Puppy terror

[boxerluver04]

My 6 month boxer, Leyla is by far the best dog I have ever had. She is so lovable and I know she is extremely smart because she learns so quickly. However, we are having MAJOR issues with her when we leave and let her stay in the house. She was spayed a little over a week ago and it has been so cold that lately I have left her in the house when me and my husband leave. When we return home we come home to a house that looks like a tornado came through it, literally. She turns the trash can over and tears up all the trash and scatters it throughout the house. Yesterday when I came home she had pulled my school textbooks off my shelf and torn them up, BIG PROBLEM considering they are about $100 a piece. URRRRR She tears up our blinds and even got into my Christmas presents that I just bought and tore them up. The thing is, when we come home she knows what she did was wrong because she tucks her tail under and gives me that "im sorry" look. I have had it with this behavior. I have been very patient with her but I have got to fix this problem. My husband is not very happy and wants me to leave her outside now when we leave. That is fine and she loves to be outside but I know boxers are not supposed to be left out in the cold and I want her to be safe and comfortable. Plus, if we do leave her outside she jumps the fence and I am worried that she is going to get run over one day.

 

[mancin]

Have you considered putting her into a crate while you are gone?

 

[lafsalot]

If not a crate, can you confine her to a room (ie laundry room, basement, etc) ~ Cathy

 

[boxerluver04]

I have thought about putting her in a crate but I feel bad and don't want to confine her to that small of a space for sometimes up to 8 hours at a time. We bought some baby gates so that we could confine her to the kitchen. Boy was that a joke!!! She is a little escape artist and by the time she was 3 months old she was already jumping it.

 

[kacee]

The crate is for her safety as well as your sanity. It would be best if someone could come in and let her out of the crate once during the day, but LOTS of owners crate them during the workday. Our trainer keeps all her puppies crated while she is away for the first 2 years. She says it is better if they never learn what havoc they can create while you are gone, then by age 2 most are past that destructive stage. But if you let her continue with her present behavior, it will become ingrained and she may never change. So what is more cruel ... crating her for the first few years of her life then having a good dog or having to give her up? We have had experience with a destructive boxer, so I know what you are going through! We are now on our fourth boxer and with crating early we have not had those problems. Good luck!

 

[Cami]

Crates are a great training tool. They also keep your valuables intact and protect your dog from ingesting something that could potentially harm them or worse.

At 6 months Lelya is still ALL puppy and is going to be very curious for along time to come. She has NO IDEA that anything that she is doing while you are gone is wrong. All she knows is the fact that you probably get upset when you return home and find things amiss. She is associating your return home with you getting upset, not the fact that 3 hours ago she got into the trash and found a tasty peice of leftover food or a bottle lid that was a new toy.

Leaving her outside can be very dangerous as well. You mentioned escaping the yard....there are other things to consider outside. She could be stolen from your yard, she could get stung by something and have an allergic reaction....there are a number of things that can go wrong when they are left outside without supervision. For her safety please consider a cage.

My girl was in her "condo" during the day while we were at work and at night for the first 9 months of her life. She gained her freedom from the condo at 9 months of age in small increments of time. By 11 months she was completely condo free, (unless she decides to go in on her own) and she has NEVER once destroyed ANYTHING in my home.

Good-Luck!

Susi & Cami

 

[Jan]

What would you rather have a crated dog or a dead dog. There are just way too many thing that she can get into, like chewing on electrical cords for instance. If she jumps over one baby gate, then I would suggest that you use two, ie. one on top on another. You can also get ones made especially for dogs and they are considerably taller. Put things in front of the gate so that she can't get to it to jump over.

Leyla does not know that she has done wrong. She is just reacting to your body language. They are very perceptive. The destruction probably happened a long time ago and she has forgotten all about it. You need to keep her busy when you are gone at least for the first little while. Stuffed Kongs work great and you can even freeze them to last longer. Hide treats around in and under things so that she has to work to get them out. You can also feed her in multiple Kongs. You will probably need 3 or 4. You could soften the food slightly so that you can stuff it in harder. A yummy treat at the end will encourage her to work at it. It would keep her busy and out of trouble.

I really reccomend that you either crate her or confine her to one room.

Good luck.

 

[BOXERMAX04]

crate

I've got 3, two boxers and a beagle, and they are all crate trained. I thought it was cruel sounding when I first heard of it, but let me tell you it works. It's hard at first to get them use to it, they're going to whine and cry. But you just have to ignore them. All of mine sleep in their's now, even when I don't lock them in it. It's like their little safe haven. We just had to buy a new one for our big boy (I mean 9 months and about 75 lbs). We went to PetSmart and got a Midwest Crate, the 42", and spent about 100 dollars. It's a good crate because it's easy to fold up and transport, it has two doors, and it comes with a partition so you can make it smaller.

 

[Alidog]

Outside

My girl has a kennel & run outside that she stays in while we are at work and if we go anywhere that and she cannot come with us. Her kennel is a wee house that is lined and the bottom is covered in blankets and foam. Her run is concrete and boxed in with roof for shelter and fence so she can get the sun also. The run is big enough that she can throw her toys around and pick up speed if she needed to. In her kennel she can see each entrance onto our property so she is not anxious while she is in there. In the run she can toilet and in her kennel she can rest or keep warm if she needs to.

I dont think keeping a boxer outdoors at times is anything wrong, you just need to make sure you go to extra lengths to keep your dog cool/warm/entertained at all times. Throw in some toys, give them some clean water and give them enough space to toilet/sleep etc and they will be happy! It has been suggested to me in the forums that allowing her to toilet in her kennel will mean she could take this to be allowed to toilet indoors also. We have NEVER had this problem.

I recommend it. If you do decide to build a kennel and run try to keep it away from any fence where your dog can see other animals and be tormented or near any garage or vehicle storage area. Fumes can aggrevate the dogs and contaminate their living area