Help 5 month old pup very nervous

[Elmo303]

We have a gorgeous male french bulldog pup (5 months), who is really affectionate and snuggly but also quite fearful and nervous, especially on walks to the point I dread taking him out. We have three young kids, who adore him, but the general noise/games in the house seem to really rile the puppy up and he can become over excited and very snarly and bitey and a bit aggressive. He’s also becoming a bit of a nightmare on walks, growling at passers by, barking and lunging. It seems he’s really anxious and is reacting as a result. If a passerby is used to dogs and comes over to say hello despite the growling, our pup is then happy to sniff and make friends so it’s all very confusing! We have signed up to puppy training sessions but I just wondered if anyone else had experienced this and if it’s normal for his age etc, and something that can be overcome with consistent training as I do need to be able to take him on the school run, to parks with the kids and so on without him growling and barking at strangers. I do try to keep his arousal levels low at home and give him a time out from the kids if he’s getting over excited but it’s difficult to supervise every second. Any advice would be gratefully appreciated. Thank you

Is this nervousness a new thing or has he always been nervy?

Has he had a vet check to rule out a medical cause for his behaviour? If there is no medical cause, I would ask your vet to refer him to a qualified (member of the APBC) behaviourist.

If a passerby is used to dogs and comes over to say hello despite the growling, our pup is then happy to sniff and make friends so it’s all very confusing! In the meantime, please stop allowing people to approach him when he’s growling at them. If his growls continue to be ignored, he may feel like he has no choice but to escalate to a snap or a bite.

How much sleep does he get a day? If he isn’t already neutered, I would not neuter him yet.

He sounds completely over stimulated. He needs time out, from all the noise and distraction and to sleep. An overtired puppy is no different to an overtired toddler.

I've got a very nervy sprocker. Thankfully I went to puppy classes and the lady running the group was very experienced. She taught me not to worry and let her do things at her pace.

If a passerby is used to dogs and comes over to say hello despite the growling, our pup is then happy to sniff and make friends so it’s all very confusing! In the meantime, please stop allowing people to approach him when he’s growling at them. If his growls continue to be ignored, he may feel like he has no choice but to escalate to a snap or a bite
I couldn’t agree more.
He is growling, he is uncomfortable.
You say ‘he’s happy to sniff and make friends’ but I strongly suspect he isn’t at all.
I have seen a truly horrifying number of dogs over the years whose body language screams nervous or aggressive but the owners are all smiles saying how friendly he/she is.

What's his breathing like @Elmo303? I'm just wondering if breathing issues could be contributing to the noises that he makes. Either way my advice still stands; vet then behaviourist if necessary.

I would advise that you Google the canine ladder of aggression (sometimes called the canine ladder of communication). It's likely that he's giving more subtle signs that he's unhappy, such as lip licking or yawning, before he's resorting to growling. You ideally need to intervene and remove him from situations when you see these subtle signs, so that he doesn't escalate to a growl or worse.

Thanks so much for your replies. I’m going to take him to the vet this week to get him checked again and speak to them about a behaviourist. He has had drops for sore eyes in recent weeks and his breed does suffer from allergies so I’m wondering if he’s uncomfortable with the recent surge in pollen as he does sniffle and have a runny nose while outside. I have spoken to a trainer and she echoed your advice, that he needs to be removed from anything that makes him uncomfortable while he builds confidence, so we will be working a lot on this. Some days it seems he growls more than others, sometimes I’ll take him out and he’s very confident, other days are very difficult but I’m thinking perhaps it’s because he’s overtired on those days. He does have long naps while the kids are at school but on the days my preschooler is home it’s much less than I’d like. He sleeps in his own bed beside me at night and on the sofa during the day. He’s quite clingy towards me and often won’t settle unless I sit with him while he naps. I do worry that I should have persevered with crate training but after three weeks of me patting him to sleep every couple of hours after he woke crying, we decided to bring him in with us, albeit in his own bed. We’re just trying to do the best for him but I’m worried we’re getting it all wrong at the moment! 😥 Could anyone give me an outline of a puppy’s daily routine at this age? I’d be interested to hear what’s recommended for nap time lengths etc. All the books I’ve read tend to vary. Thanks again

His breathing is generally fine, not too snuffly. He snores like a good’un though. I’m not getting much sleep 🤪

His breathing is generally fine, not too snuffly. He snores like a good’un though. I’m not getting much sleep
It probably won’t help his breathing much but you should speak to your vet about BOAS surgery.
If he’s ‘not too snuffly’ and ‘snores like a good’un’ he almost certainly has airway restriction.

**BEHAVIOUR, it will hugely help his breathing. But probably not his behaviour.

Hi @Elmo303, it’s great that you’ve spoken to a trainer and are taking him to the vets. It sounds like you’re doing right by him. Some of his current behaviour could be because he is going through a fear period; a natural stage of any puppy’s development. Is this nervousness a relatively new thing or has he always been nervy?

There’s no need to walk him every day. It’s actually beneficial not to walk reactive/nervous dogs for a number of days to give them time to decompress. Instead, I would spend time doing training or brain games with him to tire him out mentally, such as pattern games or teaching him to settle on a blanket. Teaching a settle will have the added benefit of helping him to settle away from you, and this exercise tends to help dogs relax because it is reinforcing a relaxed position (a down on a comfy spot).

For walks, can you drive some place where you won’t see many people and will be able to keep a safe distance from any people that you do see (remembering that it’s your dog who decides what the safe distance is)? Can you hire a private field to exercise him in?

Thanks so much for your message. I’ve just had an hour with a trainer at our home and she was absolutely fantastic. She said he was just overwhelmed and overtired and that he was just a bit fearful rather than aggressive based on what she saw. We’ve put lots of plans in place to help him including free flow games in the garden, working on him resting on a mat with treats several times a day whatever is going on around him to teach him to settle wherever he is without being afraid or distracted. Plus we’ve found a quiet spot upstairs for him to sleep away from the kids in my husbands study as he works from home. She came on a walk with us too and showed us lots of techniques for building confidence. He didn’t react once to any dogs or people which was amazing. And we’re just going to walk him a very short way a couple of times a day to help him feel comfortable. Also advised taking him to the vet and will she speak directly with them afterwards if they’re willing to discuss any health issues that could be affecting him. We feel so positive that working with her we can help him get all the rest and confidence he needs to be happy. It’s just very confusing as a first time owner because everyone talks about socialising constantly to “get the dog used to it”, and that puppies need lots of exercise to let off steam, but actually that doesn’t fit for every puppy if they have particular needs which ours clearly does bless him. Thank you for all your advice, it’s been really helpful x

Well done @Elmo303. That all sounds very positive x