help I'm almost ready to give up

[TheBoxerCrew]

:::::::Raises Hand:::::::

I have a naughty Boxer. George is 17mo old and cannot be trusted alone in or outside. I am not sure if it is curiousity, frustration or boredom (or a combo of any/all of the above), but he is a terror when left alone.

I have ALWAYS had my dogs crate trained (good for housebreaking, and later in cases of emergencies), but free in the house when I am gone.......not George. I couldn't tell you how much he as cost in damages, but they are my fault as much as his for trusting him over and over again. Kongs, etc......he would leave them lay and go for everything else, and we even tried med for separation anxiety at the urging of a vet........what a joke! I think it made him WORSE!

Having another dog (or two or three) around has toned him down SOME, but he is still naughty if left alone....not the girls......just George (the joys of webcams). I have resigned to the fact that he has to be crated when I am not home - for his safety as well as my sanity

I would suggest working with a behavioralist if there is one in your area (I do not have that luxury), and most certainly crate training her. If she is so destructive outside, does this mean she is alone out there? Does she have ANY toys or areas of the yard she CAN have toys/dig/play in?

I know it is frustrating, and you are about at your wit's end - but know that there are others of us out there who are/have gone through it, and many more who have yet to enjoy (erm......maybe not) the experience.

 

[tesster]

It doesn't sound like you've got problems that can't be solved in the classroom. You've got an untrained dog with too much freedom and lack of effective correction. I don't think you need a behaviorist. I think you need an obedience class to teach you how to properly train your dog.

One thing you really should open your mind to is that common wisdom (from experts and trainers) asserts that dogs have no moral conscience. They don't understand right versus wrong and they certainly don't understand the complex emotion of guilt. They crouch and cower because you're yelling and angry and they don't understand why, not out of guilt because of something they did 30 minutes ago.

If you're still not buying it, the next time you get angry at someone or something else in the presence of your dog when she's done nothing wrong, observe her behavior. She'll have the same reaction as when she has done something "wrong," 100% guaranteed.

Fortunately for us, although they don't understand right from wrong, they can LEARN what behavior gets them rewards and what behavior gets them punished/corrected. Once they learn that sitting when we say "sit" gets them a treat reward, they will sit when told. If she gets a little too rough in play and you stop playing with her, that's a negative result for the dog. She will eventually learn that play stops when she gets too rough.

Do you see? If you don't want her to chew up the trampoline pads, you cannot give her the opportunity to chew them if you're not there to correct and redirect the behavior. She starts showing interest in the pads, you correct her and give her a bone or a toy.

The key really is to supervise 100% of the time that she's not crated or confined. In many cases, like chewing, the behavior itself is the reward, so even if you're right and dogs do have a conscience, your anger and yelling has to be more of a deterrant than the reward of chewing. Most likely, it's not. Dogs, especially boxers, don't respond well to negative reinforcement. You have to compel the dog to make the right choice by offering a higher reward for doing what you want them to do than the reward of doing what they want to do.

I hope this helps. Try obedience classes and really try to make yourself open to the experience of others who have proven what works and what doesn't. What do you have to lose, right?

Best wishes!

 

[Kristi O.]

My husband and I have been in your shoes before....twice.....one extreme and one a little less extreme. When Jake, our blue heeler was young, he had a little of everything....separation anxiety, boredom, and curiousity. He caused so much damage to my husband's college apartment....chewed through walls, couches, pulled up carpet, linoleum, destroyed cabinets....you name it Jake had his mouth on it....we tried crating him but Jake did more damage to himself trying to get out that we couldn't do it anymore so the vet suggested that we play with him in the morning and when we got home....Jake knew exactly when he would get to spend time with us....my husband would get him tired in the morning before he left for class and when he would come home....yes, a tired dog is a happy dog....it worked....it stopped the excessive destruction...yes, he still had his moments but in time he grew out of the stage. Our other extreme was with Scarlett, our female boxer, she couldn't be trusted anywhere so we had to crate her.....she did very well in her crate and eventually was trusted to be out of her crate even at night while we slept....it just took time and a LOT of patience. She actually preferred her crate...it was her private retreat to relax
After all this, I understand what you are feeling....it was hard for the both of us but we didn't give up on them and found ways to alleviate the situation....I truly believe that some of it comes with maturity and you still have a baby so until she learns I would try crating her and try tiring her out in the morning and as soon as you get home so she knows its her time......good luck!!!!

 

[jenjones28]

Don't give up! Your puppy sounds just like our 2-year-old boxer, Bindi. Before we started crating her, Bindi ate our couch (yep, tore the whole thing into tiny bits), un-carpeted our stairs, chewed up tons of clothes, and ruined things that we never even thought she could get to. I never wanted to crate her as it seemed cruel to me, but as a last resort we got her a crate at about age 1 or so, and it has saved our house and our boxer! When we first got it, we tried to coax her in with treats, etc. but the first time I locked the door she went crazy. When we let her out she got lots of treats and lots of praise. We had to do this exactly twice before she would run into her crate when we got out her special treats. I wish we could trust her out, but she is put in her crate EVERY TIME we leave the house, even if it's just for a few minutes, and she doesn't seem to mind at all.

 

[Slobber Baby]

Patience, patience, patience it is still a puppy and I believe she is bored.I rotate the toys so its like they get new ones only its ones they haven't seen in a while they have never liked the kongs. Keep us posted and try classes..she thinks shes the boss and you need to turn it around..

Laura