Behavior/Training

Question
We have two one year old Boxers one male (Hershey)& one female (CoCo).  We have been been having trouble with both of them chewing things they shouldn't and just various mischief for months.  The problem is they listen well when they are separated but CoCo gets very mouthy when you try to correct Hershey in front of her.  Just saying No to him in a loud voice makes her act aggressive and just get generally out of control when they are together.  We have used the penny can to discourage them from getting into the garbage and kitty box and usually just saying their name and no works for this as well.  When they get caught chewing something they shouldn't we say No and replace the item with one of their toys which by the way they are never interested in.  However, when they are unsupervised they go nuts chewing almost anything and everything they just have a blast with it.  They have always slept in one of those Petmate kennels together but they just barely have enough room in it now. When CoCo went into heat for the first time Hershey went nuts.  He managed to get out of the kennel by making into collapse in the back which we tried to stop by using bread ties to keep it together when that didn't work we set up one of those 10x12 outdoor kennels and put a barrel in there for him.  He chewed a hole in the chain link and got out and proceeded to tear the screens out of the front screen door and my son's bedroom window frame and all.  Now, that those weeks of crazy are over we still can't keep him contained at all.  The other night we put them back together in the kennel b/c he had whined for weeks sleeping separate from CoCo.  He got out of the kennel, by some Houdini act (she did not)and drug garbage all over the entire house then jumped into my daughters bed covered in garbage and scared her half to death at 3AM.  I also have a wicker bench that I purchased in September that they began chewing on but I didn't catch them doing it so I brought it in the house so I could try to teach them not to do that.  They never touched not once in 2& 1/2 mos.  I moved it back outside to make room for the Christmas tree and now it is destroyed.  I apologize for the very long message I just want to give you a clear view of what we are dealing with.  We would like to pay for private training and had saved for it but all that and more has been spent on the animals my 13yr old kitty had a stroke of all things and we spent a fortune just trying to get a confirmed diagnosis b/c I have never heard of that happening and then Hershey had a place come up on his thigh that the vet still doesn't know what it is. I am at my wits end we really planned on them being in the house with us and were planning to by them doggy beds so they wouldn't have to be crated but we cannot trust them to not destroy our house.  Any advice would be very appreciated!

Answer
Hi Tammy. Wow. These dogs are going absolutely nuts. Sounds kind of like what I'm going through with my 4 month old male. First of all, buy a wire crate if you haven't already. You can get them from Wal-Mart at a decent price, and they're just about indestructible. Buy one for each dog. There should never be a time when you allow the dog to become aggressive at all. You simply have to get that under control, and fast. My fastest solution to this problem would be obedience training. You can ask your vet for a low cost class, some places even off it for free. If your vet doesn't know of anything, you can get online and search for classes in your area. Talk to groomers. Sometimes they have good contacts. These dogs need to be crated, for their own good. They need to be crated when you're not home, and while you're sleeping. These dogs seriously need to spend time away from each other. They're going to have to be taught you're boss. The only way this is going to happen is with some good training. You need an expert with handling these two. They can see what's going on, and be better able to tell you how to control it. I know it can be expensive, but it's really worth it. You won't believe what a difference it will make in them, and how much happier you will be just being around them. Like I said, ask around, and you'll find a class that suits your dogs. It doesn't have to be the super expensive private instructor. A lot of places offer low cost classes. It would probably do them good anyway, being in a class with other dogs. Be prepared for hard work. Sometimes Boxers can be pretty stubborn when they want to. It doesn't mean they're dumb. They can learn. I have personally found a great puppy class for $30 for 7 sessions. He is doing much better, and has much better manners. He still has much to learn, but we're getting there. Boxers aren't like Border Collies. Border Collies are happy doing repetitive tasks. Boxers learn something, and then they're ready to move on. You have to keep them occupied. They do have something out to help with the garbage thing. You put it on your can, and if the dog tries to open it, it sprays out water. It seems to work pretty well. You can look online at dog catalogs. I'm not sure how much they cost. You may also want to try baby gates to keep the dogs in certain parts of the house they won't destroy until you get them better under control. They make stuff like Bitter Apple that's suppose to help with the chewing. I personally use Tabasco sauce. I know you can't do this to expensive furniture, but eventually they're afraid to chew on anything because of the hot sauce. It has worked on all of my dogs but one, a very determined Great Dane. I never could get him to stop chewing. I hope that I've been of some help, and if I can be of anymore help, let me know! I hope your kitty is ok. You'd be surprised at how common a stroke in animals can be.