English Bulldog Quirks

Question
Our problem is really two-fold. (1) We have a 2 1/2 year old male neutered bulldog.  We recently moved and made the mistake of letting him sleep in our bedroom in the new house to help him adjust and not be scared in the new house. (He is a bit of a scardy-cat and is very skiddish)However, the snoring got to be too much to take and we have been trying to get him to sleep on his bed downstairs.  Each time we have shut him out of the room he has peed downstairs.  It seems like he's acting out b/c he can't sleep with us. We don't want to put him back in his crate b/c it seems like a step backward, but cleaning up pee every morning (5 in a row) is getting to be too much to take and we, of course, want him to be happy and content.  (2) Recently he has started acting like he's afraid of my husband. He is normal and loving toward me but runs away from my husband - won't even come to him to get a treat.  This is strange b/c he used to love my husband and they played all the time.  My husband has never hurt him or done anything but love him.  Needless to say, my husband is very upset by this behavior and we don't know what to do.

Answer
The dog is obviously traumatized by his new surroundings. So, go back to using a crate. Not only will it give him security, it will stop his territorial peeing in the night. This is all because he's trying to make his new home feel like his old home.

Just ask your husband to be patient with the dog and eventually he'll warm back up to him. If you've labeled him a "scardy-cat" you shouldn't be surprised by his behavior when you think about it.

Give him some time.  I think he'll come around.