Our new puppy is home & he's GORGEOUS!

[RVsBoxer]

Well I guess I was a worry wart for nothing hehe. We took the lil guy home last night and he is just gorgeous! Wilson grew so much since we last saw him! He whined for a lot of the car ride but that's understandable, and he's still whining here and there. He's doing real well with his crate though! The longest time he slept in there was 3 1/2 hrs straight. His poo went from being decently solid to being really runny but the breeder said that might happen. He ate almost all his food this morning and for the most part he has pooped outside. We are having some trouble getting him to pee outside though. I have caught him in the act 3 times so far and as soon as I picked him up he stopped but then when I took him outside he wouldn't go. I'm thinking maybe he was done already? It was just a tiny bit though because I picked him up right away. Ah well we will get the hang of it. This is our first puppy so we have a lot to learn! I think so far we are doing pretty well He loves to kiss and cuddle which is wonderful, and he seems to have a very sound temperament because he is fine with other people and is not scared of other dogs, even the big ones hehe (that's my boy!). Infact he's a bit too confident lol - we came across a lab who kinda started growling at him and backing up, but Wilson just kept trying to go for him! I think puppy kindergarten is going to be so much fun. We start Sept 4th Anyway I am going to figure out how to post pictures because I have taken so many already and I want to show you all. In the meantime I'll make a new avatar with a close-up picture of him.

Watch out for regular updates of how he is doing, and any advice anyone may have is more than welcome

Thanks guys! My husband and I have been visiting this forum for months and now we finally have our very own Boxer It was worth the wait!

-Val

[hanley]

Keep us posted on Wilson,I know he is precious! Boxer Pal,Hanley

[RVsBoxer]

Thanks a lot for the support guys!! I finally managed to resize a pic and make it into an avatar. So here he is! Now I have to upload some pictures. I know it will take a day or something before you can see them though.

Right now he is sleeping on the sofa - he has been relaxing for a while hehe.

[RVsBoxer]

Here is a picture of his dad:

http://moonstruckbxr.tripod.com/Boys/Skie.html

I don't have a picture of the dam but it is Higo's Sweet Dreams of You (Patsie). I hope he looks like his daddy when he gets bigger!

[Boxer_Guy909]

Congrats on your new lil edition....get the pics up!!! haha Have a great time with him! Our new boy is making himself at home as well!!!

Diego's Dad

[Ali_Crazy]

Glad to hear things are going good! I can't wait to see pics. From what you say it seems like he's full of personality!!


Ashley and Ali

[RVsBoxer]

Well Wilson is doing quite well so far. He has coxcidia (i don't know how to spell it) so he has had runny poo (eugh) but it's already getting better as he is on his second day of medication. Other than that he's doing pretty good with housebreaking. Only 2 poop accidents in 3 days (and with the coxidia he has been pooping a lot lol). He peed on the bed today which sucked. I just got home from work and was trying to get changed, I didn't think he'd pee on the bed so I put him there in the meantime - BIG MISTAKE! lol. As for his crate training, well he's doing somewhat well. Sometimes he goes in ok, other times he doesn't want to and he whines. I haven't left him in there during the day because there is always someone home with him for the moment (my dad and brother are here to visit from England). I did buy a baby gate for the kitchen but he doesn't like being behind it, even with a bunch of toys. Any advice anyone? The biggest problem of all is with the leash. He really doesn't like it =/ He tries to bite it all the time, and half the time he won't walk with it. He'll either sit down or just stand still and won't budge, even if I slightly tug (he'll budge even more if I do that). He'll get especially stubborn when we're almost outside (we live in an apt building on the 3rd floor), like he doesn't think being outside is all that great lol (well we do take him out a lot!). We have been leaving his leash on in the house to get him used to it, but he just keeps biting it lol.
Another thing is that today he's been barking a good amount, sometimes even when I call him to me. I can understand him barking when we have the bumble ball out, but why at me lol? Is that normal?
Last of all is that he is biting a lot. I know that is normal, and I'm trying to say ouch real loud when he bites and walk away. Hopefully he'll start to catch on soon enough lol. Someone told me to fill a bottle with coins and shake it at him when he's doing something wrong, followed by a 'No'. It had an effect the first time, after shaking it like 6 times lol. It's not really having much of an effect now, except he barks at it.

Well that's about it, I think we're doing pretty well considering it's only the third day. He does like to cuddle and give kisses (though they can sometimes turn into nips lol, when he's feeling playful) and we're having so many laughs with him already, especially with his bumble ball. He tries to bite it and his whole mouth vibrates! Any advice anyone has about some of the issues I mentioned would be really appreciated. Thanks guys

P.S. Is it ok that during the day he is sleeping wherever he wants? Or am I supposed to put him in his crate to get him more used to it? I don't want to put him in there too much, ya know?

[boxergirl77]

when i got my boxer (sophie) she didnt like the leash, so i was told by a dog trainer to attach her leash to the belt loops of my pants and just walk around the house like normal. this helped her alot to get used to the leash!

[RVsBoxer]

Wow I would've never thought of that. That's very interesting. I'm going to try it out. Thanks a lot Boxergirl77

Tanya&jazz I did buy some kind of bitter spray. It's not bitter apple but I got it from petsmart. I sprayed his leash but he still bites it lol - I guess it doesn't bother him. I am going to have to buy that bitter apple. I sure hope it does the trick. Thanks a lot

[kassa]

Biting the leash is perfectly normal. The key in the very early days is to follow the pup -- get him somewhere he wants to explore and follow him closely enough so that he forgets about the leash. You can roll a ball, or throw a toy -- anything that will send him away from you (while you follow).

Soon he'll associate the leash with going out and having fun, and just the sight of you reaching for it will result in celebration!

[DogPile]

Ha, we're new owners ourselves and are experiencing similar experiences. (Joe is about 9-10 weeks... My wife knows exactly...)

He went after the big dogs too. Fearless... and really social with absolutely EVERYONE/EVERYTHING! And we've let him be verbally reprimanded by the adult dogs (but not nipped).
He's currently got the sniffles, so, we're really watching that we don't share that to our neighbour's dogs. Doc says nothing to worry about.

He's super on the leash and really didn't bite at it that much?!? (Walks on the lead OK.) He'll sometimes want to sit and watch leaves/cyclist...etc. while walking. But, per the advice here... just letting him get the feel of things.

Once again, happy to hear about your new baby!

[lafsalot]

Just viewed Wilson's pics and he is absolutely adorable!! With regards to the leash training - I had trouble with all my dogs at first, but they soon got the hang of it. I agree with the others - let him get used to wearing it in the apartment, and let him lead you as he explores. Then try taking the lead a little bit each day. Sounds like you are doing a great job with the house training. The most important thing is to be consistent and watch for his cues telling you that he has to go out. Enjoy your new baby - Cathy