Last Christmas, my husband and kids got me a six week old Boxer-Dutch Shepherd puppy. He was cute and small. He seemed to be easy to train, as he was nearly potty trained within the first two months, or so we believed.
He is not our first puppy, but man has he been the most difficult.
To say his separation anxiety is an issue is an understatement. We tried many different things from kennel training to freedom around the house anytime we left. Each and every time he pooped and peed all over the floor, but that was not enough. No, he had to take it one step further and either roll in it or run through it and track across the entire house.
After smearing his dirty work into our carpet, he would find something to chew up, be it his bed, or the kids' artwork on the fridge. He did not care what it was, because he was mad and vengeful.
Eventually, we had to start leaving him in the backyard whenever we left. This worked well at our old house, as it was a big yard with a privacy fence, and the weather was nice. However, he graduated from rolling in poop to eating it fresh off the grass. What a wonderful development, right?
There was one time I caught him with a mouthful, and I thought I got it all out before taking him back in the house. Next thing I know, I see two small nuggets drop from his jowls. The sucker chipmunked it into the house.
As you can imagine, we had many concerns about his bad habits coming to the new house. We wanted a new, clean life, and he makes that dream seem impossible.
Thankfully, we have a screened in carport that suffices as a dog room whenever we leave. For the first two months, we always came home to the same mess. This time, though, the floor is easy to clean, and the screen windows expedite the airing out. He did chew up a couple dog beds, but that habit did seem to subside fairly quickly.
His poop eating habit did not cease as quickly, and instead he added wildlife droppings to the menu, after first rolling in the excrement. The eating of it is not as often, but it does still occur if we are not actively reeling him back.
On top of his nasty shenanigans, he had to learn how to live in a massive yard with no fence. He has almost been run over only twice and chased the neighbor's cat once. Lord, he is exhausting.
His poor sister dog, who is 10, feels the frustration of his puppy antics more than any of us. Fetch is her reason for living, and keep away is his favorite pastime.
He is now nine months old. His house training has gotten better, but he still struggles with excitement pees. Though few and far between, if he is scared or overly excited, you can track his movements by the spray trail he leaves behind.
It is frustrating to say the least, as we expected him to be farther along, but he is cute, and a lot of fun when he behaves.
He is silly, loving, and can be so very sweet. He thinks he is a lap dog, and will do his darnedest to make it a reality. His playfulness keeps us all young and active. Chasing his tail, or a light reflection on the walls shows how he is still very much a puppy. When he gets the zoomies, you cannot help but laugh. His tooth hugs are gentle reminders that we are his pack, and he wants nothing more than to be with us all the time. His snuggles and sloppy kisses are heart warming and comforting.
So, as you can see, not all he does is bad, and it continues to get better, albeit at a painstakingly slow pace. We will continue trying different training methods until we find one that works. Right now, hooking him to a lead outside and taking away his freedom to roam the entire yard seems to be the most impactful.
In the end, he is one of the family, and we love him dearly. Though he does test the limits at least once a day, we believe he will eventually become a well behaved pooch.
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