New Boxer

[jekdes]

Hi Everyone,
I just got a boxer puppy. He is now 3 months old. It has been 3 weeks now that I have him. I am glad I found this web site because it answered many of my questions but I have a few more for all you other owners out that maybe can help me.

Now this is my first puppy so some of these may sound basic but I have to ask....
1. He goes to the bathroom ALOT. I mean he can go #1 and #2 up to 3-4 times in 2 hours. We are not feeding him more than the Vet told us (one cup of dry food in morning and night) We fed him treats one day and that was a big mistake. He did #2 up to 6 times in 1 hour so we figured this was not a good thing.

2. He barks ALOT!! And gets VERY excited when he meets people and is BITING EVERYTHING!!!! I know he is teething but is there anything that we can give a puppy that would help. We were told to give him ice cubes but keep away from bones as off yet.

3. He took to his create GREAT and has not had an accident in there yet (well had one). We were told to use these WEE-WEE pads are these good. Right now we have a deck and as soon as we get home he goes right out. Is it hard to housebreak him? Will it be hard since he is getting used to going out on the deck? Well he ever hold his bladder?
Well think that is enough for now (I think to much!!!)

Thanks again and I will keep reading!!

James

 

[Billysmum]

Congrats on your new pup, and I'm glad you're enjoying this board - I'm addicted, i visit every day!

What is the pup's name and what colour is he?

With regard to toileting, it sounds about right. they do go very often but soon you'll realise that it's getting less. When my dogs were pups the treats gave them the runs too, so it's probably better to use a little bit of his normal food as a treat instead. Before you know it he'll be asking to go out and you'll realise that it's only a few times.

My younger dog is 18 mths and sometimes he doesn't go out at all in the evening and then about 10pm I take them both out before bedtime and he still won't go and he never wakes us in the night - just holds it until about 7.30am!

One thing you could try is to give him his tea no later than say 5pm and then he might not need a No 2 in the night because he'll have done it in the early evening.

Good luck.

 

[Tulsa-Dan]

Puppies are growing rapidly and they will tend to go to the bathroom more than adult dogs. They need stable diets and schedules when they are puppies. Part of your housebreaking work should be to schedule the "business" breaks so that the dog gets used to going on a schedule. At 3 months, it would be advisable to take the dog out for potty breaks every 2 hours, and upon waking from sleep/naps and after playing. Puppies will normally have "accidents" after playing. You can avoid a lot by taking them out immediately at the end of any play sessions.

Each month, you can shave off 1/2 hour to one hour and take them out a little less frequently, but still after waking, before bed, after play sessions.

It takes time and patience.

Food might be a consideration too. Perhaps the food is too rich for the puppy. Unless your dog is not growing properly, I would not advise overfeeding. It can be problematic, especially for dogs such as boxers which are prone to bloat. All boxer puppies look skinny for a good long time. Different parts grow at different rates and their ribs show for quite a few months before they begin to "fill out." Weigh your puppy weekly and you'll know for sure if it is growing or not. I'm sure you'll be surprised to see a gain in weight on the scales before you actually see it on the dog.

As for biting and teething, I would suggest doing a search on this site (hit the search button) and using key words "biting" and you'll find literally hundreds of posts on the subject and equally as many suggestions as to how to control the biting problem. It is perfectly normal for puppies to go through the biting stage.

Teething: I used to dampen a washcloth, put it in the freezer and then freeze it and give it to Maggie when she was teething. It soothed her hurting gums and gave her something to chew on at the same time (other than my furniture). She got through that stage just fine. If you give ice cubes, you need to watch them pretty carefully so they don't choke on it as it melts and they try to swallow it.

Wee wee pads are generally used for training a dog to go INSIDE. If you take your dog outside for "business" breaks, then don't use the wee wee pad. You'll only confuse the dog. You need to establish RIGHT NOW where and when you want the dog to do his business. Housebreaking starts the first day you bring the dog home. Don't wait any longer.

There are many good books as well on housebreaking and many articles and "how tos" on the internet on housebreaking. You can also do a search on this site for keywords "housebreaking" and/or "house training" for a vast amount of information on this subject as well.

Good luck and enjoy your new puppy!!

 

[Cherokee]

I started replying to your post yesterday but got called away and didn't get to finish.
#1 is normal. I've heard if you put them on an eating schedule it helps regulate them. Although since he is still a puppy expect for him to go frequently. Dan said it best and I've read the same thing in many books and from posters here.
#2 also normal I don't know about the barking since Cherokee was never much of a barker and still isn't. She only gets vocal when playing and it's more of a growl than a bark. It's due to the excitement. Every now and then she lets out a bark and scares herself because she forgets she has a voice. It's actually pretty funny to see. But the biting is very normal because he's teething. They say to keep them entertained with different kinds of chew toys. It helps with the teething as well as keeping them too preocupied to look for something else. Try a variety of different items so that he can have a pick. Ice is very good. Cherokee loves it and thinks of it as a treat. I bought ice trays that were shaped like bones and I try to give her a variety of flavors in it. Just like with kids you should keep an eye on them always making sure he doesn't choke or get into anything he's not supposed to. I also bought a canvas bone that you wet and put in the freezer but it would be cheaper and the same to do as Dan suggested using a washcloth.
#3 as for the wee wee pads. yes they are for indoor training but can also be used outdoors. i don't recommend them because personally i think they're a waist of money. How do I know this? Because even though I used them to train Cherokee to go indoor at our old place she would go on them once and wouldn't go back on. So I had to keep replacing them even if she only did a few drops. it might be different for you but honestly I think you can do with out them. I used newspapers after that. They worked just fine. since I moved she's learned to go out doors which is a whole lot better, cleaner and my bathroom doesn't have to be cleaned everytime she goes. She also learned to go in the patio in case of an emergency. They are very smart if you take the time to teach them they'll do it. they want to please you so believe me with time and patience your puppy will grow into a beautiful trained happy Boxer.
Don't be shy to ask questions we've all been through similar situations and everyone here is wonderful and always willing to help. Let us know how it goes.

 

[Tucker's_mom]

Just another thing about the going #2 a lot...

What type of food are you feeding your puppy? When we first got Tucker he was on Purina puppy chow and he too went ALL THE TIME. After taking the suggestions of some others on this board, we switched him to Nutro Natural for Large Breeds-Puppy food. He now just goes #2 at the most 3 or 4 times a day.

The better quality the dog food, the more it is absorbed by their bodies, the less waste there is.

I think all your other questions were answered very well by the other poster's.

Congrats on your new puppy! Aren't boxers the best?!?!?

 

[Raynas mom]

Just a little note on the pee pee pads DONT USE THEM... no you can if you want....but we had a horrible experiance with them.....we were not creating Rayna and we kept her in our bedroom while we were gone (first dog ever) she was really good about not chewing anything up (thank goodness) and she would use the pee pee pads...except when she would go pee....it would leak off the sides onto are carpet.....at first we didnt know...then it started SMELLING......well thats when we had to rent a carpet cleaner TWICE.....and then we thought whats going to happen when she gets bigger....im sure the pee and poo get bigger too

We now keep her in the kitchen with a gate- she goes pee and poo in the morning and holds it till we get home appicon

The first part of this was a nightmear....and really I have no idea what made us use those pads in the first place....did we really think she was going to use those forever??? pluse they arnt cheep...we spent alot of money on those things

well we learned our lesson......just thought i would share