4-year-old bulldog

Question
Hi Barb,
I hope you can help me with this query. I have just moved in with my girlfriend who has two bulldogs - one who's 8-years-old and the other who's 4. The 8-year-old is calm and fine. The 4-year-old is a nightmare. He is a lovely dog but was never properly trained, and since we moved into a new house he has absolutely no discipline. He barks all the time, he pushes his way past barriers if we want to keep him in the kitchen for a couple of hours, he jumps on the sofa and we havbe to lift him off, he poos on the descking when he knows there's a special area for him down the side of the house. Basically, he is a complete rebel and in control of us. I've had dogs before but never bulldogs and I can't seem to turn it around.
We've tried telling him off, sending him to bed, ignoring him etc but it's only ever a temporary cure. Last night he barked for about two hours - just because he wants us to go down and see him!
Please can you advise me on the best way to gain some kind of mastery over him so that he will do what he's told?!
Many thanks and I look forward to hearing from you,
Jez

Answer
Hi Jez.  It's certainly never too late to begin training a dog and it sounds like this boy is in dire need of some guidance.  This will require commitment and possibly changes in your daily interactions with him.  As you work with him on these issues, keep these key points in mind:

1.  Manage his environment and the situation so that he has less chance of making a mistake.
2.  Reward behaviors you like and those behaviors will increase. Train new behaviors to replace the unacceptable ones.
3.  Whenever possible, ignore behaviors you don't like so they will extinguish.
4.  Use time-outs as necessary when the dog is out of control and in danger of hurting himself, others, or your property.

So, let's look at some of the issues you've raised and how you can use the key points to resolve them:

Pooing on the deck:  Manage the situation.  Since basically he needs re-trained on where to go poo, his access to the deck will have to be monitored.  Someone should go outside with him on leash, take him to the area you want him to eliminate and wait until he goes there.  No free access to the deck until AFTER he's done his business.  You'll have to do this for a couple of weeks until he develops the habit of going in the yard.  In the meantime, scrub the deck to eliminate the odors he's established there. If you feed on a regular schedule and not leave access to food all day, you should be able to determine when he needs to have a bowel movement by keeping a daily log.  Note the times he eats, then note the time he has a BM.  It should be pretty regular and you'll find the pattern after a few days.

Barking:  Ignore the behavior.  Assuming this is attention/demand-type barking, any eye contact, verbal scolding or physical punishment will INCREASE this behavior.  He's barking to get your attention and he'll take it any way you want to give it.  If he's got to be separated from you, give him something to occupy him - a stuffed Kong or a really good chewie that he only gets during these times.

Jumping on sofa:  Reward behaviors you like or would rather have him do instead of getting on the sofa.  Does he have a soft dog bed on the floor near the couch?  Make that bed very special by tossing him treats when he lies on it.  Block his access to the couch BEFORE he jumps up and send him to his bed.

I would highly recommend finding a dog training class that uses positive reinforcement methods and/or clicker training to establish some basic cues that your bulldog will respond to.  Check out Kay Laurence in the UK:  http://www.learningaboutdogs.com/html/clicker_training.html and Karen Pryor:  www.clickertraining.com.  Watch videos, read articles and join a Yahoo list like Clicker Solutions to help you out.

Keep in mind that your dog is likely stressed from the move and the change in household members. Keep him exercised, engage his mind with puzzle toys that he can work to get his food from, do some training and you'll find that he can be an enjoyable pet for you.

Please let me know if you have specific questions on any suggestions I made or need further clarification.