Advice needed

Sagz_2

han2505 wrote: »

We are paying someone to keep him company during the day until he is housetrained and ok with our other dog.

I sorry Han, and I hate to be negative, but I have to say this situation worries me. If your OH is ready to give up after one sleepless night I have to wonder if they are really ready to put in all the work that a pup needs.

Have you realised how long you may need to pay a dog-sitter for? It's not just the house training that your dog will need to be taught but he'll also need to be taught how to be good when alone in the house. My 18 month old is still destructive when left - are you really going to pay a dog-sitter for 18+ months? (:eek: not very MSE!)

As has been said before Boxers are really people orinatated and love their humans..... so much so that they tend to go to peices when left and take their distress out on the fixtures and fittings. A cage can help with this, but leaving a young dog in a cage for the average working day just isn't an option. I'm sure you wouldn't even consider this as you've said you are not cruel.

Anyway, to be more constructive, this may help with housetraining and this with cage training.

I do wish you luck and hope you and the OH can make the commitment that your new family member needs.

han2505

I do understnad what you are saying but as I already pay a petsitter for walking my other dog it doesnt matter, as they are not charging us anymore since they are already here so it will be ok in that sense.

I do understand your concerns but I am already in the process of changing my working hours and have been for a while so I will only be working Wed avo, thurs and Fri so this should get some improvement. When i came home today he was fine as well him and my other dog were curled up together on a bed and he is snoring away happily after me playing with him..........will let you know how we get on but think he will be fine x

UKTigerlily

It's good you're asking for advice, but FC has shown another link where you didn't take the advice. I wonder why you got a Pup when I assume your OH is against it? If he wanted it, he must know they need constant looking aftert surely? Any good Breeder would make sure you both knew the very worst aswell as the best things. I don't know about getting a Pup for the other Dog, I can't believe anyone who says that, surely you'd go to a Rescue if you wanted a companion? A Pup might not even get on with Dog #1 when older? Obviously I hope they do continue to get on but i'm suprised.

I agree with getting up to let it out every couple of hours & I think bringing the crate into the bedroom is ok, when out really I wouldn't leave one in a crate, chewing is what Pups do! I guess it's ok for maybe an hour but no longer.

Well done tho for sorting work hours & pet sitters & I hope you can sort the issues out & your OH realises you can't take a Pup back x

foreign_correspondent

Can I just ask, dod you do much research into the breed and breeder as it seems a very quick decision - I do hope there is no risk he is a puppy farm dog.

As Norbertsmum said, beware the housetraining and intensive supervision stage can be long and drawn out!

Also re: seperation anxiety - if the boxer becomes unhappy you will know about it - my friend had two, brother and sister the female was fine, but the male almost destoyed the house, he demolished a three piece suite, door frames and a whole range of fixtures, fittings and furniture...

ETA - I see this thread has been merged with others started by the OP?!

suki1964

My first pup and hubby was on the phone back to the shop within hours asking for them to take it back (yes I know but back then I didnt know about puppy farms) and that was after two years of talking of getting a dog.

You have set yourself up with a lot of heard work and expense but if you kep your heads and read from the same page of the book you should get through,

Personally I took the crate into my bedroom at night. This way we all got sleep and I could hear the minute pup wanted out for toilet. Straight up and out the garden, no lights, no fuss, just quick praise for going and back in crate and sleep.

I would never be putting a new pup in a crate unattended from the word go. Crate training takes time and its not there to put the dog into all day every day - its a safe place for a few hours, perhaps whilst having to go shops or do housework. And to get a pup happy to stay in the crate for a few hours takes time to build up to. Never crate an unexercised untoileted pup and dont expect pup to be able to hold toilet for more then 40/60 mins this age. If the pup is in the crate during the day longer then that at this age you are teaching them that going to the toilet in their crate is good - you are going to create more problems then solve tbh

Ideally you would be home for the next couple of weeks to home the pup but if thats not possible then you do need to get a sitter to spend a good part of the day with the pup.

I really hope that you can sort out something for the pup. Being a boxer and very human orientated placed with a highly strung nervous dog could be reciepe for disaster. I would also go join the local puppy classes and get as much behavioural advice that you can from there

Good luck xxx