Question
Zeus
WARNING: VERY long question.
Hello, Jannie. Great site. :D
In February of this year, my sister purchased a purebred Boxer from our local pet shop, Shake-a-Paw. She named him Zeus.
Zeus was born on November 15th, 2007, and is now just over nine months old. In all honesty, his behavior has proven to be problematic.
He nips, he bites, he scratches, he poops and pees inconsistently, and because of his rampant behavior, my family keeps him in a large cage in isolation for periods of time during the day and to sleep.
Zeus has improved behaviorally, and I'm happy to say that we do keep him out of his cage plenty these days. However, I won't lie, I'm not impressed with my family's efforts to provide him with an exceptional life. Not in the least. Additionally, I find that our veterinarian's suggestions are less than impressive.
Thus, as of late, I've gone through insane efforts to research the breed and to train MY (not hers; I don't think she has the right) Boxer into peaceful domesticity.
Here's his basic info:
- He was born on November 15th, 2007.
- My sister bought him on February 10th, 2008.
- He's 52-57 lbs.
- He was neutered on July 25th, 2008, and has since healed.
- Due to two run-ins with diarrhea, our veterinarian suggests that Zeus eat Pedigree Large Breed once a day. He eats at 6AM and generally is put to bed between the hours of 9-11PM.
- His stool is more moist than firm, generally.
- Though stubborn, he can sit and stay on command. He can fetch, but dropping whatever is thrown is unintentional at best.
- He cohabits our house with our domesticated purebred Pomeranian female, Sugar Pie (5 years old). Sugar Pie is extremely aggressive toward Zeus, and we keep them separated at all times.
Questions:
- According to an article on dogfoodanalysis.com (http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=1885&cat...), Pedigree Large Breed is not an acceptable food because of its high grain and corn content. I tried to explain this to my parents, but they insisted that the vet's recommendation is what to go with, and that our budget doesn't allow for a higher quality food. (I wanted to switch him to Orijen Large Puppy.) Should I push the switching of food, or leave that issue be?
- How old will Zeus be before I can consider him an adult boxer?
- Typical of his temperament, Zeus is very, very headstrong. If I give him a command and he ignores it, should I keep saying the command exactly the same, or wait and try again in a few seconds?
- What, aside from treats, is considered positive reinforcement for Boxers? My parents insist that every time he successfully sits, I should give him a treat, but I argue back that if I consistently reward him with food, he won't sit without its presentation. I need a reward that's practical in all situations, particularly when a treat isn't available.
- After researching dog breeders, I learned that puppies should never be purchased at pet shops. Zeus was bought at Shake-a-Paw, a store rumored to have inbred puppies. He was only there for a day before she purchased him. My sister says she has Zeus's pedigree, but how trustworthy is that? What are signs that a dog is inbred?
- Do you have any suggestions for conditioning Zeus to keep Zeus from standing on two feet and spreading his paws on surfaces like tables, chests, etc.?
- Any particular Boxer no-nos I ought to know about?
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope to hear from you soon. I'm very impressed with your extensive knowledge of the Boxer breed, and hope to learn much from you in the future. =)
With only the kindest regards,
Dan Marques
AnswerHi Dan. First of all, I am really impressed with all of your research. You have put a lot of time and effort into helping your dog, and you should be applauded for it. I am going to answer your questions in the order that you asked them.
- Dogs do well on many different diets. If your boy is doing good on this food, and is growing properly, gained enough weight, shiny coat/eyes, healthy skin, then I'd leave him on the food. The web page was correct, a food high in grain and corn products isn't the best. However, if you live in a rural area like I do, and don't have access to the better dog food products, then you have to figure out what's the best food that you can purchase, and afford. After a time, dogs will eat less, and poop less, on the more expensive food, so it may balance out eventually. Do some reasearch, and compare prices on the Pedigree and the Orijen. Show them to your parents.
- Typically, it takes a male Boxers about 3 years of age to be completely grown, mentally and physically. Some dogs may mature faster than others, but I don't count them fully grown until they hit 3 years of age.
- Consistancy in training is the best. Keep giving the command until he does it right. Praise him a lot, and leave it be for a while. Boxers don't like to do the same thing over and over. You can do this: when walking through your house, and you run into the dog, make him sit. Praise him, and go about your buisness. This will remind the dog that you are alpha, and get an obedience lesson in at the same time. The key to Boxers are short sessions, always end on a positive note. During the day, try to get the dog to sit. Once he does that well, quit for a while. Later than evening work on it again.
- At first, when a dog is learning a new command, treats are fine. When the dog understands the command, then just offer praise. He'll be just as happy to work for hugs and praise as he will be for food. Treasts is an incentive to do what the owner wants at first. I personally use treats to start them out. You may also be interested in clicker training.
- Pet stores are a big no-no. You don't know the history of the dog, or what his parents look/act like. You also don't know what the health history of the parents are. Unless you're buying from a reptuable breed, a pedigree may not mean much from a pet store. It's easy to fudge the papers. Inbreeding can be a really useful tool when used correctly. However, it brings out the good and bad in the puppies, so a person really needs to know about the dogs being bred, and about their pedigree. Any health/temperament issues will come to the light. There's no real way to tell for sure if a dog has been inbred or not. If the dog has health issues, it could just be a product of bad breeding. Same for temperament. You guys could try to do a pedigree search on akc.org, and see what you come up with. If you decide to do that, and need some help figuring it out, let me know.
- Everytime you see your dog doing something he shouldn't be doing, give a strong "NO" and get him doing something that is ok for him to do. You may want to consider using baby gates to keep him out of places that you don't want him in until he gets a little bit older. Also, obedience class will do this boy good. It will teach both of you what needs to be done to make him a good canine citizen. While he's in the house, you may want to put him on a leash, and keep hold of the other end. This will let you see what he's doing at all times, and will prevent him from counter surfing. If he's jumping up on people, the next time he tries it do this: as soon as he starts to jump up, bring your knee up to his chest level, and holler NO. It usually only takes a few times to get knocked in the chest to figure out he's not suppose to be doing this. I don't mean hurt him.:-) And get a few visitors to the house to do the same thing. This way, he'll know he's not suppose to jump on anyone, not just the people that live there.
- A few Boxer no-no's.....don't let him do anything now that you don't want him to do when he's grown. Socialize him to all kinds of different people and animals (not really a no-no:-).
The nipping and biting are normal Boxer puppy behavior. With love, patience, and training, it usually doesn't last long. However, don't use the crate for long periods of time to punish the dog. Boxers have to be around their humans, and he's not learning what he's suppose to be doing if kept in a crate. As for vets, a lot of vets don't know a whole lot about Boxers, or their health/training concerns. Same goes for breeding dogs, a lot of vets simply don't know that much. It's not taught in vet school. If your vet advises you on something you're not comfortable with, research it. You're good at it.:-) Get a second opinion. It's ok to question your vet's practices, however, you want to keep a good relationship with him/her. If you have to, find a different vet. Find a local obedience class. I think you and your boy will benefit greatly for it. Find one that is Boxer friendly, as Boxers may need different techniques than some other breeds. I hope that I have been of some help, and if I can help with anything else, feel free to write. I wish more people would do all the research that you have for your dog. It shows that you truly care about your boy. Remember, your boy is still very young, and Boxers stay puppy like well into adulthood. Patience is key when working with Boxers. Patience and consistancy. Good luck!
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