Help Needed! My Bully is Getting Out of Control...

princebronco

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New to this forum and wanted to see what I could get out of it. I have my first English Bulldog named Bronco and he is 18 months old and weighs 65 lbs. He is a pretty smart dog but really stubborn! He responds well to me and is completely spoiled when I am around. Unfortunately, my wife takes care of him most of the time b/c I am at work (military) and we also have a newborn child (5 months). We do our best but Bronco doesnt get a whole lot of attention when I am not home. He has had a puppy training class (6 sessions) and a private trainer (5 sessions) but still has bad habits. He is inside and outside about the same amount of time during the day. We try to keep him inside most of the time but he has to be on a leash tied to the door (that is his area). I use to keep him in his crate at night but have been letting him sleep on his pillow tied to the door over the past 3-4 months (his area).

So....lately he has been peeing and pooping on the floor at night (about 3-4 times in the last month). He has had occasional incidents before b/c of diarrhea but we learned to feed him nothing but dog food. We thought we were past the whole potty training thing but he is going in the house now! Sometimes he spends the weekend at Petsmart so we're thinking he picks it up from there? My solution is moving him back to his crate at night? Is that the answer?

My other problem is his aggressiveness. He has more energy than any bulldog I have met before. During the day he is pretty calm but really hyper around dinner time and after. He will jump on people, try to play rough, and fight me when I try to put his leash on for a walk (especially when I get home from work). On a side note, when he goes to doggy day camp, he gets put in timeout for humping and pestering other dogs. Big or small, he likes to be the one in charge. And the wierd thing is he is so nice and lovable with strangers (humans). I dont get it. When I am home, I spoil him and try to make him comfortable through training and playing as much as I can, but he still gets out of control.

I will be going on a 6-8 month deployment soon and have about 3-4 weeks to get him in shape. My wife will be watching over him and I dont want him driving her crazy! Giving him up is not an option. Does anyone have any advice or training tips? They would be greatly appreciated. Sorry this is so long
 

Bulldozersma

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He's still a puppy and I'm no expert at all. I've just had 3 bulldogs and they really do t get that calm zen bulldog thing until about three. Instead of keeping him tied up inside is there any way to contain him to an area? Maybe with a playpen or with a gate? A tired bulldog is a happy bulldog so if he can get some exercise during the day you will be amazed how well behaved he will be. I know how hot it gets in San Diego so please don't leave him outside for long periods of time, bulldogs just can't handle it.

I think if you can get your wife involved in being the alpha so,that once you deploy she can still be the boss, it would be the best thing.

Good do luck, I am sure more people will be along shortly with more advice.

i appreciate your service and your love for your dog!!!!
 
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princebronco

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Bulldozersma, thanks for the reply. We keep him tied up to the door inside with about a 6-8 foot leash. He has his big pillow right there with some toys. We keep him inside most the time b/c of the weather and allowing him more interaction with us. If we let him roam inside unsupervised, he would definitely tear stuff up and turn the house into his playground. Although we do let him roam downstairs sometimes strongly supervised. The ONLY thing that seems to calm him down is a spray collar that we bought. Soon as we put that on him, he is a Saint! We have a remote that beeps or shoots him with a lemon scented spray under his chin. Im thinking about going to that full time. Pooping and peeing in the house when tied up is the #1 problem right now though. Back to the crate at night?
 

schimpfy

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`Back to the crate is a good start and more exercise perhaps getting a tread mill and having him do a couple of miles. Wife should be more the Alpha not to worry he will still be your baby. Sounds like he needs more socializing with other dogs perhaps setting up some doggy playmates will help. A few hints sure you will receive more great advice and obviously you are doing something right you found your way to EBN :welcome3:hope you find what you need
 

2BullyMama

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g8erjackie

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I"ll try not to make this too long, but my bulldog, Ruckus, is 16 months old, 68 pounds and has more energy than any bulldog I've ever seen, so I relate to a lot of your frustration and have some tips that worked for me. My boyfriend works from home frequently and will watch Ruckus while I'm at the office. A big part of making that manageable is getting him plenty of exercise. We are lucky enough to have a dog park less than a block away and I take him every morning to run around and tire himself out. That dog sleeps like a rock when we get home from the park. We do the same at night or we go on a long family walk. He still wants to play a little inside from time to time, but he is more likely to lay down and chew one of his antlers or toys. It sounds like you have a back yard, so perhaps a daily morning round of fetch and a walk around the neighborhood would help with his daytime behavior. On that note, make sure he has things to keep him occupied. I had to go out of town on a few business trips and I made sure to leave my boyfriend with new and different treats and toys to give him every once in awhile. Bulldogs love new things....but if you hide some of their old things for a bit and then give them back, they'll love those things, too.

Ruckus sees me as the alpha and it was creating some issues. He wasn't aggressive, ever, but he would ignore my boyfriend's commands and try to "bully" him. One thing you can try that worked for us is having your wife hand feed your dog. Have her tell him to sit, and once he does, he gets a handful of food. Repeat with the same command or different tricks, if he knows them. This way he knows that your wife provides the food and if he doesn't do what she wants, he doesn't get it. We also started taking family walks where my boyfriend would hold the leash. For some reason we realized that mostly I held the leash and directed the flow of our walk when we were all together and it was causing Ruckus to pull much more and be demanding of my boyfriend (to the point where my boyfriend had to carry him a few blocks several times because he refused to walk). So we started having him take the leash sometimes and if Ruckus pulled or didn't do what my boyfriend asked of him, I corrected Ruckus and let him know that he wasn't second to me in the chain of command, that he had to listen to my boyfriend.

Is there a reason you tie him to the door during the day instead of letting him roam around? A baby gate or large playpen can be an effective way of containing him without him being physically tied to something. I know Ruckus gets frustrated when he is restrained by leash inside. We had a baby gate that we used to use to keep him in the hallway and out of the living room at certain times and he didn't mind that at all.

You say he fights you when you try to put his leash on. Is it maybe the collar he hates? Ruckus has a harness now and he walks much better in it and seems much more comfortable than when he had a collar. Also, try giving him treats when you put his collar on so he starts associating his collar with good things.

In terms of him going to the bathroom inside at night, having him sleep in his crate is a good idea. Make sure to take him out to potty right before bedtime, for best results. Also, make his crate cozy for him. I wouldn't suggest putting towels or bedding in his crate, since he might go potty on that and push it aside, but Ruckus likes his crate covered with a dark blanket so it's cozy and den-like. We also have a water bottle that hangs on the side of his crate if he is ever closed in there.

Good luck!!!
 

Bazza

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I agree with all of the above our boy is 2 1/2 years and has calmed alot, but we have to be his boss at all times. He roams our house at all times, but our young kids cannot leave things around otherwise they are destroyed but he is getting better at leaving things alone now, he is not allowed on any couches or beds. He was more dominant until he was neutered at 18 months. He always has his crazy time at tea time too !

As for peeing I am not sure Bazza has had an Accident once very recently first time in a year or more, but he wanted to go out and do it but no one woke up he did it right at the door, we normally hear him when he wants to go potty. I think once or twice a week he has to go out at night. Can you take Bronco out during the night ??
 
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princebronco

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thanks for all the replies. He is back in his crate and doing a little better now. we take him out before we go to bed and right when we wake up. So thats about 8 hours. He usually can hold it but slipped up a few times lately....g8erjackie, the reason we tie him to the door is b/c he likes to play in the house. he will grab his toy and play hide and seek from us if we let him roam, and he will jump on the couch which is a nono. he only stays downstairs b/c we dont want him running around and he sheds alot so we try to control the hair somewhat. we are very strict with his area. at the beginning we had him outside alot and he was really acting up chewing and tearing up things. our trainer told us to bring him in and make an area for him so he could interact with us more. but, when he comes inside he is on a leash (like the trainer said) b/c he will chew or make the house his playground. the way our house is set up, we dont really have an area to corner him off....but thanks for all the help. had the trainer over yesterday and have some things to work on. he has a new walking collar, will be wearing his spray collar at all times in the house, and no more bowls for him...he will be working for his kibble!
 

LisaB

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For the potty training, I would definitely try and put him back in his crate. They don't want to pee and poo in their bed. Also, you need to be catching him in the act when goes potty. Yes, that means you need to keep your eye on him. When you catch him, say "No!" and take him outside.

For the aggression, exercise and patience - and make sure to put him outside when he gets bad. I read this blog post: http://bullymake.com/improve-aggression-6-tips/ and it really helped with my Bulldog, Gibson.
 

Manydogs

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Just read this post-though it is not new. I don't understand how any dog can learn when he is always tied up. I totally do not agree with that. Why have a dog-if that is his life? No much different than people who have a poor dog and keep them chained up outside for their whole life.
 

g8erjackie

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....g8erjackie, the reason we tie him to the door is b/c he likes to play in the house. he will grab his toy and play hide and seek from us if we let him roam, and he will jump on the couch which is a nono. he only stays downstairs b/c we dont want him running around and he sheds alot so we try to control the hair somewhat.

Sounds like you're making some progress. I wanted to bring up the shedding though. Bullies shed more when the seasons change, and in general shed some, but if he is shedding a lot, he might not be on the right type of food for him. Brushing him (while outside) every few days, will help reduce the amount of hair that gets around your house, but if you think it's a huge amount of shedding, you might want to consider changing his food.
 
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princebronco

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sounds good g8erjackie...what kind of food do you suggest? Right now he eats Simply Nourish Chicken and Brown rice from Petsmart with some cottage cheese...
 

g8erjackie

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Finding the right type of food really depends on the dog, but in general a lot of bulldogs don't do well with chicken as their main source of protein and they do best on a grain free food. This article is helpful with recommending some of the top brands for bullies: http://www.englishbulldognews.com/content.php?203-Our-Top-5-Recommended-Dog-Food-Choices. I feed Ruckus Fromm Beef Frittata or Surf and Turf (grain free) -- there are other good brands, I just don't have a lot of experience with them. If you do switch him, make sure to do it over the course of a week or two, mixing the foods together and at first having a larger proportion of his old food and slowly transition him to the new food. I think you'll see in a difference in his coat if the shedding really is excessive. Also, get a good brush -- I use the Kong ZoomGroom -- and you should see a lot less uncontrolled shedding.
 

Kevikell

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My first thought is that maybe he fights you putting on his leash because he equates that to being tied up in his area. I agree that the crate is probably the best bet for night time accidents but you really need to find a way to let him be gated off or use one of those doggy play pens to contain him rather than tying him up indoors. Dogs have choked themselves so tying a dog up just plain scares me. Bulldogs in my experience thrive on attention so he could simply be acting out. As others have stated your wife really needs to be involved in the training especially with you being in the military. He needs to know that she's the boss too. I know you have your hands full with a 5 month old but trust me...diligent training now will be rewarded later on. I know it's a lot of work but the dog needs to experience free roam under close supervision in order to learn how you want him to behave. When you are busy eating dinner, bathing the baby etc... and can't keep a watchful eye put him in his crate or playpen but it's really important to allow him free roam as much as possible so that you can teach him what is acceptable and what is not. Good luck with your training.
 

Pati Robins

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Just read this post-though it is not new. I don't understand how any dog can learn when he is always tied up. I totally do not agree with that. Why have a dog-if that is his life? No much different than people who have a poor dog and keep them chained up outside for their whole life.

Agree, and tbh i read this post and at first i thought that this was sone kind of joke
bullies are people dogs and denying him the time that he could spend with the family or a freedom to run around is a no no!- maybe hes destructive because he doesn't have enough interaction with the family
Another thing -shedding all dogs shed , but with daily brushing , good food you could reduce it a bit but it wont stop-of your wife doesn't like shedding both of you should not own a bulldog

I would suggest to change the trainer! Because the advice and a timescale including classes he had is not working
 

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