Bulldogs World

I forgot to ask before----do y'all know of other breeds that have the cute toofies (TEETH) / underbite that she has? I"m curious, because

to me, the only things that look bulldog-ish are her bottom toofies (when she shows them), and her body KINDA looks like Sophie's....

Hubbs and I are actually concerned that her legs are SO thin, it's hard for her to carry her upper body.?  Sophie also has thin

legs and smaller paws than most bulldogs i've seen, so when she was a puppy, I asked her vet about it...he said she just had

more "delicate" features  :-)   Also, just like Meaty and Sophie, this sweet girl's underbite isn't visible at all times like other

bulldogs----Anyhoo, it doesn't matter in the long run......just curious what her hertiage is....thanks!  

what a beautiful little girl she is! You guys are AWESOME for taking her in. I can't help with Sophie's aggression issue, but hopefully Lynn King will have some ideas. I only know to watch for the signals Sophie is sending out, maybe the new girl isn't socialized enough to back off a dog who wants to be left alone? If you see any posturing or anything resembling even a glance that might escalate, stop it immediately by removing the girls from each other's space. That's about all I can tell you.

Most of had a rough life. Poor thing. This is great that ya is fostering her. Oh Females. I know Loulo will not let another female move in her house. she is so demanding with me. She wont leave my side. Her and Bubba are the same age and always has been together but I find as she gets older at times she doesnt want to even share me with him. Funny how Loulou Loves on him but at times she is. This is my mommy and not even you Bubba are getting her love that I could have. That when Loulou has to go to her crate. Yes I do make one on one time with both of them.

I'm so excited and happy that you have opened your home and hearts to a sweet foster baby. It can be challenging and frustrating at times, but it is also so rewarding and heartwarming. The pros most certainly outweigh the cons (IMHO).

I think what you have going on is a mixture of things. Primarily that Sophie is used to being the one and only Queen girl in the home and she is not used to playing second fiddle to anyone and your foster has figured out that if she makes a bit of a scene you will give her attention. It's important that you be sure to balance your time between your new foster and your dogs, jealousy is bound to happen, but making sure that you don't ignore one in favor of the other will be really important. Sophie needs to know that even though she's jealous, you are still going to spend time and love on the foster. Your foster needs to know that even though she doesn't like to be left alone, she will need to adjust to spending time alone. Neither dog gets to set the rules of how, where or with whom you spend your time.

In my rescue we encourage our foster homes to take introductions very slowly, particularly when you (now) know that one of the resident dogs does not like "sharing" with other dogs. I would encourage you (while the temperatures are still decent) to take the girls for short walks together with your husband. It should be dog, person, person, dog (so the dogs are separated by two people). The goal of the walk is for the two of them to co-exist near each other without having any direct interaction with the other. Essentially, you want them to get used to the presence of the other. I would praise them as they walk peacefully and be ready with toys/treats to redirect them if they start to focus on the other.

From there you can slowly work up to small interactions in the yard together (with you watching all the time). Reward Sophie for being good (no stare downs, no attacking, nothing aggressive), remove her for bad behavior. It will take time, and consistent expectations from you (bad behavior by either results in them being separated and removed for a "time out").

Never ever feed them near each other, pick up all toys (toys are a big source of fights), rotate your time between them. Acknowledge good behavior from both, ignore or redirect bad behaviors. I am sure Lynn will probably have more ideas, but those are my suggestions.

Also, it's a learning curve for everyone. Don't expect everyone to get along right away (including yourselves). I've had a lot of fosters, some that I've adored and Winston hated, some that Winston loved and that I wasn't fond of, and some that we've both been neutral towards. It doesn't make you a bad foster home if you don't absolutely fall in love with your foster. And it does not mean you have a bad dog if your dog does not like your foster. Just like people, dogs have different personalities and some mesh better than others.

Taking in a foster is always stressful for everyone. Remember, you brought in a roommate that Sophie didn't ask for.

I don't introduce dogs immediately. Only once did I do so, the rescue/foster was coming from someone that had her for several weeks so I knew a lot about her behaviors. Normally, dogs were kept gated apart for at least a week. Introductions were done at the gates, lots of quiet praise, really yummy treats, so that all the dogs got used to another dog in the house without any physical contact.

New girl has to learn to be O.K. being alone. It will help her when its time to place her in her new home. She whines/barks etc., ignore her. Time with her is at your discretion.

Limit the amount of time Sophie and New girl spend together. You want to end each interaction on a good note. So, 5 minutes/ 10 minutes, all is good, separate them. You don't want them to remember their last interaction as ending in a fight. They should remember a nice peaceful walk or quiet time in the living room etc.

When they come together at the gates and both are acting appropriately, quietly praise and give them a treat and walk away. Don't make a big deal out of anything, good or bad. Dogs look for calm/consistent/fair leadership.

Dogs display a huge amount of body language when they are not comfortable. Attacking is usually a last resort. Kind of like they whisper "go away" and when the offender doesn't go away, they "shout" by attacking. Watch Sophie for any staring, stiff body, lip licking, pacing, any of those is a signal that she is telling New girl to disappear. When you see any of these, quietly/calmly "too bad" and separate them.

Thanks for taking on a foster. Rescues always need help. We have had plenty of rescue/shelter dogs here. I don't regret having taken any one of them.

Yes, New girl appears to be all Bulldog, not a well bred one, but a Bulldog.

Good luck, remember to stay calm

thank you SO much for being there for her.......there ARE Angels among us!

99% of the time, I can remain very calm. I have had to deal of with all kinds of issues with dogs in classes, private sessions, rescues, shelter dogs etc., For some unknown reason, I change from being a sane/stable human being to a raging nut case when I can't find one of my own dogs. It's actually something that needs to be filmed. LOL

Hope all is going well

This is a win, win situation.  She can give you all the love she has, and you give her that love right back!  She fits right in.  It is so wonderful you can offer her a better life right now.