Dog won't go out, have to drag

[DaBabaDoo]

dkreifus: sounds like you really figured some things out, so I just want to say congratulations to you and bless you for your patience and love.

stoney6: sorry to hear of your troubles.  Hopefully your husband says those things only out of frustration, and doesn't really mean it, again I just want to say that a lot of the problem might be rooted in your bullie interpreting the situation in a negative/fearful way.  If he senses that you are frustrated or upset, he won't know why you are troubled, he only knows that his family is troubled and he is outside when it happens, so that might be intensifying his moods.  Try setting aside time every day to take the pup out for a few minutes and just be outside, no goals, no destinations, if she potties great if not no big deal, and just focus on being relaxed and care-free.  I'm not promising anything but maybe if you do that enough times she'll learn that outside is not a place where bad things happen.  We're all here for you

[dkreifus]

DaBabaDoo..don't be so quick with those compliments. Shaka and I had a rough night and morning. (My wife was away).

I do think it has to do with sensing emotions. (My wife pointed that out as well, smart woman). So I am now trying to suck up to my dog.  Even as I try to be nice, he apparently senses my fustration to the point that I'm ready to give up him for adoption.

But I think we'll go with a behavioralist, trainer or obedience school first. I love that damn dog still, even if he does make me want to give up some days.

[stoney6]

Obedience didn't work for us and we dropped out after the 3rd class. Tara was just so afraid there was no way for her to learn. Anytime I tried to get her to move she would poop everywhere. It was just a bad scene. 

Yesterday the weather was nice so I created "forced playtime". If I take her out and let her off the leash she just cowers at the door until you let her in. So I put her on a 20ft leash and tied her to my daughters swing set. Amazinging she didn't spend the entire time pulling and trying to choke herself! (That's what she usually does.) She, in no way, played but she spent an hour outside in the fresh air. We are buying a new house in a couple weeks with a fenced in yard. I hope she'll be able to enjoy it.

[dkreifus]

Its a shame a class didn't work

Everytime I work with Shaka, I discover the power of positive reinforcement. There was a Animal Planet episode of "Its me or the dog" with a difficult bulldog.  The trainer used the clicker, and my wife and I have started to adapt some of those positive techniques.

We'll see how it goes

[hoegaandit]

We have a boy who loves, loves his walks. He hates to come back into the car at the end of a walk (- I get round that one by always giving his neck a good scratch at the end of the walk, before I help him into the car). However there have been one or two occasions where he has refused to go on a walk around the block. He will stand or sit there like a mini-elephant and it is extremely difficult to move him. Yet if instead of going round the block near our home we hop in the car instead he's very happy to go on the walk. I've found the following sorts of things useful.

(a) Firstly it helps to have a good (or if possible great) relationship with your dog. In the past year or two I've spent quite a bit of time grooming our boy and scratching his itchy bits eg face, neck and under front arms, and I think especially that has led to him being very close to me (his dad).
(b) Secondly I try and figure out what he wants to do - eg for some reason he usually much prefers to walk the neighbouring suburb or bush walk - so he's happy to get into the car and go there - and only sometimes is he happy to walk around our local block (also I was very severe on him when a puppy about running into the road from our house and that may possibly have had some earlier effect).
(c) Bullies are creatures of habit. On Fridays he gets his collar taken off and he gets me up early on Saturday and fortunately a little later on Sunday when we generally go to the beach - he just loves going there. You can tell where a dog likes going  by his or her reactions when you get close to the walk place.


Good luck to both of you!

[Gracie & Bea's Mom]

I feel your pain!
Gracie will walk under HER TERMS! If I open the door and let her out in the front yard, she will walk around for quite some time. BUT, heaven forbid, I should put her on a leash, then she becomes a statue.
If I put her sister in the stroller, then Gracie will walk beside the stroller--no problem. It's just hard for me to push the stroller and handle Gracie's leash at the same time.

[DaBabaDoo]

We have a boy who loves, loves his walks. He hates to come back into the car at the end of a walk (- I get round that one by always giving his neck a good scratch at the end of the walk, before I help him into the car). However there have been one or two occasions where he has refused to go on a walk around the block. He will stand or sit there like a mini-elephant and it is extremely difficult to move him. Yet if instead of going round the block near our home we hop in the car instead he's very happy to go on the walk. I've found the following sorts of things useful.

(a) Firstly it helps to have a good (or if possible great) relationship with your dog. In the past year or two I've spent quite a bit of time grooming our boy and scratching his itchy bits eg face, neck and under front arms, and I think especially that has led to him being very close to me (his dad).
(b) Secondly I try and figure out what he wants to do - eg for some reason he usually much prefers to walk the neighbouring suburb or bush walk - so he's happy to get into the car and go there - and only sometimes is he happy to walk around our local block (also I was very severe on him when a puppy about running into the road from our house and that may possibly have had some earlier effect).
(c) Bullies are creatures of habit. On Fridays he gets his collar taken off and he gets me up early on Saturday and fortunately a little later on Sunday when we generally go to the beach - he just loves going there. You can tell where a dog likes going  by his or her reactions when you get close to the walk place.


Good luck to both of you!

Great advice.  I especially love that last piece, so true, so true.  I joke sometimes that Madison needs her routines as much as that movie "Rain Man", if anything is even slightly off from her norm she gets anxious and looks for trouble.  Silly pup.  More than any other breed, bulldogs will teach patience, INFINITE PATIENCE