Destructive Is Putting it Nicely

[Brando's Mom]

It's gotten worse!

OK, guys, I'm at the end of my rope here and I'm desperate for help. Brando has not improved any. He's actually gotten worse. Last night in the middle of the night he ate one of my shoes, and then today I got home from work and he ate ANOTHER one of my shoes from a different pair! :mad: He's never eaten my shoes before, and he's NEVER done any destructive behavior while I'm home. Does anybody have any advice for me? I thought he might be suffering from separation anxiety, because he always destroyed stuff when I was at work, but now it's almost constant. I just don't know what to do. Please help! GOSH! Before I could even sign off to finish this, he already pulled a photo album off the bookshelf in the living room! It's like he has to be supervised EVERY minute! I can't take this! HELP!

 

[Scorpio]

Oh boy! could you leave him outside all day?

 

[kjames7148]

Hey,

Why don't you get him a sister/brother? After I got my first boxer (and he was clearly in need of some exercise) I got him a sister and it helped ALOT.

This time, I got two at the same time and I have yet for them to chew on anything but eachother!!

Good Luck,

Karen

Bonnie, 2.5 mo. old brindle girl w/black mask
Clyde, 3 mo. old fawn big boy w/black mask

 

[Risa]

Dear Brando's mom....DITTO!! Sam is now 11 mths and we did get him neutered in November and he has KIND OF calmed a little. But there is NO WAY I'd EVER leave Sam in the house to run loose. He would absolutely destroy the entire household, not because he is a bad dog, but because we baby them so much when we're with them that they get bored when we're gone.

When he was younger I put him in our master bathroom--he also chewed the doors (but at least not through them!!) and then I tried the baby-gate to which he promptly jumped. They don't make one tall enough for him--believe me I tried--I heard of one Boxer that could clear the 6ft. privacy fence!!! Maybe it's a teenage thing like so many other posters commented and maybe it's our fault babying them like we do.

Eventhough he is older I,like you, didn't want to crate him all day while at work (I have the same commute that you do) so we decided to leave Sam in our huge backyard where he has tons of toys, room to run and play, so now instead of him destroying our house he destroys our backyard (see the digging thread)--it's a never ending saga.

I do know that it was suggested that we get him a playmate to which my husband thought I'd lost my mind! (Sam thinks I'M his playmate.) Also, if leaving him in the backyard is an option you can hang a rope from a tree w/a tennis ball on the end of it so they can reach it and they will "SUPPOSEDLY" play w/that rather than finding things to destroy in the yard. GOOD LUCK!

P.S. Sam will also get into stuff when we are at home--it's his way of saying "hey, cute puppy here needs some attention!!" Especially when I get on the phone he knows he's got free reign for a few minutes because I can't exactly yell while on the phone.

 

[buddy'smom]

Wow it sounds like you have an active guy there. I too faced this with my male, and the advice Dan gave you is what worked for us. The only other thing I did was add having a neighbor come in mid day to let him outside, and have a play with him.
My workday started at 9am, so by 7am Buddy and I were on our first walk of the day, back home by 7:45 and he ate breaky while I showered. Then outside for another good 30 min where he ran off steam in the backyard while I dressed. Then it was back in, a quick goodbye and off I went. Around 1pm my neighbor came, let him out and he had a good hour of playtime with the neighbor, back inside and he waited until 5pm when we were home. It appeared he slept in between times, and the destruction stopped. A bored boxer is a destructive boxer, and although you are providing toys etc. maybe he just needs some form of human contact to look forward to mid day. Do you have a neighbor that could come in and check on him ?

Here is a link you may find useful. Although it is titled separation anxiety, it does talk about destructive dogs, and how our reactions can actually cause the behavior to manifest itself.

http://www.cappdt.ca/separation_anxiety.htm
Jean

 

[Aimee]

It sounds as if you have quite the normal boisterous young boxer boy on your hands there. I recommend enrolling in basic obedience classes and starting from square one. He should be crated when you are not home and if he can't be trusted when you're home, you need to leash him to you so that he is never out of sight. At that age Lexi required a TON of exercise and was far less destructive when she got it. Being crated all day, a mere walk in the evenings just isn't going to cut it. I learned that the hard way. A good hard run and play is the only way that she was able to burn off any energy. Boxers are high energy dogs. But from experience, you will never make it through the teenage phase without basic obedience classes....Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[alaska]

my boys are crate trained, so they won't destroy my house, If they were left loose, I'm sure they would make a heck of a mess.

 

[Q'sMom]

I feel your pain and understand your frustration! I, too, thought that Quincy was such a grown up dog and could handle being loose in the house. WRONG! I also work 30 minutes from home so going home is not an option during the day. All of my neighbors are elderly so asking them to excercise a 65 pound beast is not the answer. Quincy was crated from the first day I got him. Every morning we go out for a small walk and he does his business. Then when I am getting ready he stretches and follows me around. I have a Kong that I fill with peanut butter and place in the crate along with a knuckle bone. Unlike some other posts you will read, keeping Quincy in his crate during the day is the most humane thing I could do. I know exactly where he is and that he is safe. He's not chewing on an electrical cord or choking on something. Not to mention the damage not done to my house. This is his day (as best as I can figure):
7:00am run into my crate when mom says "Go to your house"
7:05-10:30am try my darndest to get every last bit of PB out of that Kong
10:30-3:30pm sleep
3:30-3:31pm get up, turn around, lay back down
3:31-5:00pm sleep
**I chew on the knuckle bone if I get bored with sleeping.

Quincy used to be up during the night, sometimes destructive. I learned that if we went for our good, long walk close to bedtime, he slept soundly through the night. I think the best way to keep an eye on them is to make sure they stay within your eyesight. In my house it is possible to close off rooms and keep him just in the room that I am in. If this isn't possible then keeping him on a leash and stepping on it (like when you're working in the kitchen) is a great way to monitor him. Quincy would like to take my dirty laundry out of the hampers. He destroyed my best bra. Thanks to the good people of BW I learned that everytime he has something naughty in his mouth to say "NO" and replace it with something acceptable like a chewy or toy. Now I can tell him "NO" and then "go get your ball" or "go get your Tshirt". His T-shirt is an old one of mine that I knotted in the middle and give to him to play tug-of-war or race-around-the-house-and-slap-myself. Some other posts will tell you that giving them something of the same material will just teach them to rip apart that kind of fabric but it has worked very well for me.

As far as on the phone, Quincy would also bark every time I was on the phone. If you are going to dial someone, give him a treat to work on while you are on the phone (like a dry piece of bread). When the phone rings have him with you and pet him or give him a treat while you are talking.

I, too, became very frustrated. But I kept telling myself that I need to communicate what is acceptable and what is not. Every time that he is not destroying something give him a "good boy" to let him know that this is good. When he makes a move with that look in his eyes (you know the one), tell him no and immediately give him something he CAN have. He will soon learn the difference.

I hope things improve soon.

 

[addict269]

Dear Brando's Mom! There are doggie gates that are much taller than baby gates. I don't know if I can give you the web address on here, but if you are interested you can e-mail me and I will be able to tell you the name. They make them tall enough that your dog can't jump it. Of course there are those dogs that can (mine climbs fences), but it's a shot. I tie my dog to the table on his 6 foot leash. It seemed more humane than a crate when I'm gone because he can move around. Just make sure there isn't anything he can get tangled on. I put his food and water dish where he can reach and his doggie bed and rawhides where he can relax. He's never tore up anything, plus he doesn't feel trapped. This way I know he can't ruin everything in the house. I'm not usually gone too long because I'm a stay at home mom, but it works when I am gone. Good luck and hopefully, you can find something that works for you.

 

[Kathleen]

I know how hesitant you feel about crating your baby all day, but for safety sake (yours and his) it is best to crate him while you are at work. There are so many owners on this list who have had to rush their babies to the vet because they ate something they shouldn't have or got obstructions in their intestinal tracks. Also, knowing that your boxer is at home safe and sound and is not eating the walls, eases a significant amount of stress on your behalf during these "trying times."

Tulsa-Dan had the best advice and it is going to require a good amount of effort on your behalf to make sure your boxer is healthy and happy. You will have to crate your baby during the day, but you will need to get up an hour earlier to really exercise him/her so he/she is good and tired for most of the day and is getting sufficient exercise. When you get home from work, you will also need to do the same. As mentioned in other posts, you boxer is testing his limits right now and if allowed to learn bad habits, it will be even more hard in the future to break them.

I would highly suggest asking a neighbor (if there's one available or willing) to stop by once during the day to give your boxer a potty break. If that's not an option, many of these "doggie walking" services will come to your house and do this (not sure what the average costs are). If none of this is an option, then unfortunately you and your boxer will have to learn to adapt to these new restrictions. Yes, it may not be the most friendly or happiest way to have your dog at home, but the other options of having your house torn up, your boxer becoming unmanageble and learning bad habits, and most importantly...your dog hurting him/herself are alot less humane.

The good news is that eventually your baby WILL grow out of this and will gain your trust again to be left alone. It may take a long time (some people still crate their 2yr or older dogs) depending on how your boxer matures.

Hang in there!