if you decide to use a treat for the LONNNNNNNNNNG PEEEEEEEEEE. make sure that it is something that is not the same treat that you normally use. gotta be something yummy. something that makes them get it..fast.
I used some cheese for Gus, a piece of left over roast beef is he favourite..cut it really small... I only use beef for Gus when it is special outside when walking, and so on..and peeing..lol. I also sent some beef to the vet yesterday for the day..
goodluck
with Spanky..he is a sweetie..

I would make sure he has no water access at night before bed and that might make him wait longer too..
but sure sounds like has himself trained to go out..
make sure he has a good pee when he goes out at night time...not the marking type of job...a good pee. what I did for Gus to make sure he had a good pee..was a took along a treat and when he PEEEED long he got a treat..not for marking..just a good long pee.

another thing I did for Gus and he was an early riser too...was to take up his water dish. he would get a drink whenever he wanted one..so up it went at about 10 pm at night time. the dogs are fine without water till the am.

as far as the bathing is concerned. maybe a medicated shampoo...like selsum blue would be a good idea for Spanky. is is nice and helps with the dry skin really good and not that expensive to use. it really is great for people too.
you can also get a dry shampoo for Spanky too. one that you use but they do not get wet. it works too..

glad you took him to the vet
I totally agree with ditching the crate. MY rescue pug would get up every single night when he was in the crate. he sleeps through now no problem. I have a crate here and the door is always open, on occasion a dog might use it to nap and then out they go.

for the great information. I will start using a softer brush right away and will look for the Omega 3 capsules.

omega 3 (fish oil) capsules, and my bulldog Audrey gets the oil in a squirt bottle. I give her one squirt (1/2 teaspoon) twice a day. The furminator may be too rough to use everyday, except for shedding season. Try a softer brush, I use a soft bristle brush on Audrey for frequent brushings in between shedding season, and a fuzzy wuzzy to wipe her down and add extra shine. It is a dusting mitt but it really makes her glossy!
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Cathy
when she first came home

I have not tried Omega fatty acids. Do you give your bullies the OFA in a pill form? I am not ready to "go raw" at this time. I do brush him with the furminator every day. Thanks for sharing your bath schedule. I guess I can wait longer between his baths, or try a powder bath as others have suggested. Thank you for your advice!

There are 6's and 3's, and I think the 3's are for skin and the 6's are more for coat. My bulldog doesn't smell, so I only give her a bath 4 or 5 times a year. Have you tried brushing him daily, that might help the overall health of his skin and coat too. We have switched our bulldog to a raw diet and it has made her coat gorgeous! I always thought her coat was beautiful before, but now there is no comparison, it is truly beautiful now and so soft and glossy.

Cathy
when she first came home

spelling error..sorry

I bath them when I see they are smelly.
I feed them Bulldog 24 dogfood. I know some people do not care for the food on the board.but Bella was really dry skinned and so on. she is amazing been on that food..cleared all skin issues up fast.. I swear by it. use it for Gus too. it is made by royal canin. they have lots of info on their website about the food for the bulldog. very specific to the bulldog. the vet here told me to leave to leave the bulldogs on it since they could see the difference in Bella.

now for bath time. I bath them whenever I notice they smelly or dirty. in the summer more often..since they are out all the time..in the leaves and such. maybe every other week in the summer. about once a month in the winter..and a dry bath sometimes if they need it.

YOU can also take a damp cloth and wipe the dog down. I have done that occasionally If they are too close to their next bath..and it helps too.

hope you have a great Christmas too and Spanky.

he will be fine with company...........he will love it I bet. NEVER seen a bully that do not to be petted and loved apon YET. my guys go nuts with company here..big time.

I appreciate your comments! I usually take up Spanky's water at about 9:00pm. He does get water mixed with his dry food, and usually doesn't drink too much after that. We went back to feeding him his evening meal at about 4:30, in an effort to get him to poop before bedtime.

We decided to abandon the crate at night sometime last week. He had been barking after only a couple of hours for several nights in a row. I am still sick with bronchitis/asthma and my husband was exhausted. I said let's just try letting him have access to the house for one night. We were amazed. He slept that night until 5:00am. We still close the door to our bedroom, but that doesn't seem to bother him.... yet.... I think he is still considering us a "work in progress." I think he is just so much more comfortable on his pillows and quilt in the living room than he was in his extra large crate. We are probably having over night house guests for a few nights during the week after Christmas. It will be interesting to see how Spanky adjusts to that.

How often do you bathe Gus and Bella? Do they smell?

Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!