GAHHHH!!! im getting very stressed out here!

[xchairity_casex]

So i own my dream dog now a Bull Terrier he is 11 months old i got him 5 months ago. i live with my mom and my nephew who is 8.
Well my mom is obviously a little afraid of cesar just becuase of how he looks i suspect and my nephew has always been frightend a little by all dogs.
Cesar is very very gentle and sweet but of coarse he is still young and still in training before he came to me he had NO trainign what so ever.
well i litterly have to babysit him no matter where he is in the house if im in the living room and he walks out into the kitchen to eat my mom yells at me "whats he doing?? go check on him" sometimes my nephew tries to play with him and gets him excited so cesar jumps up to lick my nephews face boy does my mom ever go insane "DID YOU SEE THAT!! hes going to attack him!!!" shes constantly asking me "why did he pick up that shoe?" uh becuase hes still learning whats ok to chew and whats not "why is he making that noise while he chews on a bone??? is he being aggressive??" no mom he is chewing bits of the bone off its a normal sound hes fine "why did he jump on the couch with shane (my nephew) is he trying to guard the couch shane get off now before he attacks you!" uh no he jsut wants to be with people and be petted just ask him to get off and he will.
well tonight i took him for a walk and as we were walking 3 cars in succsession blared on there horns going past us very very close it frightend cesar and he was alert from being afraid i got into the yard and my mom and my nephew were in the yard and my nephew was wearing a black hooded jacket you could not bearly see him in the dark jsut hear him and cesar started barking at him untill he got a wiff of my nephew and stopped.
my mom told me to take him down into my room and lock him up as he is "getting way too aggressive" i swear this dog has never ever bitten or even tried to bite anyone he doesnt even jump up on kids unless like my nephew who holds the ball over his head and starts jumping around cesar yelling at him "cant get it cant get it" and even then cesar doesnt just go crazy jumping up he just jumps up to lick his face a little doesnt even go for the toy. im just so so sofrustrated becuase i keep asking ym mom why seh is so afraid of cesar and she insists she is not and how much she adores him its just really stressing me out htat she keeps acting like this shes the one making ym nephew afraid of him too! and i dont want my nephew going around telling people "my aunts dog is aggressive and tries to attack me" cesar isnt! shane could walk up to cesar and put his hand in that dogs mouth while hes got a meaty bone and that dog would just be giddy with happiness! how do i know that for sure? becuase the breeders who i got him from had little kids who i SEEN play in the dogs food bowls while cesar ate and he would stop and lick them! its just very very stressful!

 

[redhen]

Maybe your mother is seeing something that your not?? Or maybe shes just being paranoid?
How was he barking at your nephew?? How was he standing? Did you tell him to stop? Did he stop right away??
He really shouldnt be getting up on the couch or getting in up in a kids face either.... waaay to risky.
Why is your nephew allowed to tease the dog with a ball?? You do seem to have a recipe for disaster for someday in the future....

 

[zippitydooda]

I watched this documentary about training young dogs to stay right with their primary caretaker. The trainer put a choke collar and a regular collar on the dog. I think the dog was maybe 5-6 months old. Anyhow, he tethered the dog to his belt loop with twine attached to the regular collar. Then the trainer went through his normal routine. Wherever HE went the dog was kind of tugged along. If the dog didn't respond quickly enough, the trainer would reach down and give a light yank on the choke collar to get it's attention. He started this training with only doing it for 5 minutes, then 10, then 15 and so on each day, getting longer and longer. After the time was over he would remove the twine he would put a leash on it, take it outside to "go", and then crate him for a while. The dog learned to stay out from under the trainer's feet. He was trained to "sit" when the trainer was standing still (like when doing dishes or some other standing type work) and to lay down when the trainer sat. He would not speak very much to the dog except to use short, one word commands- sit, down, stay, no, come...stuff like that. Every time the dog would stop paying attention to the trainer he received a light yank on the collar. If the dog started to chew or get into something he got a yank. If the dog paid attention to a cat or some other distraction, he got a yank. The purpose of the yank was not to punish but to get the dog's attention. After he released the dog, he would pet it, love it, play outside with it, etc. The theory was to create an "alpha" bond that would let the dog know the trainer was in charge.

By the end of the documentary, he removed the twine for the last time and that dog followed him around just as though he was still connected. It was really cool. The show was 30 minutes long, but they said the trainer worked with the dog for 2 weeks before it started behaving without the twine.

I wish I could remember what the name of the documentary was.... you should google it.... maybe that type of training would help keep the dog settled, which in turn would keep peace in the family. Good luck. Dogs are good friends, and I hope you two connect.

 

[citychickx6]

SIGH.........

Try getting him into a training class and teaching him all sorts of stupid tricks so that perhaps they can see he is a gentle dog that knows how to listen. You can even train him for sign language and then you can call him or give him commands without making a sound.

FYI if he is indeed a bull terrier like the one in the little rascals tv show perhaps you can point out that the dog in the show was chosen for the roll due to the gentle nature of the breed.

OH and my 120 pound dogs would not let my DH in the house when he had to work a late shift. I was in bed and even though the porch light was on ( it is 500 watts of blinding power ) he could not get in the door. They are half weimeriner and half German wire haired pointer. Perfectly normal for any dog to bark at something or someone they do not have a clear ID on.

I wish you luck. Sometimes people have preconceived notions of a thing and cause it to come true by their actions.

Edited to add that the breed in question is a high energy breed. They need a job to do. Even if it is stupid tricks.

 

[xchairity_casex]

trust me my mom doesnt see things i dont ive studied dog behavior im constanly on dog forums helping people train there dogs on the very large bull terrier forum i am on when someone has a difficult dog the other members always say "wait for xchairity_casex she will give you advice she will know what to do" when cesar heard my nephew he was alert ears erect tail erect and he barked i was talking to my mom at the time so ididnt imedietly stop him but after 3 barks i gave hima correction and he sat down but still trying to see my nephew(ears erect)but once he seen my nephew he turned around to go inside. he was not being aggressive he was alerting me that there was somthing in the darkness he couldnt see.

he has no issues when you ask him to get off the couch he does right away there no struggles just point to the floor and say off and he gets right off but everyone in the household enjoys having him and my sisters poodle on the couch to cuddle with though BOTH dogs know not to get on the couch of someone has food or if my nephew has fallen asleep there.theres nothing wrong with dogs on the furniture so long as they get off whenever they are asked.
and as far as my nephew doing that with the ball i HATE it i would always tell him NOT to do that but my sister and my mom would yell at me and scream at me that he is not my kid i cant tell him waht to do that hes fine blah blah blah so when i see him doing that i take cesar away to my bedroom but what ususally happens is my nephew is running around the house while cesar is chewing his toy so i go into the bathroom really quick then litterly have to cut it short becuase i can hear shane talking to cesar and when i come out cesar is in shanes face so i dont get screamed at i take cesar down stairs.
for only having cesar 5 months i can trust him 100 percent off lead around people and other dogs he doesnt go near another dog off lead or a person unless i give him the ok, he knows how to sit,lie down,off,wait,stay,and come which is alot for any bull terrier.

 

[86121]

Maybe its time to train your mom...
A good squirt bottle with a little bit of vinegar mixed with water. Every-time she shows an undesirable behavior, one squirt to the head or butt and in no time the undesirable behavior should stop.
Works every time.

 

[xchairity_casex]

HAHA excellent idea!

 

[ZoeS95423]

Sounds like your mom is just one of those people who judge dogs by their breeds :-/
I tihnk she needs to do some research,
print out some things about the breed, show her that they are not bad dogs at all.
And ask her why she is so scared of him. He sounds gentle enough, and like he is just being a dog.

 

[ChickInDelight]

When your mom gets upset, you need to be ultra-calm.

The only dog behavior of concern is possibly the dog jumping up to lick your nephew's face.

I was told recently that my Boxer-mix does that as a domination tactic. I tend to believe it. He only does it to children, and he does not naturally like kids. He is learning to like them, and he sure likes to play with them.

 

[spiritdance]

Quote:
I was thinking this about the nephew! If sis and mom are jumping to his defense when he teases the dog, he obviously is not getting the training HE needs to be a responsible person.