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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2bullymama

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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...
 

Terry S

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I am not a therapist but my strong sense is that the energy has changed in your house for your dog. The fact that Harlee bit you is very significant, if she drew blood its extremely serious in that dogs that intentionally bite and do draw blood are removed from most homes. I would have an acknowledged trainer spend some time in your home, watching your behavior and Harlees and make some adjustments that may take some time to alter.
 
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