Frustrated

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Forlorn

Boxer Booster
I love Farah, I really do but sometimes she frustrates the hell out of me. The past few weeks, she's had a few accidents in the house. Not any poop, just pee. I've never had an inside dog before and thus have zero house training experience. I've read threads on here that they should be pretty much fully trained by 6 months old and yet she clearly isn't. She's never had an accident in her crate since I got her at 8 weeks and I leave her in it 3-5 hours on weekdays. To be fair, the times that she has had accidents recently have been partially my fault. A couple times she's peed after playing with her a bit in the living room and the newest one, I let her run downstairs when I was cooking dinner. I just feel like she should be able to hold it better. :/ I praise the beejezus out of her when she goes outside and that's with having fire department for neighbors (the firefighters give me weird looks :p) and I take her out after meals and naps/sleep.

Another annoying thing is she likes to go under my bed. That wouldn't be a problem if there wasn't a bunch of wires for to chew on. I've tried coaxing her out with treats and toys but no dice. :/

Also, I know she's a boxer but she has a habit of throwing punches when we play. Like I was wiggling a Kong Wubba above her and she just did a right hook to the face. Hurt like heck :p
 

srennie

Super Boxer
She's still a baby...just be patient and consistent and keep praising when she does what you want. Accidents happen...just reinforce the good and she'll get there.

I totally understand your bed frustration...our old boxer would go under the kitchen table and not come out. I was really pregnant so couldn't bend down very good and he'd not come out for anything. He seemed to outgrow it though. You could leave a leash attached to her...just have her drag it around..when she goes under the bed and you want her out, give her the command (out, here, whatever you choose) and then gently lead her out with the leash and then reward.

As for the throwing punches...that's why I dont' play rough. My husband has gotten more than one left hook to the jaw, eye, lip, etc. Luckily he likes playing like that with them so I don't and they know it.
 

Sansal

Boxer Insane
I totally understand your frustration with the housetraining. It took over a year to get Happy completely house trained. All you can do is be patient and watch her like a hawk so she doesn't get the chance to pee in the house again. Remember she is still a baby and doesn't know she is doing anything wrong.
Another good thing to keep in mind is she will probably be too big soon to fit under the bed ;)
 
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Forlorn

Boxer Booster
She's still a baby...just be patient and consistent and keep praising when she does what you want. Accidents happen...just reinforce the good and she'll get there.

I totally understand your bed frustration...our old boxer would go under the kitchen table and not come out. I was really pregnant so couldn't bend down very good and he'd not come out for anything. He seemed to outgrow it though. You could leave a leash attached to her...just have her drag it around..when she goes under the bed and you want her out, give her the command (out, here, whatever you choose) and then gently lead her out with the leash and then reward.

As for the throwing punches...that's why I dont' play rough. My husband has gotten more than one left hook to the jaw, eye, lip, etc. Luckily he likes playing like that with them so I don't and they know it.

Sorry, I just needed to vent. Sometimes it feels like nothing I teach her is sinking in and it's all hopeless. You're absolutely right. Even though she's 6 months old, she is just a baby dog after all. I've been putting extra effort to make sure she doesn't have accidents and I got a baby gate for downstairs so I don't give her more chances than she needs to disappoint me. Hopefully, she'll get it down pat within the next several months. ^^

Thanks for the tip. I think I'll try that and see how it goes.

I don't ask to play rough but I do get her a bit *too* excited when we play tug of war and all that so I kinda ask for the punches. Maybe I just need to calm her down when she gets like that?

I totally understand your frustration with the housetraining. It took over a year to get Happy completely house trained. All you can do is be patient and watch her like a hawk so she doesn't get the chance to pee in the house again. Remember she is still a baby and doesn't know she is doing anything wrong.
Another good thing to keep in mind is she will probably be too big soon to fit under the bed ;)

I know. I am probably asking too much of her at that age but it gets old cleaning up after her after a while. Someday, though, she'll get it. It's just a matter of when x3
Lol, I keep thinking that. If I can't train her not to go under the bed, then someday she'll be too big to scouch into that space.
 

Sansal

Boxer Insane
I don't ask to play rough but I do get her a bit *too* excited when we play tug of war and all that so I kinda ask for the punches. Maybe I just need to calm her down when she gets like that?

You could just end the game once she gets too rough and eventually she will learn that the fun is over when she gets too much in your space. Twodogs recently posted a good answer to a similar question:

http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/behavioral-issues/153312-how-do-you-teach-personal-space.html
 

rayandsarah

Completely Boxer Crazy
I know. I am probably asking too much of her at that age but it gets old cleaning up after her after a while. Someday, though, she'll get it. It's just a matter of when x3
Lol, I keep thinking that. If I can't train her not to go under the bed, then someday she'll be too big to scouch into that space.[/QUOTE]

I thought that with Rowdy (10 months). Some how he still can figure out a way to flatten his body and get under the bed. He can always get under but he usually gets stuck getting out. How this happens I don't know. He will cry until you lift the bed up.
 

Kilby'sMum

Super Boxer
I think we all know where you're coming from. Sometimes they drive you nuts but in the end we realise that WE just have to find from somewhere (anywhere)that extra bit of patience. I think you're doing all the right things.

I totally don't envy your bed problem. When Kona was a puppy she'd go under the dining room chairs and wouldn't come out for anything. Thankfully, she did outgrow that :)
 

MLMoore

Boxer Pal
Just another suggestion...

You may want to apply a clicker into you're training. When she does something you want her to repeat... click the clicker and treat her. It takes a bit of coordination on your part to get the timing down, and personally, I'm the biggest klutz there is, but I got used to it.

Part of positive reinforcement training is teaching your dog to make the right decisions. Most dogs will work for treats or playtime. If you use treats, I don't mean give her a milk bone every time she does right. A treat is just a taste, a way to tantalize her to try to get more. I've used things like hot dogs, or Van Patten's food that comes in a big roll (lasts FOREVER). Whatever you choose, the pieces should be VERY small.

Consistency! Never use the click without treating. Let her associate clicks with a HUGE success. Click and treat immediately following the "good deed". You should end up being like a slot machine. Payout big on the first successful act, NEVER pay out for something you didn't ask her to do. Going outside is something you are currently asking her to do, without telling her. So payout more often than not. To be sure she associates the click with a good deed, think of the click as taking a snapshot of something you want her to do. The treat is for a job well done. Never click without paying out with at list a little treat.

I think you'll see amazing results. I know that clicker training with my boxer has made her blossom into a dog ANYONE would be proud to own. (NOT that we weren't proud of her and LOVED HER to death before.). I just like the relationship I've built with her using the click/treat training. She's not afraid she made us angry, she knows what we want, and she really does turn herself inside out to do what's right. We've increased our "wiggle-butt" quotient by about 10 fold.

Good luck... Let us know how you make out, and what works for you any your boxer baby.
 

Bufords Pop

Boxer Buddy
some dogs are tougher than others to house train.. My 18 month old Lemme was that way.. What happens is everytime he empty's his bladder in the house it really sets his training back.. What I ended up doing was tethering him to my waist every minute he wasn't in his crate.. It worked like a charm and within 2 days I'd say he was trained, but we did it for a week anyway... He hasn't had an accident since (over a year).. We have a fenced in yard, and I'll be honest, there were times that I ASSUMED he went because he came running in.. Basically, I confused him... With the tether I was able to really train him up in what was expected from him as well as if he did have an accident I caught him in the act- which is the only time you can really correct him for an accident... Not to mention it really improved our bond- that dog is still tied to my waist, just now there's no string keeping him there :) Hang in there
 

Box Boys

Boxer Insane
Six months, as I think you know, is too young to expect your boxer baby to be fully housetrained. And, sometimes they do revert. Happened with mine. You're doing the right thing by praising her when she goes outside. I hope that you're actually praising her while she's outside though immediately after pottying outside. Praising her once she comes back inside is merely praising her for coming back inside. I would restrict where she can go while in the house for awhile so that you can keep a closer eye on her. Obviously, you know that anytime she wakes up from a nap, she needs to go out, or after she eats or spends playful time as well....take her out. It's great that she's never eliminated in her crate! You could even tether her to you with her leash (attach it to your belt or hold onto it); that way she goes where you go and you can watch her closely. Patience and consistency...just like with our human kids. She'll get there. Also, be sure to work with her...whether it's playing with her, teaching tricks or obedience to exercise her mind, the less bored she is the better off she'll be (and so will you).
 
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