He is driving me to Insanity

Status
Not open for further replies.

mmccown

Boxer Booster
Yes, you have entered teenage years! Rebel hit that phase about 8 months and it lasted until....well....it still rears its ugly head sometimes and he is 2 years old :)

We have been in obedience classes since he was 4 months, so it wasn't a question of command observance. Rather it was his intense desire to drive 'mommy' wild! He would get this wild eyed look and tear off running. He would not come to me when called (by ignoring him and walking away he would lose interest in everything but me), he would dig (a pond around the ac unit), he would grab stuff off the counter (muffins, telephone directories, bills, paychecks, etc) and in general be a badass beastie! On a positive note, he never chewed my shoes, pooped in the house or barked incessantly.

I must admit, that while his behavior drove me to distraction sometimes, he was so amazingly sweet and cuddly that I never got too upset with him. If he got something he wasn't supposed to have, it was my fault for not putting it away. If he ran away while in the park, it was my fault for not having him on a lead. If he was overly exuberant, it was my fault for not exercising him enough. Looking back I DID lose about 5 pounds during this time, probably from ensuring I had a sleepy teenage Boxer!!!

Even now, at a ripe 2 years, Rebel can still get into a heap of trouble. Only now, he has his rescue brother Blue, and any number of fosters to help him :D Suffice to say, my landscaper is about to give up on me, if I ask him to re-lay drip lines again!!!!!

Enjoy your beastie!

Marnie
 

Nedra's_momma

Completely Boxer Crazy
Sounds like a typical boxer teenager to me! :LOL: Nedra is 11 months old and still going through it. I have to say that the best thing we did about it is enroll her in obedience classes while she is going through this stage. It just helps to reinforce what we already had in place with the luxury of a controlled distraction environment.

Good luck, I heard they typically start to settle down around 1.5 years. smashicon

I'm right there with you! :LOL:
 

monty'smum

Completely Boxer Crazy
Monty is coming up to 2and a half but still has these frustrating moments.

He hates being told "NO" , or "LEAVE IT" . He will pretend to go along with me for a while, but suddenly that evilicon looks appears and he will turn tail and race back to to the forbidden fruits. He knows full well I am no match for him in a running contest.
 

MandyMom

Completely Boxer Crazy
Originally posted by Boomer'sPapa


See, Cooper is testing your patience. :D What a good boy! :LOL:

Cheers,

That's it!! No male bonding needed here! Stay away from my dogs!
:LOL:
 

jenniemitchell

Boxer Booster
Phew

Now I understand why suddenly Diablo needs to run outside and drag in the dirt the small area rugs, pillows, etc. Why he's fascinated with leading the hose in a parade around the yard, why he can't "hear" me when I tell him to get out of the mud! Thanks, all, and I do hope he grows out of this (as I write he's chewing through a wicker filing cabinet).
 

Nakota

Boxer Booster
Originally posted by Karen1


Enjoy your teenager and be thankful he has 4 legs instead of 2.

;)

Also be thankful it's just crazy boxer antics, a young boxer having fun and testing your patience. You'll look back on this someday, when your old boxer starts having age-related health problems, and you'll wish for the "crazy teenage boxer problems" again.

Just be firm, but gentle and fair, in your training, and enjoy his craziness.

Brody went thru that stage too, but I tried to stay firm with commands. But I don't think there's ever been a day gone by that he didn't make me laugh hysterically. I appreciate every day with him and love that boy so much it hurts!
 
S

Sandi

Guest
Thanks everyone for the GIGGLES.... I love all the mental pics here :)

Bella & Baxter have never pooped or peed in the house, but they have certainly chewed up shoes, window casings, sheetrock and even cabinetry.
That stage is finally over and I am most grateful. I guess they were 6-9 months old at the time.

They graduated from indoor chewing (don;t forget they totally ignored the 1 million chew toys laying about) to Landscape/excavation 101.
The B's are now almost 2 and they love to pull my newly planted shrubbery up and chase each other with it. Forget spraying with pepper spray, crushed red pepper or anything remotely hot/spicy.. They dearly love Tex-Mex!!

I have to sit outside with them ~ spray bottle/garden hose in hand ~ spritz them each time they get close to the shrubbery.
Gotts love those looks you get when you spritz them with water.. as if to say "Hey!!! thats water you know!"

Every tree in our yard has at least 4 coats of sealant spray on them.. Bella & Baxter have contests to see who can pull off the largest sheet of bark!

If they could mimic any one word of mine it could very easily be "Aaaacccckkkk!"
 

ttereve

Boxer Pal
Probably the best thing you can do, is get him into an obedience training class, preferably a private one, not group sessions. In about 4 or 5 weeks you will see a big difference in your boy. I did this with my dog and it was amazing how fast she caught on. It does take some work and effort on a daily basis, but it is well worth it. If you can't go to a class there many good books on obedience training that you could get. The sooner you do it the better, it's hard to break bad habits, but easy to teach good ones.

Good luck
 

Peggy G

Boxer Insane
The same thing happened to us when Scarlet turned 9 months old. I also posted about it. I got a lot of great info. (link below) I have also seen simular other posts from the "proud" owners of 9 month olds. Hang in there. This is the age that many dogs end up in shelters. Many people dont realize it just a phase and they give up. Go back to the basics of puppy training. He may just be testing you for the Alpha position. Here's the link to my cry for help when Scarlet was 9months old.

http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=9103&highlight=scarlet
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top