Agressive 5 year English Bulldog towards some dogs

[sewtater]

I have a 5 year old female English Bulldog. She is a sweet dog but lately when I have certain other dogs stay overnight with me for some reason she will become agressive & try to fight with the other dogs. Most of the time it will be with a dog that is taller than her such as a retriever or a lab and is another female dog. The other dog can be walking by or if the other dog is playing with a ball outside and the English Bully could care less about chasing the ball & then all of a sudden when the other dog brings the ball back for the next throw the Bully will get a look in her eyes & charge to start a fight with the other dog.

I can't figure out what triggers it and I break the fight up right away but the Bully is the one that gets the worse of the fight. This morning they got in to a fight & the Bully started it but her chin and skin around her face are getting bit by the other dog and it is ruining her pretty face. After I break up the fight and stop the play time they walk side by side in to the house. She has a little beagle friend that comes over & stays & she loves playing, running & chasing her and they never fight. Can anybody tell me what am I doing wrong and how can I find out what is triguring the fights and how can I get the Bully from doing this?

She only started this about a year ago. I have several dogs that come & stay overnight or stay a few days and some she will try to fight with and others nothing happens. She has never tried to fight a male dog, it's always seem to be another female. Please can anyone help me understand what is going on with this Bully and how can I get her to stop? I can take them out for a walk side by side & they do nothing but in the house or in the yard trouble is sure to break out. HELP!

[Karen]

A preliminary question - is she spayed? Are there people she might be trying to "protect" when she does this?

[sewtater]

Yes She is spayed. When we are outside playing there could be other dogs in the yard but she goes for this one female dog. I will be throwing a tennis ball for the one dog & the Bully may just be laying around or walking around, she could be 2 feet away from this other dog & I hear the Bully starting to growl next thing I know the two dogs are fighting & the Bully is taking the beating. I always keep a harness on the bully so I can grab her away from the other dog she provoked to fight. Right now they are both laying on the couch together. I just don't know what to do to stop it. Thanks for trying to help me.

[Karen]

When this dog is visiting, I would keep Bully on a leash when they go outside, and keep her more focussed on you, and when that dog comes near, the second Bully starts to react, tug the leash a bit and have her look at you. Have her "sit" or do some other command that makes her pay attention to you and feel good.

[sewtater]

Thanks I will try that. By herself she is the sweetest dog, loves people & most dogs except for this retriever & Lab that I take care of and it doesn't happen all the time. I will let you know how I make out.

[Logan]

I feel your pain. Our male is 4 years old and is the exact same way, but it isn't just dogs he doesn't know, it is with one of our own, a male Golden Retriever. We have to keep them separated all the time. We have double gates so that they don't see each other at all but just like your situation, on the occasion that they fight, the bulldog starts it, but the Golden Retriever wins it. It is just an awful situation with an otherwise very sweet, fun dog. I think our situation is definitely caused by jealousy. The Golden has no care for any other cat or dog and had the Bulldog not started it, I think they would have been fine together. In fact they were for months! I know that we didn't get a handle on the situation early enough and I kick myself for that all the time. The only suggestion I can give you is to make sure you give your girl plenty of attention, but I would definitely keep her separated from visiting dogs for the safety of everyone (including the humans). In the last two fights we had between our dogs (in the last year or so), I was bitten once and my husband was bitten once, all while trying to grab collars to pull them apart. It is so dangerous.

[sewtater]

Thanks for sharing your experience with your English Bulldog. She just started this when she turned 5. The sweet retriever goes home tomorrow and since she lives a couple hundred miles from us, I don't think I will have her again. Like your retriever she would always win the fight. She would get a little slobber on her but the Bully would always get the worse of it. When they do get in a fight I always have a harness on the Bully so I can just grap it and get it broken up before any real damage can happen. Since she was a year old I would take her & 4 other dogs to our Dog park. She loved playing with all the dogs & she thought every one should have to say hi and give her some loves. Not once did she ever get in to a fight. Then when she was 3 years old, the other dogs moved away so we don't go to dog park very often but I have a big yard for her to play & run with the other dogs that stay overnight. She never has any problem with dogs smaller than her, in fact her best friends are a doxie(female) and a male Bichon/poodle mix. They could play for hours.
So you may be right about jealousy, but I try to give lots of love to her and things should be back to normal after tomorrow I hope. Will let you know How it goes.

[snakemama]

My friend has a labby who behaves similarly. He has to watch the dog closely when he's playing with other dogs, and before the dog gets anywhere near the "danger zone" pull him out of play for a few quick sits and downs, and a break before he gets to go play again.

Interrupting the behavior before it's out of control seems to be key. Easier said than done, I know, but hopefully things will be a little easier for you as time goes by!