Ad blocker detected: Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker on our website.
Bella baby bulldog (aka Belle-dozer) has now been home for two weeks and she is doing incredibly well and has settled in brilliantly.
The only issue we have at the minute is when we first leave the house for a walk she is very reluctant and will slam on the brakes and often just sit. I have come to the conclusion that she is nervous / overwhelmed as I think she was always walked with another dog at the RSPCA so going it alone is a bit scary for her.
I am trying a combination of patience, luring her with treats, a ball and lots of encouragement but progress is quite slow.
Any other suggestions? Or is it just time and patience?
I'd say instead of walking as a goal, drive her somewhere then sit and watch the world go by with her. Keep her safe from other people and dogs - baby bullies are so squidgy and cute that everyone will want to touch her but it might well overwhelm her.
From there, you can move to driving a very short distance and walking her back home.
You can ask at the RSPCA what exactly they did but it is likely that there was a big gap between the thought and the deed. IME rescue staff are generally undertrained and they may not have worked in her best interests through lack of understanding. You won't go wrong by assuming she has never been out and not been socialised. And it is the best arrangement for bonding to be just you and her, rather than walking with another dog, which she may actually not have liked, if indeed it actually happened at all.
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog
This, wot Nettle sez, but also, get into the habit of going out the front door, give her a handful of goodies and go back inside. Go out there, feed a few treats for sits/downs/whatever she's really good at, and then back inside.
The idea is that she feels 'aww... I wasn't ready for THAT to be finished with' rather than 'argh no, too much' at the end of each session!
That, combined with Nettles suggestion of going out in the car to watch the world go by, should get her out of the idea that going out is hard work or overwhelming and make her keener to get out there.
Don't forget, with the Doberprincess who probably had a sharper quicker mind so she'd get out there.... and THEN be overwhelmed and throw her famous meltdowns.
With the Bully mind running a smidgen slower, the default 'this is too much' here is to just grind to a halt!
has now been home for two weeks and she is doing incredibly well and has settled in brilliantly.
