| A friend of mine recently got herself an 8 week old | | | | The work that goes into owning a puppy can be very |
| English Bulldog puppy. | | | | stressful. The results from good training cannot be |
| He is a beautiful dog and will grow-up to be a fantastic | | | | underestimated. |
| family pet. | | | | 1) Exercise you dog everyday - Puppies have a lot of |
| However, after a few days my friend called me up | | | | energy. Regular exercise does two things. |
| and said she had a problem. | | | | Firstly it establishes a routine - so make sure it is |
| Firstly, she lives in an apartment and was not sure | | | | always about the same time. Secondly this helps get a |
| how to toilet the English Bulldog. | | | | lot of their energy out and it really does reduce their |
| Secondly, should she train him, and how would she do | | | | need to cause trouble at home (i.e. chew stuff). |
| that? What else should she do? | | | | 2) Once he gets a little older, start bringing him to dog |
| The first thing I told my friend that she needs to start | | | | parks so that he will become very dog friendly right |
| doing as soon as possible is to start training her English | | | | from the start. |
| Bulldog. | | | | The more contact dogs have with other dogs and |
| I recommended that she start crate training him from | | | | people the better trained he will be, and there will be |
| the beginning. The dog should sleep in the crate every | | | | less issues when friends come to visit your apartment. |
| night. | | | | There is nothing worse than a dog that barks at |
| This will get him used to the idea of sleeping in the | | | | EVERYTHING |
| crate,and reduce the effect of separation anxiety. | | | | 3) Bring small children around him ASAP. This will help |
| As the English Bulldog gets older he may continue to | | | | him get used to children's smaller stature, as well as |
| sleep in the crate ( obviously my friend would buy a | | | | them tugging on his ears/tail, loud sudden noises that |
| bigger one). | | | | children make, etc. |
| Seperation anxiety isn't just suffered by the dog. | | | | It's good to get your dogs exposes to all these things |
| After putting the puppy in it to sleep, she felt bad and | | | | early on - before they become an 80lb solid mass of |
| took him out to sleep with her. This is NOT a good | | | | muscle with gigantic sharp teeth! |
| idea. | | | | 4) Start touching and petting his food while he is eating |
| You must be clear in your actions, once you do | | | | it. |
| something with a dog that involves training. | | | | Over time, your English Bulldog will allow you to take |
| Dogs like this. You MUST follow through, no matter | | | | the food bowl away and pet him while he is eating |
| how bad you feel. | | | | without any resistance. |
| To help with the toilet issue a good idea is to take him | | | | 5) Correct your puppy only at the exact moment he's |
| for a walk to toilet before bed, and first thing in the | | | | done something wrong, not an hour later. |
| morning. | | | | That way he will know what to expect from you the |
| If you can't talk him for a walk, then take him outside | | | | next time you correct him when he has done |
| for toilet instead. | | | | something wrong. |
| This is a form of enforcement which is very effective. | | | | As I mentioned earlier, dogs like boundaries and dont |
| Of course, little puppies need to go toilet quite often, so | | | | respond well to confusion. |
| it is a good idea to buy a large absorbent mat, or mats, | | | | There is no point shouting at him about toileting on the |
| that you can put in certain corners of the house or | | | | carpet 1 hour after it has happened. |
| apartment. | | | | As soon as he starts to smell around and look for a |
| It's dedication on your part to train your dog to use | | | | place to toilet, put him on a leash and take him outside |
| those mats. | | | | so that he can relieve himself. |
| You need to watch his behavior and when he is acting | | | | If my friend follows these simple ideas, her English |
| like he needs to go, pick him up and put him on the | | | | Bulldog will become a well-trained, extremely sociable |
| mat. | | | | dog that will love to be around other dogs, people and |
| The following is a list of five things that I suggested | | | | small children. |
| that my friend do to help her: | | | | |