At Wits End

[Brindlegirly]

Do you have a bike? 3 miles of you walking vs. on a bike with your dog is way different! My dog is just a little older than yours and she is such a different dog after a jog with my bike. She sleeps the rest of the day!
I do feel your pain, my first boxer had separation anxiety like your dog. And he'd rip nails and teeth right out when he'd be in a crate. BUT if he was left on his own he'd chew and destroy anything.... Doors, curtains, flooring, kids stuff, ANYTHING he could get ahold of. Plus drool everywhere from him being in a panic state. The only thing that worked was an outside kennel, but that didn't work in the winter. So I did a dog door, he could come into a small mud room out of the weather. He damaged the door knob and flooring.... He was a nightmare, but I loved him so!!!
Dogs just Need to know how to be alone.

 

[LILYLARUE]

Forced exercise on immature dogs can lead to many physiological issues like muscle strains & tears, ligament damage or tears, bone fractures, etc.

Biking, jogging, skating, etc. exercise where your dog does not have a choice to rest or regulate their own speed is considered forced exercise. This is NOT recommended until the dog is at least 18 months old and approved by a vet. This would be like forcing a toddler to run continually. It's dangerous to their body development.

It's best to stick to high energy play where the pup can lay and cool off, rest themselves, before going again. As with any exercise, you must train to before running a marathon.

 

[tmschult]

Thank you all for your helpful posts! We have been doing the dog park in the am for about 45 minutes .. walk at lunch.. walk at night.. have bought some big rawhide bones that he can't eat/chew in an hour and am currently "shopping" for doggy day cares. Found some relatively inexpensive ones about $20 a full day. This is definitely doable for 2-3x a day. So far so good. *Fingers crossed*

Hank is honestly not that "high" of energy- but he is still a boxer. With just one hour of hard play or running he is usually tired and tired the whole next day- we just have to be more diligent.

As far as the raw bones- can you purchase them at your run of the mill pet stores? He has recently broken a canine (which is costing us about $2000 to fix) and am nervous about leaving bones with him now. Do you think raw bones are better/worse than rawhide? The vet said that at this age their teeth are sort of "hollow" and not mature therefore are easily broken.

 

[Bathel]

Do you think raw bones are better/worse than rawhide? The vet said that at this age their teeth are sort of "hollow" and not mature therefore are easily broken.

I would never feed a dog rawhide. In my understanding it is very bad for their digestion as it just basically sits in the stomach and rots not to mention the chemicals used to "clean/perserve" them... but others may have differeing views.

I use Deer and Elk Antlers... start off with the split antlers ( sawed down the middle lenght wise) until they get the idea of what it is. My girls loves them and they last a long time... your milage may vary...

 

[LILYLARUE]

Antlers are a great alternative to bones. I wouldn't waste money on deer antlers - too easy to just break off chunks for our boxers. PeakysBest.com has some great elk and moose antlers. They seperate by density, no chemicals used to clean them and they have the split ones too. Good prices!

I agree that rawhides are the worst invention for dogs. Ask any vet what is the most common thing they pull from dogs blocked intestines and they will mention rawhides as one of the top 5 things. Not to mention how they are processed - just like they process hides for leather goods manufacturers. I'm sure some idiot dropped a chunk on the floor and their dog ran off with it and chewed on it - lightbulb moment for that idiot to start producing the hides as dog chews. YUCK!!

Raw bones you would get from the butcher are much softer than the cut thigh bones sold at pet stores - they are processed and bleached making them very hard and can break teeth. I only use them as stuffing bones - once empty I take them away from the dogs. Raw meaty bones from the butcher or grocer are great to occupy them, but lay down a towel for him to eat on. And when you see bits, pick them up and monitor him as he chews away contently. Most of the bone will be eaten and digested with no problem. I do not suggest getting cut thigh bones from the butcher though. They are still extremely dense for dogs to chew without issues.

I often get beef or pork rib slabs. I give them the whole slab frozen for a fun day eating out in nature. I also cut the ribs apart and give a frozen meaty rib for a treat to occupy. Again, on a towel inside but tossed in the grass outside. Beef ribs - will be a little 3" piece left that is too tough to chew and eat, but pork ribs will be completely devoured!

 

[furrykidmom]

Cheaper than replacing what is destroyed

We have hired a pet sitter and have also used daycare. It is an expense that we really do not feel that we can afford either but it is cheaper than replacing what is destroyed. We also found that every other day was best. The next day they were still beat. Having two helps but that does not mean that they will not both cause problems. We are starting with crate training for our new puppy. He hates it too. He cannot start daycare until after his second set of shots. So we have the pet sitter coming in twice a day. It is expensive but so worth it. It makes them better and happier dogs.

I have learned to sacrifice some of the things that I spend money on that I really do not need, like specialty coffee like Starbucks and I have started making my own Frappacinos at home. We bottle our own water for work and carry our lunches instead of ordering out. I am big into coupons and clearance items. Where ever I can save a buck except with the dogs.

I wish you luck. I understand your frustration. Our boy broke all his teeth and several nails on his crate. Fortunately, now he can be trusted to be loose and since the pet sitter started we have not had any accidents or destruction. She is a godsend.

 

[bobzilla]

Sounds like he just needs something to do. Walks and he like may tire him out, but for how long?

Have you tried stuffed Kongs or Buster Cubes? He may just need something to occupy his mind. When he's in the crate, he has nothing to do but think of ways to get out of it! Just give him something else to think about.

I know, easier said than done, but you can give it a try.

Bob

 

[dora]

I had similar problems, my girl started breaking out of wire crates and plastic crates, cut her chin and hurt her nails, i was worried sick any time i left that should would strangle herself breaking out!

Someone on here suggested a Zinger crate to me. They are expensive, but SO worth it! I got the biggest model that is still able to fold up (i have to be able to take it with me). For that one it was around $1,000 dollars, I think the non-folding was about 700? She has not been able to break out, and now after re-crate training her, she is an angel in there! I figure the investment was worth it, I tried day care and easily spent that much over a few months.

The Zinger is made from air plane aluminum, and has an actual real latch with like a 2 inch thick bar, and even has a key to lock it further.

Just an idea! But I am so glad I spent the money - plus this thing should last me a life time and I can use it for all my future boxers

Its so strong i could stand on top of it and jump on it and it wouldn't budge. It folds up to about 5 inches thick and length/width is same as setup, so not much bigger than the regular wire crates when folded up, she has plenty of room in there too!

Jenny

 

[TwoDogs]

Someone on here suggested a Zinger crate to me.

That was me! Glad to hear it's working well for you.

 

[tmschult]

Update

Hi All- I just wanted to update everyone. We ended up buying a 4ft high octagon exercise pen that can be folded up. Relatively inexpensive (I think ~$120). Well it is a miracle. Hank loves it- we even find him in there when we are at home (because all of his toys are in there). Has not tried to escape once. I think just the added space and the top being open makes that much difference compared to a typical crate.

I cannot express enough how great it feels to have my home back! We keep the pen in the finished basement and he is still walked/dog park in the am and let out at lunch time.

I highly recommend people try this route when in the similar situation and proactively before your house is destroyed! You can return the exercise pens within 30 days if it doesn't work out.

We are now working on damage control and trying to get everything back in order that Hank has destroyed. Thanks for all of the replies.

Oh and we do frozen kongs with peanut butter- and will definitely try the raw bones from the butcher.