Female French Bulldog Aggressive and Territorial

awwright

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Hello, everyone. I have a French Bulldog, Harlee, and she is almost three years old. I got her during the pandemic at which I worked from home. So, being with me is pretty much all she has ever known since I brought her home at eight weeks. Since I got her, we have moved a few times, and about six months ago I moved in with my fiance. The move from DC to Vegas was obviously stressful. I acknowledge that by itself was a big change for her, but my fiance also had another female Frenchie (almost four years old) and we have a nine-month-old male. All three dogs play and each gets heated here and there - we recognize that is going to happen.

She was always such a happy and pleasant dog and was never aggressive with anyone or anything prior to the move to Vegas. We have had to establish a few new rules for her that she is not used to:

1. No sleeping in the bed at night - only in the crate (and she has always loved her crate);
2. We have had to make compromises with her food since we have three dogs now. She has never enjoyed kibble and was on Farmer's Dog. To find a compromise we make our own homemade topper and mix it with the kibble;
3. She is not allowed on the furniture just like the other dogs.

I realize that it may be stressful or just difficult to adapt to for her. However, she is now becoming aggressive with me. She bit my finger very badly and also nipped at my face. She has never shown any type of aggression toward me ever. She has also become extremely territorial over her crate, any toys, and her food (even if she is not eating it - she'll just sit there and guard it and if one of the other dogs approaches her she will viciously attack the other dog).

One other thing to note about Harlee is that she was the only dog in her litter, so she has never had to really share any type of space with other dogs. She has gone to doggie boarding and daycare quite a bit within her first two years, but I feel like it may be a different situation considering she sees our house as her territory.

I am deeply saddened by her change in behavior and it breaks my heart to see that she really is not the same dog she was before we made the move to Las Vegas. Any advice on how to handle her, curb her behaviors, and cut back on the aggression would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.
Aaron
 
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Hello, everyone. I have a French Bulldog, Harlee, and she is almost three years old. I got her during the pandemic at which I worked from home. So, being with me is pretty much all she has ever known since I brought her home at eight weeks. Since I got her, we have moved a few times, and about six months ago I moved in with my fiance. The move from DC to Vegas was obviously stressful. I acknowledge that by itself was a big change for her, but my fiance also had another female Frenchie (almost four years old) and we have a nine-month-old male. All three dogs play and each gets heated here and there - we recognize that is going to happen.

She was always such a happy and pleasant dog and was never aggressive with anyone or anything prior to the move to Vegas. We have had to establish a few new rules for her that she is not used to:

1. No sleeping in the bed at night - only in the crate (and she has always loved her crate);
2. We have had to make compromises with her food since we have three dogs now. She has never enjoyed kibble and was on Farmer's Dog. To find a compromise we make our own homemade topper and mix it with the kibble;
3. She is not allowed on the furniture just like the other dogs.

I realize that it may be stressful or just difficult to adapt to for her. However, she is now becoming aggressive with me. She bit my finger very badly and also nipped at my face. She has never shown any type of aggression toward me ever. She has also become extremely territorial over her crate, any toys, and her food (even if she is not eating it - she'll just sit there and guard it and if one of the other dogs approaches her she will viciously attack the other dog).

One other thing to note about Harlee is that she was the only dog in her litter, so she has never had to really share any type of space with other dogs. She has gone to doggie boarding and daycare quite a bit within her first two years, but I feel like it may be a different situation considering she sees our house as her territory.

I am deeply saddened by her change in behavior and it breaks my heart to see that she really is not the same dog she was before we made the move to Las Vegas. Any advice on how to handle her, curb her behaviors, and cut back on the aggression would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.
Aaron

Welcome.

Sounds like she is being protective over some things.

Have you kept her routine she has always had as ‘normal’ as it could since you moved(go for walks, play time with her etc.)?

Does she get alone time with you?

If she hasnt had these new rules(no couch and now eats kibble which she doesn’t like) and this is the first for all these new things, she may just be slowly adjusting and not being too thrilled with the new rules/changes.

You mentioned she doesn’t like kibble and was eating farmers dog- why did you switch her off Farmers dog?
Just cause there is other dogs in the house she has to get used to doesn’t mean she can’t have the food she has been on and liked- what kibble is it she is eating?

That could be one of the reasons her behaviour has changed.

She definitely should not bite you or anyone in the house.
She thinks SHE is the boss, not you.

You need to show her YOU are the boss and guarding and biting is not allowed.

When she bites, say ‘NO’ in a different firm voice. And put her in her crate until she is calm then let her back out.

You should also make her work for her food. Ask her to sit, wait and give you space. Make sure all the dogs are calm before feeding.
Do you feed them all in the same area?

Keep them separate until all dogs are done with their food. Maybe feed her in the crate Since she likes the crate, then the other dogs can’t get to her.

Also should train/teach the other dogs to not go to the other dogs food when they are done eating.


She isn’t used to sharing things including the attention it sounds like- especially if she has been the only dog. She could be jealous too.

If it doesn’t improve- maybe hire a trainer.
 
You are doing many things correctly , but resource guarding is incredibley difficult to correct on your own.. You need to find a very good trainer and bring them into the home to help you with the correct process in getting her balanced. also, being a singleton, may be why she is having a hard time adjusting.

please keep us posted...
 
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