He is 10 months old and I swear his behavior is only getting worse. Now that he's bigger, he can reach more things and therefore get into WAY more trouble.
Some of the recent highlights include: -Eating 2 pounds of raw chicken cutlets off the kitchen counter (interesting phone call to the vet ensued) -Eating an entire box of oatmeal raisin cookies (Another interesting call to the vet...Turns out they're not toxic, just a natural laxative) -Climbing ON TOP OF my parents' dining room table when no one was looking. (There wasn't food on it or anything, I guess he just wanted to check out the view or something). -Ripping open one of my shower gifts and getting styrofoam peanuts all over my living room in a matter of 5 minutes (Took almost 20 minutes to clean up all the styrofoam...I hate that stuff).
Since he was a puppy we've been verbally reprimanding him/making loud noises when we catch him doing something bad, but it doesn't even seem to phase him for more than 2 seconds. Even when my FH yells at him so loud that it frightens me, he's back to doing the same thing he was doing 10 seconds later! We took him to puppy kindergarten, and he's pretty good with the commands (sit, stay, heel, etc.) but it seems like he's always looking for trouble...
We can't even leave him alone for 5 minutes. I'm seriously afraid to leave him alone to use the bathroom. In fact, he's probably chewing something right now....
I need help! Any tips?!?!
johnsae
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Re: NWR: Dog owners...I need help!
I have a one year old Yorkie and I can relate to your problems. What I've found is most of this kind of behavior is due to boredom. Puppies need play time - do you walk him, play with him A LOT?? I swear, regular exercise (even a long walk after work) will make your life a lot easier. Also consider getting those toys that you can put peanut butter inside....keeps your dog occupied for a long time. Regularly keep new toys around.
Soon2bMrsERH
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Re: NWR: Dog owners...I need help!
If you do not have some sort of crate to put him in...get one. I have a four month old English Choc. Lab...this has worked well for her. Put him/her in doggy time-out. When you CATCH him doing something bad swat (do not hit or beat) on nose with rolled up newspaper then put him in the crate for 5 minutes...no longer. Just like for babies 5 minutes is a long time. Hope this helps...and also...be consistant!!
jellybean1420
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Re: NWR: Dog owners...I need help!
I definetely dont think he is getting enough outside play time b/c that will help calm him down and tire him out.
As far as when he does bad stuff....have you crate trained him? You don't want to put him in his crate as a punishment if that is where you put him when you go out or at night b/c then that will create a problem with that. You may want to babygate off a small area for him to stay when you are not around. I learned the hard way, puppies are like babies, you have to keep your eyes on them constantly. When I brought my dogs to training a good technique to get them to stop doing something bad is to fill a can with pennies and shake it when they are bad. They dont like the noise. But pick and choose your battles b/c otherwise that will become uneffective just as yelling has.
maryb
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Re: NWR: Dog owners...I need help!
i would suggest a crate but it seems your puppy is getting big..maybe a baby gate to block only in one room of the house..
i have a border collie mix puppy - 1 1/2 yr old -(sheep herding dog - i swear she has ADHD).. i was crying and crying to give up - but i kept with it..
what works for me: - make sure all family members are on the same page for discipline - alpha dog!! - my puppy treated me like a littermate until i told her who is boss.. - tough love.. - use the same words for discipline - NO, OFF - too many words will confuse the poor dog.. - take out for short 10- 15 min walks 3-4 times a day.. need to get that energy out - otherwise they turn descructive..and i find she apprectiates me/whoever takes her more.. - baby gate into living room and kitchen.. - dont leave ANYTHING at their reach.. and discipline when bad thigns happen - section off from you and others (timeout) - mine likes paper and newspaper and i find them torn when she doesnt get attention.. - keep a rountine - food, treats, walks.. - teach it tricks.. every night when mine was a puppy i would go through tricks - she thinks she is soo smart to show off in front of people..
good luck - FM me for anything.. stick with it - it will get better and their face and wagging tail is all worth it.. - mary
PS - im reading a FAB book - marley and me - by john grogan ( i think thats his first name) its great thoiugh and you will find many similarities..
Boston&NY2006
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Re: NWR: Dog owners...I need help!
We crate trained him, so we can't use that for punishment.
We do play with him outside a lot (when it's nice - he refuses to go outside in the rain), but I have to admit that we could probably have mroe toys in the house. I am going to go to PetSmart and get a ton more toys..
Hopefully that will help!
Thanks!
lilred13
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Re: NWR: Dog owners...I need help!
crating him and punishing him (locking him up) for 1/2 hour when he is bad. If that doesnt work I would consider calling a trainer to help you. If it goes untaken care of it will get worse. Good Luck!
Boston&NY2006
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Re: NWR: Dog owners...I need help!
Posted by maryb
i would suggest a crate but it seems your puppy is getting big..maybe a baby gate to block only in one room of the house..
i have a border collie mix puppy - 1 1/2 yr old -(sheep herding dog - i swear she has ADHD).. i was crying and crying to give up - but i kept with it..
what works for me: - make sure all family members are on the same page for discipline - alpha dog!! - my puppy treated me like a littermate until i told her who is boss.. - tough love.. - use the same words for discipline - NO, OFF - too many words will confuse the poor dog.. - take out for short 10- 15 min walks 3-4 times a day.. need to get that energy out - otherwise they turn descructive..and i find she apprectiates me/whoever takes her more.. - baby gate into living room and kitchen.. - dont leave ANYTHING at their reach.. and discipline when bad thigns happen - section off from you and others (timeout) - mine likes paper and newspaper and i find them torn when she doesnt get attention.. - keep a rountine - food, treats, walks.. - teach it tricks.. every night when mine was a puppy i would go through tricks - she thinks she is soo smart to show off in front of people..
good luck - FM me for anything.. stick with it - it will get better and their face and wagging tail is all worth it.. - mary
PS - im reading a FAB book - marley and me - by john grogan ( i think thats his first name) its great thoiugh and you will find many similarities..
Thanks for the tips!
I read Marley and Me last week and was totally thinking, 'Oh my God...This is our dog...' the entire time. He's such a sweet dog, just a little mischevious.
What kind of tricks did you teach your dog? He knows the basic stuff, but I'm thinking it might help to get him back into it.
july06bride
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Re: NWR: Dog owners...I need help!
I think if you use the crate...not as a punishment, but almost a resting spot for him...when you are doing something and he is not in direct eye contact of you is a good idea...
if we leave our shitzu too long out of view he is bound to do something...he wants our undivided attention and when he doesnt have it, he will get it even if it means doing something he is not suppossed to.
SweetCin704
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Re: NWR: Dog owners...I need help!
You need to watch the Dog Whisperer on TV...great show
Also check out your local Petco, I took Dakota every Sat. for 8 weeks to learn the basics & it was a big help & also let her be around other dogs.
You have to set guidelines & be on top of him, but the yelling isn't working. You need to distract him from the task at hand, if he's chewing something clap your hands and ask him to sit.
It's not easy, but don't give up....he's still a pup
MrsR72806
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Re: NWR: Dog owners...I need help!
I def recommend crating him too when he is left alone...
My dog was a terror when she was a puppy...she Loved eating the molding off the wall! And I think she had ADHD! She was a complete nut! We had her trained professionally and OMG what a difference! FM me if you want the trainers info! They were SO awesome, they came to the house for 6 Weeks and worked with you and then you brought the dog to classes where they would interact with other dogs and learn how to be obedient around distractions!
alioop4282
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Re: NWR: Dog owners...I need help!
I have a four year old chocolate lab..and let me tell you, he got into LOTS of trouble as a puppy. I just worked with her every single day until he learned. Now he's an off the leash dog that I can take anywhere. He is seriously the best dog in the world.
My suggestion to you is to seriously get a crate. They work.
Also, my parents have a one year old Boxer that they adopted from bide-a-wee and he does the same things you described your puppy doing. He eats everything from clothes to perfume to lotion. A couple of months ago I was at their house and he jumped on me and I went flying into my parents china cabinet. The whole cabinet was glass and shattered all over me. He just does not listen. And he barks all day long. You should buy a book on Boxers to learn about their breed. I'm sure in time he will learn. Puppies are just like babies...they just need time. FM me if you need any help with anything. I have lots of experience as a dog owner and would be happy to help.
maryb
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Re: NWR: Dog owners...I need help!
my dog needs jobs - so we do tricks as a job.. - sit, lay, roll over - she learned in two days when she was soo young - i knew i was in trouble..
- she gives me a hug - kneel down - she stands up and holds my shoulders - she learned to spin around - i ask her how old she is - she yips one bark (gay i know) - crawl acorss the floor - i do bang bang (gun) and she plays dead
lots of tricks take a few hrs or a week..
BIG HELP - 10 pack of sticks at target - cheapest there and they are a good chew toy....
Jackie&Justin
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Re: NWR: Dog owners...I need help!
I strongly suggest obedience training. My dog was peeing all over the house all the time, we took, and haven't had an accident in 2 years. It helps all sorts of behavior problems...
ML110
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Re: NWR: Dog owners...I need help!
i agree with the more exercise thing... i know we take our dog for a 30 minute walk everyday, and he LOVES it! and more toys in the house for when its not so nice out..... you don't need to spend much, my dog goes NUTS with empty plastic soda or juice bottles!! you should see him with those! also... bones for him to chew on to keep him occupied, too... they really are so much like kids in that you have to give them time and attention... they don't just curl up at your feet while you watch TV... good luck!!!
STUF04
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Re: NWR: Dog owners...I need help!
I have a 2 1/2 year old boxer and she is still a nut!! She was a real terror as a puppy, she sounds the same as your puppy (it must run in the breed). They are very hyper puppies to say the least. We had to get her a lot of chew toys because she was teething on all the wrong things including our plants and carpets. Fortunalty with a lot of yelling and patience she finally learned when she was wrong and right. Rewarding her when she did things helped a lot. If when we got home she was god and didnt eat anything we would give her a treat. We would put a gate up during the day so that she was only in the kitchen. This really helped and slowly she made her way into the rest of the house. It took a full year for her to be able to go into the rest of the house. What you describe does sound like a normal boxer. I have had 2 boxers in my life and thats just the way they are. The one I have now is still soooo hyper but she is finally fully house trained. Good Luck!!! FM me for any more info on boxers.
Chelle
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Re: NWR: Dog owners...I need help!
Call Caesar Milan!!!
Boston&NY2006
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Re: NWR: Dog owners...I need help!
Thank you so much for all the advice, ladies!!
We do currently crate him when we're not home or if we can't be watching him (I shudder to think what my house would look like if we left him roaming the house alone).
FH and I talked about it and we're looking into a post-Puppy kindergarten class. Apparently, the place where we took him for puppy kindergarten has a 'refresher' course for older puppies who probably should'nt have graduated from puppy kindergarten...
We're also going to try some more exercise and playtime. What we're doing doesn't seem to be enough to tire him out, so we're going to try to take him on longer walks in the evening, try to extend backyard playtimes a little and possibly look into doggie day care when we are both going to be away from home for the day (we both work from home about 50% of the time, but there are occasions when we are both away from home for the day).
I really do appreciate all the replies! It's been so frustrating because our other dog (a three year old half English Bulldog/half Pug) is SOOOO well behaved, and we haven't really done much differently with our boxer. I guess I just hadn't figured out that boxers are a very different breed and I need to try something different.
Thanks again, ladies! I knew I could count on you!
CKJ906
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Re: NWR: Dog owners...I need help!
I have a little puppy also (9 months) and sometimes he is so out of control i think he is getting worse than better. They need ALOT of attention and playtime, all mine wants to do is play. Take him for a long walk or go outside and throw the ball around after 20 mins mine is beat! Walk him around the block when he starts to get really wild it will calm him down..
