Please tell me it will be good someday (long)

[bayleighmom]

Hang in there!

Things will get better! You have to remember she is still a puppy. Bayleigh is almost a year old (Dec. 18) and she still gets into a lot of stuff.

We don't have the problem with the crate or the submissive urination. But if I leave, DH says she whines and paces almost the entire time I am gone.

We have pretty much given up our social life to be home with Bayleigh or she goes with us if at all possible. But I wouldn't trade her for anything!

She is a handful and needs constant attention just like a skin baby.

Bayleigh freaks on walks if she sees another dog. Barking, pulling, etc. She thinks she has to greet every dog. I finally bought an Easy Walk Harness and it has worked wonders.

The training classes will also help.

I know sometimes our babies are a pain in the @$$ but they love us unconditionally! Try some of the advice given...this is a great place for help!

 

[KonaKoffe]

Things will get soooooo much better!!!!!!!!!!!! Sounds like you don't have skin kids either. Yes, just like kids you have to constantly chase after them, train them, correct them, discipline them, love them, attend to them,entertain them, take things away from them, love them, nurse them when they are sick, love them, spoil them, keep an eye on them. Yes they will test your patience!!!! Alot!!!

They are just four legged kids. One good thing, they grow up faster and you don't have to send them to college.
Hang in there!!! If it didn't get better you wouldn't have so many people on here who just LOOOOOVVVEEEE BOXERS!!!!!!

 

[DACpuppy]

My vet recommended for dogs that do submissive urination: when people come to visit or you walk in the room to greet her get down to her level. My mom and dad had a dog that was really bad for submissive urination especially with large men. We started getting people to greet at eye level and she stopped peeing all over the place.

 

[boxerchick12]

First of all, don't give up!!! Another thing I noticed, you said she was a puppy, if your signature is right, she was born in April, making her about 8 months old, so she could be starting adolescence, which could be affecting her S.A. and destructiveness. I would definitely work on the boundary thing (I've also "attached a pup" to me before, like Samsonite suggested, loop their leash through your belt and it's no inconvenience for you) and also would start to incorporate NILF (nothing in life is free) make her sit and stay before putting her food bowl down, etc.
About the walking thing - you definitely need a better harness/leash combo. Also, (and I'm not trying to hurt your feelings or anything) if you were correctly walking an 8 month old girl, she should NOT have been able to pull you into on-coming traffic (I would also, like someone else suggested, make sure she is NOT deaf) Walk her closely beside you and keep her restrained. Also, if you have problems with submissive urination, she is not a very dominant pup, and if you are walking her with a long lead or especially with a retractable, and you meet another dog, car, person, whatever and then you reel her in, you are teaching her that other dogs, people, whatever is BAD. She doesn't see it as a protection thing, she sees you are removing her from it so it must be BAD and this won't help with her fears and such. During walks, keep her as close as possible to you, until she gets better, that way she is not freaked out by you "freaking out" and pulling her back.

 

[tesster]

It sound like little Miss. Emma isn't getting enough energy out. Honestly, all of the things you are having trouble with will improve by a large percentage with more exercise. Whatever you're doing, no matter how much it is, isn't enough for adolecent Emma.

A gentle leader is a great tool for walking a puller. Tess was a big time puller.

Daily training is a good idea as well. Just 10-15 minutes of practicing sit, stay, or whatever commands she knows and teaching new ones. They need mental stimulation and exercise as badly as physical. A couple of pointers - Train when the dog is hungry. Stop training if the dog doesn't comply with commands the first time. Don't keep saying, "sit, sit, sit, sit" This reinforces that your commands are optional. If she's not complying or interested, don't get frustrated, stop training for a bit and start over when she's more interested.

Fussing in the crate could be SA, but it doesn't sound terribly severe yet. I think you should go back to some remedial crate training. That's a good place to start. (Search Crate training here) Also make coming and going very non eventful, don't fuss over them when you leave or when you get home. The best thing to do is to ignore the dog completely when you get home for several minutes. Blur signs that you're leaving (do a search on separation anxiety here for more details). Don't respond to attention-seeking behaviors (i.e. barking in the crate, jumping on you). You must ignore this kind of behavior if it's to stop. Only reward calm/submissive behavior with attention.

Finally, Nothing in Life for Free (NILF). She doesn't eat unless she sits. She doesn't get pet unless she sits. She has to give you something for everything she gets.



You have a few really standard problems here, but focus on one at a time. First, up the exercise, then start short training sessions every day. That alone should help and make the rest much better.

 

[Emily_7538]

I am so sorry that you are having trouble with Emma. Dogs can be frustrating to have around, and I was so glad to hear that you aren't doing away with her. I think that an obedience class is a good idea. When Samson was just a puppy, he would get seperation anxiety. We would crate him and he would break the cage . We were in tears trying to find a solution. We came up with a simple solution- everyone leaves the house and waits 5 minutes or so. Come back in and if you find a mess, scold her. If not, reward her. Keep doing this, but seperating the time that you remain outside. Hopefully this will help.

 

[tesster]

Come back in and if you find a mess, scold her. If not, reward her. Keep doing this, but seperating the time that you remain outside. Hopefully this will help.

I, respectfully, disagree. You cannot reprimand a dog unless you catch her in the act. You have about 3 seconds after she does something bad to correct. After that, she no longer associates the behavior with your scolding. They don't think the way that we do. She'll know you're pissed and will cower and give you that guilty/submissive look, but she'll have no idea why you're angry. This is not an argued point among trainers. They ALL agree.

Furthermore, a dog that makes a mess in the first 5 minutes you're gone has anxiety problems. That's not boredom or spite (dogs aren't capable of vengence - btw), it's sheer panic. Coming back and scolding a panicked dog who has absolutely no idea why you're upset is NOT a solution to your problem.

It will just create a more anxious and confused dog.

 

[B-MAN'S MOM]

I, respectfully, disagree. You cannot reprimand a dog unless you catch her in the act. You have about 3 seconds after she does something bad to correct. After that, she no longer associates the behavior with your scolding. They don't think the way that we do. She'll know you're pissed and will cower and give you that guilty/submissive look, but she'll have no idea why you're angry. This is not an argued point among trainers. They ALL agree.

Furthermore, a dog that makes a mess in the first 5 minutes you're gone has anxiety problems. That's not boredom or spite (dogs aren't capable of vengence - btw), it's sheer panic. Coming back and scolding a panicked dog who has absolutely no idea why you're upset is NOT a solution to your problem.

It will just create a more anxious and confused dog.

I totally agree!! Maybe working with a trainer and/or a behaviorist will work. Be patient and cosistant.

 

[Shanz]

Cinnamon had really bad SA, Id come home and find her covered in drool, the blankets all messed up in her crate. She hated it too.

I had to associate her crate with good things, play with her in there, when I play fetch with her, throw her ball ni there so shed go in and retrieve it. Leave her in there for a few minutes and praise her while shes in there and then take her out for a while. Do it again. Slowly increase the time shes in there, and your distance away (ie. first little while youre beside her, then you step a few feet away, go down the hall, go into another room) so she gets used to it. Try to be able to anticipate when she will start howling and take her out before she does. If you take her out when she starts howling, she'll see that as a reward and will howl to come out.

Give her lots of toys in there to distract her, make it comfy..but some blankets in for her,get a kong and stuff it. Sometimes it helps especially with puppies to drape a towel over the crate so is like a little den.


I forgot to add, dont associate the crate with something bad, when she's in trouble dont put her in ther for a time out.

ANd whoever said to scold her if you come home and find the mess, you're very wrong. It would be the same as rubbing their nose in it. It doesnt work and they have no idea why you're doing it. You need to, litereally within a split second after it happens scold them, after that they dont have a clue what you're talking about and will think theyre in trouble just in general...for doing nothing except standing there.

 

[Emma's Mommy]

Thanks everybody!

Thank you all so much for your advice and support. My DH and are are going to give some of your ideas a try and see if it helps. I think the exercise thing is a particularly good point, especially since we live in an apartment with no fenced areas where she can play. Plus, we have downstairs neighbors who complain when she runs around the apartment because of the noise so she is not as active as she probably should be. I also realized that her behavior has become more problematic off and on in the past 3 weeks (two of which "daddy" has been gone on business trips). I'm thinking that she misses her primary playmate.

Hopefully with some training and more activity she'll get better, because at this rate our landlord will kick us out and we just signed a year long lease.

Oh and BTW, Emma is definitely not deaf. She knows and responds to the word "nummies" very well!

Thanks all,
Angela