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

[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 .

[timlewis]

Im Sorry But I Dont Think 5-6 Cups A Day Is The Right Diet For My Pup. I May Need To Up Her Food A Little But My Vet Told Me 1 1/2 Cups A Day Was Enough For Her. I Have Been Feeding Her 2 Cups A Day For The Last Few Days But 5-6 Cups Would Be Way To Much For Her Right Now. When I First Got Her I Would Just Poor Out Food And Let Her Eat What She Wanted And She Just Pooed All Over The Place. So That Much Would Just Go Right Through Her.

[lady_bug_mistress]

hi! i'm new here et love this site! i had to write to you to say first off your dog looks fine. ive had 4 boxers, not counting 2 litters with a total of 14 pups in all. im no expert, but boxers have such a high metabloism they are almost always that thin. my first boxer didnt really start to put on weight until he was 5 et calmed down. even then he just put on muscle. my GSD on the other hand is a different story lol. as far as getting your boxer to stop nipping the kids..i had to teach both my kids et the dogs together. my kids now know the "rule of thumb" with boxers...you run from boxers, they WILL chase you. not to intentionally be aggressive, but in my experience they are VERY play oriented. we use toys a lot, ranging from tug ropes to balls (be careful with more then one tennis ball at a time though because a boxer can et will fit up to 3-4 in their mouths et could possibly choke). as the dog grows et the mouth gets bigger soccer balls are good, but invest in stock because they can easily bust them lol. we change toys a lot too, because our boxer has the attention span of a nat, so we try to keep her interested with variety. like i said, i'm not an expert but i hope my experiences could help you.