02/03/2021
Bazil the Bulldog - AGGRESSION
A few weeks ago, I received a desperate call from a lovely family who had been advised by another trainer to euthanise their bulldog. The vet was going to be there in 20 minutes. Could I help?? 😰😰
After a few brief questions and learning that the other trainer had only seen Bazil once, I said I couldn’t make any promises, but to cancel the vet, I’d be there in 10 minutes, and I’ll see if there’s anything that could be done to help Bazil.
So I drove like a mad woman to their house (keeping to the speed limit of course. 🤫😉) When I arrived, I was met with a bulldog standing on his tippy toes with back arched, hair standing up, like a cat that’s just had its tail stepped on. He was petrified. He took one look at me and bolted into the nearest bedroom. I didn’t see him for another two hours.
I spoke with the family for quite some time, discussing Brazil’s behaviour. Bazil was at times, extremely aggressive. What do I mean by that? Bazil had a tendency to bite. He had attacked all the family members several times, as well as attacked their other bulldog on a number of occasions. Fortunately they had lots of footage on their phone, and we spent a long time analysing Bazil’s body language and behaviour. The previous trainer had recommended euthanasia, stating that Bazil’s aggression was neurological, and no amount of training or time would help him. However, the footage said otherwise. As it turns out, Bazil did not attack “unprovoked” or “out of nowhere.” In fact, quite the opposite was true. Bazil’s triggers were consistent, although there were a lot of them. He usually chose avoidance first over aggression. Plus, he offered clear and consistent warnings before attacking.
Now, Bazil is a rescue dog, so we don’t have a clear picture of his history. Whilst I don’t think Bazil was necessarily abused, I do think that he was repeatedly pushed into situations he was uncomfortable with, until he felt aggression was his only option.
First thing is first - safety!! This means managing the environment for Bazil to avoid his triggers and therefore avoid aggressive behaviours. So what are his triggers? This list is not exhaustive because there are a lot, but some big ones are;
1. Paper towel or any white cloth or small cloth. On a number of occasions he had run from the other side of the room to attack his owner if he was holding a tissue.
2. The dustpan and brush. He had also run over to attack his owner for trying to sweep the floor.
3. Being leaned over and stared at. He offered plenty of subtle warnings and a very obvious growl before attacking.
4. Being patted, especially on the head, but often anywhere on the body. He also offered plenty of warnings here too before attacking.
5. His collar and leash, and the word “walk.” He would run and hide as fast as his little stumpy legs would carry him.
6. Any kind of husbandry procedure, (checking paws, nail trimming, wiping his face or bum - hence the white cloth phobia - checking ears and eyes etc.)
So, we put a management plan in place to let Bazil have two weeks to decompress before we started training. I gave the owners a detailed lesson in dog body language for the meantime too so they could read situations better and de-escalate things before they turned into aggression.
I have now had several sessions with Bazil, and the top priority is to get him comfortable with husbandry procedures. Especially being a bulldog, these will need to be a part of daily life. He will need his face wrinkles cleaned out daily, he will often need his gunky eyes cleaned, he may need eye drops at times and ear drops too! So first thing, get Bazil comfortable with small cloths / paper towel / tissues. This is a pretty summarised account but here are the basic steps:
1. Getting treats for seeing a cloth on the ground
2. Getting treats for approaching/ sniffing the cloth
3. Approaching the cloth whilst I’m holding it
4. Placing his chin on the cloth whilst I’m holding it
5. Holding the cloth up to the side of his face. If he turns his eye into it, that means “yes you can wipe it.” If he doesn’t, that means, “not at the moment thanks.” Bazil’s consent is the most important part of this training. He needs to know he’s in control.
6. Also, often Bazil lets me know when he’s done with training, and he walks away and lays down elsewhere. It’s also integral that I listen to his needs and if he’s had enough, we stop.
This video may not look like much, but a few weeks ago this dog would have rushed at someone and bitten them for even holding a cloth. And he was about to lose his life because of his aggression. We’ve got a long way to go but I’m so proud of this little dude, and his incredible family for putting in all the hard yards 😍😍😍😍❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
