Hard headed male pup

[saschaNsarge]

Good Morning Boxer world! I am at a total loss for the behavioral issues we seem to be having w our new male boxer! He is sooooo stubborn and hard headed. You take him out to go potty he does everything in the world but do his business, when you finally give up and take him back in the house within seconds he uses the restroom. I have tried everything I can think of from taking him out on a leash, to taking him out alone, and I have tried the praising and treating when he does go potty outdoors. He is 12 weeks old and doesnt seem to be catching on to any of the habits of our 3 yr old boxer or to the things we are trying to teach him. He sometimes acts as if he can not even hear us we will call and call and call him and he just goes about his merry way in doing whatever it is he was doing. He is sooo rough he has every kind of toy you could imagine but he always seem to go on the prowl for something that does not belong to him a pair of shoes, my daughters toys, the coffee table, the corner of the couch. We have tried scolding him by placing him in the kennel in time out for misbehaviors. He barks, yelps, whines the entire time he is in there. I am becoming a little frustrated with him as our female was sooo easy to train. She was house broke within a week of being in our home. We never had any problems with her chewing on things that were no her toys, She was sitting upon command, learning to speak, shake, and lay on command. I know that each dog is very different and I probably should not compare the two of them, but it is all I have to go by. I am just truely at a loss as to what to do to spark his intrest in becoming a well behaved part of our family. Any help will be greatly appreciated!

 

[ehayes21]

First off, take a deep breath. I think you are expecting a bit too much from him right now. All dogs are not created equal, so your pup may not be as easy as your female was. At 12 weeks it's simply not possible for the pup to fully understand what house training is all about, in fact I wouldn't expect the pup to have a grasp on housebreaking until around the 6 month mark - his brain is simply not that advanced yet. Until that point you just have to stay consistent and set him up for success. Take him out on a leash to a specific spot, ignore him if he tries to play and praise him like he just won the lottery the instant he's finished going. I would also employ some tasty treats to reward him with along with the praise. Use this treat only for rewarding potty times and make sure it's something he really flips for. If he doesn't go, don't allow him to roam free - tether him to you and try again in another 5-10 minutes until he's successful. Also since he hasn't earned his freedom don't allow him access to the whole house when he can't be watched. Here's a great read on potty training:
Housetraining

As for the coming when called, you have to make yourself more exciting than what he's currently interested in. Here is a great article on teaching recall:

Teaching A Reliable Recall

As for the chewing - keep stuff picked up as much as you can and keep rooms off limits. When you catch him chewing on the sofa, interrupt him with a "AH-AH" and get him interested in a puppy approved item. It might take a few tries but consistency is key.

Lastly, never ever use the crate as punishment - it should a happy place for him. Teaching the pup what you want him to do instead is better than scolding and you do this by lots of redirection and praise.

Good luck!

 

[baxtercruz]

Great response by ehayes21... there are a lot of helpful tips there. I just wanted to let you know that my sweet lovable boy was once a butthead pup too- selective hearing, chewing the heels of many beloved pairs of high heels, my boyfriends hats, anything that wasn't his- although it wasn't for lack of his own toys. Persistence does pay off- my boyfriend made a remark the other day about how Baxter actually seems to know what we want him to do now (he is 3 1/2 now, but he's made a lot of progress). He can be trusted in the house, and he is an angel boy MOST of the time.

I just want to echo the point about not using the crate as punishment- they don't understand scolding, they just see that you are upset and they end up thinking their crate is a bad place, instead of being their safe den. When he has something he's not supposed to, say no and give him something that is his- and praise praise praise when he chews on that instead.

They can be frustrating, but if you stick with it and watch him all the time- catch him in the act, not afterward- and show him over and over what behavior you expect from him- you will end up with a dog that you really enjoy.

 

[ehayes21]

Persistence does pay off- my boyfriend made a remark the other day about how Baxter actually seems to know what we want him to do now (he is 3 1/2 now, but he's made a lot of progress). He can be trusted in the house, and he is an angel boy MOST of the time.

This is so true. Rowdy was a handful his first two years of life and then one day he transformed into a dog that acted like he had a brain. It's magical when that happens...and while I questioned my sanity at times, consistency an patience is most definitely key.

 

[Abby Angel]

We have a very hard headed female boxer. She is 7 months old now. I decided to do the LOOK command. I make her sit I squat and point to my nose and tell her LOOK...I keep repeating until she LOOKS,then I give her ,her command. It is very time consuming but works for her. When going potty..I would let her smell the treat..tell her GO POTTY..let her smell it again...LOOK command. She is a mule head! She will eye things up and just wait for you to turn your head and then grab it and run. She isn't a chewer but doesn't want me on the phone or to wear socks.... You have to be SO consistint..that is the key! Our other female boxer was totally different...just like our kids are. Their crate is their safe place..their den..their home. When Abby needs some time out to just settle down cause she is just besides herself I will make her go in her crate to chill out...but she ends up falling asleep right away. Almost like she doesn't know how to unwind. I wish you the best of luck and stay cool...he loves you,he is just a baby in his learning years.
__________________________________
Marie..mom to

Maggie~fawn/white flashing
12/16/08 at the bridge

Abby~brindle/white flashing
DOB 12/21/08

 

[saschaNsarge]

Thank you all soooo much for your suggestions and input! I will for sure be using the tips and suggestions I have gotten from all of you! We love him to death and will work until we get it right. Just hope I dont jump off the roof before that happens..... LOL He is soooo funny and soooo vocal. He loves to play and loves attention and if you dont give him the attention when he ask for it he will attack your feet, bark at you and lunge at you until you give him the attention. Thanks again to all of you!