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4 year old American Bulldog. Severe behavior issues. What can I do?

American Bulldog. Weve had him since he was 12 weeks old now 4 years old. These problems have been ongoing this whole time. When we got him he was extremely dehydrated, emaciated and abused. We have tried 6 or 7 cages. He pees, poops and screams non stop. We've tried thundershirts, prescription meds, natural remedies etc. If we arent sitting right by him he screams so bad we have had neighbors want to report us. We can be on the couch and he will sit next to us and scream. He does have hip and knee issues but its more attention seeking. We have spent so much money on cages, rugs, meds, shirts, training and so on. Hes been kicked out of 3 seperate boarding faculties because of his behavior. So we can no longer go away for any trip and of course no family or friends want to deal with it. Last January my husband bought me a puppy. For the first few months she was amazing. Now shes picking up on his horrendous behavior issues and is screaming all hours of the night. We are barely getting 3-4 hours sleep a night. His potty issues are getting worse. We take him out several times a day. At least 10. He has a fenced in yard so he can spend as much time as he wants. However he again screams like hes being hurt. Vets say he's not in pain its an attention thing. Weve been to numerous different one, including different states. If we leave for any reason even a quick trip we come home to his cage covered in pee and poop and he of course lays in it. If i take a shower im likely to find pee. Even if I'm cooking or something he will pee and we are surprised by it. Vets have assumed its UTIs but he has had at least 20 prescriptions over the years. They never make a difference. He has had cages barely big enough to turn around up to the biggest wire cage you can buy. If hes not in his cage he sets off the alarm with his screaming or he pees/poops on the couch, bed or whatever. My husband is a disabled Veteran with PTSD and the screaming alone is sending him over the edge. Then add on endless loads of laundry and our house smelling. We are at the ends of our rope. We are tired, frustrated, sad about the aspect of having to come up with a new home or worse. We just dont know what else to do. Is the vet wrong and hes living everyday in pain and thats why he screams? Whats the reason for him still messing in his cage? He cage is always cleaned with vinegar, bleached or using store bought neutralizer. Im feeling at this point he lives in constant pain. He limps all the time. But hes only 4. Is the right thing to ... (more)

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I suggest finding another vet, due to abuse your dog could be deaf and can't hear himself. Also he may have nerve damage in his back, thus the messes in his cage

Virginia F.

I would get a second opinion from another vet or a 3 or 4 depending on how many different vets u have brought him too.

Ellen L.

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Erica M.

i would recommend a behavioral Specialist. (not a trainer but a Veterinary Certified Behavioral Specialist) . Best of Luck!

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Shannon M.

This is my first time posting an answer on here, so I hope i'm doing this correctly- but I wanted to at least answer your question and ask some questions as well. If you don't mind me asking, what do you mean by "screaming"? There's a big difference between a scream from being in pain and one from separation anxiety/fear. It does sound different, and to be honest, most dogs do the opposite when they are in pain, as they get quiet. There's a lot to go over in your question so forgive me if I don't address everything, but I will try my best. I first want to say that I feel for you, and that i'm sorry that you and your husband are having to deal with this frustrating behavior. It's terrible to be kept up at night by it, and I can say I've had first hand experience with what you are talking about. With two different dogs. Without seeing your dog, and knowing that you have taken him to the vet and have done everything you can for him, I can at least assume this is not pain related. However, you mentioned that he has been on numerous medication for years, and that concerns me. Either they know or don't know if it is a UTI, and you shouldn't have to pay over and over for different medication. It's not good for you, and it's not good for him.

On another note, any vet that tells you that they are just seeking attention and gives you antibiotics is a vet you do not need to see. In our case, and to keep the story as short as possible, I will say that long story short, our pup broke his nail. He was limping, constantly licking, and we took him to all vets within the area and outside of it. When I say all of them, I do mean all of them. They said he was licking because he wanted attention, but gave us antibiotics anyway. Eventually, one vet realized the nail was completely gone and removed it. Should have been the last of the problem, and of course the vet here said to give him time to stop licking, but we were smart and noticed he was still licking his foot, and were still bothered by it. He started growing some kind of lump on his toe, and this was the last straw for us. We drove him 5 hours up the state to see an old vet of ours before we moved, and discovered it was cancer. His toe was removed, and because we caught it so early and paid so much attention to him, he is going to be fine. He no longer licks, or minds his foot. In fact, he jumps and runs better than he has in a long time.

I'm not telling you this to scare you ... (more)

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Korina M.

Oh yes, I have had dogs like that and it can rob you of any peace in the house. From my personal experience...the problem usually is with me and/or another person in the household. What I mean by that is that often we get stuck on how something should work and we expect the animals to understand that and when they don't, we get frustrated because we consistently get the unwanted behavior. Find someone like Caesar Milan that not only works with the animals, but traines the humans as well.

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Don B.

Get rid of the dog. A disabled veteran with PTSD doesn't need a screaming, peeing dog in the house. Actually, nobody does. You tried. It didn't work. Get a nice, calm dog that can provide some peace in the house. The thing I don't understand is how you thought getting another dog - and a puppy at that - would help the situation any, rather than making it worse. I don't understand what you mean when you say that he pees and you're surprised by it. It seems like you shouldn't be surprised by it by now.

If you want to give the dog one more chance, send him off to a trainer that can work with him in a different environment away from your house for several weeks or months. Let them work their magic and then reintroduce the dog into your home, sticking to the new routine developed by the trainer. If it doesn't seem any better, he's off to the animal shelter.

When you say you don't know what else to do, I think you do know what needs to be done. You just need to hear someone else say it. If you need to hear it from a neutral third party to help assuage your guilt, I'll be that person. Get rid of the dog.

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4 year old American Bulldog. Severe behavior issues. What can I do?

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