So.... a little about our English bulldog. She is 4 years old and very loving. We are having a few issues though and I am at a loss and beyond fed up. I am hoping for some advice.
I really do not want to hear that I am treating my dog badly as I am not, I love my dog, and this is why I am posting what I am posting, not to get attacked. She is very loved and in a great home.
Let me start by explaining her. When she was adopted by us she was extremely overweight. She still is overweight. We have tried walking her, we do still walk her but she tires out very fast (I think due to her weight) but we can usually get her around the block and that is pretty much it. She comes home and pants for hours. We sometimes canāt get her around the block and have to turn around. Initially we saw a weight loss of a few pounds, that was it.
We also have another dog, who is a puppy and we have him on a puppy food, which, we have been separating the food (she goes in one room to eat) he goes in the other and they are fed. What is starting to drive me crazy is she will hold out all day & night until she completely realizes she is not getting the puppy food and has to eat her own food. If the door gets opened and she comes in while he is eating she immediately runs to the bowl and will scarf down anything possible. This was not an issue a few months ago as it was basically a free feed sort of thing until we had to separate the food. Reason being - she gets ***** all over the house. I have read all over the internet about their tails and amputation surgery, but I donāt even think this is the issue. She always has diarrhea and when she comes in from outside it is dripping down her backside. If I donāt immediately catch that she just went #2 it is all over our couch or the rug, or anywhere else she decides to jump and rub on. Iām so over wiping this dogs butt... I literally cannot handle it anymore. This is probably the biggest issue we have.... I heard from someone to try Hills food & they basically bashed me for what food I was giving her and that āBulldogs have sensitive stomachsā which I did not know as she is the first one we have had. Well, the food hasnāt changed a thing with the pooping issue we have. I donāt know how much longer i can handle her destroying anything she goes near with her behind. Any feedback?
Next, she has been doing this annoying thing at night. She has never been allowed on our bed. She is too big for one, the pooping problem we have had since we adopted her - it has always been a no-no. She has a bed right at the end of ours and she will lay there, or whine at the end of our bed, or bark. Sometimes she even stands on her back legs trying to get onto the bed. But thatās not all - she will do this all night. She will stop, sleep, wake up at 3 am and start this all over again. It is not because she has to go potty or canāt get out of our room, the door is left open and she can get outside whenever she wants as we have a dog door. This is another thing driving me absolutely insane.
Lastly, I almost feel like lately she is doing things just to bother me. This is where I get attacked. Itās not that I donāt love my dog, I do - but I am dealing with something difficult at the moment and I cannot take the attitude from her. Itās almost like even her presence is annoying TF out of me and I feel horrible for even saying this. I will be walking and she will just stop, stand in my way, not move, to the point where I either trip over her or I have to go around her. She has also been doing this thing where she will come up and lick the back of my leg and follow me around and just hump me while she is nonstop licking my leg. I will tell her no and try to work with her- it simply doesnāt work. My finance has thought it was hilarious until she started doing it to him a few weeks ago. It isnāt funny, itās not cute, I get really disgusted by it and I am assuming it is a dominance thing as she is fixed, but it has to stop. Lastly, we will be on the couch watching tv, with another couch where nobody is on the couch, completely open, she has accesss to it and she will whine and cry until you get up and move. If she can she will weasel her way into your seat. You tell her no, or get up and coerce her to the open seat, she will lay down, the second you sit down, she gets up to do it again. If she is able to steal your seat and you move, she will do it all over again the next time you sit down. Everyone says It sounds like she needs attention, but she gets plenty of it, she is exercised, itās almost like itās a stubborn thing, literally - where it feels like she does this tonjust annoy us. We can handle this when we are home, itās extremely embarrassing when somebody comes over and she will not stop doing this with them.
So where I am going with this is.... I donāt know what to do. I love her dearly, I would never give her up, we are willing to work with her but I donāt know where to turn. I feel bad because as I said her presence alone is just annoying me so badly and I feel like I am not trying hard enough with her. I just had a death near to me and I am having a hard time coping, and I cannot take the nonstop neediness, diva attitude. Has anyone else dealt with any of these issues? Any idea?????
Edit! This has nothing to do with the puppy in the house, this was occurring long before we brought him in (besides the food separation)
I really do not want to hear that I am treating my dog badly as I am not, I love my dog, and this is why I am posting what I am posting, not to get attacked. She is very loved and in a great home.
Let me start by explaining her. When she was adopted by us she was extremely overweight. She still is overweight. We have tried walking her, we do still walk her but she tires out very fast (I think due to her weight) but we can usually get her around the block and that is pretty much it. She comes home and pants for hours. We sometimes canāt get her around the block and have to turn around. Initially we saw a weight loss of a few pounds, that was it.
We also have another dog, who is a puppy and we have him on a puppy food, which, we have been separating the food (she goes in one room to eat) he goes in the other and they are fed. What is starting to drive me crazy is she will hold out all day & night until she completely realizes she is not getting the puppy food and has to eat her own food. If the door gets opened and she comes in while he is eating she immediately runs to the bowl and will scarf down anything possible. This was not an issue a few months ago as it was basically a free feed sort of thing until we had to separate the food. Reason being - she gets ***** all over the house. I have read all over the internet about their tails and amputation surgery, but I donāt even think this is the issue. She always has diarrhea and when she comes in from outside it is dripping down her backside. If I donāt immediately catch that she just went #2 it is all over our couch or the rug, or anywhere else she decides to jump and rub on. Iām so over wiping this dogs butt... I literally cannot handle it anymore. This is probably the biggest issue we have.... I heard from someone to try Hills food & they basically bashed me for what food I was giving her and that āBulldogs have sensitive stomachsā which I did not know as she is the first one we have had. Well, the food hasnāt changed a thing with the pooping issue we have. I donāt know how much longer i can handle her destroying anything she goes near with her behind. Any feedback?
Next, she has been doing this annoying thing at night. She has never been allowed on our bed. She is too big for one, the pooping problem we have had since we adopted her - it has always been a no-no. She has a bed right at the end of ours and she will lay there, or whine at the end of our bed, or bark. Sometimes she even stands on her back legs trying to get onto the bed. But thatās not all - she will do this all night. She will stop, sleep, wake up at 3 am and start this all over again. It is not because she has to go potty or canāt get out of our room, the door is left open and she can get outside whenever she wants as we have a dog door. This is another thing driving me absolutely insane.
Lastly, I almost feel like lately she is doing things just to bother me. This is where I get attacked. Itās not that I donāt love my dog, I do - but I am dealing with something difficult at the moment and I cannot take the attitude from her. Itās almost like even her presence is annoying TF out of me and I feel horrible for even saying this. I will be walking and she will just stop, stand in my way, not move, to the point where I either trip over her or I have to go around her. She has also been doing this thing where she will come up and lick the back of my leg and follow me around and just hump me while she is nonstop licking my leg. I will tell her no and try to work with her- it simply doesnāt work. My finance has thought it was hilarious until she started doing it to him a few weeks ago. It isnāt funny, itās not cute, I get really disgusted by it and I am assuming it is a dominance thing as she is fixed, but it has to stop. Lastly, we will be on the couch watching tv, with another couch where nobody is on the couch, completely open, she has accesss to it and she will whine and cry until you get up and move. If she can she will weasel her way into your seat. You tell her no, or get up and coerce her to the open seat, she will lay down, the second you sit down, she gets up to do it again. If she is able to steal your seat and you move, she will do it all over again the next time you sit down. Everyone says It sounds like she needs attention, but she gets plenty of it, she is exercised, itās almost like itās a stubborn thing, literally - where it feels like she does this tonjust annoy us. We can handle this when we are home, itās extremely embarrassing when somebody comes over and she will not stop doing this with them.
So where I am going with this is.... I donāt know what to do. I love her dearly, I would never give her up, we are willing to work with her but I donāt know where to turn. I feel bad because as I said her presence alone is just annoying me so badly and I feel like I am not trying hard enough with her. I just had a death near to me and I am having a hard time coping, and I cannot take the nonstop neediness, diva attitude. Has anyone else dealt with any of these issues? Any idea?????
Edit! This has nothing to do with the puppy in the house, this was occurring long before we brought him in (besides the food separation)