Rebellious and Destructive

[sherryberry]

Hi all!

I just thought I would throw our problem out there and see what some of your opinions were!

Since Lady hit 8 months old she has turned from a pretty decent dog to one that is rebellious and destructive and tests us like crazy!!

She has started to counter surf in the kitchen... so we have to keep things off of it. She also has started to take objects off the coffee table (which she NEVER did) and chew them up. She will put a toy in front of our little dog and wave it in his face until he takes it, then she will bark and bark at him because he has it!!

She chewed the window sill while we were gone, so we have to keep chairs in front of it now (again she never did that before!). She doesn't bark or whine when we leave the house so I'm not sure why she did that twice.

A lot of times now when we tell her to leave the cat alone or not do something, she will talk to us and go wooo wooo wooooooaarr and jump at us and jump back and thinks its a game.

She usually rings the bell to go outside and to come inside usually just scratched the door... lately she has just been Throwing her body up against it!!! Tonight at full speed she did that and broke the door stopper off it when the door flew open and hit the wall on the other side (we didn't have it clicked all the way closed so she could paw it open, this door is glass in the middle btw so I cant imagine if the door was clicked closed!!)

When I try to hold her from jumping on me she tries her doggie kung fu and throws her legs up and wraps them around my arms to knock them down off of her. As I'm walking through the house or backyard she will nip at my hands and arms and bottom and legs and she does it as she's jumping. I have tried just standing like a tree then when my arms folded and she will try to jump up to my arms then she will stop and sit, then when i unfold and start to walk without looking at her she will go at me again! It's really annoying.

I tried the NILIF and get her to sit before I feed her, throw her toy, pet her and things... not sure what else to do?

Will doggie time outs work? We can't crate her because she flips and tries to hurt herself and drops a gallon of saliva on herself and the crate and knocks over her water so she cant drink any and is a pain. We can put her in time out behind the baby gate though in the hallway with all the doors closed. It's kind of hard to get her there though... she's so big and I would have to take her from under her legs to get her to walk LOL.

Going SHH and poking her like cesar sure doesnt solve anything LOL... oh yea, tap her on her rear to redirect her attention... for .2 seconds til she hops and jumps and wiggles around the room in chaos again!

She knows basic obedience... but it seems the excited factor makes it all go away when she's in a crazy mood... Especially if someone new is around its just bounce bounce bounce.

Not sure what to do! Any suggestions? I was thinking maybe at 8 months they are going through like a teenager crazy stage? Not sure though?

[gmacleod]

Originally Posted by sherryberry

I was thinking maybe at 8 months they are going through like a teenager crazy stage?

Yes, exactly that. And as difficult as it is to deal with, do keep in mind that with patience and consistency, your well behaved puppy will finally re-emerge as a well-educated adult. It's just the crazy time in the middle you need to get through.

The teenage stage, btw, is going to last a while The adult-minded dog arrives somewhere between 2-3 years of age.

In the meantime though, you've got to deal with the teenager, and give her the education she needs. A big part of this is going to be large amounts of exercise AND activities that make her use that brain of hers. Your pup sounds like a classic bored teenager, with energy to burn, and who's annoying the heck out of everyone else with her invented ways of entertaining herself. SO - what you need to do is invent ways of burning that off for her instead (better your terms than hers ).

How much hard exercise does she get daily? Not talking about walks here, but good hard running exercise. A boxer teenager generally needs about 2 hours of hard exercise daily. If she's not getting that (and most dogs don't) then it would be a very good thing to introduce if you can. A tired dog is a good dog, as the saying goes - and that's never more true than when the dog in question is an obnoxious boxer teenager

The other thing this dog will need is mental stimulation. It isn't just physical exercise that keeps a dog well behaved, but mental exercise. She needs to be made to use that brain to think rather than to spend her mental energy testing her boundaries - which is the alternative she'll take (as she currently is doing) if you don't use up her brain power in other ways. Could you enroll her in a training class? Preferably a group training class, where she will get plenty of stimulation and distractions. Without any doubt, she will be the class clown or terror (so don't even expect to have the best behaved dog there - expect her lying on her back kicking legs in the air with tantrums instead and you'll be closer to the mark LOL), but the experiences will be invaluable all the same. Gradually, she will learn to listen again. But most importantly, she'll be made to use that brain of hers, and that will very likely mean she uses it less at home for thinking up mischief.

[kayboxer]

Okay, this post made me laugh out loud with the pictures of this crazy teenage boxer running around and doing kung fu! Unfortunately, I have one too!

[Jan]

I think that is pretty typical behavior for and adolescent boxer. Moto has done very similar things. Moto is about to turn 3 and is finally settling down and becoming a good dog most of the time.

[sherryberry]

Thanks for the advice! I will definitely start teaching her new tricks and things. I guess I did kind of fall off on the training activities and all.

I forgot how much she loved clicker training! I worked with her for 15 minutes last night and she can close the cabinet and fridge door now!! Might be fun to set up a homemade agility course in the backyard with the cooler weather!

I will go to Petsmart too and see if they have any classes coming up... this will be fun

At least our house won't be boring for the next couple years. Sounds like they are really crazies for awhile!! It's okay though because half the time I have to try to hide smiles when she does something crazy because she is so bad but she will look just so cute!

[madmatt]

This sounds exactly like what I'm gong through. My 10 month old ate the blinds today. She has been good for the last 2 or 3 months that we have let her run lose. Sould we return to crating her when we are gone?

[MrsBevers]

I have found that a 'KONG' toy full of peanut butter & treats ( i put it in the freezer so that the peanut butter is frozen) is a GREAT way to keep my 10 month old entertained. We usually do that for him while we're at work & he is in his crate. I also know from talking to other people that if its possible crate-training is the best thing to do because they do get bored very easily & will destroy your house. I have a wiemeraner in the household that counter surfs & i thought that's where Cassius got it from, Mine also bites pant legs & feet. I also have the jumping/excited issue with mine & its not really a problem to us but i have a LOT of friends that come over that are pregnant & it worries me for the saftey of their babies because my boxer is so tall that when he jumps & hits you he's right at your belly. -Does anyone know what to do to redirect that so that i don't have to keep him outside or in his crate while they're here?- but its good to know i'm not the only Mommy that goes through that one!

[NicksMom]

Sounds just like what I went thru with Nick a few years back. He had been thru a puppy class and a beginner class I was silly enough to think I was on the right track. Then the teen phase started. I actually accused him of his brain ozzing out. We got him from my brother-in-law so for a while I blamed Uncle Ray for dropping him on his head when he was a puppy. But alas time and a ton of exercise and training paid off. Nick is a joy to live with. Hang in there and keep training and chanting "A Tired Dog is A Good Dog"