Help! I'm at my wits end!

[Daisy&Dixie]

I have 2 female boxers, 13 months old. They are driving me crazy. I keep thinking they're going to behave at some point. They've been through obediance training, and behaved wonderfully in class. But at home, they only mind if we have a treat in our hands. If there's no treat, they completely ignore us. They continually dig in the trash, jump up and get on the counter and table. We had to buy inground fencing to keep our dogs from jumping the fence. They jump the fence to the garden and tear it up. It's a nighmare trying to take them for a walk. They tor apart the hamster cage and killed our hamster. I can't even count the number of shoes we've lost. But the biggest problem is, they jump up and bite my kids when they're ouside and walk towards the house. They don't do it everytime, but often enough. I don't want to get rid of them, because I don't believe in just getting rid of a dog. I know they're still puppies. But I don't know how much more of this I can handle. What do I do now?

 

[tesster]

First of all, it sounds like your 2 have an awful lot of opportunities to get into mischief. You need to remove all items that they can chew on and replace them with appropriate items. My girl is a destructer and that is the ONLY way to keep shoes from being eaten. Keep things off the counter and keep the trash locked up. Child locks work great. If your dogs jump up on the counter and get something, their behavior has been rewarded. If they jump up and don't find anything, eventually, they'll knock it off.

Are you training often? You probably need to be training them for at least 15 minutes every day. Use a word like "Good dog" when you give a treat, so eventually "Good dog" will be the reward. Remember, they don't speak English, they just know that sound means they get a treat most times.

Exercise? How much are they getting per day? They need at least 1 hour of exercise a day.

If you work on those three things, you should notice the problems lessen.

Good luck!
Julie

 

[Daisy&Dixie]

We have a 2 acre back yard, so exercise is not an issue. I try my best to keep all shoes put up, counters & tables cleared off, but with 3 kids, ages 9, 10 & 12, it's easier said than done.

But my real issue is the biting. And, so far, they've only bit my oldest 2 kids.

 

[sgbtab]

well in IMO these dogs need to learn who is the boss in the family.and that would be you. you need to instill the nilif(nothing in life is free) attitude. they need to work for everything they get. even if it is just to sit. you need to eat ahead of them and if you are not hungry just take a little bite of something. you could also try to put there dishes on the counter with the food in it and not let them have it till you say it is ok.your children can help with the feeding like putting the food down and saying when it is ok to eat. it is hard but when they know who is the leader they will want to be lead. good luck. also another thing about them biting it is difficult but you will need to turn your back on them and not play soon they will get the picture that if they jump you will not give them any attention.

 

[Checkers]

My suggestion, completly ignore them. Dont say anything, make eye contact or respond to them in any way. If they jump on the counter, walk over, grab her collar and lead her off not looking or speaking at her. Or lead her to another room and shut the door. Teach them that if they want to be patted, they must sit first. If they want to go outside, they must sit. Try and get your kids involved in this. If the dogs go up to the kids they must sit before the kids will touch or talk to them. When feeding always eat before them, even if its just a cookie. Thats another thing your kids can do because it shows the leader always eats first.

By doing these types of things you are saying to them "i decide what happens and when, not you".

If you havent read it yet, the Dog Listener by Jan Fennell is a good book.

If you are worried about them getting into things try making a 'doors are always shut in the house' rule so you can put things of value behind closed doors.

It must be really hard for you, but keep on trying! Hopefully things will calm down eventually Good luck!

 

[apollosdad]

if your two boxers are siblings from the same litter, then that is one of the reasons for them ignoring you. when two dogs from the same litter are taken and placed into a new home and their position in the hierarchy isn't established from early on, then they will be more focused on each other than with human relationships. it is often advised that when taking two dogs from the same litter, that they be seperated from one another enough to help establish individual relationships with the owners and other family members. if they are taken to do everything together, then they will continue to feed off of each others playfulness and as a result, lack the focus involved.
out of curiosity, were they taken to obedience class together or seperate?
do they sleep together? do they eat together?
have they ever been kept apart from one another?

in addition to that, puppy-proofing your home is very important. in order to set your dog up for success, everything has to be done in order to ensure their success. it might seem like lots of work, but it will pay off in time.

having a large yard doesn't necessarily guarantee that they are getting enough exercise. in addition to the abundant space, boxers, need mental stimulation as well physical stimulation. interacting with them outside by playing fetch, chase, etc, will help ensure that they get some 'hard' exercise time.

 

[Daisy&Dixie]

Yes they do everything together. They are "sort of" litter mates. Breeder has 2 females and 1 male. Same father, each puppy was from each of the 2 females, born a week apart. So they grew up in the same house together, playing together. They took obedience class together, took walks together (when they were small enough to handle on walks), sleep, eat, play and get into mischeif together. This is our first attempt at having more than one dog, so we have no idea what's the best way to raise 2 dogs. I'm going to buy the book The Dog Listener today and hope it helps. I'm also going to get 2 more leashes (they chewed up the last set we bought.) and start taking walks with them individually. As far as the children, should they be the ones outside playing with them? (With adult supervision of course) It seems the biting is their way of trying to initate playtime. Because it always happens when the kids are walking towards the house to come in.

 

[darlowad]

hi my dogs just turned 3 and only now do i feel i have control over him!!

its a long hard road but u get there in the end!!!

stick with it and the rewards way outdo the your worrys in the end!!

even tho i have control over my dog now i still respect him for who he is and let him have his off day as we all do evey now and again !!

remember dogs are not robots and are individuals like us !!!!

i was @ the point of giving up not long ago but stuck with it!!!

glad i did !!

just to note my dog still dosnt recall off the lead so im still working hard with him!!

 

[Ak_Red]

Most of what I was going to say has already been said. Something I can add that may help is the part about nipping your kids. On the dog's side, that's where the training and work comes in. But you need to educate your kids too. I have two males boxers and some of the things I did to help my boys (11,8,7) get along better were:

1. Explain that boxers (dogs in general) WILL chase if you suddenly start running. My boys would jump up and run, and D.C. would nip at their heels and butt. If they stand up slowly and walk D.C. would follow with no nipping. It's instinct. I can't tell you how many times I have asked my three furless boxers "What happens when you run from a dog?!" In return I get the chorus "He will chase you!"

2. I don't know if this would pertain to female dogs, but I had to constantly tell them NOT to lay down with their butts in the air. The reson for this is obvious. I also had to tell them this is a no-no for D.C. My two youngest thought it was funny. I had to make sure they told him "NO!" and stood up. My friend had a female boxer who started humping when she was spayed, so it may be something to keep in mind.

3. Tell them not to hit them in the head, stand on them, grab/hold feet, or try to put stuff (i.e. crayons) in their ears. Boxers are remarkably tolerant of young ones, but there are limits. Stress the not hitting on the head bit. Boxers aren't BIG dogs, but they are big enough and you don't want them skittish of hands around their head.

Training doesn't stop with your boxer. They learn fast (D.C. learned faster than my boys did!) but you need to educate your kids too. Sorry this is so long.