FURIOUS!! can't leave him alone for 30 seconds

[nanabear]

Mack just turned 3 and he's much better - but.....
Counter surfing and stealing food have always been what gets him in the most trouble. You would think he was a street dog or one who had been mistreated - couldn't be farther from the truth. He has never had a meal be more than an hour late since he was 8 weeks old. He is simply food obsessed.

But just as you would do with a crawling baby or a toddler, you need to put away the things that get the dog in trouble. Winston probably doesn't bother that delicate knick-knack that you would move from a baby's reach - food is what interests him.
It's amazing how we have just slowly but surely changed our habits with this guy in the house - we just don't leave things around to tempt him, even dirty dishes call out to him.
Mack was not crated until shortly after he was 6 months and 65 pounds. He started jumping UP ONTO the counters in the wee small hours of the morning to cruise and see if there were dirty dishes from last night's dessert.
I would suggest, for starters you keep the trash in a cupboard with a closed door or get a good covered trash can for the kitchen.
I sympathize, I know how frustrated I used to get with Mack.

 

[dumerili03]

well that's the thing, i have crated from the day i got him, and he does fine now (but was previously a problem). i think he is a late bloomer cause he is still fairly small and skinny but eats like crazy (feeding nutro puppy, but that's not the issue), he was slow to adjust to the crate, etc. so i fear that it may be a while before he improves.
the funny thing is that when i give him commands, he is perfect: "heel" and he doesn't leave my side off leash, but the second i go away no matter what previous reprimand, he is mass trouble. i want to slowly wean him out of the crate when i'm gone, but it is a waiting game. before i even suspect that he has done something wrong, he looks as if he tore the couch to shreds. he's not stupid and nieve, he knows what he will be yelled at for. no matter what tone of voice or bodylanguage i use, he will go back and do the same thing 5 minutes later.
i just wish he'd mature a little. SOON!!!
jim

 

[cpanoh]

I have little hope at this point that I can really trust either one of my boxers alone very long. It is just like when my skinkid was a toddler and I had to keep a constant watch. It is pretty much like that with my boxers. I just expect it. Luckly our house is a split level so I often block them in the lower level family room which is pretty much dog proof and can peek down from the upper level often. I keep them in their crates when I can't watch them. I can trust my older boxer Krissy (1 and a half years) a little more than the puppy, so I guess it gets a little better the older they get.

 

[Tara Osment]

Try some Bitter Apple. My Fancy was a major trash raider both when I was home and awake, when I was home and asleep, and if I dared to leave the house without crating her. No amount of reprimands, timeouts, stern looks, stern "no" worked. The reward of people food was more enticing to her than not getting in trouble with mom. I started the Bitter Apple bit 2 weeks ago and she's only gotten into the trash one time since then and it used to be a daily, sometimes multiple times per day, thing for her. When you catch him in the trashcan, tell him no then open his mouth and spray the Bitter Apple on his tongue. Its not harmful but it does live up to its name in taste. After 2 sprays, Fancy then just got close enough to sniff the trashcan. She got a spray for that too. 4 Sprays and 2 weeks later, I have a Boxer that can be trusted not to get into the trash!

 

[Peggy G]

Originally posted by karens
Other times, I would set them up to fail, knowing they would take the bait and give them a verbal correction as I popped around the corner when they thought I had gone. Yes, it was a pain, and sometimes an inconvenience, but with some patience it worked for us.

This is an excellent idea. Make it like any other practice session. Set him up, hide, then when he "takes the bait" shake a can with pennys in it without letting him see you. Eventually he will connect the scary noise with what he is doing at the time and he wont think you need to be there in person for it to happen.

 

[douma]

crate isn't necessary

We have always had dogs and we have never used the crate.
It is very unusual here in Greece.
If you don't want to use the crate ,just think of your puppy as a child of 2-3 years old.
When we had to leave,even if it was for 5 minutes or 3 hours ,we would put all the dangerous things for the puppy on the shelves.
The leads were taken off of the sockets,the mobile phone,the keys,controls or everything else were up on the shelves.
There wasn't anything on the table or around the room and the floor was full of her toys,all the doors to the other rooms were closed and the same would happen during the nights.
Now that Avra is 19 months old ,at night all the doors remain open and Avra sleeps everywhere she likes.
We had only an accident,when she was 4 months old.
I had left her in the family room(empty of things)but the pillows were on the sofas..
When i came back ,i found all the room full of cotton of the pillow,then i didn't say anything ,i took Avra to an other room,i cleaned the mess and then i got her out and pet her as if i had seen her just then.
She has never done it again since than.

If you decide to leave your dog out of crate you won't need much work,just after a few days the decoration of your house will be like in ours,when Avra was puppy
The shelves were full of strange things ...even shoes instead of books.:D
It's an interesting decoration ..you could easily get used to it.
We prefer this better than the crate.
Hope it helps a little.
Good luck

http://photos.yahoo.com/sof22001

 

[erinfrances]

Congratulations, you own a boxer

Sorry to be a smart a**.

Seriously, I know its frustrating. But its really just they way they are.

I have three currently: 2 are 3 yrs., one is 5 yrs. I also had a fourth that passed at age 5.

So far this week: 1 pair of sneakers ruined (I left the closet door open by mistake).

1 roll of toilet paper shredded all over the living room (I left the bathroom door open by mistake).

Now the garbage thing I've gone through enough times to know that the garbage must be kept completely out of their reach. We have a babygate that keeps our boxers out of the kitchen. That's the only advice I can give you.

 

[Debbie Magon]

Like Douma said, everything should be out of a boxers reach.

Its not that hard to do , but YES , it takes dedication and an excellent memory:D

Over the years I too have endured "boxer attacks" on almost everything in and out of our home.

As boxers age they seem to lose interest with most of the "off limit" things and become trustworthy alone.

Because I have a new pup here every year I am now permanently in "puppy mode" so its not too difficult.


For those who cannot lock away their rubbish, how about a metal rubbish bin with a snaplock top and spray it with dog repellant on a regular basis?

 

[erinfrances]

If you try the Bitter Apple, buy a small amount at first. It doesn't work with the particulary determined Boxers.

My vet put Bitter Apple on the sutures of my Boxer, Moe after his neutering because they could tell that Moe was going to try and pull out his sutures. Well, he pulled them out anyway (Bitter Apple be damned!!!) Why they didn't just put one of those collars on the rascal, I'll never know.

 

[Shadrap]

Jim

Hi from South Africa

Gina is also a garbage raider.

We have accepted that to raid the garbage is rewarding for the dog. Once they learn what rewards can be found in the garbage, it is very difficult to stop.

We pick up garbage when Gina is alone and yes it is a pain to always remember, but it does become habit and Gina is no longer in trouble for it.

Win win situation.