Should My Bulldog Go to Obedience Class?
Should My Bulldog Go To Obedience Class?
If you’ve been considering whether or not your bulldog should go to obedience school, you’ve landed on the right page. You may have mixed feelings when you hear the word “obedience.” However, we want to help provide you with the most well-informed guidance on what, when, why, where, and the pros and cons of taking your bulldog to obedience school.
What Is Obedience Classes?
The American Kennel Club defines obedience classes as helping dogs with “social behavior with both people and animals; helps correct annoying behaviors like jumping, digging, barking, and chewing; and keeps your dog entertained and happy.”
To put it frankly, obedience class is a must for English bulldogs. A dog who has been through an obedience class is a very well-behaved family dog who can navigate the social landscapes of living with people. A dog that hasn’t been to obedience class can cause problems in its new home.
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When Should My Bulldog Go To Obedience Class?
Ideally, English bulldog puppies (Canis lupus familiaris) should start obedience classes as soon as they have all their vaccinations or anytime there are behavioral red flags such as
aggressiveness or uncontrolled behavior. All of our puppies get vaccinated while they are with us. They should continue their vaccinations at home with their new family, and finish when they are fifteen weeks old.
The most crucial mistake many adopters make is waiting too long to correct a behavioral issue, and allowing it to linger. From our experience, adopters who can identify a behavioral issue quickly and access effective behavioral training within a few weeks will be much more successful in correcting bulldog misbehavior.
Often, improper behavioral denial will lead an adopter to delay or reject the idea that their
bulldog could ever need training. The most difficult bulldog to train is one that has been allowed to misbehave for years. Sadly, many bulldogs that do not get the training they need within the proper time frame never fully modify their behavior even after extensive training. Timing is key!
We recommend setting up obedience classes ahead of time so that you can get started as soon as possible. This prevents you from being put in a situation where your bulldog needs training immediately but no classes have any available slots.
Why Operant Conditioning Works for Bulldogs
When researching how to train dogs you will find so many opinions out there. Two of the most common are operant conditioning and alpha dog training. Let us be clear, alpha dog training is not something we recommend. This training often relies on a heavy hand that can almost be labeled as abusive, which we have found to be extremely ineffective.
Operant conditioning is a well-blended mix of positive reinforcement, and knowing when to implement negative reinforcement. This behavior can be controlled by the consequences that happen. According to Simply Psychology, “Behavior that is reinforced (rewarded) will likely be repeated, and behavior that is punished will occur less frequently.”
There has to be balance in bulldog training, otherwise things go awry. Too much positive
reinforcement lets the bulldog know they can act however they want. And an owner who is always firm and wants power over them teaches the dog to fear humans. Let’s view the two below examples of these types of reinforcements.
Positive reinforcement: your bulldog puppy goes potty outside, and you give them a treat.
Negative reinforcement: your bulldog puppy jumps on a stranger, and you give them a stern verbal warning not to do that.
We believe operant conditioning is the most balanced approach to training a bulldog because the very nature of a bulldog is sometimes a bit stubborn. We see many adopters struggle when they are not able to mix both gentle encouragement with stern correction.
Balance is key and your bulldog will be better off for it. A bulldog will happily ignore their owner’s positive direction and will learn to behave as they please if a mix of non-physical negative correction is not administered from time to time.
The most common bulldog behavioral issues often stem from owners unwilling to use enough verbal negative reinforcement within their training methods. Bulldog training is a lasting commitment that starts and ends with the owner.
Where Should I Take My Bulldog To Obedience School?
Where you take your bulldog for obedience classes will depend on where you live, what classes you can afford, and how extensive you want their training to be. If you have friends with bulldogs, they can be a great source of recommendations and help. If not, it’s easy to find reviews and suggestions online by searching your local area.
Remember, the most important thing is that they take an obedience class. If you can’t afford the best obedience class, that’s okay. If they take a class, it doesn’t have to be the most prestigious one. It’s also vital to remember that training your dog is a lifelong commitment. It doesn’t just end once the obedience classes are over.
Pros and Cons of Taking My Dog to Obedience Classes
Like everything in life, weighing the pros and cons of a decision you need to make is necessary. The positive effects of having your bulldog complete obedience classes are that they are well-trained, able to be around people, safe for the owner and the bulldog, and a healthy relationship between the pet and the owner.
Although there are not many cons of having your bulldog complete obedience classes there are some. Obedience school can be very expensive and there are various incorrect and ineffective training beliefs out there.
Over the years, we have seen countless well-intentioned bulldog owners who have poured
thousands of dollars into unproductive training methods. Methods such as using only positive reinforcement. Although positive reinforcement behavior training is effective on many dog breeds, we have found bulldogs need a mix of both positive and negative reinforcement to correct behavior. This type of balanced training is why we recommend operant conditioning training, which reinforces both situational positive and negative behavior when it’s needed.
The English bulldog is perhaps one of the best family dogs that are out there. And part of what goes into making sure they become that great family dog is ensuring they are taken to obedience school so that they can be well-trained.
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Bruiser Bulldog’s Reviews
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I've grown up with english bulldogs my whole life. I am familiar with common and uncommon health problems they may face so when my boyfriend and I decided we were ready to adopt our own english puppy finding a reputable breeder that prioritizes health was most important to us. Erica and Mitch of Bruiser Bulldogs are just that. They are experienced, ethical and quality breeders. I was referred to them by my friend that I trust after I saw their gorgeous healthy puppy. Our Puppy Primrose is the light of our lives! Bruisers was there to assist us every step of the way. We would highly recommend Bruisers Bulldogs to anyone looking for their own happy, healthy pup!
Leah H.4/08/2021 -
We, like many of the other people who found Bruisers, did a lot of research to find a responsible breeder, especially since English Bulldogs can have health issues and because there is a trend now for "trendy" bulldogs (blue, etc.) which have even more health issues. We were lucky to have come across Bruiser Bulldogs and even more so the fact that they were near our family and hometown made it even better. We have had Clementine (Callie) for four months now, and she is a wonderful dog. Her personality is amazing, and I think part of it is breeding and the other part is Erika and her family lovingly raising the puppies in their home with plenty of attention and snuggles. I also was impressed that, rather than send the puppies out right at 8 weeks, Erika kept ours for a few extra weeks because she was tiny and not read to leave her mom yet. It's that care that differentiates Bruisers from other breeders.
Emily R.4/08/2021 -
We found Bruiser Bulldogs after researching healthy breeding line for bulldog puppies. Erica was easy to work with thru the entire process from application to adopting and now beyond as we host our new family member, Chief. Her on-call support and willingness to provide open, honest advice to all of our questions and concerns continues to be appreciated. We would highly recommend Bruiser Bulldogs to anyone looking for an English Bulldog to join their family.
Elizabeth W.4/01/2021 - Lady L.3/25/2021
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Bruiser Bulldogs are 5-star breeders! They are experienced, responsive and knowledgeable about all things bulldog related. They went above and beyond for us and are truly dedicated to all of their pups! We love our little girl so much and would recommend Bruiser to anyone looking for a healthy beautiful bully.
Jonathan E.3/22/2021 -
Bruiser Bulldogs is a 5-star breeder in every way. Erica and Mitch are trustworthy, excellent communicators, fair, passionate, and produce the best bulldogs.We were at the top of the waiting list for months and Erica reached out every litter to see if we were finally ready for a bulldog. When we were, she was very easy to work with. Her knowledge on bulldogs is outstanding. We had many questions on the process and she always knew what was best for the puppy.We've had Penny (formerly Blair) for two months and she is very healthy, energetic, playful, and sweet. She is great with other people and dogs. We are so happy with our pup.When we are ready for bulldog #2, we will only consider Bruiser Bulldogs.
Mitch C.2/22/2021 -
We waited a while to write this review so that we had a better sense for the overall health of our Bruiser Bulldog “Bowser”. Bowser was born April 2020 and is an integral part of our family. When we were first exploring English Bulldog breeders our biggest concern was the overall health of the dogs. We decided to work with Erica at Bruiser Bulldogs because we liked their focus on improving the breeds breathing abilities and the fact that the puppies are raised within her family environment before coming home with their new owners.As for Bowsers health, he’s a health energetic English Bulldog that has no problem keeping up with the kids, going on 2 mi walks and camping with us on a regular basis. Bowser also breaths clearly and our vet was impressed with his overall health from the moment we brought him home. All that said we know English Bulldogs have a predisposition to many health issues and that his current health can not predict the future. With that In mind its important to start with a breeder that open to answer any of your questions as Erica has ours, and that strongly believes in improving the breeds overall health profile.
Adam B.2/22/2021 -
After the loss of our first English Bulldog due to health issues it was very important for us to find a breeder who did not breed only for aesthetic but more importantly for health. My sister ended up finding Bruiser Bulldogs and we knew right away that they were the breeder for us.In September we ended up driving 9 hours to pick up two Bruiser bulldog puppies- one for my husband and I and one for my mom. Jackson and Penelope have been nothing but a joy. They are very social and very friendly to everyone they meet including kids and other dogs/animals. They are both very athletic and healthy. They are also HUGE snugglers and always want to be with you. It is an absolute pleasure having these two bullies in our lives! My sister and her fiancé also fell in love with them and now are on the waitlist themselves for a Bruiser bulldog!Erica is very knowledgeable about the breed. She is very hands on throughout the process and is just overall a kind and honest person to work with.With all that being said I cannot recommend Bruiser Bulldogs enough!
Collyn C.2/22/2021 -
We fell in love with our puppy the moment we saw him. One of the reasons we chose Bruiser Bulldogs was due to the claims about breeding for health. During our first visit at our vet's office, he told us that our pup was one of the healthiest English bulldogs he had ever seen. He is healthy, happy and social. Would recommend to anyone.
Christina S.2/22/2021 -
What an awesome experience! We seen our dog on their website and sent them an Email. Mitch called us and personally walked us through the process and made sure we had the right dog for our family. We couldn't be happier when we picked up our dog Ramsey, Erica made sure we had everything we needed and then some. They are truly amazing people who breed truly amazing dogs!
Jim T.2/22/2021
