Boxer Puppy Problems

[boxerben]

Hi guys,

I picked up a boxer puppy who is now 12 weeks old, and being a first time pet owner I'm having a few issues that I'm not sure are just puppy phases or are real problems. I picked her up at 6 weeks, and was told by both my vet and the breeder that this is fine, however other people have said that they shouldn't be taken that early and they are likely to develop behaviour issues as a result, so now I'm not sure. I'll list out the problems I have and hopefully someone has experienced similar and knows the best way to correct the issue.

1. I started a home-based business, (which is why I finally bought a puppy) so I am home all the time and usually only go out for 2 - 4 hours in the morning to do errands and whatever else I need to do. I've found that my puppy is now destroying everything she can while I'm away, and when I come home my place is completely trashed and things have been pulled off bookshelves and torn up, and she has gone to the toilet multiple times and spread it everywhere. Yesterday I had to go out for 2 hours and so I put her in the bathroom with her bed, toys, food and water, and when I came home she has gone number 2 and spread it on every wall, all over the bath, put it in every nook and cranny, put it as far up the walls as she could reach, and completely ruined her bed. It was so bad I got professional cleaners in to sort it out and even now it's still unpleasant to go in there. I'm guessing because I've spent so much time with her since the day she came home, she can't deal with me leaving even for short periods. Even if I go to the toilet she starts getting anxious and pulling things off the shelves. She has plenty of toys so I have no idea what to do about it except spend hours cleaning everything up once I get home.

2. I walk her twice a day, but she is a very very outgoing dog and thinks every person or dog she sees is her best friend and goes absolutely nuts. Even if she sees someone 100m away she starts pulling towards them. I would love to take her to the beach and she would love it even more, but there is no way I would be able to take her off the lead because she would be gone in a second running up to everyone jumping up on them trying to lick them and get pats off them. I've got no idea how to correct this so I can get her to the point where she sees someone or another dog she just ignores them and doesn't care.

Other than that she is a lovely dog who loves nothing more than to spend every second she can with me no matter what I do. She can go from a deep sleep snoring her little heart out and as soon I get up to grab a drink or something she's sitting by my side. I just need to get the two major issues above sorted out, and puppy preschool was no help as it was just about sit stay and lead walking. If anyone has experience similar issues to the above and can give some advice on how to correct those problems, it would be much appreciated.

[Nekhbet]

I think avoid internet advice and go straight to a dog trainer. Where are you in situated and we can make some recommendations.

And no your breeder and vet were both wrong, your dog was not fine to leave at 6 weeks unless you are an extremely experienced person who can provide the socialisation that the dog would have gotten from other dogs.

Personally if you do like reading internet things I recommend www.leerburg.com as a start, there are articles and videos to watch on how to train the dog, but I would still get a trainer in ASAP to help you.

[flame ryder]

Hi ben I have a boxer. He is now 18 months old. As a puppy I'm sure if I left him to have freerun of the house he would have destroyed everything and had a heap of fun doing it. So it's pretty normal.....for any puppy. You need to shut her in the bathroom or laundry when you go out, and put out of reach anything harmful. Or you can crate train her or find a safe place outside. Heaps of info on here about crate training.

You can attend puppy classes, most vets can help you with that. Or better still once she has had all her shots take her to obedience classes. There's lots of other cool stuff you can do from there once she is a bit older, trialing or agility. Owning a dog is heaps of fun.

She sounds like a lovely dog. But of course we need pics ;)

Come over into the breed sub forums and join us in the boxer thread. Lots of great pics of other boxers in there too.

And yeah she really should have been 8 weeks old but what's done is done.

[Salukifan]

It would be the rare puppy, that if left unattended, wouldn't make a play thing out of everything it could get its mouth on. First rule - if you dont' want puppy to wreck it, don't leave her unsupervised with it.

Any reason puppy can't be outside when you go out? If you want her not to toilet inside then you have to make sure she's never forced to by confining her inside. Locking her in the bathroom is not a long term option. I suggest you sort out some secure outside fencing or buy a decent run.

Agree on getting a trainer in. This will be a large powerful dog and you need to sort out ground rules and a training program ASAP. I think you're on a steep learning curve for puppy raising and the right trainer is a huge help. You also need to be heavily socialising this pup and sorting out on lead manners and a reliable recall NOW. No reputable breeder I know would have allowed you to pick up your pup at 6 weeks and ANKC registered breeders who did that would be breaching their Code of Ethics. However, that horse has bolted and its now down to you to make up for the loss of time your pup got with its littermates by ensuring that she develops excellent bite inhibition before its too late.

ETA: I think crate training sounds like a good idea too.

Edited March 7, 2013 by Haredown Whippets

[CareyJ]

Get yourelf a copy of the Gwen Bailey book The Perfect Puppy. It's not perfect and having the support of a good trainer is always better but it will give you a good overview of what to expect of a puppy.

[juice]

Get a good trainer,don't just look one up, there are way too many bad ones who will do more harm than good.

Buy a run for the garden?

[boxerben]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I have ordered the Perfect Puppy book, and read through online articles yesterday. I've got the problem of her destroying everything when I go out fixed, I've put everything out of reach and put the bin up on the bench and closed the doors to all the rooms and left her with just her toys to play with and the run of the house and I went out for 4 hours this morning and came home to no mess! Very happy indeed and such an easy thing to fix but I guess it shows my inexperience of owning pets that I didn't think to do this in the first place.

The only thing left is teaching her not to love everyone so much and to just ignore people when we walk. This one will probably be a lot harder to fix.

[Salukifan]

Oh trust me, once puppy grows up and becomes reliable, any experience you have is forgotten..... until the next puppy reminds you! :laugh:

[Jed]

Hi Boxerben, I am pleased you have sorted out the destructo problems.

Re walking on a lead ..... she is excited and interested, why wouldn't she want to go and introduce herself to everyone, and jump on them and lick them?

I presume she is good, and reliable on the lead? Teach her sit. Reward with treats. When she wants to bounce off somewhere, ask for "sit" - get her to look at you, and give a a treat And some praise. Ask her to pay attention to you every time she wants to make new friends. Make paying attention to you good fun, and worth her while.

Good luck.

Why not go and have a look at the boxer thread?

[Dogsfevr]

Do you not have a backyard??

[boxerben]

Do you not have a backyard??

I do have a big backyard, but every garden is covered in thick wandering dew plants so whilst I'm slowly getting rid of it all the dog stays inside when I go out.

[flame ryder]

Ha good luck with that boxerben. I have heaps of wandering dew. Have been trying to get rid of the stuff for the last 5 years. I think we have reduced it but we have to be vigilant, after completely clearing an area of it, if we don't go back to that particular area for a month or so it comes back thick and fast. Glysophate (weed poison) does nothing so the only way to get rid of it is to pull it out and throw the pieces far far away or burn them.

I'm not sure if it is as bad to dogs as they say it is as I've had dogs who slept in the stuff and are fine. I just choose to get rid of it because we don't like it, the way it takes over the whole area and the way it climbs up and eventually suffocates other plants.

[Aetherglow]

Growing up we had Wandering Jew in the yard and boxers. It was not a good mix, it really can be that bad for some dogs. Getting rid of it and being careful of the pup in the meantime is a good idea. Perhaps a run in a cleared area? Dogs, especially growing pups, need vitamin D as much as humans do, and being outside for a couple of hours a day is the best way to get it.

Boxer babies are Good luck, Boxerben!