Boxer Puppy is EATING EVERYTHING, can you HELP???

Question

My 4 1/2 mo old Boxer puppy "Bella" is eating paper, toilet paper, and anything in the garbage cans that are low to the floor. She also eats my hubby's wallet, credit cards, and tears his bills. She steals my house shoes too! As a matter of fact ...... phooey ....... WHERE ARE my slippers? They were just right here.

BELLA!!!!!!!

PLEASE someone HELP ME?

I don't want to whip her, but don't know what to do.
I catch her RIGHT AWAY and punish her, but it is doing no good.
I can't sleep since she is up and running amock, and she is too large now to kennel. She weighs like 40 to 45 pounds already! YIKES!!!!!!! She is like 1 1/2 ft tall from paws to her back.

Answer 1

I have an 11 month old Boxer named Belle! Cool!

At 11 months old I am still crating Belle. You can buy a large crate for about $70.00. (My Belle is 65 pounds and I don't know how tall & she has enough room in her crate) We had alot of the same problems with Belle and found out that crating her helped. It would seem the opposite would be true, but when she had free roam, she couldn't control herself. It has made all the difference in the world. We were ready to give her away, but now she is a pretty darned good dog!

When you catch Bella chewing on something that doesn't belong to her. take it away, scold ("Bad dog" in a growling, angry voice-don't use her name or she will associate her name with being bad!)then give her a safe toy or large chew stick. Make sure the toy does not resemble anything that you don't want chewed! Dogs are not great at specifics!

It may also help if you can make sure she is getting enough exercise. Boxers, especially young ones, have a huge amount of energy. Does she know how to retrieve? If not, you may want to teach her, it's great exercise for her. Also, an obedience class would be good for her. It can help focus her energy on something constructive.

Good luck to you & Bella! Once she settles in, you are going to have one super sweet dog.

Answer 2

My bulldogges name is Bella, ha ha! Anyhow, your dog isn't too big to crate, you con still do that as an option. other than that, your house needs to be puppy-proofed, just like you would with a baby. Don't give rawhide as I read someone else posted. But do make sure there are many other safe alternatives for your dog to chew. I hope this helps, but you have to be consistant. have you tried clapping and yelling no when she's doing something wrong? I have found dogs don't really like loud clapping and will stop when they hear it, see if that works.

Answer 3

First, you need to puppyproof your house. She is teething and, just like a baby, she'll put anything in her mouth that she comes across. Put everything up out of reach or behind locked doors. (Cupboard latches are in order, too. My doberman used to open mine to play with the potatoes!)

Second, she is NOT too large to kennel. You can get crates that are big enough for full grown Dobermans, so I'm sure you can get one for your pup. She only needs enough room for her to stand up and turn around. You might want to get a "large" (if it's not TOO big...they tend to mess if there's space other than where they lay) so she won't grow out of it too soon. They have "X-large" if you eventually need one. I've included a site with info about crate training.

If you don't want to crate her, there is one other thing you can do. Designate one room in the house as "her" room. Puppyproof it and then some...when she's bored or mad or whatever, she'll tear up ANYTHING she can get her paws onto...electrical outlets, carpet, curtains, anything wood (like cupboards, edges of doors, furniture). Use a babygate (spend the extra money for a hard plastic one...she'll chew through wooden ones in a heartbeat) and put it across the doorway to keep her in. Give her plenty of toys and rawhide to keep her busy while she's confined. You can use potty pads to mark where she needs to "go"...but don't be surprised if she tears these up as well.

Honestly, crating is better than rooming, but it's all a matter of preference. If you can successfully room her over the next few months, she'll be less destructive, and when she misbehaves, you can tell her to go to her room, and just like a child, will (occasionally *wink*) do so. Good luck to you and Blessings

Answer 4

It's very hard to train a boxer, but it is possible. It took us 2 yrs to get the "puppy " out of our boxer. The best thing is a crate, it is very good at relieving the stress of what your dog is doing when you are not there to babysit. My boxer is 10 years old now and I can leave her for 14 hours without her bothering anything. I would upgrade her to a larger crate until she is well behaved. You won't be sorry for the investment.

Answer 5

hahahaha i have two dobermans, my girls name is Bella as well!! I had the same problem at that age! I find if you give them an extra hour or two of outside exercise time it wears them out A LOT. Exercise them as much as you can and they wont take their hyperness out on your things and run amok around the house! Also, try a bitter apple spray on things she usually chews, best stuff ever! I had to soak most everything in it but it doesnt affect your things, it will just repel her away.

One more thing, if she feels like shes not getting enough attention from you she will chew things on purpose, so when you can, give her an extra cuddle or treat, it works!! :) Good luck!

Answer 6

Driving you smack out of your mind, right?? Bless your heart, you haven't got much longer to go but stay firm and shake the shoe in her face and be very low-voiced telling her whatever you want to say. She has to know the difference between good puppy and bad dog!!! She WILL get better, trust me. But YOU have to promise you won't give up. Just remember, when she's 3 she's not going to be found wrapped in toilet paper with your new shoe in her mouth!! You can't see the end, but she WILL grow up!! In the meantime just keep EVERYTHING she likes to mess up AWAY from her. I'm surprised she hasn't torn up any of your furniture yet!! My little dachshund ate the whole arm of a rocking chair off but she grew to be my favorite dog before she passed. She was my real pal anf followed me everywhere. Who do we love the most, the one we need or the one who needs us? God, I miss her and I have 4 now!! I still can't say her name yet. Your Boxer will be worth it all and you will have The Puppy From Hell stories to tell!! I'm betting on YOU!! Good Luck!! @8=)

Answer 7

The most important thing to do with a high energy breed like this one is to walk it in the morning and afternoon (always before she eats) for 30 min or longer each session. Dogs need to walk to get rid of excess energy, playing with toys or running around in the yard will not work. Right now the only way for her to get rid of her excess energy is to chew things, but since that doesn't get rid of all her energy she keeps chewing...everything!

Just running around with her in your yard or home will not cut it...her home has become her kennel, possibly a big kennel, but a kennel nonetheless. It is a dogs natural instinct to travel...to walk...that is how they get rid of excess energy.

If your dog pulls on her walks, buy a choke collar and put it high up on her neck, right behind her ears and under her chin (like show dogs). The most important thing to do is to walk out the door before she does. Tell her to sit and make her stay there until you are out the door. This tells her you are dominant over her. Make sure she walks behind or beside you, never in front of you! Everytime she pulls tug gently on the leash towards you so that it pulls her off balance a little bit. Always remember to release the tension after you correct her, if you don't she will fight with you by jumping around. Wait until she is calm before you start walking again.

You will need to do this every day if you want her to calm down. I promise that if you walk her every day she will be a more calm, obedient, and happy dog. Don't get overwhelmed, just keep at it, she will submit to you.

Answer 8

substitution. Get her several toys and rawhide chewies. Scold her when she gets something off limits, then give her a chewy with praise. It will take a little bit, but it works. I had one that did the same thing. Now it's all about the toys for her.

Answer 9

I was told to use "bitter lime" when we got our dog as a puppy five years ago. It stopped alot of the chewing.