how can i get my boxer to puit biting my kids?

[timlewis]

i know i have a lot of questions but i dont know a lot about dogs and we dont have any kind of training around here where i live. my boxer pup bites my kids all the time and i know it is in play but her little teeth are sharp they hurt me so i know they hurt my kids. and i need to know how i can get her to quit biting them. ANY SUGGESTIONS?

[coco-bean]

i have a question for you, why is he so skinny?

[Cataholic]

Good grief, no kidding. Why is he so skinny?

[timlewis]

i WONDERED Y MYSELF BUT THE VET SAID SHE HAD A PERFECTLY FRAMED BODY. THAT IS JUST THE WAY THEY R SUPPOSE TO LOOK. WHEN I FIRST GOT HER I FED HER A LOT BECAUSE I HADN'T EVER HAD A PUP BEFORE, ALL SHE DONE WAS POOP. MY BROTHER IN LAW HAS MORE EXPERIENCE WITH DOGS AND TOLD ME I WAS FEEDING HER TO MUCH. SO WHEN I STARTED FEEDING HER WHAT THE BAG RECOMMENDED SHE DIDNT POOP ALL THE TIME. AND WHEN I FIRST GOT HER SHE LOOKED THE SAME AND THE VET SAID SHE WAS PERFECTLY PROPORTIONED, I WAS WORRIED MYSELF. AND I HAVE LOOKED AT A LOT OF BOXERS ON DIFFERENT WEB SITES AND FULLY GROWN THEY LOOK JUST THE SAME CHECK THEM OUT, TRUST ME IM NOT NEGLECTING HER I LUV DAISY. U CAN GO TO www.boxerworld.com AND LOOK AT SOME PICS

[Love That Collie]

Hi Tim;
Never fear, this too shall pass re the puppy biting.
There's several methods people use, you should find out what will work best for you.

1. Every time the puppy bites, discontinue playing with her immediately and say "no bite" ignore her for a little while then resume play. Do this each time she bites. Puppies hate to be ignored.

2. Every time she bites or teeth touch skin, yelp loudly or say OUCH/OWWW
loudly and put a chew or toy in her mouth immediately and praise her when she chews or bites on something she is SUPPOSED to.

There are other options, these are just 2, but whatever method you end up choosing it must be consistent and all of the family members must use the same method. Hope you find something that works. I had the biggest puppy biter I had ever seen just last summer, he now has one of the "softest mouths" I have ever seen.

[timlewis]

Thank U For The Advice I Will Try. I Read Someone Said When She Bites Put Ur Hand Further N Her Mouth And She Will Try To Spit It Out And Eventually She Will Quit. I Dont Know Its Not Really Having Much Affect. And My Kids R Only 2 And 5 So Getting Them To Help Will B Hard But I Will Try And I Surely Appreciate The Advice Ill Let U Know How It Turns Out.

[Love That Collie]

Tim;
You are welcome.
I have never been a fan of pushing the hand back farther in the mouth way.
And yes, you are correct, that way wouldn't be good for the kids to do as
they could get hurt. Your 5 year old could be a big help, five year olds are always wanting to help with things. LOL So it wouldn't be difficult for you to
show your 5 year old how to teach the puppy not to bite. The 2 year old is
another story though, as you know.

[coco-bean]

I know how boxer's should look, im not saying by any means that ur neglecting your puppy, sorry if i offended you! BUT....when you see all her ribs and parts of her hips, i think their may be a problem! If you are feeding her correctly, maybe you should have your vet check for worms or something!?! let me know how that goes for you!

[Corinna]

I love Daisy shes adorable. I have a 1 year old boxer He was a rescue from anothe Pet talker. He was abused and was very thin also. looking at the muscle tone on her front . I would say she's still a very young girl. How old is she.? It could be she's just a pre teen and they some times look that way . Boxers don't get tired so they burn off evey thing they eat.
I hope you are ready for a lot of exercising and playing if you have never had a dog before you are in for a lot of learning and work. Boxersare a very high maintanice breed. I just had a 6 foot cedar fence put up and Tyson will jum froma stand still to hook his paws over the top and watch people go by.
I would suggest you " Boxers for dummies "at your local pet or book store.
I have raised dogs for 40 years (mostly spaineils) boxers are a totally different expience . I love him to peices ( which is what most of my lawn furnyure is now) But if bored they will be destructive, keep lots of toys and keep her busy. Get on the obediance training NOW as they are Very strong dogs as they get older.
They are a soruce of eternal amusement also. If you want to se some of what i mean look up threads labeled Boxer shorts by me or Dugansdad (my hubby ) they will be in dog general. enjoy your sweet heart.
You can e mail me any questions if you want. winky@ bresnan.net

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

You already recieved some wonderful advice regarding the biting issue. However, I agree that your pup is on the thin side (I am not implying that you are neglecting her though). I know quite a few Boxers, one of which is a puppy and I've never seen one that thin. If you don't mind me asking, how much food are you feeding her? How often? and, what brand?

[timlewis]

Sorry Coco If U Thought I Was Mad I Didnt Mean For It To Sound That Way At All, I Just Didnt Want Anyone To Think That Because I Truly Do Luv Daisy. The Vet Checked Her And Said She Was Fine Just A Week And A Half Ago And I Gave Her A Worm Pill Today That The Vet Gave Me. Im Not Sure The Name Of It But Im Suppose To Give It Once A Month And Its For Heart Worms And All. She Stays Out All Day Long Running And Playing So I Think That Has A Lot To Do With It She Is Only 9 Weeks Old. I Will Ask The Vet When I Take Her Back To Get Her 2nd Set Of Shots This Week Or Next And Ill Let U Know What She Says. Thank You For Ur Reply TO ANSWER UR QUESTIONS ORANGUTANGO SHE IS 9 WEEKS AND I FEED HER BETWEEN 1 3/4 TO 2 CUPS A DAY. AND THAT IS WHAT THE VET TOLD ME AND I MADE SURE SHE MEANT ONCE A DAY NOT TWICE SHE SAID TO GIVE HER A CUP OF THE MORNING AND THEN 3/4 OF THE EVENING OR OF THE NIGHT. DOESNT SOUND LIKE MUCH TO ME BUT THAT IS WHAT SHE TOLD ME SO IM TRYING IT. AND I DONT KNOW HOW MUCH DIFFERENCE IT MAKES BUT I TOOK THOSE PICS IN THE EVENING AND SHE HAD ATE THAT MORNING, BUT I DID FEED HER THE REST SHORTLY AFTER. DO U ALL THINK THAT IS ENOUGH FOOD FOR HER OR SHOULD I GIVE HER MORE??????? I FEED HER PUPPY CHOW.

[timlewis]

Corinna I Tried To E Mail U And It Wouldnt Go Through If U Dont Care E Mail Me So I Can Reply I Have A Few Questions For U About Daisy If U Dont Mind.

[coco-bean]

i would def. give her a little more! Not anything like 2 or 3 more cups, but at least 2.5 daily!, one of my pamphlets i got from akc said puppies should be fed at least 4 times a day, so myabe you should look on the internet or do some research! Thanks!!

[catnapper]

Every dog is different, and the feeding guidelines are for the typical dog. Not for the ones who are inactive or hyperactive. I would recommend putting down as much food as she'll eat in a 5-10 time. When she's done, pick it up and put it away til the evening. Do the same then. Her ribs shold not be as prominent. I have seen thin boxers before, and yes, their ribs do show but not as prominently.

As for the nipping and biting
Rule #1: Teach the kids not towave their hands or scream/squeal/cry. To a puppy thats one big invitation to play.

Rule #2: never pull your hand away since that's a great way to get bit AND deep scratches.

Rule #3: If its nipping and biting from teething, redirect to something she can chew one - a bone, a toy, a kong thats got penutbutter and has been frozen. Ooooo they LOVE frozen peanut butter Kongs! The frozen feels good on their sore gums and they'll spend time getting the peanut butter out.

Rule #4: Many times they are nipping and biting for attention. Do NOT pay ANY attention to her unless she's being polite and leaving her mouth off you. Stand up, fold your arms across your chest, stare at the sky. You'll KNOW you're getting to her when she starts jumping up, biting your feet, grabbing the hem of your pants, etc. Whatever you do, do NOT acknowledge her. Do not push her down. No looking at her, no verbal corrections, no cries, no screams, NOTHING. Within a few minutes, she'll pick up on the fact that she's not getting anything from you. Most likely, she'll back off a few feet and sit down or wander off. Then you go up to her and offer to play until she starts to mouth at you again. Repeat, repeat, repeat. If you are truly consistent with this, she'll stop because she knows her mouth on you means she gets zero attention from you. This same technique works wonders on jumping up. To recap: NO attention. No verbal, visual, no touch. NOTHING! Pretend she's not even there.

Rule #5: Never play with her using your hands. People seem to think roughousing by quickly rubbing puppy's face is fun yet they are confused when the dog nips back. If you want to rough house, play tug of war.

Rule #6: NEVER clamp your hand over her mouth. I've seen people recommend it, but all it achieves is frustrating her, making the problem worse.

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

Puppies generally eat between two and three times a day (preferably 3), and Boxers being such an active breed do need quite a bit of food. Boxer people I know give their pups about 5-6 cups a day, which is about 2 cups per meal. Purina Puppy Chow isn't a high quality food, so it's going to go right through her system thus making it harder for her to gain weight. I'd recommend feeding something of higher quality, which wouldn't be anyhting that you can find in a gorcery store. Nutro (Natural Choice or Ultra) is a step up from Puppy Chow and can be found in PetsMart aswell as Petco and any other smaller pet store. Natural Balance is even better than Nutro and I think can be found in Petco (I'm not from the US, so I'm just going by what I've heard). If you can find Canidae, Innova, California Natural, etc. those would be even better but if you can't, Nutro or Natural Balance (which ever one is easily available to you) would be a great start, in my opinion. Of course, you don't have to change her food if she's doing okay on it but in the long run it would much better for her. Good luck with your pup .