The first thing we learned about Teddy Bux was that he had not read any of the dog training or behavior books that we had.
Case in point number 1: There are tons of articles about what to do when your dog tries to pull ahead when walking, there's even the heal command for preventing it. But you will be hard pressed to find an article about what to do when your dog refuses to walk. Our Teddy Bux is a fan of the "I'll just sit here while you try to pull me down the street" command. That and the "I'm going to sniff may way back to the apartment" command. Where's the book on how to stop that?
Some of the articles and personality traits came straight from the bulldog breed. When picking a bulldog as our perfect apartment dwelling dog we had read those beautiful words. "Bulldogs are Low energy." This was just another thing that Teddy Bux forgot to read. As I type this between rounds of fetch in the apartment I have to laugh. Just because he won't be running a marathon any time soon doesn't mean we can call him a Low energy dog.
Bulldog eating habits was another misconception. We had been warned that bulldogs liked to devour their food and that you must be careful because left to their own devices they will eat everything in sight. Our bulldog on the other hand spits out treats that he doesn't like, will leave his bowl full of food all day, and will take breaks while eating by walking around the apartment. This is another trait we were pleased to have gotten wrong, with all the other issues he has, it is a relief to not have to add constant stomach ache to the list.
Teddy bux's personal space bubble was another trait we were surprised about. While we are happy that he does not run and jump on every person he meets we are a little embarrassed about the fact that such an adorable attention grabbing bulldog runs away from any new person who tries to pet him. This is something we are still trying to work on and I do hope that one day Teddy Bux will let you pet him.
One thing we can say about Teddy bux's behaviors, they are sure to keep us on our toes. Whether it's playing with a bouncy happy puppy or convincing a tired lazy bulldog it's time to get out of bed we can't help loving the dog that we have and the adventures that he brings. As a result we have learned to abandon all those books and articles and just follow our instincts. With all the things we discovered I will leave you with our favorite peace of advice: "Bulldog's Love to play in alley ways." While we remember that line every time we take Teddybux outside, I think we will leave that to other bulldogs and let ours keep playing fetch in the apartment.
