Help!!!

Emay

I recently posted up about my boxer who eats and rolls in poo. This is just one of many things that she does. She chews everything, jumps up on everyone, never does what shes told! I have brought her to training classes and trained her constantly after but it was like everything I did just went in one ear and out the other!

She is so hyper all the time. I bring her walking everyday for about 2 hours! I live near a huge park and she runs around like the wind everyday!

The thing is she is really becoming a bit of a hassle at home. My parents are elderly and quite stressed at the mo with her. I have tried everything to relax her and stop her chewing but nothing works. My parents are saying she has to go but I love her... Can anyone give me some advice ?

Thanks a mil

Paul91

how old is she and is she neutered?

Emay

Shes just 3 and was neutered about 8 months.

Paul91

she's still a puppy really, should calm down a lot more over the next year or so in my humble opinion, you seem to be doing all the right things, maybe just be firmer with her chewing, replace what she chews with a bone/raw hide chew?

cowzerp

Paul91 wrote: »

she's still a puppy really, should calm down a lot more over the next year or so in my humble opinion, you seem to be doing all the right things, maybe just be firmer with her chewing, replace what she chews with a bone/raw hide chew?

She's not a puppy at all!!

You need to be calm if you want a calm dog, if your anxious she will be living off the nervous energy, ignore her when she is been unruly and pet her etc when she is been good, not in an overexcited way as this will just get her going again..

Whispered

I have a hyper dog too, and they can be a lot of hard work, but there are things you can do.

Firstly, it's great she gets 2 hours walking, fair play to you. I wonder if you have anywhere close to you that she could go for a swim? Apparently 1 min in the water is equivilant to 1 mile on land. I'm not sure how accurate that is, but it certainly tires Harley out. We are just back from an hour walk, about 20 mins chasing the ball and 10 mins in the water and he's passed out in his crate* (I'll come back to that later)

Do you have other dogs close to you which she could play with? There is nothing like another dog with a similar energy for tiring a hyper dog out.

If you can bring her to different places it will tire her out as well. A walk through a new area, or even a town will mentally drain her as she takes in all the new smells etc.

Structured exercise would help as well, if you can get her into basic obedience and agility it will help focus her mind as well as give her a bit of a job to do. If you cannot get her into agility, set one up yourself. My 11 year old sister sets up jumps for Harley in the hallway when we go to visit. The 2 of them race up and down the hall tripping each other up and jumping over boxes and sweeping brushes LOL. It tires him out. She had him playing hide and seek last week. At one stage she hid inder the bed. Instead of trying to get under it like a normal dog, he pulled the bloody mattress off it!! :rolleyes:

Puzzles and mental stimulation are vital for a hyperactive dog. One of our favs is to put harley into a sit-stay in the kitchen, let him smell a treat, hide it in the hall or sitting room, then tell him to find it. He has to sniff it out and it could take 10 mins to find one tiny little biscuit. But it gives him something to do. (start easily, putting the biscuit into the middle of the floor or something so she figures out what "find it" means)

A kong will direct your dogs chewing onto something appropiate and will make meal times last longer.

Control everything, even a game of wrestling/tug/chasing, you know, games you usually let loose in. Every now and again stop it, give a command like sit or speak etc and start the game again. It becomes part of the game for the dog but keeps you in control of their level of hyperactivity.

I would absolutely suggest a crate. It's the handiest dog tool going if used properly. The dog can be trained to sleep in the crate, she can go into the crate after a particurlary long walk when you know she is tired. This way she will begin to associate the crate with relaxation (and a nice treat) and you can put her in for 5 mins to relax if she's being hyper, it also means you can have her contained while you are not there to supervise her, making it impossible for her to chew.

You have to perfect your "stern" voice. I find it amazing how Harley can tell the difference in my voice. If I'm deadly serious he knows I am. If I'm half heartedly telling him to lie down, he ignores me. Your stern voice should not be a shout, and if she does not do as told, make sure there is a consistant consequence like being put out of the room for 2 mins. Do not conversate with her, if she is doing something bold like jumping up or chewing one word command like stop or no, if you are ignored, take her by the collar and remove her from the situation. No speaking while you do this as that is attention. Just stay calm and react immediately. Be prepared to hop up and down a few times at first but I'd imagine she'll get it pretty quickly.

Like I said, it can be hard having a hyper dog, and you seem to do a lot of physical exercise with her, so if you can concentrate on varying the type of exercise and providing more mental stimulation along with a lot of discipline it should get better.

Dogs with big heads like boxers/staffs etc tend to give off a "I'm cute but stupid" vibe . Don't let it fool you!! They learn quickly that they can get away with acting the clown and ignoring you. You simply have to not allow it.

I got most of those tips from people on this forum when I came on with a similar problem with my dog. I have to say they worked. It's worth the extra work.

Emay

Thanks a mil for your posts esp Helena, I never ever considered the mental stimulation, it makes sense, she was knackered after the training classes! Will start that tonight.

Howitzer

Keep in touch with how you get on...

She sounds like a handful - but a lot of fun too.
We've a 10 wk boxer now... growing fast!

roxiesmammy

i have had boxers since i was born, a long time ago, and how u discribe ur girl is a typical boxer, they love to play, and be with people 24/7 if they could. What helena said is true, as much exercise and mental simulation as poss and like she said swimming is great. when ur not out walking where is she kept, if she is left outside this would be most of ur problem as though boxers are a big dog they are in my opinion a house dog, they love to be beside there owners, mine while inside once they had there exercise would sleep by the fire for the rest of the time. The chewing sounds like she is bored, have u tried her with toys esp a kong these are brilliant also the treats ball, also brill, u put some of there food in it and they have to work to get the food out.
Boxers to my knowledge dont grow out of there puppy stage till there about 8 and then suddenly they are old, so enjoy her just keep her mind active and you should have a dog who will give u a lifetime of joy. im on the look out for a boxer at the moment, rescue if poss as i think they are the most lovin and loyal dog,

Honey-ec

cowzerp wrote: »

She's not a puppy at all!!

You need to be calm if you want a calm dog, if your anxious she will be living off the nervous energy, ignore her when she is been unruly and pet her etc when she is been good, not in an overexcited way as this will just get her going again..

Boxers are considered puppies until they're at least 3.

Honey-ec

roxiesmammy wrote: »

im on the look out for a boxer at the moment, rescue if poss as i think they are the most lovin and loyal dog,

Dogs in Distress have a beautiful male looking for a home at the moment, would you consider him?

http://dogsindistress.org/blog/?p=2430

roxiesmammy

Honey-ec wrote: »

Dogs in Distress have a beautiful male looking for a home at the moment, would you consider him?

http://dogsindistress.org/blog/?p=2430

What a lovely looking dog, but unfortunately i couldnt consider him as it says he dont get on with other dogs. Pity

suziwalsh

What are you feeding her? She could need a change in diet?

Discodog

I too have had Boxers since a child & they are the most wonderful dogs. The behaviour is normal Boxer & they remain pups till about a year before they peg out !. Boxers are highly intelligent & seem to have enhanced ability to read humans. You have to be very firm with a Boxer, they can sense weakness a mile away.

A client of mine has a Boxer next door that charges into their garden & is totally disobedient with them yet an angel with me. I know what he is going to do before he even thinks of it. The problem can be when you give a reward even though the dog didn't really earn it. A Boxer will quickly work out that you are a soft touch. I have seen Boxers behave with trainers & then play up at home.

Are your parents at home with the dog all day while you are out ?. If so then the training won't be worth a fig as the dog will work out that it doesn't apply with your parents. Everyone that spends time with the dog has to be firm. Remember you don't train dogs - you train their owners. I can remember calling round to collect one of mine from a "soft" friend - he climbed off her sofa when he heard my voice !.

Before anyone misinterprets my words I do not mean that you should hit the dog. But no has to mean no. Dogs can sense the tiniest change in your voice & attitude. Why do so many dogs obey dad but not mum ?.

Personally I would not go overboard with stimulation otherwise she will just expect it & even play up in a deliberate policy to get it. She has to learn to chill so I would start a routine where she has to stay on her bed.

All of this is going to be really difficult because she has gained the impression that anything goes. The plus point is the intelligence of the dog. Boxers learn really quickly. As for pooh rolling, I had one that did this once. I went rather ballistic & decided to clean him off with cold water from a hose. He hated it, remembered & never rolled again.

roxiesmammy

Discodog wrote: »

As for pooh rolling, I had one that did this once. I went rather ballistic & decided to clean him off with cold water from a hose. He hated it, remembered & never rolled again.

now wonder your dogs obey you if these is what u do. Go ballistic, what do u mean by that. Alot of dogs do this esp in foxs poo, why? who knows, maybe not exeptable but still there are better ways of teaching dogs, as for u saying because u washed him with cold water from a hose he knew not to do this again, what s**t
unless u had the hose out on the walk with u and hosed her the min she rolled she wouldnt have a clue what she was been punished for, same if a dog peed inside or chewed something unless u catch her in the act, there is no point as again she wont know what she is been told off over.

Discodog

roxiesmammy wrote: »

now wonder your dogs obey you if these is what u do. Go ballistic, what do u mean by that. Alot of dogs do this esp in foxs poo, why? who knows, maybe not exeptable but still there are better ways of teaching dogs, as for u saying because u washed him with cold water from a hose he knew not to do this again, what s**t
unless u had the hose out on the walk with u and hosed her the min she rolled she wouldnt have a clue what she was been punished for, same if a dog peed inside or chewed something unless u catch her in the act, there is no point as again she wont know what she is been told off over.

Ok so explain this. Both of my two occasionally will steal a food wrapper. When I come home & pick up the wrapper from the floor the "guilty" dog will go straight to her bed. I have a little webcam which I used to see if it was always the guilty dog - it was. Me coming home & the "theft" were often several hours apart. A Boxer of mine once walked into an electric fence by total accident - it was in very long grass next to a footpath. Every day for the next 5 years the dog would get to that spot & move away from where the fence had been long after it was removed.

I get very annoyed at the number of Boxers that end up in rescues & often have behavioural problems. Luckily their intelligence means that they can retrained but they are demanding dogs that need a lot of affection & company. I never had any problems in getting friends to host my Boxers if I needed to go away. I don't like overtrained dogs. I want a dog to be a dog. But they need boundaries.

By the way going ballistic means shouting at the dog which I rarely do otherwise it loses impact. If the dog did not associate the washing, which was not excessive or an intentional punishment, then how come he never did it again ?. As usual I am typing this with a Greyhound asleep on my lap. My dogs get a huge amount of affection & attention. I did not hose down the dog !. Anyone who reads my posts here & on other forums knows that I am a devoted dog lover. My adorable Greyhound was a very sickly abused, nervous wreck when I got her. Now my vet says that she is the most confident Greyhound that she has ever met. She started eating bunny pooh which is not acceptable - especially as she will be kissing me later. Now I cannot reward her for not eating pooh otherwise I would be rewarding for a whole walk. So I yelled at her when she grabbed the pooh & praised her when she dropped it. She now ignores the pooh unless she think that I am not looking - clever dog.

One of the sad factors that has emerged from the many new vogues in training - there is a new one every year, is the belief that dogs are not perceptive or lack memory. The idea that a dog cannot remember doing something wrong & the response from it's owner some time later greatly underestimates the intelligence of dogs. Yes training is mainly about stressing the positive but you must also make it clear to the dog when something is unacceptable - there has to be a balance.

So please explain to us how you would train a dog not to roll in or eat Pooh without using negatives.

boomerang

suziwalsh wrote: »

What are you feeding her? She could need a change in diet?

Yep, if she's eating food that doesn't agree with her, this could be contributing to the problem.

lrushe

My beautiful, white Spitz rolled in something awful on Saturday but rather than lose my temper with him I was more kicking myself for not recognising the signs that he was going to do it and stopping him as he has a v.good recall! I was taught the 'look' command in my training classes which could help you with the poo rolling / eating. Basically I was told to hold a treat in my out stretched hand and as soon as the dog makes eye contact with you you say 'look' and reward, eventually and with alot of patience and practice your dog will know when you say 'look' they have to turn and look at you. This helps in a varitey of situations but in your case as soon as you see the signs your dog is about to roll or eat poo you can use this command and reward with alot of praise. Remember all rewards or disipline must come within 3 seconds of the behaviour for the dog to associate the two together.
Your dog certainly seems to be getting the physical excerise it needs so well done on that, I would try using some of the mental excerises Helen suggested as Boxers are such smart dogs they will thrive on it.

Emay

Thanks for all the replies !

Bad news though, She was out in the park today and ate poo yet again! My mam had just brought her for a small run around til I got home to take her out properly! I really dont know.. when my Dad hears all this he keeps getting more more angry (

I dont think she is missing anything from her diet as I consulted the vet on what food he would recommend. I am really at a lost at the mo.

roxiesmammy

Dont really know what to suggest as never had a dog do this, what food did ur vet suggest? More than likely this is prob a habit now with her and maybe until u can do something about it maybe keep her on lead, i take it all her vac are up todate?
Maybe if u have to let her of lead maybe put a muzzle or halti on her. Why does your dad get so angry maybe she knows this and is looking for attention this way as she knows she gets it. after all she is a dog and they all have their bad habits even if they are gross
How does your dad get on with her the rest of the time.

Emay

Well to be honest my Dad doesn't have a lot to do with her. He still works fulltime and is not home too often. But there are 5 other 4 other people living at home who show her lots of attention and look after her. I dont think she is looking for attention off my Dad as he doesn't walk her and she is not around him to often.

Discodog

For a while I would make sure that you are the only one who walks her & I would keep her on a 24 ft tape - not cord Flexi. That way you can discourage the habit. Every time she tries to eat it say NO/LEAVE & call her - pull her in if she does not stop immediately. Once she starts responding then give her a little treat each time. As she gets better give her more opportunities to eat it as a little test. If in a few days you can let her off & see if she responds to your no/leave command if not put her back on the flexi as continue training a before.

I had a hilarious time with my Greyhound as I would deliberately walk her past piles of Bunny pooh. Sometimes she would sneakily pretend to be sniffing something else & she would keep glancing at me to see if I noticed.

Everyone in the house will have different ways of dealing with the dog & different limits so how is she supposed to know who to understand. You need to be in control of your dog. Whilst pooh eating is not serious compared to aggression it is very undesirable. You could spend months with behaviourists telling you this & that as to why she does it. It might be nice to know why but you need the behaviour to stop now.

You must be consistent & persistent. The commands must always be the same & you have to ensure that she does as you say & not what she wants. If you tell her to go on her bed & she does not, then take her by the collar & lead her there. If she gets off put her back. When she relaxes & gets the message reward her. The hard part is making sure that everyone in the house acts the same. She cannot get a mixed message that it's ok to do it sometimes but not other times.

Get this cured & then you can start on training in house like making her go to & stay on her bed. Every time she does it right she gets a little reward. Boxers love praise so it would not be long before she would except a good girl & a hug instead of a treat.

Remember training dogs is 95% about training the owners.

aoife2k

I have an 8 month old boxer and like yours, she's a bit mental! But saying that she is only 8 months old.

She's my first dog but since day 1 I've been firm with her, jumping up on people is a big thing that boxers like to do (they're SO bouncy) but with a stern voice (not angry or threatening) and a DOWN she quickly learned not to jump up and now sometimes all she does is go over for a sniff then returns to her chair.

Bailey has eaten and chewed many a thing in her short life but we've been strict with this too.. if she grabs a sock or a glove, i retrieve it and say no, then give her something she IS allowed to chew on i.e her kong bone which she LOVES.

Patience is what's needed and as another poster said, play time with other dogs is a fantastic way of tiring them out. My girl loves playing with her auntie Ali who's 4 and honestly, an hour of running around the garden together puts her lights out for the rest of the day AND she's much quiter the day after playing with Ali.

Good Luck!:D

hunterwelly

Emay, I think your best response here was from helena.ryan. As Cesar says, "Exercise, discipline, affection - in that order".

Plenty of physical and mental exercise. Running, swimming, even running along beside you on your bicycle. Obedience training for the mental stimulation (this could very well tire the dog out more than the running).

Kongs (the black Extreme Kongs for your boxer), rawhide bones etc for the chewing. If she's chewing something inappropriate, correct her and redirect her to an appropriate chew toy.

The jumping up: Unfortunately this is probably now a self-rewarding habit for her. You can try the suggestions here (saying NO, or OFF firmly), they might do the trick. If not, you could try a product called a Pet Corrector, developed by Roger Mugford in the UK. It's just a little can of compressed air. Read the instructions in the box. The second the dog jumps up, just give a little blast of air from the can (not directly into the dog's face). It startles the dog. 2 or 3 repetitions of this might just be enough to break the habit.

The poo rolling: Unfortunately, very natural behaviour for a dog. They love poo. As Dr. Patricia McConnell says "Whatever doggie heaven is like, it probably involves lots of poo". Teach a "Leave" command along with a good recall, and you should be able to interrupt the rolling.

The poo eating: Unfortunately, it's also fairly natural for a dog (more so for a puppy). There are a number of reasons for it. If you can catch her in time, you may be able to give a sharp "Leave" and interrupt her.