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#1
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new puppy
hi,
my husband and i just got a 9.5 month old boxer puppy named lucy. she is very sweet but we are having some training issues. we have decided on a verbal only training method that seems to be working fine. the first thing is, she has very small teeth. she was come at us with her mouth open as if to bite but her teeth were to small. we werent sure she was trying to bite us till she got me really good on the nose the other night. im worried that since she hasnt been sent to a time-out or anything for this behavior before that she might not stop now. she is going to be a fairly big dog with big teeth and we dont want her hurting us or anyone else. any suggestions? the other thing is, we go walking twice a day, because she is so high energy. a short walk/run early in the day and a long one later in the evening. usually she does well in the mornings, but at in the evening she will just stop and sit down for no reason. she is scared to death of water sprinklers, we thought that might be it, but she does it whether people are watering or not. we cant figure out how to get her going and we dont want to drag her along. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thank you. -laura jones |
#2
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on 2005-06-27 at 01:23 wrote:
she is going to be a fairly big dog with big teeth unlikely! Boxers don't have particularly large teeth (quite the contrary--they usually have silly, little teeth). at 9.5 months old, Lucy is structurally pretty much the size she's going to be. IOW, her teeth shouldn't get bigger and, though she might fill out some, she shouldn't get much larger than she is right now. personally, i would treat this like puppy nipping. there's currently a thread on the same topic in this group that you might want to read. or, you can use Google groups to search the group's archives for more info. if you can't find anything there, i'd suggest reposting your question with "Puppy Nipping" in the subject line. we thought that might be it, but she does it whether people are watering or not. Boxers are notorious water haters. they generally do *not* like to get wet or get anywhere near water. if my Boxer gets even one little toe wet, she shakes her whole body like she just came out of a lake. and, if it's so much as sprinkling rain, i can forget about her going outside. she melts in the rain! we cant figure out how to get her going and we dont want to drag her along. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thank you. where do you live? is it hot in the evenings when you walk her? Boxers can overheat *very* easily, because of their shortened muzzles. if heat is a problem, you might try making her morning walk longer and shortening the evening walk. or, instead of an evening walk, how about a game of fetch or something else that's physical, but doesn't involve walking? -- shelly http://www.cat-sidh.net http://cat-sidh.blogspot.com/ http://letters-to-esther.blogspot.com/ (updated 6/26/05) |
#3
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wrote in message
ups.com... hi, my husband and i just got a 9.5 month old boxer puppy named lucy. she is very sweet but we are having some training issues. we have decided on a verbal only training method that seems to be working fine. It'll work fine, and is the best method IMO since Boxers have very easily injured feelings, but don't discard the value of timeouts in a crate or crate training in general. Boxers, IME (and I've had alot of them), love to have a crate. the first thing is, she has very small teeth. she was come at us with her mouth open as if to bite but her teeth were to small. we werent sure she was trying to bite us till she got me really good on the nose the other night. It sounds like mouthing gone awry with excitement. Boxers are notorious mouthers, meaning they will use their mouths to massage, gnaw, nibble and just hold human flesh. Its their way of getting attention from people as they're older but its basis is in play. Boxers will play with other bully breeds by wrestling and mouthing, or playing "bitey face" if that makes more sense. If not trained away from this behavior, which unfortunately some people consider cute when the dogs are little, then it'll get out of control. A sharp NO! followed by ignorning her for a few minutes (whether its turning your back, walking away or just refusing to look at her) will work wonders. If you find that she's on the stubborn/thick side then buy a bottle of Bitter Apple, or similar, which is a harmless but bitter tasting spray available in pet stores and places like Walmart. One squirt in the mouth after the loud NO! will also help. You can't even hold a bottle shaped like Bitter Apple in my house without my dog fleeing for her crate and she's only been sprayed a few times years ago. im worried that since she hasnt been sent to a time-out or anything for this behavior before that she might not stop now. That's a common misperception and one of the big reasons Boxers are rehomed/dumped in large numbers. People assume that because the dog isn't a 20lb puppy that its no longer trainable. Boxers are trainable at any age. They are natural human-pleasers but they *will* test you to see if you really mean what you command or if you're just one of those people who issue empty threats. Enroll in a basic obedience class if you can or, if nothing else, do some research online about basic obedience commands & training methods then implement them at home. Spend 10-15 minutes once a day (you can do more if you have time and/or the dog is responsive) on training, praising & reward. she is going to be a fairly big dog with big teeth and we dont want her hurting us or anyone else. She won't be any bigger than she is now nor will her teeth grow but she will become weightier so you're correct to try and nip this in the bud now rather than wait until she's older. Keep in mind that 10mo is adolescense, its like being a teenager, all dogs go through it and Boxers generally go through it until they're 2yo for females and about 3yo for males. She'll test you, test anything, try to exert her own opinion (that will never stop), push buttons, indulge her curiosity and just generally be a rebellious-at-times pup. Now is the best time to come up with a good training routine, implement it and make clear your authority in the home by not allowing her to do things she shouldn't do. any suggestions? the other thing is, we go walking twice a day, because she is so high energy. a short walk/run early in the day and a long one later in the evening. usually she does well in the mornings, but at in the evening she will just stop and sit down for no reason. She might just be tired. Its not recommended to run/jog long distances with dogs under a certain age (2 I think) because it could cause damage. Either shorten your evening run or slow to a fast walk when you notice her getting tired. she is scared to death of water sprinklers, we thought that might be it, but she does it whether people are watering or not. Water is evil to female Boxers. Boy Boxers generally love water but the girls are afraid they'll melt or something. we cant figure out how to get her going and we dont want to drag her along. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thank you. -laura jones Stop and stand there with her for a minute. Lean down & talk to her, praise her, rub her, get her interested in you again and give her the little break she needs. Try something like (in a happy/excited voice) "okay c'mon, let's hurry and get a treat" to see if you can get her going again. You can also try bribery if that doesn't work by taking a few small pieces of treat with you and bribe her into moving along again. One thing to keep an eye on is the pavement. Are you running her on a blacktop road or sidewalk? They heat up unbearably as the afternoon wears on so its possible that the surface is too hot and she doesn't want to keep moving. -- Tara |
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