Kona Refuses Dog House

[garvinsmum]

We had a doghouse for a while. Garvin would only get in it if the roof was off! I imagine we could have got him to accept the roof being on but we moved interstate and left the doghouse behind.
Apparently this roof thing is not uncommon. If your dog house has a removeable roof you could try getting her used to it with no roof on first.

 

[backfist]

Excellent idea!!! I'll try it.

 

[bayleighmom]

Maybe it's the male/father in me, but I couldn't with any self-respect, utter the words "my Boxer's afraid of the dark" any more than I could say so about my 15 year old son. Must be a guy thing.

<had to at least get one little shot in >

Bayleigh's afraid of the dark! She won't go out unless we turn on the light. But she is the biggest cowars!

 

[KonaKoffe]

I don't know what it is about Igloos, but dogs love 'em. I might look into switching.

Someone asked if Kona's house is new or used; nope. Brand new. No other dogs. I don't know think any other animal's ever gone in there since it's in an enclosed area. But who knows; last month we had a week-long cold snap where temps were got down to -20. Kona was in the house that whole week, so maybe the neighborhood bobcat took up residence in there for a while.

Glad you considered our advice. I was thinking about your Kona, possibly out in the cold last night, while I was cuddling with my snoring Kona in bed last night. [My husband pointed out that you are concerned enough to at least be asking even tho your original question went off on a tangent. He says ignore the tone - take the advice ]

Bobcats!!! That's a a real concern. I hope you have the dog house in a secure fenced area, (not just with Kona on a leash or chain) so if Kona is out alone the wild animals can't get to her. Just a thought. We have coyotes in our area that have killed people's unattended pets in their backyards. Just a thought. Please don't leave her outside when no one is home either alot of bad things can happen to her.

Maybe if you crawl in the dog house yourself (seriously) and encourage Kona to come in with you she won't be so afraid of the dog house. I did that with my Kona when I was trying to get her used to her crate. She may think she is being punished by being put outside if this is not her normal routine. Both the physical stress ( extreme temperature changes) and the mental stress may be effecting her digestive system too.

Add some daily plain yogurt ( 1 tablespoon) to help her with digestive problems. Yogurt is a godsend with boxer's digestive system.

 

[backfist]

Yep, we've got bobcats, bears and the occasional mountain lion in our neck of the woods. For that reason, I went overboard and made her dog run a fortress. It's 8 feet high, completely covered and combo locked (those racoons are pretty handy picking locks). Nothing's getting to her when she's in there.

She loves yogurt. She'd eat it by the drum if we'd let her.

 

[KonaKoffe]

Use the yogurt like medicine. Too much might cause problems too.

Make sure she isn't eating something in her kennel area that might be upsetting her system (ie plants etc) . At that age they still put everything in their mouth. My Kona is never left unattended outside because there is too much outside inthe garden that she could eat that would make her sick plus we have a pond which she has already fallen into once when she was little. Luckily, we only have killer squirrels and rabbits with an occasional skunk to worry about.

 

[MoxyRoxy]

Glad to hear Kona is in. Boxers are a special breed. And my girl has a sensitive tummy too. We've tried all kinds of things. When it is off, she gets brown rice and boiled chicken. She loves that the most. She would prefer that EVERY night. Good luck!

 

[CondoPup]

I've decided to move the family to Hawaii. This should resolve the problem.

Go ahead and move to Hawaii. Then PLEASE STILL bring your boxer inside!!!
These are extremely social animals, and as the moderator has already mentioned, they NEED TO BE WITH THEIR PACK. Leaving the dog alone, outside, isolated from its family is abusive and cruel - even if it was warm and not risking her life and health, which it IS!

And to be banned to the yard for any reason, but especially for vomiting and diarrhea... hello, what has the vet said about that? It could be any number of serious conditions and the poor thing can't help being ill, it is YOUR responsibility to get medical attention for your dog... not like the dog can take itself to the clinic and ask for help getting beyond whatever is causing the vomiting and diarrhea. Were you planning to let her just keep going that way, as long as it is outside??

The thought of that poor baby shivering outside, lonely, and not understanding why it can't be around its people, turns my stomach. Your being glib about it with the comment about moving to Hawaii tells me you should seek out another breed and give the boxer to a family which understands what this breed is all about. Surely there is a less social, well-coated breed out there for you if that's what dog ownership means to you. Please don't do this to a boxer!

 

[CondoPup]

Kona's inside. And will stay inside.

Vet confirmed what I had read and heard from other owners: Boxers tend to have digestive problems that are, at times, inexplicable. Continue on with the current high quality food. No worms; no parasites to speak of at this point though.

Thank heavens!!!
I won't say sorry for the above message, I am passionate about these dogs (and you will be too as you continue on your journey with Kona) but I do apologize for the timing. I only could stand to read about the first three pages before I had to post a reply, I was so upset. I should have held out and read the remaining posts first.
I'm glad you got her in to the vet and that there are no worms or parasites... maybe explore the food you're feeding her, a premium food actually costs about the same as a junky food (as you feed less quantity) and carries the benefit of often stabilizing their digestive issues once you find the right one. What the vet calls a high quality food may not actually be, check out your brand by doing a search in the feeding forum and see if it has been discussed and what the moderators, especially, have to say about it.
I'm so relieved to know she's inside and warm tonight... thank goodness!

 

[BentlysMom]

Igloos are great, but remember that boxers, along with many other dogs, need to be with their pack. Here DH and I are the alphas and everyone knows that, they also know that when it gets cold everyone is coming inside for a slumber party. I just know that I would never let Bently spend the night out here until summer, and then I'm not sure. He loves being with our other boys but his build and fur are so different we will have to wait and see. Please give your baby a hug from Bently and myself tonight