Boxer Trashes Roommate's Room

[Crystie]

I adopted a one year old boxer in June (now she's one and a half.) I share a house with an old college friend, since neither of us were really in a position to buy a house on our own.

However, for some reason Lola keeps breaking into my roommate's room when she's not home and trashing it. While I am at work during the day, she is crated in my bedroom. When I get home, she plays in the yard for hours at a time. The rest of the time, she is almost always at my side.

Yet, she somehow knows when my roommate is gone, and I am otherwise occupied. For instance, If I am checking email, or am in the shower, she takes advantage of her "free" time to shove open my roommate's door (she uses her shoulder to push it open) and then eats toothpaste, coozies, pictures, trash....anything she can get to. She even knocks things off of her shelves.

She never trashes anything in my room, or the living room, or the computer room or even the kitchen. She ONLY goes after my roommate's room. And I'm not really sure how to break her of that. Does anybody have any suggestions?

 

[Erica&Riley]

I'm not quite sure how you could go about training Lola not to break into your roommate's room, but is there a way that you can put a lock on the door so that she will not be able to get into the room at all. Maybe a hook-and-eye lock on the outside of the door...they are super easy and cheap! My pup likes to investigate garbage cans so all the garbage cans in my house are out of her reach now. She also used to pull the toilet paper off the roll in the bathroom and run around the house with it. So, now the toilet paper roll sits up on a shelf above the toilet. Hopefully, someone else here at BW can give you some good training advice!

Good luck!

 

[ljnash]

You could crate her when you can't be around to keep an eye on her, like taking a shower, etc. It would only be for short periods of time, and you could put a frozen kong or other toy in the crate with her to keep her busy, so she won't have free time to be destructive!

 

[Tulsa-Dan]

I too suggest the crate anytime you can't watch the dog. And secure the door to your roommates room so the dog cannnot push it open.

The leave it command can work for rooms as well as objects. I've used it to teach dogs that certain rooms in a house (such as a baby's room) are off limits and the dog is always to pass by and not enter. See your trainer for instructions on teaching the leave it command.

Good luck.

 

[Crystie]

Thanks so much

Thanks so much for the advice - I'll begin working on the leave it command for her room, and in the meantime I'll purchase an eye-hook as the second post suggested. (A wonderful suggestion, as the doors in our house are not hung correctly, and even when locked from the inside, can simply be pushed open...something we keep planning to "fix-it" someday.)

I'd prefer not to crate her more than I have to, as she's already crated all day while I'm at work.

However, she does well with "leave it" for found treats on the ground or kitty litter (that is what her trainer tested her with), so I'll try to catch her nosing around my roommate's room and work on it.

Thanks again, so much!!

 

[sinbad'smom]

sinbad goes into the bathroom with me when i take a shower.so you could do that..i did that with him when i got him before he was housetrained so he wouldnt go potty all over the house.now he goes in there with me because he wants to not because he has to...if he doesnt get in there with me he is waiting and scratching at the door..