Hi, Diesel is our 5 year old Dogue de Bordeaux and we have had him for a year. We rescued him and he settled in pretty fast. Past couple of days, he has been looking very nervous around me when my girlfriend is present and he will keep his distance and stay out my way - only when she is around. I must add we 14 -15 weeks pregnant and his behaviour has only changed in the past 2 days. At first I thought it could be because I had to clean him the other day when he was in extreme discomfort. He had a bit of constipation and what he tried to get out had collect around his rear end and was attracting flys. He could not sit. So I had to clean him as gentle as I could but he really was not happy, kept trying to walk away. Never growled or anything though. So in my head up until yesterday I thought I had lost his trust from having to put him through a bit of a uncomfortable 5 minutes. That night we were both saying goodnight to him while he was in his bed like we normally do and he growled under his breath to me so I just backed off from him. The next day in the morning, he seems fine and we go on a walk. I get home from work first, he is mega excited to see me, jumping up and then we play a bit of tug of war. We then go for a walk which he goes crazy for when he hears the word and off to the field we go. Get home, bit of a groom and he is cool. My other half comes home and he is attached to her, however if I come into the room he sulks away into the corner of the garage and keeps his distance. I try to bribe him with some of my own food which he takes but again is very shy and close to cowering near me. Next morning, girlfriend is up earlier and getting ready to go to work, and Diesel is waiting out side my bedroom door for a walk and happy as ever when I come out. Do the walk, then back to a sulky dog in the garage. Really cant read him right now! At first I thought I lost his trust because I might of hurt him cleaning him up, but then when I got home and he was totally different - then switched when girlfriend got home makes me think the pregnancy might be playing a part on him? Sorry for the ramble, if anyone has any ideas that would be cool! Thanks.
To add, he looks very scared when I am around him when she is present, but not all the time! ie she was in the house getting ready while he was waiting for me outside bedroom door and she had left when we got back from walk and he was sulking in garage. Not the normal confident dog that normally is in the middle or the room with us going about our business.
I doubt that cleaning his rear end has anything to do with his change in behaviour. It may be that he is sensing your partner's changing hormone levels, and this is causing him to feel confused. Just a thought, was the reason for his previous rehoming connected to the arrival of a baby? I would be tempted to initially carry on as normal, and see if he can work things out for himself - allowing him use his bed to retire to if he feels like sulking. If his behaviour gets any more eccentric, I would call in a behaviourist, as you really want him back to being a happy chap when the baby arrives. However, I do have to say I have no experience of Bull Breeds, so I hope one of our BB members might be along soon, and be able to provide little more insight.
We are his third home. From what we told, there is no evidence on a baby arrival - although not to say there wasn't (he was as stud dog first home, and second home could not afford to keep him). Thanks for the reply!
I would advise a vet trip, just to make sure there is not any real issues. I could easily see the rehoming because of cost mastiff and mastiff breeds are not cheap to own by any means. Hormone changes in your gf could be what he is reacting to. Step daughter is prego and about to pop any day. Mouse will not even go near her currently, and he normally leans on her all the time to get his butt scratched.
