Bahavioural problems in Miniature Bull terriers.?

Question

My partner and I bought a three month old miniature Bull terrier three days ago and he's gorgeous. However, we have a feeling he may have been mistreated before we bought him he's covered in tiny cuts and although he seems happy he never wags his tail. Also, when we play with him he never licks but bites really hard, I've had puppies before and know that they nip when playing but he really bites hard, not only us, but also himself. Is this normal behaviour? And if not is he likely to grow out of it?

Answer 1

Is he deaf? Seriously I have one that is. I would suggest you take him to the vet and get him checked over.

I'm a bit concerned about the cuts and that should be checked on. There is a chance that he'll outgrow the biting, but get him in and get it checked. Ask the vet about him getting neutered. Bullies aren't exactly your average dog. I would also get in touch with a local breed club/rescue:

http://www.btcmd.org/rescue.html

Usually they'll be happy to help

Answer 2

Hi, we have a 8 month old standard Bull Terrier, she started obbsessively chasing her tail around the same age,we had her anal glands checked, but they were fine, she also was cutting her face and making her tail bleed and now its all crooked. When she first strarted doing it, she done it continually,nearly non stop for 3 days, completly oblivious to the pain she was causing herself. Now it has got alot less, but she still does it once or twice every day, and when she gets over excited and she spins then laches on to something in an aggresive way,sometimes to peoples legs. But basically nothing or no one can intrest her during her spin, we were told by alot of people to take her to puppy socialisng and training classes as mental stimulation can only be a good thing, as long as it doesn't show any signs of aggression during his spin, as ours does and now she has to see an expensive behaviourist specialist.Hope it helps :-)

Answer 3

The tiny cuts are very common in puppy's,it's where the pups littermates have been biting and playing rough with him,my own dog had loads of little cuts on his legs and tail but they soon healed.Bull breeds are known for there strong bite,they were bred to bite and hang on to there victim untill they died which results in a very powerful jaw and strong hold.It's normal puppy behaviour that your min ebt is showing and nothing to worry about,however no puppy just grows out of play biting,they have to be taught that it's not acceptible.Every time he nips you stop all play/contact with your pup say no loudly and firmly and if possible seperate him from you in another room for 5-10mins.With consistency and patience play biting is relatively easy to stop.Pups and even adult dogs chew on themselves,again its perfectly normal unless the dog is doing himself harm.Remember early socilisation is a must with any dog,but esp more so for bull breeds so make sure you get him vaccinated and start taking him out and about meeting new people,dogs,animals,children,towns,shops if possible etc.Good luck.

Answer 4

You have only had him a few days as you said. He may have been in a wire crate and could have rubbed up against it. The biting you want to stop now, if he bites you say no and give him a toy to chew. A great thing for teething is to take some wash clothes and soak it with water or chicken broth and ring it out, then freeze it have at least 3 of them in the freezer.Once frozen let him chew
one, it is very soothing. Give him lots of love and with time he should come around. Congratulations on your new baby. Good luck;^)

Answer 5

Your pup needs time to figure out that you are not going to hurt him, .One way is if he bites you playtime is over.just walk away from him and let him think about this . He will want to be with you more as he learns to trust you, and if you stop playing when he bites this will tell him that biting doesn't get what he wants.You might want to take him to your vet and let him know of your concerns. He would be able to ascertain the extent of your pups injuries, if any. These pups if abused just take more time to learn you are a good thing for him.

Answer 6

You do need to get a professional trainer, but I can give you a few hints. I use to work with a German Shepherd Rescue and once I had to get 7 dogs from a puppy mill, and they were the most miss treated puppies I have ever had to deal with. They were never socialized with humans, and were scared to death. What I did was I started with three of them. I took them into my bedroom with me, where they all three piled ontop of one another in a corner and would not come near me. Each one had a leash on so that I could get ahold of them to take them outside. But first they had to learn that all good things came from me. I started off by letting them hide like they wanted, but I would does little treats to them. After about an hour of tossing treats to them, I would continue to toss the treats to them, but make them fall a little short, that way they had to come out to get them. It was a long process, but after about 4 hours, i got it to where they would come within a couple feet of me to get the treats, and then the next day, I actually had them eatting out of my hand. This is the best course of action to take for this situration. I would worry about the biting later, as you don't want to scare them if they are already timid.

Answer 7

Sounds like you might need a pro trainer to help. try dogpro.org Or even try an AKC obedience club and ask for help or a referral.