Question
willie
Well, I guess it's to be expected. He was a stray dog, and I assume he probably got very attached to his previous owner who docked his tail & clipped his ears but never neutered him. Over the last 15 days, he's been taken in by the shelter, neutered, micro-chipped, had a tooth pulled & is with a new family (working husband & wife) who are just as new at this as he is. He looks like he feels like a visitor/stranger in our home. He doesn't play, hardly eats, hasn't uttered a noise (I did hear a slight whimper today & do not know what it was attributed to). He has climbed in my lap to sleep & likes to lean against both my husband and I whenever we sit on the floor. But, he holds his head really low & is scared of us when we walk toward him or make a loud noise. He'll follow us from room to room & stare at us in the eye for what feels like forever. It's almost as though he's looking for approval. The eye contact thing was scary at first because we didn't know what he was capable of. Turns out he's just a love bug & doesn't have an aggressive bone in his body. We've brought over other dogs & have introduced him to as many of our friends as possible. Everyone loves him because he's so mellow & allows people to come right up to him & love on him. I've seen him wag his tail a handful of times, mostly when he's around other dogs. However, he still won't play. I took him to the dog park today for an hour and he was running around with his tail perked and wagging, but was only interested in checking out other dogs, not in any of the games they were playing. Often he'd be at the opposite end of the park or running behind all of the other dogs who seemed to be playing with one another. He'd seek attention with the humans (I think this was because none of the dogs were paying much attention to him.)Is this anti-social behavior normal? When we're home, he'll just sleep. He'll only sleep if you're right next to him, otherwise, he's following you from room to room & just looks exhausted. We're trying all the tricks, tackling separation anxiety by shutting him in different rooms than where we are, he sleeps in the living room, but within eyesight of our bed,ignore him at times, especialize before we leave the house, we walk him & socialize him constantly, and of course praise him & love him. I'm worried that he's sick, or has some crazy past that's going to effect his personality forever. Maybe he's just much older than 5 years old & is extremely tired. Maybe Boxers are just a way mellow breed? Hopefully it's just circumstantial and he'll come out of his shell. What do you think? I want a fun, exciting, obedient & loving playmate!
AnswerWillie is a gorgeous boy. Thank you for adopting him and giving him a loving home. It's people like you that make a difference. Bless you.
We have maybe two things going on here.
1) It's a new world to him. You and your family and friends, home environment, foods, talking and commands, love and attention -- are all different that his past world. He is in a different and foreign country- -think like you being in Italy and not speaking Italian, and not know their customs. This is the way Willie is feeling. Very insecure and rightfully so.
2) The tiredness and sleepiness is not inclusive to a Boxer, even a 5 year old Boxer. Boxers remain "puppy-like" up until 8-10, and then, they even have their bursts of energy and play and behave like puppies.
I have to recommend you taking him to your own vet, or find a good vet that is quite Boxer-savvy-- call around and ask the people that answer the phone, and ask how many Boxer patients they have, as this is important you get a good Boxer vet. Different medicines can kill a Boxer but not another breed-- this is why it is important.
If Willie is your first Boxer, then please, please, please join BoxerWorld.com and read everything there is in the Forum. Also, join BoxerForums.com and do the same, as this will completely educate yourself about Boxers. You can post and ask questions and get sound advise answered, and you can upload pictures of Willie to show off.
I would say that Willie is suffering from Diabetes and/or thyroid disorder. These two are common together, and either one will cause his tiredness and sleepiness, keeping him from being active, and cause his appetite to dwindle as well. Have you noticed him drinking a lot of water? This is a sign of Diabetes.
Regardless of what the vet said upon a checkup discussing your issues, ask for a Diabetes check and Thyroid check with the blood drawn. This will satisfy your conscious as well as know one way or the other.
Willie is the type of personality that is not vocal. I have a male the same way. But my female is very vocal. The male will look at you and stare and whine when he needs to go outside, or his food bowl needs refilling-- and the female has certain bark sounds for different wants and needs, and does the famous Boxer "woo-woo" song, that only Boxers can do.
Let me know what the vet says. This is a physical issue.
As far as his emotional and mental issues, continue to love him and include him in everything, even the walks and dog parks, and give him time to adjust and adapt to his "foreign" country.
He likes other dogs, and wants to play but is too tired, so once his physical ailment has been identified and treated- you will see Willie change and join in and play.
I would feed him a all natural, high protein diet too, like Blue, or one similar. Google around- read the Boxer forums, and you'll get great recommendations for high protein, all natural foods for Boxers.
Add some plain, unflavored (no low fat or fat-free) yogurt to his food once a day. They love it/ Also add some baby Pediolyte to his water a few times a day. This helps. You might try buying a Diabetic glucose booster. The offer a booster in flavored gel form in a tube, and that's what I give my girl when she is whelping puppies, to keep her sugar levels in check during delivery. So this booster is great, and can be found at your local pharmacy store.
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