Bruno

Breed: English Bulldog

Sex: Male

Age: 6 years old

Weight: 56 lbs

Fee: $500.00

2/27/2018 Update:

Brun-man has had another lazy few weeks. He loves popsicles but he is a sucker for ice cream cones, in moderation of course. He inspected the new grill to make sure it was good for cooking. I don’t think he was happy that his hard work was not rewarded with a hamburger.

2/6/2018 Update:

Bruno here!!

Bruno continues his daily routine of sleep, eat, sleep, play, sleep. Needless to say, it’s been an uneventful and lazy few weeks.

1/14/2018 Update: He had a great time at the event at Hollywood Feed. We learned something new about Bruno. He might not be cut out for long days and needs to be a home body with plenty of time to rest. To add to his structure we have implemented a 9 O’clock bedtime. He has not complained much. I also learned that he likes to play fetch but not for long, of course.

12/24/2017 Update: Well, Bruno had a pretty uneventful week until Christmas morning. I found that his foot was swollen and red between his toes. He would not stop licking it so I had to put a sock on his foot and tie it to his harness. He went to the vet today and they said it was a cyst. He has some medication, spray, and ointment for it. He is already running around the house like nothing is wrong.

12/10/2017 Update:

Bruno here!!

Bruno is doing great! As I stated in his last update, he has been seeing a canine behaviorist. You might ask, why? Well, Mr. Bruno was a “breeder male.” This limits our knowledge of his history. I, his foster mom, am pretty knowledgeable in canine health, but I am not as versed in canine psychology. This is where the professional comes in. I am confident with his progress and felt this is a perfect time to give the breakdown of Bruno.

Bruno would growl and bark to the point he sounded absolutely vicious. He would never do anything physical while in this state of mind, it was an attention-getting tactic. I tried correcting this behavior in the wrong way. Turns out, you just have to ignore him (not sure how I didn’t think of that) until he realizes I will not interact with him while he is doing that. Once he is calm he gets a reward. I can go into better detail at a later date. The behaviorist taught me how to handle this and when to give affection. Guess what! It’s working! He hasn’t used this technique in days! He learned very fast that he could get loves easier and faster when he was calm and quiet.

Now here comes the “scary” part. Because Bruno was probably kept in a small enclosure over the years, he never had to confront the noises and commotion that normal family dogs would. This led to him becoming frustrated or suddenly aroused when faced with certain situations. These include sudden loud noises like thunder, extremely loud vehicles passing by like trucks or motorcycles and even the neighbor dogs barking erratically (in his defense, they bark when a leaf falls and it can be a bit much to listen to while outside). He also gets frustrated if he is trying to get onto something like the couch or recliner and struggles. I’ve compared it to a claustrophobic event. This can cause what I call “freak out” moments and the behaviorist calls it transferred aggression. During these situations he typically can not find the source of the commotion or gets frustrated and this causes him to panic. The panic also insues when I try to help him onto the couch or chair. I learned very fast that he does not like to be handled or grabbed behind his shoulders. That is completely understandable. The “freak out” moment’s can come in the form of him trying to attack. I use the word “attack” loosely. The behaviorist told me that Bruno reacts in this way because he has never had to face these problems before and never learned the proper way to handle himself. Whereas most dogs would run and hid, Bruno can lash out towards other dogs or people. We have been working on this and he has completely surpassed my expectations with how he handles himself in these situations.

Now for the actual update. With the guidance of the behaviorist Bruno has come a long way in a short time. We have started clicker training and he caught on very fast. The clicker, and YouTube tutorials for myself, have been a tremendous help. He has become much more calm and independent. He is super smart, knows how to sit and lay down (as long he knows I have a treat….SMART), we are working on the stay command and over the weekend he learned to roll over. He is chubby but he ties so hard!!! His commitment surprised me. I can tell an extreme difference in Bruno over last few weeks due to the training exercises and advisement from the behaviorist. Today we started desensitizing him to sounds. I must say, he blew me away with his focus and capability to ignore the annoying sounds. We will slowly work up to louder sounds.

Bruno needs an understanding and committed furever family that will continue his training. His training has turned out to be very simple and something he enjoys. I’m sure he works hard because he knows he will get a bacon flavored snack(tiny training treats) when he does well. I will do anything and everything while he is with me and he will need that same structure and consistency long term.

Under the advisement of the behaviorist, and myself, Bruno needs a family without small children. He does well around children but they tend to be loud, fast, and unpredictable. This is something that some dogs may never fully get used to. Also, he is very dog friendly and knows no enemy. But, I think he would benefit from being the only dog in the home. Cats are fine, he likes to stare in curiosity and eventually gets bored with them.

Bruno’s future home needs to be his permanent place and he will need time and patience to adjust. It is vital that his future family be willing to work and carry forth training strategies (I can not stress this enough). A family with bulldog experience and willingness to consult with a behaviorist to advise future training would be a huge plus.

As stated before, he has been diagnosed with a low thyroid and will be on medication. It is hard to tell for how long but his weight loss journey will continue. The behaviorist also believes his low thyroid levels may have a hand in his transferred agression and thinks the thyroid medication will help.

Bruno is special and deserves a slow and quiet life with a committed family that will carry on his training. His progress so far is amazing but it is important that he has consistency. While he is the most adorable bulldog you’ve ever laid eyes on, he had a hard start in life but that has not tainted his ability to love.

It is not my intention to scare away any potential adopter from Bruno but it is my responsibility to give the facts and his personal needs. He has made amazing progress in a very short time but comes with some small quirks. Bruno is special and will not settle for less than the best. He has a place in my home and his training will continue until the perfect family comes along.

🐶❤🐶❤ bulldog loves!!

12/3/2017 Update:

Bruno is doing well. He has been seeing an canine behaviorist and is learning how to be the amazing bull dog he is destined to be. We are working on his independence and I have seen a huge difference. He learned quickly that he does not have to be next to me (in the recliner) all the time and has regained his territory on the couch. He is loving this cool weather and sometimes does not want to come in the house. He looks at me like I’ve lost my mind when I tell him to come in. We found out this week that he has a low thyroid. Nothing a little medication can’t work out. He will be excited to start getting peanut butter again. Tomorrow we have the last visit with the behaviorist and I expect him to be just as proud as I am. Stay tuned!

11/18/2017 Update: The adoption approval process with NBBR has many steps and requires a lot of patience. This process is in place to find the most qualified families, however sometimes the process doesn’t turn out like we anticipated and our Bulldog is returned. This is very traumatic for everyone involved but mostly for the Bulldog. Unfortunately for Bruno this was the case. It was decided that it was in his best interest to return to his foster family and start the process again. Please re-welcome Bruno to the NBBR family.

10/15/2017 Update: Bruno is being Bruno. He has become more active and playful with the cooler weather and has been exploring more. He has been using his mouth to learn about new things. Including one of my plants. It’s nothing a little distraction doesn’t solve. BUT, he has learned the command to sit and will do it without a treat when he wants to. He has gotten a lot better at going into his kennel. The smell of his glucosamine treats entices him to kennel without much of a fight. Mr. Bruno has had a pretty laid back week full of belly rubs and playtime.

10/1/2017 Update: Bruno is doing great! His foster aunt Jennifer took him to the doctor to check some cloudiness on his eyes. It was an exciting trip for them. He decided he wanted to ride in the front seat instead of the back. Simply put, Bruno does not know how big he is or how short his legs are. He thought the journey from back to front would be easier than it was. He also pouted most of the way home after she told him he couldn’t lick the gear shifter.

He checked out well at the vet and was given some eye drops. Which, by the way, he takes like a champ! Probably because he knows a treat is coming immediately afterwards. The doctor also suggested glucosamine because he tends to be a little stiff in one leg after laying down for an extended period of time but walks it off within a few minutes. I’m sure most can relate and chalk it up to one of the perks of getting older. He loves the glucosamine treats Kate gave him. He was super excited about the new bone and stuffed cow she sent too. I don’t think he was very happy when his foster brother destroyed his other bone.

Sometimes, if he thinks I am taking a long time to feed him, he will pick up his bowl and run through the house with it; stopping momentarily to wrestle with it and then looking at me like he is wondering if he got his point across. He has me trained because it works every time.

Last night we learned that Bruno does NOT like thunderstorms. Luckily, it was a short storm. We will be better prepared to accommodate and keep him comfortable with the next storm. Looks like Mr. Bruno will be getting his own storm cape!

9/25/2017 Update:

Bruno had an awesome week. I don’t know what has came over him but he is more active and playful than I’ve ever seen him. He has decided that he’s a lap dog now. He insists on a nightly cuddle session. Bruno continues to surprise me.

He also had a wonderful time at the event and was completely wiped out afterwards. All he wanted was his pillows and nap. I can’t blame him. Being that handsome is hard work.

9/18/2017 Update: I am so proud of Bruno and the progress he has shown. He is learning how to be a house dog and taking full advantage of his accommodations. He is learning commands like “leave it”, “come”, “sit” and we are working on “stay.” He has a small chewing issue that we are also working on. He also knows “loves.” When he hears a strange noise or gets worried about something he sees (ex. The cat), I say “loves” and he forgets everything and comes to me to be loved on. His favorite snacks are popsicles and so far he does not have a favorite flavor. Pillows and popsicles are all it takes to make him happy. Luckily for him, we have plenty of each.

9/11/2017 Update: Bruno is doing well. His humping problem has decreased significantly although he still does not understand personal space. Poor guy doesn’t realize how big he is and will bulldoze through anything in his way. He will be going to the vet soon because we are concerned about his eye sight.

8/26/2017 Update: Please welcome Bruno to the No Borders Bulldog Rescue family. Bruno is a 6 year old male English Bulldog that weighs 56 lbs.

Bruno joins the NBBR family as a breeder surrender. Even though Bruno is six years old he was just recently (a year ago) purchased by the breeder who had him. The breeder has decided to downsize or retire. He began listing several dogs as “needing to go”. Three other dogs from this breeder went to another Rescue, while Bruno and another female were tagged for NBBR. Bruno will no longer spend 24/7 in a crate with no human interaction. He will now learn what the good life is.

Like all new NBBR family members, Bruno’s first stop was at the clinic to evaluate his medical condition. Based on his breathing it was determined that Bruno would need to have a palate reduction surgery. In addition to the palate surgery, he would need to be neutered, have a tooth extracted and have a mass removed from his ear. Dr. H was able to successfully address all of Bruno’s issues and Bruno came through the surgeries with flying colors. Bruno left the clinic today with the customary “bag o’medicine” that many of our Bulldogs do. He is on pain medication for his neuter and palate, antibiotics for a skin infection and an ear flush to address a minor ear infection. The good news is that Bruno’s labs came back all in the normal range and he is Heartworm negative.

Bruno is a little guy with a BIG personality. He appears to love everyone and everything. Actually sometimes he “loves” things too much, quickly earning him the nickname Sir Humpsalot. Bruno attended the Hollywood Feed event and did not disappoint, he lived up to his nickname several times. Needless to say, his foster family will be working on manners. Bruno does well with other dogs and appears to walk well on a leash. After a very exciting day at Hollywood Feed he was headed to his foster family for a little R & R. Stay tuned for more information on this guy and his larger than life personality.

Bruno II

Bruno

No Borders Bulldog Rescue

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