Doggy daycare bully, I need some advice

[lenore]

Hello and thank you for letting me join your site!

I don't own a french bulldog myself but I work at a doggy daycare and I need some advice on french bulldogs, I'd thought I'd ask you guys about one of our daycare dogs, a female french bulldog about 2,5 years old. I really hope you have some tips because we don't really know what to do about her!

She is a very sweet girl and she's been going to us for about 1,5years. She's no trouble at all when it comes to playing with other dogs, feeding time ,walkes, meeting new dogs etc. She is overall a good daycare dog. She loves the daycarecenter and she loves us and every morning she's in a big hurry to give us kisses, beg for treats etc We love her very much and we would very much like to keep her.

The problem is the gate in her box. If she think another dog is going to go home before her she will get MAD and bite the other dogs and sometimes even us and she'll scream loud and mad!
I usually grab her firmly by her cheek(not hard, just firmly) and look her in her eyes and tell her to sit down(to snap her out of the "crazyness", it seems to calm her down) and then I can tell her to go sit in the corner but the minute I grab the other dogs leash or turn my back she will try again.
She really, really don't want the other dogs to go home before her and this is causing the other dogs to get stressed out.
When the other dog have left, she will calm down again and go to sleep but in this moment she'll be furious.

We love this dog and really want to keep her because in every other way she's a good daycare dog and she loves this place, she plays nice etc so it would be a shame to let her go just because of this one problem but we need to think about the other dogs well being.
Sometimes we have temporary moved her into the kitchen where she'll be with us instead but this doesn't feel like a permanent solution since we need that space for new dogs etc..

I've talked to another daycarecenter and I've heard they've had the same problems with their frenchies, about guarding the gate, but they didn't really have any tip about what to do about it.

So I thought I'd ask some french bulldog people for advice..
Any advice on this? Is this common for french bulldogs? How should we handle this? What are your experience with french bulldogs at daycarecenters?

Edit; She's been neutered.

I'd really like some advice or opions!

 

[MaplesMommy]

Sorry, I dont have any personal experience with this kind of issue. My Frenchy is super easy-going.

But it sounds like she thinks she is the alpha, so she doesnt want her pack members to leave, unless she says so.
I would try some training in regards of the hierachy,hopefully she will soon learn, that she is not the boss & isnt in the position to make the decision wether or not someone leaves.

Good luck!
What does the owner say?

 

[Alice Kable]

Is there a time out room where she can be kept by herself when her "friends" are being picked up? If not, I'd crate her while her friends are leaving. Then progress to having her out but on a leash being controlled, like sitting, while other dogs leave. Like [MENTION=377]MaplesMommy[/MENTION] said, you may need to get a trainer involved.

 

[2bullymama]

I used to work at a daycare and we had a Cane Corso and a Golden Retriver that was like this, they just did not want other dogs going out the gate without them. We had to leash them and another employee would walk them around the area when another wa leaving. Another thing we did, was placed the leashes in a different location so when a dog left, the other pups were not aware of why they were leaving. The leash is what sets them off... is it possible to remove the dog without the leash being seen?

 

[Mavis]

I agree with AliceKable and 2bullymama. I think you need some sort of structured diversion (walking on leash or working on simple commands with extra good treats, etc.). When we took Ginger to training, the instructor had us bring a treat bag of super enticing foods each week (tiny chicken pieces, kibble with just a coating of bacon grease, hot dog pieces, etc. Something that they would stop any behavior to enjoy. It worked like a charm and you don't need big pieces. Ginger didn't care if the sky was falling; I had her undivided attention. If he is not food motivated, then I would crate him or put him in a separate area. Good luck.

 

[winginit66]

We have a female that is like that, but when someone comes to our door. She goes after our Cairn terrier, not one of the other Frenchies. Always. As it can be unexpected for us (one of the kids' friends coming over) it has been difficult for us to correct the issue. And, as you say, if you turn your back she is right back at it. If we know someone is coming over, we just go ahead and put her up and there are no issues. I think the crate is the best solution, especially for the other dogs.