TrainingthroughLeadership

Training through Leadership

Like the breed�s most famous owner, Gen. George Patton, Bull Terriers are strong-willed. They are determined to get their own way and do not have a strong desire to please their owners like other breeds such as the Golden or Labrador Retriever. According to the authors of the �Bull Terrier Club of America Welfare Foundation Rescue Manual�: �They are extremely affectionate and can make you think you are the only one that really matters . . . But [actually] they live to please themselves. They will strive to please their owners when it benefits them. They have minds of their own and feel it is their place to run the household. They know how to get what they want and will go to great lengths to do so . . . Tell them how bad they have been and their ears go back, their tails wag frantically, they crouch down in a submissive position and they beg to be forgiven . . . be prepared . . . 10 minutes later they�ll be right back doing whatever it was that got them in trouble in the first place!�

(Note: Given the above, both Bartell and Myall say they feel Bull Terriers are not the best choice for first-time dog owners or non-assertive people, even when they are experienced dog owners.)

Thus, owners must make it clear to their dogs who is boss, or alpha. But how is this accomplished? Myall says the answer is not physical correction. �Jerking a Bull Terrier around with a leash attached to a choke collar doesn�t work. Bull Terriers are powerful dogs. If you get physically tough with them, they get physically tough back, and that is a no-win situation. Add to that the fact that these dogs have a high pain threshold and you can see why harsh corrections are not just ineffective but counterproductive.�

Bartell, who has placed many rescue dogs, offers the following advice on being alpha: �New owners sometimes call and complain, �We just don�t know what to do. He keeps jumping up on visitors. We�ve told him to get down but he�s still doing it.� I tell them this: Bull Terriers are eternal optimists. They get up every morning thinking, �Is this the day I get away with jumping up?� It�s not that they aren�t smart enough to realize what you want them to do, they�re just really determined to do what they want. You can make headway with them�but you must have lots of patience and be more determined to get your way than they are to get theirs.

�Take the little rescue dog I just fostered for a week. She repeatedly ran around the house getting up on tables and countertops trying to pull things down. I followed her around, and absolutely every single time she did it, I pushed her down and sternly corrected, �N-o-o-o-!� in the harshest, drill sergeant voice I could muster. It took the better part of a week to convince her that was a no-no.�

Another way for owners to prevail is by motivating dogs to behave properly with pleasurable rewards. These include games with toys or treats. Not surprisingly, clicker training also works well. The basis of this type of training is the association of food rewards with a clicking sound made by a clicker. Once the association is established, behavior can be easily shaped

Energic and Social

Resilience and adaptability are the flip side of Bull Terrier determination. Thus, re-homing members of the breed in rescue situations is not difficult. Naturally cheerful and outgoing, they almost always adjust well to a new owner.
However, because they are very social, Bull Terriers do not do well when kenneled or left in the isolation of a back yard. They need to be with people and must live as house dogs. They�re extremely affectionate and want to be with their owners, whether it�s in their owners� laps or sitting next to them.
Bull Terriers are lap dogs at heart, but only after they let off some steam. Bartell says prospective owners should estimate the amount of time they plan to exercise their dog and then triple it if they plan to purchase or adopt a Bull Terrier. �If they don�t get regular, vigorous workouts, they may become restless and rowdy or substitute destructive activity [such as demolishing the furniture!] as a way to work off pent-up energy,� she warns.
The breed�s high energy level in combination with its ebullient sense of humor also may result in playful and oftentimes entertaining antics or even mischief. �One afternoon, one of our bitches crawled up onto our bed,� Myall recounts. �Whenever I checked on her, she appeared to be sound asleep. However, that night my husband discovered that his pajamas�which remained folded under his pillow!�were completely button less.�
Frisbee� catching, fly ball and agility are excellent ways to channel the breed�s high energy level. Because they�re very quick, they like to catch things and jump up into the air, making them especially good at these sports