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This is a must read for anyone who has a "head strong" Bully pup or if they are planning on
getting a pup!!! As of 2/8/04 I've started to add comments so check back in a few days
for my thoughts and/or email responses which will be in the color "goldenrod" therefore easy
to identify . From: Trudy Lotter Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2004 1:15 PM Just thought I'd give you another update on Sophia. She is the most adorable dog. Bulldog puppies are amazingly endearing. Which is a good thing, because she has ATTITUDE! 
We are already having to firmly establish Alpha with her. She is quite precocious. She can
SCREAM like a banshee when you don't pay attention to her! She was a tyrant all together
on Monday. Growling, barking, chewing on fingers and toes. And just not responding to
being scolded. But she is so darn cute we often found ourselves just shaking our heads,
with dumbfounded looks on our faces. Which probably didn't help the situation!So late yesterday I bought a spray bottle and used it during the evening to reinforce the scolding. And stepped up the "mother knows best" training methods (grab face/cheeks, make eye contact, and scold the bad dog). During the night last night she was an angel. It seems the water bottle and stricter scolding method has paid off. She was so quiet that I got up just to check on her! She fussed VERY little and there was NO screaming! She's like a new dog! Her new and improved attitude continued this morning. She is chewing on us less (she thinks about it now - which is so important) and responding better to her name (sometimes I think she is a master of selective hearing). She no longer attempts to "boss" us around, but looks to us now for approval. Establishment of Alpha at its finest! Potty training still consists of potty pads. Too cold to even think about taking her outside. We have two potty pads downstairs, one in the living room and one in the dining room near her daytime crate. We also have one potty pad upstairs in a tub near the bed. She will go to the pad downstairs on her own most of the time. When she does, we clap and cheer like the Packers just recovered the football and ran it back for a touchdown! I do NOT understand how some people can say their darling puppy only had one or two accidents before being reliable. Sophia is just too little to get it reliably. I'm thrilled that she's doing as well as she is after only a few days. She seems to enjoy her crates, both the daytime and nighttime crates. She will go into her daytime crate on her own to chew on a toy or just to sniff around. She has even laid down in it for a time all by herself. So glad for that!! ..... Sent: Friday, January 23, 2004 12:14 PM Subject: Sophie Suggestion Hi Judy: Had a chance to take a look at your journal today and loved the ATTITUDE info from Sophia's owner. Bullies are soooo funny. Anyway, after reading, just thought of one thing you may want to pass on to her. When we got little Shark, it was pretty cold outside. We used puppy pads, too. We put them by the kitchen door and he was so smart- he would go straight to the door to pee. But, we noticed that if we caught him as soon as he reached the pad, we could scoop him up quickly and put him right on the grass (or snow in our case) and say "go potty". He learned to go really quick because he wanted to run right back in. This really helped us because now if we say "go potty" he doesn't just wander around, sniff, etc.- he just goes to that same spot does his business. It worked for us to train him more quickly because of the cold. He was house trained quicker than I ever imagined. Thought this might be helpful- beth From: Kathy, owner of Belcher, daughter of Smart Cookie & Mini-E Sent: Friday, January 23, 2004 3:29 PM Subject: Sophia Trudy; I read Judy's journal today about Sophia, and had to laugh out loud. You are right, it is a good thing that bulldog puppies are so adorable, or there would be trouble!! Belcher, after the first few weeks did great with pottying, but she went out everytime the other dogs did, we have a large fenced in dog area . She now "ring the bells" that we attached to the back door. Everytime we let her out saying "potty" we would hit the bells to make them ring. Now, when we hear the bells ring, we run to the door to let her out. I think we may have reversed the Pavlov theory, dog rings bells, and humans run...... The past few days, with the horrible weather, she has not wanted to go out, and we had had some "accidents". She did not think they were accidents, only we are calling them that. Hang in there, Belcher is wonderful... spoiled, and a little bit head strong. Our bichon, Milton likes to walk around the top of the couch,so she, Belcher thinks she can too. I took her down from there 5 times today, each time she got right back up. Had to be very firm, and that was that. Judy, you were so right about all things bulldog! Sent: Saturday, January 24, 2004 10:13 AM Subject: Miss Sophia The pictures of her with Dayton are sweet. It does show how well they get along. They play hard, but they are good buddies already, as well. 
Dayton is showing attitude now. The shift in pack behavior has affected him as well. We
are careful to ensure Dayton is "Charlie" (Trudy - Alpha, Jeff - Bravo, Dayton - Charlie,
and Sophia - Delta). In our efforts to promote his status to Charlie in his interactions
with Sophia, he has chosen to try elevating his status to Alpha. He is getting a taste of
the spray bottle again, as well. Jeff and I use the coffee table in place of a dining room
table. Dayton has never taken liberties with the food that is displayed at this level. In
the three years I've had him, he has NEVER eaten off a plate on the coffee table. You
guessed it. Yesterday he was helping himself while I was getting a soda from the kitchen.
He got reprimanded in a stern "mother-knows-best" way that reminded him he is not ALPHA!
He also chewed up a magazine yesterday while we were at work. And he thinks he can help
himself to the food in Sophia's dish. We are addressing these issues as well!! Poor dog is
so confused. We are helping him to adjust as best as we know how.
Sophia is doing well. She definitely knows her own mind. She can be loving and
affectionate one minute and demonstrating attitude the next. She is so reliable when it
comes to defecating on her potty pad. Urinating is another matter all together. She has
regressed slightly in that area. We are continuing to watch her like a hawk and help her
onto the pad. Hopefully we will start to see improvement again.We stopped food and water after 8pm. The last two nights she has slept much better, only waking up once or twice. She is doing okay with not messing in her crate. Some accidents still happen. She is now switched over to Eukanuba puppy. I hope that meets with your approval. I have never been a fan of Science Diet, either. I read something somewhere about the composition of ingredients and have not bought it since. I was planning on moving Sophia to Bil Jac puppy but thought Eukanuba might be a step above. The bad recommends about 1.5 to 2.5 cups a day. We are at about 2 - 2.5 cups right now. Is that appropriate for her? She always seems to be hungry. If it's not enough, we can step it up. I just don't want her to be overweight, either. (Comment By Judy: Please feed your puppy 2-3 times a day, younger pups need to be fed 3 times a day if possible, all it will eat of a half 'n half mix of Eukanuba Puppy food Medium/Large Breed and Purina Puppy chow. Here is why ...once we had a pup with a weak ankle for which the Vet recommended Pet-Cal (calcium, etc.) shortly the problem was resolved, but came back in just a few days. We realized that we were feeding Eukanuba, ran out and since it was a 3 hour trip we waited a couple of days about getting more, meanwhile feeding Purina Puppy Chow. It was when we started back feeding Eukanuba that the ankle became weak again. With Purina Puppy chow she did not need the extra calcium!!! But, Eukanuba beefs up the pups by adding more muscle etc. and since it contains beet pulp, it causes a firmer stool, therefore we aim for the best of both by feeding half 'n half soaked in water until it is puffy with a dollop of Dannon Plain Yogurt on top, not lowfat.) Last night I made her a jacket for outside wear. She is too big for the "tiny" fleece jackets and too small yet for the "small" fleece jacket. So she will be wearing one that mom made by hand for a few weeks until she grows into the "small" jacket. Anyway, as with any clothing that you make, it requires a couple of fittings. She had an absolute fit during the second fitting. Growled and snapped at me. You guessed it. Another "mother knows best" attitude adjustment quickly followed. She was fine for the last fitting and was fine again today when we modeled the jacket for daddy. BTW - "Mother Knows Best" by Carol Lea Benjamin is my favorite dog rearing book. She teaches that you should use the same training methods that the puppy's natural mother would have used. It has worked well for me with Keisha, my Samoyed of 12 years (she's been over the rainbow bridge since 1998), Dayton the Boxer, Piper the Papillion, and now Sophia. 
When she's not showing attitude, she is the most adorable and hilarious puppy! Her silly
antics really make us laugh. And she is a cuddler. She is sleeping behind me on the sofa
right now. Has to be touching me. As soon as I get the laptop out, she has to be up on the
sofa trying to help me type! She's not very good at it! LOL. I get more done when she's
asleep!!Jeff took her outside yesterday for her very first snow experience. I was at work so I didn't get to see it. Jeff tells me instead of staying in the shoveled area, she chose to plow right through the drifts! The experience didn't last long. A few minutes only before Jeff brought her in a dried her off. Perhaps we can go outside today and play a little longer. It's warming up and she has a new homemade jacket to wear! I better get going. Have errands to run and company coming later today. I better get the house cleaned up and get the Lysol spray out!! 
Trudy, Jeff and the Kids (Dayton and Sophia)Sent: Saturday, January 24, 2004 11:26 AM Subject: RE: Sophie Suggestion This is a great suggestion. I wish it wasn't so cold. There have been days this week where the temps are in the single digits and the wind chill is in the -20 degree range. I hate to even think about putting her outside for a few minutes in such bitter cold. I'm afraid she will not tolerate the cold as well as an older dog would. As the days increase to the upper teens and lower 20's I will feel better about it and will be sure to take Beth's advice. She is right about the "hurry up and do your business". Dayton only does what he needs to and then races back to the door! Every little bit, even it it's only a couple of days a week when the weather permits, will help!! - Trudy Sent: Monday, January 26, 2004 6:11 PM Subject: Sophia's Cherry Eye Well, I guess it's no surprise that Sophia just woke up from a nap and she has Cherry Eye in her left eye. I will call the vet in the morning to see how soon we can get her in for the surgery. I will keep you posted. Poor baby. - Trudy  Sent: Tuesday, January 27, 2004 7:34 AM Subject: RE: Sophia's Cherry Eye Judy, Not to worry. We would not want to give Sophia up. Especially for something as common and easy to fix as Cherry Eye. We read a little about Cherry Eye when we were researching bulldogs many months ago. Last night I did more thorough research. Today I will call a couple of local vets to find out what pricing is and what schedules are for the surgery. Last night she didn't seem to know anything was wrong. This morning she is scratching at it. Unless the vet convinces us otherwise, we will just get the surgery done now before it leads to other complications. Poor baby. Surgery even before she's old enough for her 12 week booster and rabies shot! The good news is I can have her micro chipped while she's under the anesthesia so she doesn't feel it! On other note, she is such a hoot with her potty pads. She gets her two front feet on the pad and then does her business! Back legs and port of exit hanging over the edge, missing the pad entirely. We help her out as best as we can. I can't wait until we can get her going outside!!! Then there will be no problems with missing the pad! She is a double duty doer, one set exits and then within 10 minutes or so, the second set exits (sometimes there is a third). We will have to make sure to keep an eagle eye on her when we start her outside training. Can't forget the second set! She is better about sleeping through the night. She generally will wake me up when she has to poop, Not as good about waking me up when she has to pee. Sometimes she wakes me up just after she goes. As if to say, "Mom, would you puuhhllease clean this up so I can stretch out?" The pee is always cold so it's hard to tell if it is two minutes later or ten minutes later. Her crate is a little large for her. I'm sure that's contributing to the troubles. We tried putting in the barrier last night must it must have been just a little too small - she couldn't stretch out. I was up for quite some time listening to her kick the door as she tried to get comfortable. Finally, I just got up and took out the barrier. Later she peed. LOL. Tonight the barrier will go back in but a bit farther back. I better get in the shower while Jeff is still here. More later.- Trudy Sent: Friday, January 30, 2004 9:20 AM Subject: RE: Sophia's Cherry Eye Sophia goes to the vet on Monday. Meanwhile, we use saline solution (good thing I wear contacts!) to clean up the gucky stuff each time she wakes up from a nap (she doesn't really sleep ever, just naps, about 2 hours at the most). I called the vet again to make sure there isn't anything else I can do for her while we wait for the appointment. He assured me she will be fine and to use the saline solution. So we wait. Meanwhile, I'm sure they will want to know what she's had for shots and worming. Can you help me out with that? Also, just a quick bulldog mom question for you. Last night it seemed Sophia's breathing was a little "wheezy", or "stuffy" sounding. Should I be concerned? If need be, I can make arrangements for an emergency visit to the vet if you think she may have a respiratory problem that shouldn't wait until Monday. I don't want to overreact. I know that bulldogs are snorty, wheezy breathers. Maybe it's just new mom jitters. s Sent: Saturday, January 31, 2004 8:23 AM Subject: RE: Sophia's Cherry Eye - Picture Good morning, Judy! I don't mind at all. I just finished up one of my typical e-mails in response to (long and lots of details!). Sophia is doing fine. Doesn't seem to be bothered by the Cherry Eye at all. I gave her a sliver of Chlortab last night and another one this morning. It seems to be worse when she just wakes up. Perhaps it is from the eye discharge or something. Other than that she seems to be just fine!! She was on her best behavior last night when some friends of ours came to visit. Bulldog lovers. They absolutely fell in love with her! If they didn't already have dogs they would have been on the phone last night talking to you about a pup! I tried to tell them that she wasn't always that well behaved! LOL LOL Her latest antics include stamping in her water bowl until almost all the water is gone. Then she picks up the bowl and prances through the house with it. Funny now. Irritating later, no doubt. I suspect we will either buy the heavyweight bowls or perhaps a new elevated feeding station (Dayton uses one). She is TOO funny!! I can see how they get out of hand. It's so hard not to laugh at them when they are discovering new ways to "entertain" themselves and you! Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2004 6:24 PM Subject: Update on Miss Sophia Just to let you know the vet visit went great yesterday. The vet elected to wait until Sophia's next appointment to re-evaluate when to do surgery. He thinks she is just too little for it right now. So we tested for worms (no sign of eggs) and got more wormer (precaution). We got our first of three booster shots. We also got some new eye drops to use between now and our next visit (week of Feb 23). Most importantly, we got a clean bill of health and lots of oohs and aahs over just how cute she is!! Like I didn't already know that! LOL! We continue to work with Miss Precocious, I mean Miss Sophia on her manners and indoor toilet habits. She will alternate between waking us up 5 times a night to tinkle to waking us up only one or twice, but having already tinkled. Oh well. Outside training is going well. I wouldn't say she is asking to go out on her own, but she does know what to do when she gets out there. It's a start! She is just tall enough to reach Dayton's food and water bowls on his elevated feeder. She is so funny when she stretches out to drink from the "big bowl" rather than the "baby bowl." She is a hoot! Her favorite place to sleep is a small doughnut shaped pillow that belonged to my parent's Papillion. She is much too big for it, but she does not care. She stretches out and hangs over both ends! We will be getting her a larger one of her own soon. As soon as she is more reliable about not using it for a toilet! Meanwhile she mostly gets to sleep on t-shirts for bedding. They're easier to wash. Well, I have been terribly busy with work, getting ready for three events in February. Poor Jeff is going to have to be a single dad as I am leaving for a three day business trip this week, four days next week, and then three days again the following week. I'm almost looking forward to a few days of peace! LOL. I hope daddy can handle his little girl all by himself. Hopefully they will make progress, and not regress!
 Bullies yawn when they can't think of anything else to do!!! lol lol For Earlier Pictures - Click Here! 
 King Bizkit - 
 Delta Dawn -
Amber and Mini-E's daughter |
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