Sudden Aggressive Behavior In American Bulldog

[Celestia]

First of all, let me say how greatful I am for finding this place. I have been looking for a great forum for help with my dog, but until now, I hadn't found a place to fit my needs. After skimming through some posts, i really think I've found a great place!

Now, onto my problems.

My American Bulldog, Brutus, is a very docile dog. He is almost 6 years old and has been a member of our family for right at a year now. We adopted him from a family who owned 5 american bulldogs and they couldn't afford to take care of all of them any longer. When we adopted him we were told he was great with kids, very lazy at times, but never got into trouble. We were provided with very extensive medical records and from the first day we brought him home, he has proven to get the most wonderful dog we could ever own. He has never shown any type of aggression whether it be towards other animals or humans. In fact, many times I have watched a perfect stranger drive up in our yard, and Brutus would roll over, peek out of an eye, then go right back to sleep, not even caring. When it started to get cold out, my husband and I agreed we didn't want to leave him outside during cold nights, so we began bringing him inside to sleep in front of the fire. He became very spoiled, and very quickly became a regular household member. We tried to take him back outside during warm days, but my husband quickly gave in to the whining and spoiled him even more. Now, as soon as he is released from his lot, he makes a b-line for the backdoor, and will stand there and whimper until someone lets him in. This is where our problem begins. First of all, my husband decided now that it is very warm out, it is time for Brutus to start living outdoors more. I knew we would have problems with this after my husband spoiling him so much all winter. We started gradually increasing the amount of time he was left outside until we could safely get through a full night without him continously barking at us to let him back in. This seemed to be working great, and after a week, he was sleeping outside every night without a problem. He is still allowed inside the house a small amount of time during the day, but not for very long. About a week ago, my husband took Brutus out for the night, and we realized something wasn't right. He continously barked and whimpered all night trying to get someone to let him out of his lot and into the house. The next afternoon, my husband decided to bring him back into the house for a little while. Before I continue, let me mention that when Brutus is inside, he normally spends his time with me. He is constantly laying at my feet or by my side. Since I work from home, during the winter he spent a great deal of time alone with me everyday. With that said, when my husband brought him in the house last week for a couple of hours, it started off like a normal inside visit. He had his daily belly rub and a few treats, played a few games with us in the floor, then curled up next to me at my desk. After he fell asleep, i got up to spend time with my husband, but unfortunately we got into an argument. Now first rule of thumb for me is never argue with your spouse in front of a family pet, so i shut the door to our room and we argued for a short while, but eventually got over it and went on about our day. When i opened the door to leave my room, i realized brutus had heard us. He was standing on the other side of the door with his head turned sideways with a silly look like hmm, what's going on in there. Being newlyweds, he's heard us argue quite a few times, and we've never had a problem with it. I walked into the kitchen and began washing dishes. A few minutes later my husband walked into the kitchen, walked up to give me a hug, and Brutus growled and lunged at his legs. He latched on for a few seconds, mostly getting a mouthful of jeans. My husband calmly commanded him to calm down and Brutus backed away and began to whimper as if he knew he'd done something wrong. This was the first time he has ever attacked anyone. Brutus ran straight to me whimpering, so I took him outside and put him in his lot while i attended to my husbands leg, which thankfully only had a couple of teeth scrapes, but no punctures. I didn't know what to think of the situation, but i immediately told my husband I believe something had triggered his previous protection training, and it was as if brutus felt the need to protect me. We continued our normal routine for the new few days as if nothing had happened. Yesterday, I had brutus out in the yard with his frisbee. My husband was in his garage tearing away at a parts car we purchased. He couldn't get part of the plastic fender he didn't need to break loose, so he began kicking it. After the 3rd kick, Brutus took off after him again, this time jumping higher than i've ever seen his slightly overweight body jump before, ripping the entire pocket out of my husbands jeans. He went back for a 2nd bite, but my husband grabbed him by his neck fur, and held him firmly in place, and commanded him to calm down. Yet again Brutus immediately calmed down and acted as if nothing had happened. My husband shut his garage door and stayed inside while i attempted to put brutus back in his lot. Normally i have absolutely no problem whatsoever putting him up, but this time it took me 45 minutes to get him inside the lot. He kept prancing around with a weird look in his eyes i've never seen before. It wasn't an agressive look, but more of a adrenaline rush mixed with confusion. I finally had to offer food to get him in the lot. Once he was inside, he immediately lay down like he was completely exhausted. He stayed in his doghouse just lieing there for a good hour, then when he finally emerged, he began continously barking and whining which lasted most of the evening and well into the night. I have no clue what has happened with him this week. He was enrolled in protection training at 2 years old, but from what information we were given, the owner decided not to fully go through with it, and pulled him out very early into the course. He had never shown any type of aggression towards anything whether it be a human or an animal. We can take his food bowl, chew toys, bones, etc away from him no problem. I have scheduled a vet visit for him, but he won't be seen until next tuesday, a week away. If anyone has any suggestions or ideas about what just happened to us, i would surely appreciate any input. I've spent the past two nights researching as much as i can find on problems that can cause sudden aggression, but so far i haven't come up with much. Brutus has become a major part of our family. My husband considers him the closest thing we have to children right now, and we don't want to have to get rid of him, yet we don't want the behavior to continue, and we definitely don't want to give him to another family if there is a large chance of this behavior continuing. My husband has already told me he couldn't live with himself if Brutus did something like this to a child, and I know i couldn't either. If anyone has any suggestions on controlling this or any ideas as to what could be wrong, please let me know.

[ayl]

Mood swings and unexplained aggression can be caused by low thyroid. Ask your vet to order a complete thyroid pannel on your dog's blood, as part of a thorough physical examination.

[Carrie]

He was enrolled in protection training at 2 years old, but from what information we were given, the owner decided not to fully go through with it, and pulled him out very early into the course.

I would guess that that is more likely your problem than anything organic since it only seems to be triggered by certain actions that your husband is making. But of course, it wouldn't hurt to check.

He's only becoming aggressive at times where he's seeing "violence?" Like when your husband was hugging (who knows what Brutis thought of that)you or kicking the car. I also think the incomplete protection training is a big part of this. This is not something that I feel can be adequately dealt with over the Internet. I would suggest getting a reputable, certified trainer/behaviorist and see what might be done.

In the meantime while you're looking for one, I'd get your husband to run him through his obedience skills every day, using motivational and reward methods, not punishment... and put some emphasis on "leave it" and "halt," "off," because those things can be used to interrupt the kind of thing he's doing when he's going for someone's leg. (Don't use aggressive training methods to cure aggression in a dog.) Be assertive, but not punishing or frightening in any way.

My Doberman has become dog aggressive...very scary. He was in his own pasture the other day and another dog came into it. Lyric was running full speed at the dog. I yelled, "HALT!" And then "down!" And he obeyed me, in spite of his strong desire to get that dog. I've drummed those commands into his head, practiced and practiced.

In addition, your husband and you should never give him treats or belly rubs, his dinner, opening the door for him to go out for free. Make him do a skill (sit, down, stay...something) to earn anything that he wants. I don't feel that letting your dog in the house is spoiling him. (In fact, a Bulldog can't take extreme temperatures either way. They are suppose to be in a house most of the time, from what I understand. Crossfire is a good one to ask about this stuff because she's a fine breeder of Bulldogs. She'll probably come to this thread.)That's normal to have our dogs be part of our family, being pack type animals. My dogs are in the house and go out when they want to. But, what I'd suggest is that when he wants to come in or out, ask him for a sit or some obedience skill before you reward him with opening the door. Start showing him who's in charge and make a clearer picture of that for him. There's no replacement for obedience training as a way to establish you and your husband as his leaders and the dog's leaders (alphas) in the family (pack) are not to be bitten.

[Celestia]

Thank you for all the wonderful advice. I'm going to discuss with the vet any possibilities involving something medical, and I will also check into finding a very good certified trainer/behaviorist. I'm still open to any more suggestions anyone else might have, but at least now I know at least a few areas i should start doing a little more research in.

[flyndog]

Why is the dog kept outdoors most of the time? Is it because of other behavior problems? If so, what are they?
Besides being put outside now that the weather is warmer, what else has changed or is new in the past few weeks?
From what you have told us so far, the common denominator in the attacks is you. You are always there when there is an attack. Did the second attack result in puncture wounds?
PM me for trainer recommendations in your state.
Kit

[Celestia]

the dog has always been kept outside a majority of the time, not because of behavior, but because he normally prefers the outdoors. Normally he stays outside most of the day and sleeps in the house at night. Some nights he doesn't want to come in, and if the weather is nice, he is allowed to stay outside. Nothing else has been new in the past few weeks other than staying outside more often. We didn't let him stay out as much when it was colder, but actually he has been staying outside mostly during the day for at least a month now. The only other thing that has been different in anyway, at the beginning of the month, when we took him to get his shots at the vet, because of the type of dog he is, the only vet in our area requires that all dogs over 60lbs and/or of a "fighting breed" be muzzled for shots. This is the first time he received shots from this vet and i do believe this was the only time he has ever been muzzled. Nothing else has differed from our normal routine. I have always been the primary caregiver of Brutus. When it's feeding time, i feed him. I give his baths. When we go for walks, the entire family goes. This is the same routine we have followed for the entire year we've had him. Oh, and I don't know if it could have anything to do with it, but my husband was laid off from his job for 2 weeks. During that time he spent most of his time at home, so he was here more during the day. Normally during the day Brutus spends all his time with me, because I work from home. I didn't even consider that. The first bite occurred the day after my husband returned to work. The 2nd bite occurred a few days later, and there were no bite marks the 2nd time, just a small bruise. I haven't done anything differently than my normal daily routine with him, so I honestly don't see how i could be the problem. I spoke with our vet yesterday for a recommendation for trainers, and i was referred to the humane society for a listing.

[flyndog]

Hi, Celestia. You're lucky to be at least in the side of the state as Teoti Anderson. Hope she can help you. I don't mean to imply that you are the problem, just that you are part of the equation. The dog is only biting your husband when you are around.

Because of the breed, size, dog's background and seriousness of the behavior problem, seek professional help. In the meantime, to learn more about aggression and how to manage it, visit www.k9aggression.com.

Kit

[dollface]

I would definatly have your husband do alot more with him, have him be the one to feed him, walk him ect... I agree with what Carrie was saying when you feed him make him do a sit, down ect always change it. Never pet him when he asks for it only pet him when you want to. Same with playing you start the play and you must end the play. Don't play rough with him either cause that will only encourage his behaviour (have ur hubby do all this).... The more your hubby does with him the more he will respect the fact that he is under your hubby as well as you..... You said that he whines to be in the house, why not allow him to live indoors, I find some older dogs prefer to be inside with their family member and outside when they are outside.... I would not allow him on any furniture or on your bed. When you go into the house or leave the house I would have him sit and wait till you/hubby go thro the doorway first.... Your hubby should drill him alot on his obedience....

I do hope things get better, best of luck

If you are planning a baby in the furture I would also get him use to noises of babies crying, both of you carrying a doll around ect ect. This way the dog is conditioned to how it will be like with a baby around and when a baby arrives the dog is all ready use to it... You will spend more time with a baby and he will get less attention, better to have him use to this then having problems later on....

As for kids you can always go to a park/school and let him watch children at a safe distance and not allow kids to pet him right away just to see how he is. Better safe then sorry....

[Celestia]

Thankfully, he's already used to kids and babies. His previous owner had a 3 year old that crawled inside the doglot to play with him the day we went to check him out. That's one of the things that made me fall in love with him right there, and he's used to other children. I have a 7 year old step bro and my husband has a 10 yr old sister that play with him on a very regular basis. We wanted to make sure he was comfortable around kids, altho I will definitely be much more cautious now. My husband has started running through our commands again, and in the past two afternoons of 15 min of commands, and a short walk around the yard, we can already see a drastic difference. He actually let us give him a bath today without any fuss, and that NEVER happens.

[flyndog]

Celestia, I don't want to sound like an alarmist, but...

Nobody here can get all the info needed here to tell you what to do. And if we could, it takes more than one visit to get all the info you need out of a client, (as demonstrated by your important answers to my first post in spite of your lengthy first post) and seeing the dog and owner interaction is important.

Dogs that bite continue to bite until the aggression is addressed. The bites almost always get progressively worse, even if there is a long time between occurances. Some dogs are never cured.

I'm glad you are seeing improvement from the obedience training, but that is only one part of managing aggression. Keep up the good work! I hope you can talk to a "live" trainer.

Kit

[Celestia]

I fully agree, he is definitely seeing a behaviorist. Our vet recommended 2 in our area, and I attempted to call Teoti Anderson friday and left a message. I'm going to attempt to contact her again on monday. Brutus will be visiting the vet this week, then we are going to seek help from a behavorist and we're going to discuss training. I have in the past few days noticed a few new medical related things that are concerning me, such as he started having pus excretions and in the past 2 days he has formed 2 lumps on his testicles which are giving me much concern. I called the vet about it to see if we could move his visit up to monday, but he can't be seen until tuesday. But our vet emailed me some information on prostate problems in un-neutured dogs and said from his symptoms that have been arising over the past few days, it sounds like he is developing a prostate problem, most likely a benine tumor or cysts. He also confirmed that if this is the case, it does cause aggression in many large dogs which can be cured with behavior counseling and if possible medication. He said he will go ahead and start him on antibiotics just incase there is an infection, due to me noticing the pus. I will keep everyone posted on the results of his tests and visit. Thanks again for the help guys. :-) I know i can't learn everything i need to know here, but thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

[doberkim]

for a variety of reasons, including potential prostate problems as well as the aggression, i would neuter this boy sooner rather than later. testosterone can be a crucial hormone in aggression and has both primary and secondary effects, and neutering can help an aggressive male in some cases.

[Celestia]

Don't have much time but wanted to post a quick update on Brutus. He visited the vet tuesday, and although we haven't received the results of any of his tests yet, he will be neutured on wednesday. He has developed prostatic cysts and is going to need surgery to remove them, so he's going to be neutured at the same time. He has been started on antibiotics which he has to take for 4 weeks, possibly longer depending on how his surgery goes. I had planned to ask the vet about alternative methods to putting him completely to sleep, but before I could mention it the vet was quick to inform me that he could not put him to sleep during surgery b/c of problems with bulldogs and their breathing, so he's going to medicate him to the point of drowsiness then he will give localized anesthesia.