The Balerow Aussie Bull-Blog

Some of the most memorable moments we have with our bullies occur when we take them with us on an outing, be it to the river, beach or bush they love to accompany us on our trips. To ensure your bulldog will feel comfortable travelling with you in your car its very important to subject them to these surrounds at a young age. An Aussie Bulldog that isn’t properly introduced to the experience of car travel may experience anxiety, motion sickness (vomiting) or just plain bad behaviour.

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Most puppies will mouth things, including your fingers, when they are very young. This will progress to a nip. Mouthing is

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I found an article in the NSW Canine Journal, by Garry Somerville supplied by DOGS NSW, of which we are a current financial member.

This is a snippet of his article, which really made me stop an think for a minute or two about my dogs behaviour, values etc.

I quote:

“In connection with your dog’s power of reasoning I have an old true story that is not only true, but

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Modern dogs need to be mannerly household pets and citizens of th world. A trained dog is a pleasure to be around and will be included more often in activities than will an ill-trained dog. Good training can also save your dogs life!

There is a difference between general good behavior around the house and formal obedience. many dogs are a joy to have around the house, even though they can’t fetch or herd. Bulldogs are much better at being well mannered than well trained. The aussie bulldog can be the exception as they have some boxer, bullmastiff and terrier blood instilled in them, making them more responsive and motivated trainees. Australian bulldogs are more than capable of performing routine commands like sitting, lying down, speaking on command, shaking hands and heeling.

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If your Bulldog is a puppy he will need plenty of sleep. It’s easy for excited and enthusiastic family members to overplay the puppy, but if you remember that he’s much like a human baby who needs his beauty sleep, you’ll have a happier bulldog.

Both adults and puppies may experience some distress having left their previous home. This is quite normal. You should try to keep to your dog’s former routine as much as possible. This will lessen the shock, and provide plenty of comfort and support. Schedule and routine is very important. Try to feed him at the same time and place everyday. He’ll soon regard your home as his own.

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We recently had our first experience with a deaf puppy and were faced with the predicament of whether to put him to sleep or attempt to find him a home. We couldn’t put him to sleep- his personality still shone through despite his impairment, and he loved nothing more than to follow us around the house and fall asleep at our feet. We didn’t know Barney was deaf until he was away from his littermates, as he tended to sleep near them and woke up from the vibrations, however it wasn’t till he was alone and we called him, he didn’t wake up…

Barney has since found a loving and understanding home where he will live out a happy life, however we thought it might be helpful for others out there in the process of training and perhaps just pondering on the possibility of acquiring a deaf puppy to know what to expect.

Bulldogs carry the gene for deafness.

If you are going to live with a deaf dog, you will have to learn a new way to communicate with that dog. You will have to tune into the world of movement, vibration and light. You must use some type of sign language system, either American Sign Language or signs you invent yourself. It will seem strange at first, but both you and your dog will adapt quickly. All that’s required is a willingness to learn.

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The Handbook of the Australian Bulldog

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If dogs are kept in a free range environment (wild), they will naturally live in mixed-sex, mixed-age social groups. Social ranking is determined by mainly by age, but sex is also a factor.

The role of the female is to guide the groups activities. Dogs are sexually mature between 6-9 months of age, however this can be longer for the giant breeds. However it isn’t until your dog is 18-36 months of age that they are socially mature. At social maturity the dog will fall into a natural hierarchial position, determined by sex, size, and temperament. In the wild dogs that try to challenge the social hierarchy wil sometimes leave the group and form their own pack, that is if they don’t suceed in altering the social order. This may explain the aggression sometimes seen in multi dog households. It is at the time of social maturity (18-35 months of age) that problem aggression and anxieties tend to surface,hence why socialisation through activities like puppy pre-school are so beneficial. To view our article on Puppy Preschool visit the link below:

Puppy Pre-School

Behaviour such as roaming, mounting, urine marking, and fighting between the sexes, is driven by sex hormones, namely the male sex hormone testosterone (females also have some testosterone). If these problems occur in the family pet, desexing will often control such tendencies. Optimal suppression of such behaviour is best obtained by desexing your companion at a younger age (6 months).

3-12 weeks of Age:

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