Recent content by natrhymer

While our boxer boy wasn't particularly interested in my pregnancy, my sister's dog was very watchful of her when she was pregnant. When my sister was in early labor at home, she took her dog for a walk. Every time she had a contraction, the dog would walk in front of her to stop her from...

While your pup does sound like a typical boxer exhibiting typical boxer play, I think an obedience class would be a great thing for your family as a next step. We adopted a one-year-old boxer boy four years ago. It was obvious he was never trained or socialized with other dogs. He is not dog...

Start with potty training 101 and go from there. Practice NILIF from day one. Be a leader he can be confident in, and hopefully that will help with his anxiety issues. It sounds like he's already sort of crate trained, but, you probably will have to start over with that, too, because he pees in...

Could be separation anxiety. That's what it was with our guy. No matter how little time he was left alone, he would pee. We now have a strict "leaving routine" so our boy isn't so anxious when we go. I agree with the previous posters: he has no idea what he's done wrong, he just knows you're...

I wish I could do that. I can't pause at all, or it gives Dieter the opportunity to be bad! But maybe someday we'll get to that point!

I would agree with the previous two posters. My boy Dieter is not the most polite guy toward other dogs while he's on leash (off leash, he's a doll). I, too, avoid other dogs on walks so Dieter doesn't flip out. We work hard on behavior modification (he used to bite, and doesn't anymore), but he...

We had biting issues with Dieter a couple of years back, and worked through them (fear aggression). He hasn't bitten in about two years. But, about a month ago, my husband was playing with him and he yelped. DH was doing a cursory check for soreness, and when he brushed his hand over one of...

Exactly. My vet was SURE Dieter had myositis; turns out it wasn't. You've got to have the bloodwork done to be sure AND to determine the best treatment options, for whatever it turns out to be!

I've heard of it; I thought our boy Dieter had it, due to muscle wasting on his head. But, we did a titers with the vet and he doesn't have myositis (at least no antibodies showed up for it). The vet figures it is some other autoimmune disease, but since our boy isn't in pain, we're just...

I would agree that it's a an individual thing. Dieter doesn't bark much, either. He'll bark once at a squirell or rabbit before he gives chase, and he'll bark once when the doorbell rings, but that's all the barking he does. I'm grateful he's not much of a barker -- less noise for us and no...

That's so great! People usually steer clear of us in the neighborhood; I've learned to shrug it off. Dieter's near twin, Gage, used to lived around the corner from us. One day, we were walking by Gage's house and a woman and little girl (maybe two years old) were outside. The little girl started...

I agree with all other posters, especially with NILIF. My husband and I trained Dieter together, and practiced NILIF almost from the get-go. But, even after a couple of years, I still had trouble with Dieter on walks. I learned that I can't just "pretend" to have confidence, or feign an...

Rabbit poop is like crack cocaine to Dieter, and he's got a serious addiction. He whines and whines and whines to go outside, and then we find out it was just so he can eat rabbit poop! Of course, we try to keep him from doing it, but, he occasionally gets some. I asked our vet about it, and she...

Ech, well, the titers came back: no antibodies for myositis, which means it's probably not myositis. The vet and I discussed it, and, since Dieter's not experiencing any negative symptoms right now (no pain, still eating fine, etc.), we're just going to let it be. There's no sense in spending...

Thanks. Well, it looks like it's possibly myositis, an autoimmune disorder. We're doing bloodwork to confirm the vet's preliminary diagnosis. It is treated with steroids, which can send it into remission. Sometimes it's degenerative (muscles deteriorate so much that the dog can't eat and/or...