English bulldogs

English bulldogs are a fairly easy breed to deal with, especially if you start training them early. One behavior problem I have run across more than I would expect for a dog of this size are issues with housebreaking and potty training. I think that potty training should not become a problem if you start your bulldog puppy’s training before it is four months old. Most dogs develop a preference of where they go potty by the age of 10 weeks.

Other problems that English bulldogs may have are chewing and digging. Although I don’t think these behaviors are as severe as in Labrador retrieves for chewing and terriers or huskies for digging. Jumping can also be a problem. Usually if jumping is a problem it is because of improper handling. English bulldogs are less likely to jump than many breeds. Again start training them early not to jump. I suggest using a reward based system for this.

Now we come to a training problem that is common in English bulldogs. It is actually a problem caused by the bulldog’s structure. This is the problem of presenting food in a manner where the food doesn’t drop out of the dog’s mouth. Food presentation is only a problem with certain styles of food lure training. Dropping training treats is easy dealt with by holing the food between the index finger and thumb as you actually place the food in your bulldog’s mouth. Food placement is usually done palm down so that the food is dropped into the lower jaw.

Bulldogs are not known to be big barkers and they usually do not have aggression problems. However I have seen some aggressive English bulldogs.

English bulldogs are not the easiest dogs to obedience train. If your dog is food motivated I recommend using a food based system for training this breed. A balance or mixed training system can also work well. Even when using a mixed training system I would still emphasize positive reinforcement (food and play) training.