MilesAndMe
Boxer Pal
Hi everyone,
My boxer puppy Miles is going to be 8 months old on the 9th and has recently started refusing to go outside by himself. I have a pretty good sized, fenced in back yard, and for 7 months he was all about exploring the yard. He would go out by himself and run around for hours, digging and trying to catch butterflies. Now he wont even stand on the deck by himself for longer than a minute without scratching at the door and whining to come back in.
The only thing I can think of that might have caused this change was a recent trip I made out of town that had me away from him for a week. This was the first time we were apart for more than a couple of hours since he was 7 weeks old. My mom was home with him the whole time I was gone though, and his schedule didnt change at all. She said he went outside by himself no problem, so this all started when I got back. Is he worried Im going to leave again? Or is he just being stubborn?
Any insight into this would be very much appreciated!
My boxer puppy Miles is going to be 8 months old on the 9th and has recently started refusing to go outside by himself. I have a pretty good sized, fenced in back yard, and for 7 months he was all about exploring the yard. He would go out by himself and run around for hours, digging and trying to catch butterflies. Now he wont even stand on the deck by himself for longer than a minute without scratching at the door and whining to come back in.
The only thing I can think of that might have caused this change was a recent trip I made out of town that had me away from him for a week. This was the first time we were apart for more than a couple of hours since he was 7 weeks old. My mom was home with him the whole time I was gone though, and his schedule didnt change at all. She said he went outside by himself no problem, so this all started when I got back. Is he worried Im going to leave again? Or is he just being stubborn?
Any insight into this would be very much appreciated!
Did anything happen out there that scared him? Was he out there when you left for your trip and you were gone when he came back in? That is the only thing I can think of. That it either has a negative association for him (he goes out, you dissapear) or something scary happened out there that you are unaware of. At any rate I bet this is something he will get over on his own and if he is safe out there there is no harm in ignoring his whining and seeing if he goes off and amuses himself. You could try hiding a couple of fun toys or some good treats out there too for him to find 
