel breeding bitch too and went through hell for a while till i took control and stopped making excuses for .

Mine destroyed anything in sight too, and was mad on walks.( lunging, barking spinning)

She loves her crate, i had never owned one before , and i'm glad i bought it, she goes into it by choice and is calm in it.

I started NILF, then instead of taking her lots of new places to try and wear her down i stuck to a solid routine, walks etc and she soon calmed down.

I did for the first time ever consider sending her back, i was at my wits end, but now she is so much better and i'm glad i stuck with it.

Edited by juice
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Sounds like pretty serious anxiety to me - this is not a "wait and see" situation from what you've described. Sounds like a very distressed dog and not a pleasant situation for either of you. It is perfectly acceptable to return this dog to her breeder. If you want to persist please don't just put her in a crate and hope that will fix things - by the way, I think crates are awesome and my dogs love theirs - but this sounds very serious, particularly the toileting aspects, and I would not be crating this dog for 8 hours a day. It might stop the behaviour but is unlikely to change the level of anxiety. I think you need to consult a veterinary behaviourist - not just a good trainer - as there may well be a need for anti-anxiety medication just to get her to the point of coping.

Edited by The Spotted Devil
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Sorry, didn't mean to suggest you crate her all the time, i just mentioned that mine finds comfort there, the door is open.

And i'm not saying stick with it , mine was no where near as bad, but they do take a while to settle in aswell.

I think you need to decide if you are upto it or send her back.

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It does sound severe- and will not be a quick/easy fix.

There is an example amongst our own DOLers of the absolute heartbreak and upheaval caused by a loved dog with similar behaviours :cry:

An assessment by a recommended ( ASK ON HERE) behaviourist will help you in decision making .

This is a situation, where head must rule over heart ....

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Sorry, didn't mean to suggest you crate her all the time, i just mentioned that mine finds comfort there, the door is open.

And i'm not saying stick with it , mine was no where near as bad, but they do take a while to settle in aswell.

I think you need to decide if you are upto it or send her back.

Meant to say juice that I was thrilled to read your positive update - well done!

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What has the breeder said about the issues ?Did the breeder place out on a trial period .

You certainly need to consult someone who can give you the right methods for this dog but don't be afraid to consider returning to the breeder,Dogs with issues is a lifelong commitment that can come with heartache,regret,frustration and expense.

Before heading down the path off seeking professional advice I would certainly be having a good talk with everyone at home and with the breeder

When the breeder said issues where they behavioural issues and what you expected ?

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What has the breeder said about the issues ?Did the breeder place out on a trial period .

You certainly need to consult someone who can give you the right methods for this dog but don't be afraid to consider returning to the breeder,Dogs with issues is a lifelong commitment that can come with heartache,regret,frustration and expense.

Before heading down the path off seeking professional advice I would certainly be having a good talk with everyone at home and with the breeder

When the breeder said issues where they behavioural issues and what you expected ?

the bolded bit is also my query .

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If she had issues before you got her the change to your home has only exacerbated the situation for the poor girl, the breeder should have sorted out the issues before offering her for sale, she seems to have just passed on a problem that she was unable to deal with.

First of all I would be phoning the breeder explain that she has turned your house and life upside down and she needs to go back to her.

It is obvious she had no socialisation and attention from the time she was born.

Crating for eight hours would just make this poor baby even worse :cry: , she needs to go back to the breeder as soon as possible.

I know of a case, a Frenchie, bought as a puppy and left on his own for over eight hours a day, he became destructive and then domineering, had all the vet behaviourist attention to overcome these problems too no avail, through no fault of his own he is being relieved from this life next week. :cry:

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Guest crazydoglady99

My suggestion is to think long and hard about your limits in terms of managing her - time, money, sanity etc. I would definitely suggest seeing a vet & a behaviorist be open to anything they suggest.

Something to remember- you didn't do this to her. It's not your fault. And there is absolutely no shame in saying it is too hard.

Good luck ????????????

Edited by crazydoglady99
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